athlete of the week

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Macie Crutchfield

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Macie Crutchfield

Southwestern Randolph, softball Crutchfield completed her junior season as the Most Valuable Player of the Class 2A state championship series. She pitched every inning in both games as the Cougars captured the title by sweeping Midway in games held at UNC Greensboro. In those 12 innings (because Game 1 was reduced to five innings by the mercy rule), she compiled 19 strikeouts and issued three walks. Crutchfield is a three-year starter for Southwestern Randolph, racking up high strikeout totals most of the time. She’s also has provided the team with boost at the plate. In the state finals, she had…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Caleb Stickle

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Caleb Stickle

Uwharrie Charter Academy, baseball The senior infielder has been a key member of the back-to-back Class 1A West Region champions. Stickle provided three hits and drove in four runs in the decisive Game 3 of the Class 1A West Region finals Saturday night at Mount Airy. That result sent the Eagles back to the state finals, where they’ll try to repeat as state champions this week in the best-of-3 finals against Northside-Pinetown at Holly Springs. Stickle was solid throughout the regional. He scored the first run when UCA won in the series opener. He had one of the team’s two…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Lucy Lockwood

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Lucy Lockwood

Wheatmore, girls’ soccer Lockwood, a goalkeeper, has recorded three consecutive shutouts in the Class 2-A state playoffs. That makes her Wheatmore’s all-time leader in shutouts for girls’ soccer. Her 25th career shutout tied the record last week against Mount Pleasant in the second round and she moved into the sole spot on the list with another blanking Monday night against Wilkes Central in the third round. Lockwood is in her second season with the soccer team. Victoria Lowe, who was the goalkeeper for the 2022 state championship team, had set the school record. Lockwood, a senior, is planning to play…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Mollie Bulla

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Mollie Bulla

Uwharrie Charter Academy, softball Bulla has been a standout at the plate and from the pitching circle during her senior season for the Eagles. Bulla entered this week with a .391 batting average. Her six home runs and 10 doubles were team-high marks after also leading UCA in those categories last year. As a pitcher, Bulla has averaged nearly two strikeouts per inning this season. Last week, UCA won first- and second-round games – against Mitchell and Swain County – in the Class 1-A state playoffs, giving them 19 victories this season. That tied the program record for wins, a…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ryan Marshall

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ryan Marshall

Wheatmore, boys’ golf Ryan Marshall of Wheatmore was the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion by shooting 5-over-par 77 last week at Holly Ridge Golf Links. Marshall, a junior, shot sub-40 on both the front side and backside for a five-stroke edge on Trinity’s Bo Earnhardt. On Monday, Marshall placed third in the Class 2-A Midwest Regional to reserve a spot in next week’s state tournament. In the PAC Tournament, Wheatmore’s 345 team total was 10 shots better than runner-up Uwharrie Charter Academy, while Providence Grove (358) and Southwestern Randolph (360) also contended. The Warriors won the team title for the third…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ayanna Mears

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ayanna Mears

Eastern Randolph, softball Mears has been an important part of the Wildcats’ lineup as the team has put together another winning record. Mears, a senior shortstop, has been among the leading hitters for Eastern Randolph. She’s in her fourth season with the team. Eastern Randolph won five of its last six games in the regular season heading into this week’s Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament. Mears, who’s also a past member of the volleyball and basketball programs at Eastern Randolph, has committed to play softball at North Carolina A&T.
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Carlisle Dozier

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Carlisle Dozier

Asheboro, girls’ soccer Dozier has provided an ideal final layer of defense for the Blue Comets. The senior goalkeeper has averaged nearly 10 saves per game this season. Her six saves helped the Blue Comets defeat Ledford last week. She also was credited with a late-game tip save to preserve a shutout of Central Davidson earlier this month. In March, she made 23 saves in a game. Dozier was a Mid-Piedmont Conference all-league selection last year. With a 9-3-1 record entering this week, the Blue Comets had already matched last season’s win total.
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Caroline DuVall

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Caroline DuVall

Providence Grove, girls’ soccer DuVall had a strong week, notching a pair of goals for the Patriots. DuVall, a senior, generally excels on the defensive end for Providence Grove, which has registered four shutouts in its first 11 games. Providence Grove entered this week on a three-game winning streak with a 6-3-2 overall record. In those games, the Patriots outscored opponents by a combined 20-1 total. DuVall has had a busy school year. She was an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference selection in cross country and also competed for the Patriots’ girls swimming team. She qualified to compete in regionals in both…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Walker Wilkins

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Walker Wilkins

Uwharrie Charter Academy, baseball Wilkins provided a bunch of offense during the Asheboro ZooKeepers Classic as the Eagles won all three games in which they played. UCA won games by 12-1 vs. Southern Alamance, by 15-3 vs. Jordan-Matthews and by 9-0 vs. Montgomery Central. In those three games, Wilkins batted .500 (7-for-14) with four triples, 10 runs batted in and seven rusn scored. Wilkins, a senior outfielder, had a triple with three runs batted in against Southern Alamance and rapped four hits, including two triples, in the Jordan-Matthews game. The Eagles carried their second three-game winning streak of the into…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Macy Allred

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Macy Allred

Southwestern Randolph, girls’ soccer ‌Allred is on pace to lead the Cougars in goals again as she has provided some strong outputs this season. She has been among the team’s top goal scorers since her freshman season. The Cougars racked up their second-highest goal total of the season in last week’s 7-5 victory against visiting Eastern Randolph. Allred had five goals and one assist in that game in what became Southwestern Randolph’s first victory against another Randolph County team in five tries this season. The Cougars are off this week because of spring break. They hold a 5-5-1 overall record…
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