athlete of the week - Randolph Record

20 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Fernando Hernandez

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Class 2-A, Fernando Hernandez, nchsaa, prep soccer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Southwestern Randolph, boys’ soccer Hernandez has been the leading scorer for the Cougars, who'll play in the Class 2A state final. Southwestern Randolph meets Clinton for the state championship Friday night at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews. Hernandez, a junior forward, had racked up 48 goals through the early rounds of the state playoffs. He also rated second among Southwestern Randolph players with 24 assists. He’s on a similar pace as last season, when he had 49 goals. In 2023, he was named the Offensive Player of the year in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Photo: Fernando Hernandez of Southwestern Randolph…

13 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Diego Bustamante

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, athlete of the week, Class 3-A, Diego Bustamante, prep soccer, state playoffs

Asheboro, boys’ soccer Bustamante regularly contributes to the Blue Comets’ big offensive numbers. He’s a senior for the top-seeded team in the West Region for the Class 3A state playoffs. At the beginning of this week, Bustamante ranked second on the Asheboro team in goals with 29 and in assists with 28. He had two in each of those categories when the state playoffs began Saturday and the Blue Comets trounced visiting West Charlotte 9-0. In 2023, he was the Mid-Piedmont Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. ***** Photo: Diego Bustamante has been a stellar player for Asheboro’s boys’ soccer…

07 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Riley Foster

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, prep soccer, Riley Foster, Trinity Bulldogs

Trinity, boys’ soccer Foster, a senior midfielder, has been a key force for the Bulldogs, who finished in third place in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Trinity has been solid defensively throughout much of the season. They entered this week with a 14-5-3 record as they await their assignment for the Class 2-A state playoffs. Foster, a captain, had an impact at both ends of the field. He has been a scoring threat, improving his production since playing most of the team’s games two years ago as a sophomore. Trinity owns a winning record for the fifth consecutive season. Photo: Riley…

30 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Laurel Bernhardt

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Class 2-A, Laurel Bernhardt, nchsaa, prep cross country, Providence Grove athletics, State meet

Providence Grove, cross country She’ll be in the Class 2A state meet for the second year in a row after a strong showing in last week’s Midwest Regional. Bernhardt, a sophomore, had a strong month, winning the Piedmont Athletic Conference championship and then placing seventh in the Midwest Regional. Last year, she placed 27th in the state meet among 132 entrants. Bernhardt was a standout last spring in track and field and a member of the All-PAC team.

24 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Freddie Mercado

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Freddie Mercado, piedmont athletic conference, prep cross country, Randleman athletics, Randleman Tigers

Randleman, cross country Mercado was the winner of the boys’ race in the Piedmont Athletic Conference championships last week at Wheatmore’s 3.1-mile course. Mercado, a senior, finished in 18 minutes, 48 seconds for a 10-second edge on teammate Jedidiah Dake. Providence Grove won the team title by one point on Randleman. Earlier in the month, Mercado was 61st out of 182 runners in the Hagan-Stone Cross Country Classic in Pleasant Garden. The PAC girls’ race was won by Providence Grove junior Laurel Bernhardt in 21:51. The runner-up was Wheatmore’s Scarlett Hildreth (22:55). Wheatmore was first in the team standings with…

16 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Anna Grace LeRoy

Randolph RecordSportsAnna Grace LeRoy, Asheboro Blue Comets, athlete of the week, Mid-Piedmont Conference, Prep volleyball

Asheboro, volleyball LeRoy is a key part of the Blue Comets’ offense as the team had a strong regular season in the Mid-Piedmont Conference. LeRoy, a senior setter, is the team leader in assists. When Asheboro swept Ledford and Montgomery Central last week, LeRoy led the team in assists in both matches. She also racked up a total of seven aces in those two outings. Asheboro took a five-match winning streak into this week’s conference tournament. This weekend, the Blue Comets will learn of their seed and place on the Class 3A bracket for the state playoffs. First-round matches will…

09 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jonathan Cortes

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Jonathan Cortes, piedmont athletic conference, prep soccer, Providence Grove Patriots

Providence Grove, boys’ soccer Cortes has been a key upperclassman on a team that has received large contributions from a cast of younger newcomers. Cortes, a senior forward, entered this week with a share of the team’s scoring lead with 11 goals. The Patriots snapped a four-game losing streak by winning 6-4 last week at Eastern Randolph, with Cortes scoring one of the goals in the Piedmont Athletic Conference game. Cortes registered two goals in last week’s 5-4 non-conference road loss to Lexington. With an 8-8 record, the Patriots have eclipsed their victory total from the last four seasons combined.…

02 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Cam Letterlough

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, athlete of the week, Cam Letterlough, prep soccer

Asheboro, boys’ soccer Asheboro won 11 of its first 13 games and Letterlough has been a big part of the success. The senior forward leads the Blue Comets with 29 goals and 14 assists. Letterlough emerged as an Asheboro standout as a freshman in 2021 before time away to concentrate on club soccer. This year, Letterlough is part of an Asheboro offense that scored nine goals in three consecutive games in a late-September stretch. Photo: Cam Letterlough, reacting here after scoring against Randleman, has been piling up goals and assists at a rapid clip for Asheboro’s boys’ soccer team. (Randolph…

25 Sep

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Will Stalker

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Eastern Randolph athletics, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, prep football, Will Stalker

Eastern Randolph, football Stalker has been a multi-sport contributor for some of Eastern Randolph’s championship teams. He’s an anchor on the offense line for the undefeated Wildcats, who’ll be aiming to win the Piedmont Athletic Conference for a fourth season in a row when the league slate begins next week. Eastern Randolph has been strong along the line of scrimmage. Stalker was a key reserve as a sophomore for Eastern Randolph’s PAC and Class 1A West Regional champion boys’ basketball team in the 2022-23 season. Then last season he was the fourth-leading scorer on the 18-win basketball team. Stalker also…

18 Sep

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Kempton Reed

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Kempton Reed, prep football, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Southwestern Randolph, football Reed, a senior receiver and linebacker, has been a key contributor on offense and defense for the Cougars, who’ll go for their third consecutive victory this week at Albemarle In last week’s triumph at McMichael, Reed led the Cougars with 72 receiving yards. His presence on defense might have been a bigger factor, with his 10 tackles including three tackles for loss. He also intercepted a pass. The Cougars haven’t allowed a second-half point in either of their last two games. Reed was an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference selection last year. Photo: Southwestern Randolph’s Kempton Reed makes a…