UCA

Prep basketball: Season comes with highlights for area teams

Prep basketball: Season comes with highlights for area teams

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Alijah Barker shoots the ball against Albemarle’s Walker Wilkins in the first round of the Class 1-A state playoffs Feb. 22 at Uwharrie Charter Academy in Asheboro. Basketball season came to a close for Randolph County boys’ teams in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association by the end of the second round last week. On the girls’ side, only Randleman and Uwharrie Charter Academy made it to the weekend’s third round. Randleman’s season was still going this week. Here are a few notables as the postseason unfolded: Patriots tripped by familiar foe Providence Grove’s boys’ season-ending…
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Area wrestlers stick with it for solid finishes

Area wrestlers stick with it for solid finishes

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Doug Bowles lifts Mount Airy’s Connor Medvar in the air during the 170-pound bout in the Class 1-A finals Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL GREENSBORO – It was an encouraging start to the state tournament for Randolph County wrestlers Thursday. And not a bad finish either by Saturday. Aside from state champions David Makupson (138 pounds, Class 2-A) of Trinity and Aldo Hernandez (132, Class 1-A) and Grayson Roberts (160 pounds, Class 2-A), there were solid performances that lasted all the way to their final matches. Randolph County wrestlers excelled in the first…
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Winning it all motivates state champs Makupson, Roberts, Hernandez

Winning it all motivates state champs Makupson, Roberts, Hernandez

Trinity’s David Makupson, top, controls Will Nix of Bandys in the Class 2-A 138-pound final Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. GREENSBORO – Contending for state championships in years past was part of the motivation for Trinity’s David Makupson and Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Grayson Roberts. Experiencing the winning feeling again was part of the quest for UCA’s Aldo Hernandez. All three wrestlers ended up as titlists Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. Makupson, a senior, put together a dominating four-match run through the 138-pound division in Class 2-A, winning the states after fourth-place finishes in each of the past two years. “Fourth…
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SWR pulls upset; UCA, Trinity also advance in boys’ basketball state playoffs

SWR pulls upset; UCA, Trinity also advance in boys’ basketball state playoffs

ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph knocked off Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season champion Providence Grove on the opening night of the state playoffs in boys' basketball Tuesday night. Uwharrie Charter Academy and Trinity will continue their boys' seasons. Asheboro, Randleman and Eastern Randolph bowed out along with Providence Grove. In Class 2-A, Southwestern Randolph, which holds the No. 25 seed in the West Region, won 61-58 a rare in-county road playoff game against No. 8 seed Providence Grove. No. 12 seed Trinity beat the No. 21 seed Lexington 55-46. No. 30 seed Randleman traveled to Shelby, losing 52-47. In Class 3-A, No.…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ashara Spruill

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ashara Spruill

Ashara Spruill  |  Uwharrie Charter Academy, girls’ basketball Spruill had a couple of strong outings as the Eagles stayed in the mix to finish in the upper half of the Piedmont Athletic Conference. She posted 19 points, on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, and eight rebounds in a 64-49 road loss to undefeated Randleman in the team’s first game of the week. That marked the third-closest game of the season in conference play for Randleman. UCA led 20-13 after the first quarter before the Tigers cranked out a 23-8 edge in the second quarter. Then the junior tallied 26 points…
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UCA advances to state wrestling championship

UCA advances to state wrestling championship

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jair Ulloa works the arm bar against East Davidson’s Bryson Young in the 145-pound match in November. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL ASHEBORO —Randolph County will be represented in the Class 1-A dual team wrestling state championship meet as Uwharrie Charter Academy is the last remaining of the five county teams that qualified for the postseason. UCA (35-0) will face Avery County for the state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fieldhouse on the Greensboro Coliseum grounds. UCA defeated Pamlico County 45-40 in the regional semifinal before toppling host Rosewood 44-34 in the East Region final Wednesday.…
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Patriots try to keep hold of PAC’s top spot

Patriots try to keep hold of PAC’s top spot

It safe to say that it’s heating up in Piedmont Athletic Conference boys’ basketball. Teams are chasing Providence Grove with a couple of weeks to play, but it’s clear the Patriots might not be in cruise control. “We’re banged up,” Providence Grove coach Wes Luther said. “Who can survive the longest? Hopefully, we’re going to keep grinding it out.” An example of the challenges that exist came with last week’s 55-52 escape at Southwestern Randolph. The Cougars made it difficult for much of the night on the first-place Patriots, who cranked up their defense at opportune times. “They turned up…
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Hall, Gentry reach big point totals

Hall, Gentry reach big point totals

The 1,000-point milestone is in the works for a couple of area girls’ basketball players. Gracyn Hall of Randleman reached that mark with a couple of strong games last week. Autumn Gentry of Trinity entered this week within range of 1,000. The Bulldogs are slated for a game Friday at Uwharrie Charter Academy and a make-up game Saturday at Southwestern Randolph. Hall and Gentry are juniors, so there could be plenty of time for their point totals to swell. Hall racked up 21 points and 13 rebounds in last week’s 51-34 victory at Trinity. The next night she eclipsed 1,000…
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UCA bows out in Class 1-A soccer

UCA bows out in Class 1-A soccer

MT. AIRY – Uwharrie Charter Academy’s season ended in boys’ soccer with a 4-2 loss to host Mt. Airy on Monday night in the third round of the Class 1-A state playoffs. “We’ve had an amazing season, the best season our school has ever had,” UCA coach Nathan Russell said. “We gave it our absolute all. It just didn’t fall our way.” Sixth-seeded UCA (12-4-1) allowed a season-high goal total. It gave up three goals in two games for the previous high surrendered, while securing 10 shutouts. Mt. Airy (25-0) led 3-1 at halftime. Last week, Danny Palma scored two…
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UCA tops Gray Stone to advance in volleyball playoffs

UCA tops Gray Stone to advance in volleyball playoffs

Uwharrie Charter Academy's Madi Duvall spikes the ball against Gray Stone Day School's Mandi Stoyanov during Class 1-A state playoffs at Uwharrie Carter Academy in Asheboro on October 28, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL ASHEBORO — Uwharrie Charter Academy's volleyball team will face its first road test in the Class 1-A state playoffs after a straight-sets home victory against Gray Stone, a charter school from Stanly County, on Thursday night. The Eagles punched their ticket to the fourth round — and a trip to the mountains during — to face second-seeded Murphy on Saturday. The Eagles are riding a six-match…
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