ASHEBORO — Since Southwestern Randolph High School opened its doors in 1970, there have been many incredibly talented athletes who have achieved amazing accomplishments and coaches who have guided those student-athletes to those multiple successes.
On Friday night, 14 former coaches and athletes received the honor of making up the inaugural class to the school’s new Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame has been in the works for a number of years, and behind the efforts of current Athletic Director Chris Chapman, it has come to fruition.
“We had some community members that came to us and wanted to put something together,” Chapman said. “We talked about it for a couple of years and were finally able to get something together. I talked a lot with Wes Berrier at Asheboro and Jake Smith at Randleman to see how they did things and modeled things after what they did. It took some time, but it's worth that and more.”
Honorees, family and friends gathered in the cafeteria to honor those student-athletes and coaches as principal Brian Hodgin led the ceremony.
Donnie Baxter was the first to be enshrined.
“This is a special place, I am thankful I had the opportunity to come here when I did,” said Baxter, the former principal who has received numerous NCHSAA Hall of Fame inductions and honors. “I had my eyes on this place when I was coaching football (at Eastern Randolph). I had an administrative degree and this was an ideal place to start and it opened up at the right time.”
Baxter served as Principal at SWR from 1985 until 1995 when he left to work at the Randolph County School System Central Office where he became the Director of Athletics for the Randolph County School System.
In addition to his work as principal and athletic director, Baxter returned to help his son, Seth, in the football program.
Baxter has also been enshrined in several other Hall of Fames.
“The most treasured thing about all these honorees is that they were even better kids than athletes.” Baxter said. “In my opinion, it was what they were taught at home. They were brought up the right way.”
Charlie Chapman was at SWR from 1985 to 1996. During his time at SWR, he taught Physical Education, served as Athletic Director, and head football coach all 11 years, leading the program to its first-ever state playoff berth. He has served on numerous state committees and acted as conference commissioner in a number of leagues.
“I enjoyed it when I was here several years ago and I enjoy it now,” Chapman said. “The coaches we work with here, Brian Hodgin promotes athletics and I just love working with the athletes.”
Holly Hill Cogan is a 1993 graduate, who excelled in volleyball, basketball and softball. She was three times player of the year in basketball and was a key member of two state volleyball championship teams and the MVP at each of the state championship matches. She was named the NCHSA Female Athlete of the Year in 1993.
“I was really surprised just to be nominated,” Cogan said. “This is a good thing for the school. I remember all the friendships that were made and we still keep in touch.”
Kathy Sugg Fleetwood was inducted after an incredible athletic and coaching career at SWR. She was a member of the 1989 graduating class, who played volleyball, tennis and basketball. In tennis, she was a three-time All-Conference performer. A three-time team MVP in tennis, she was a regional champion and earned a berth into the state semifinals.
senior year. Her basketball jersey was retired before returning to coach in 1993. She coached jayvee basketball and varsity tennis, earning numerous coaching awards.
“I was absolutely floored,” she said when she heard about the honor. “This school has always meant so much to me.”
Others honored:
Annette Cain Yates (1988) — One of the top basketball players and overall student-athletes to ever play at SWR, she also played volleyball for four years. She also competed in softball and track during her tenure. She was a three-time most valuable player of the basketball team and won numerous awards in various tournaments, also earning all-regional honors. She finished with 2,170 points and earned first-team all-state status. Grover Cephas “GC” Castelloe Jr. — The former principal at Farmer became the first principal at SWR, where he had the task of hiring teachers and coaches for the new school. He retired in 1985 and passed away in 1996. John “Jack” Castelloe — One of the top girls basketball coaches in the state, Castelloe also earned the very first varsity football win as a head coach in 1972. On the basketball court, from 1971-1994, Castelloe’s teams earned 592 victories. He was honored when the school gymnasium was named for him. He also served as assistant principal before passing away in 1997. Rachel Goad Cagle — Serving as a coach from 1974 until 2010, she spent 36 years leading the track program, earning more than 625 wins along the way. She coached her team to eight conference championships and had four individual state champions. She was named coach of the year 10 times. Cagle also led the volleyball program for 28 years, finishing with a 446-169 record. The Cougars won 11 league titles and her teams qualified for the state tournament 15 years in a row. Her volleyball teams won back-to-back state championships in 1991 and 1992. She was also named Conference Coach of the Year seven times and earned numerous state awards. Greg Lamb (1977) — Still considered one of the top baseball players in school history, he also played football and basketball. He played on both sides of the ball in football and earned team MVP honors in 1976. Lamb was the first student-athlete at SWR to have his jersey retired after his outstanding career on the baseball field. Larry Little (1989) — A three sport standout in football, basketball and baseball, he helped SWR to a 10-10 record in football during his two years and was named all-conference, all-county and all-region. He won numerous accolades in baseball and continues to be a valued supporter of SWR athletics. LuEllen Loflin Morgan — A Randleman High School graduate who was the Exceptional Children Facilitator for the Randolph County School System, she led the SWR cheerleaders to unbelievable heights, winning 10 state championships in 17 years. She passed away in 2012. Lynne Nance Jones (1983) — An overall student-athlete, she competed in volleyball, basketball, softball and track. In 1981, she was named all-league in volleyball, basketball and softball, also earning top team awards. In 1983, she earned the county player of the year in basketball and was named the school’s top female athlete. She was a leader in the classroom as well as she was a member of the Beta Club and served as Junior Marshall. In 1983, she received an Academic Excellence Award from the Kiwanis Club. Steve Taylor — The Cougars have had one of the top softball programs in the state and Taylor is a big reason why. He served many roles while at SWR, including a Health and Physical Education teacher, baseball coach, football coach, cross county coach and softball coach.Transitioning from slow pitch to fast pitch, he led the Cougars to a 283-52 record, including a 117-11 mark from 2005-2009. He won nine league championships and three state championships, the 2-A title in 2001 and the 3-A crown in 2007 and 2009. Tiffany WIlson Roach (1993) — A three-sport athlete, she competed at the varsity level for four seasons in volleyball, basketball and softball. She was a member of the 1991 and 1992 state volleyball championships, being named top offensive player. She was a tremendous defensive player on the basketball court and earned numerous accolades.
