The only thing that eluded Trent Gill over the fall was a day off.
From August 1st until November 5th, there was usually some duty to tend to. Twice a week, there were soccer games. When he wasn’t playing on the pitch, he was practicing on it. Either that or he was practicing with the football team, since he was the Red Wolves placekicker.
There was little time to rest on Saturdays, since he brand quickly grew inside scouting circles. He took recruiting trips to Duke University, N.C. State, Wofford and North Carolina Central, where he received a scholarship offer.
Cedar Ridge scored 21 touchdowns in its first three games against Carrboro, Jordan-Matthew and East Chapel Hill. During that span, Gill converted 20-of-21 extra points and four field goals, the longest 42 yards against the Jaguars.
In the opening two weeks of the season, Gill led the country in extra points. He finished 64-fo-71 on extra points and 12-of-15 on field goals. Plus, he averaged 36 yards per punt.
And football may not even be his best sport.
In his final season on the Cedar Ridge boys soccer team, he led the squad in goals (16), assists (10), and points (42). He had two hat tricks in 2016, including four goals in an 8-1 victory over Durham School of the Arts.
That game, however, couldn’t touch the satisfaction of the Red Wolves’ result on October 3rd.
Gill scored a hat trick as the Red Wolves edged the Panthers 4-3 at Panther Soccer Field. Jake Brown added insurance for the Red Wolves, while Rene Castellanos added an assist on Gill’s opener.
Gill also scored Cedar Ridge’s only goal in a 1-1 draw against Orange on September 7th. The Red Wolves’ goalkeeper, Justin Callemyn, notched five saves to complete the draw.
The Red Wolves have gone 4-0-1 in its last five games against the Panthers. While the Orange program has progressed in recent years, its last win over Cedar Ridge came on September 30, 2014.
Gill’s leadership put Cedar Ridge on the brink of a Big 8 Confernece Championship. They finished second behind Chapel Hill, who went all the way to the 3A State Championship game, where they lost to Marvin Ridge at N.C. State’s Dail Soccer Complex.
Cedar Ridge would make the playoffs for the 2nd straight season, thanks in part to a young man who lost about as often as he had a day off.