Month: October 2019

For the first time in 765 days, the Cedar Ridge football team won a varsity football game on Friday night. Trailing 19-12 midway through the fourth quarter, Cedar Ridge running back Isaiah McCambry scores a touchdown a 36-yard touchdown run with 4:06 remaining. The Red Wolves got a 2-point conversion on a pass from William Berger to K.J. Barnes for the game-winning score as the Red Wolves defeated the Tigers 20-19. McCambry scores three touchdowns as the Red Wolves won on Homecoming to end a 16-game losing streak. It was also Torrean Hinton’s first win as Cedar Ridge head coach to send the Red Wolves fans happy for a team that deserves it. Hinton took over as the coach of the Red Wolves in late July in pace of Antonio King, who left after one season.The Red Wolves travel to East Chapel Hill next Friday at Dave Thaden Stadium. 

Sometimes to take a step forward, you have to take a step back.

Just a month ago, Northern Durham’s offense was lagging after a 27-7 loss to Riverside. Despite a 3-1 record, the Knights had been held under 200 yards three times.

After getting shut out 13-0 by Southern Durham, third year head coach John Hammett made drastic changes. He installed Caleb Steele, the team’s leading wide receiver, as its new quarterback and basically turned his offense from a double wing into a wishbone.

The results have been immediate.

After piling up 510 yards in a 47-12 win over Cedar Ridge last week, the Knights rolled past Orange 31-14 on Friday night inside Auman Stadium. The Knights (5-2, 2-1 in the Big 8 Conference) received a strong effort from junior running back Anthony Freeman, who finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns.

Orange (2-5, 1-2) never recovered after a dismal first quarter, where they failed to pick up a first down in four series. Northern scored on its first play from scrimmage when Freeman carried around right end for a 55-yard scamper. Following a 14-yard punt on Orange’s 2nd 3-and-out, Northern only had to drive 34 yards for its second touchdown, a two-yard run by Steele.

After totaling a season-low 146 yards last week in a 28-14 loss to Southern Durham, Orange was held to 144 against Northern.

Senior Machai Holt finished with 111 yards from scrimmage and scored both of Orange’s touchdowns.

Now, Orange ventures into the final four games needing to run the table in order to secure a winning regular season and likely to make the playoffs. After its most lopsided loss since dropping a 47-24 decision to R.J. Reynolds, Coach Van Smith sounded concerned about his team’s confidence.

“I just told them that I don’t think they understand how good you are,” Smith said after a postgame meeting with his team. “And it baffles me and it confuses me and it hurts me. I think last season (where Orange finished 3-8) was a kick in the pants. And we’ve had some bumps this season. I think our mental state is a little bit down now.”

After Orange bolted out to a 14-0 lead against Southern Durham last week, they were shut out in its final ten series. Eight of those possessions ended without a first down.

In the first half against Northern, Orange remained in neutral. They ended the first quarter with minus-5 yards. The only Orange drove in the first half that crossed midfield came late in the first half, where Orange drove 45 yards on nine plays. The largest gain came when quarterback Wyatt Jones hit sophomore Omarion Lewis on a 14-yard screen pass. The drive stalled once Orange reached the red zone, and ended when Northern’s Darius Channer picked off a pass in the back of the end zone.

Trailing 17-0 at the half, Orange won a battle of field position to get on the scoreboard. Jones found Holt for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Nigel Slanker’s extra point cut the Northern lead to 17-7.

And as quickly as momentum arrived for Orange, it vanished. Javion Hart returned the subsequent kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to end any drama for the rest of the night.

“I can’t remember the last time when gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown,” Smith said. “It was demoralizing.”

Trey Grizzle recovered a fumble late in the third quarter. The Panthers, who came into the game scoring 30% of its points off turnovers, added seven more when Holt scored off a fullback dive when Orange went with four backs in the backfield out of a T-formation.

Freeman added another touchdown late for Northern long after the game decided that didn’t exactly go over well along the Orange sideline.

Next week, Orange will make its first-ever trip to Vance County for a game that could determine its playoff hopes.

“We’ve got some good senior leadership, we’ve got some good junior leadership,” Smith said. “We’ll buck up a little bit and we’ll come back next week. We have a chance to win four straight. We’ll see what happens.”

NORTHERN DURHAM 31, ORANGE 14

ND-14 3 7 7-31

OR-0 0 7 7-14

ND-Anthony Freeman 55 run (David Brock kick)

ND-Caleb Steele 2 run (Brock kick)

ND-Borck 41 FG

OR-Machai Holt 32 pass from Wyatt Jones (Nigel Slanker kick)

ND-Javion Hart 99 kickoff return (Brock kick)

OR-Holt 1 run (Slanker kick)

ND-Freeman 6 run (Brock kick)

RUSHING-NORTHERN DURHAM 48-283 3 TD (Freeman 21-122 2 TD, Jaylon Chestnut 3-74, Bryant Jones 6-46, Steele 10-28 TD, Nassir Spencer 4-10, Kendrick Brown 2-4, team 1-(minus-1)

ORANGE: 32-71 (Holt 13-69 TD, Elliott Woods 4-18, Jake DeFranco 1-(minus 2), Omarion Lewis 8-(minus 3), Wyatt Jones 6-(minus 11).

PASSING: NORTHERN DURHAM (Steele 1-3 4 yards); ORANGE (Jones 7-20 73 yards, INT)

RECEIVING: NORTHERN DURHAM (Freeman 1-4)

ORANGE (Lewis 4-21, Holt 2-42 TD, Zyon Pettiford 1-10)

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with Drexel at Rudd Field in Elon on Sunday. The Phoenix remain undefeated at home. Hodges, a 2018 Orange graduate, scored Elon’s only goal in the 15th minute off a header from six yards out. Hannah Doherty assisted on the goal. Hodges now had three goals for the Phoenix this season. Elon is 8-3-2 overall, 2-1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They travel to Maryland to play Towson on Sunday.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team fell to Queen’s College 2-1 at Dickson Field in Charlotte on Wednesday night. Jean, a 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate, made seven saves starting as the Saints’ goalkeeper. After not playing in her freshman year, Jean has started nine games this season. She has made 36 saves. Limestone is 4-5, 3-2 in Conference Carolians. They host Converse College at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. on Saturday.

Brittany Daley: Division III Greensboro College defeated Meredith College 1-0 at Pride Field on Wednesday night. Daley started her 13th game of the season at center back. Greensboro improved to 9-3-1 overall, 3-0-1 in the USA South Conference. They host Mary Baldwin University on Tuesday.

Jordan Rogers: For the first time in women’s soccer, Division III William Peace defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 2-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Wednesday night. Rogers made her 13th start of the season at wingback. Peace improved to 6-6-1 overall, 2-1 in the USA South Conference. They face Methodist in Fayetteville on Saturday.

Alfredo Rodriguez: The 2017 Orange High graduate is now a forward for NAIA Montreat men’s soccer team in Black Mountain. Rodriguez has yet to play varsity this season and has shuttled between varsity and junior varsity with the Cavaliers. Montreat has won five in a row and has an overall record of 9-3-1.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: Reid-Shaw was back in the lineup for Division III Dickinson men’s soccer on Tuesday night. It was another down-to-the-wire win for the Red Devils, who defeated Misericordia 3-2 in overtime at Mangelsdorf Field in Dallas, PA. Dickinson’s Kevin Gilbert scored the game-winning goal in the 98th minute. Reid-Shaw has stared seven games this season for Dickinson. The Red Devils improved to 7-5 overall.

Lili Henry: The Division III Pfeiffer volleyball team defeated Methodist in a sweep at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville on Tuesday night. Henry had 15 assists, six digs and two aces for the Monarchs. She played all three sets. Methodist falls to 3-11, 2-4 in the USA South Conference. The Monarchs will travel to Greensboro on Saturday for a tri-match-match against Greensboro College and William Peace at Hanes Gymnasium.

Lauren Cates: The leading scorer from Orange’s women’s basketball team unofficially started her college career last weekend. The Wake Tech women’s basketball team had an exhibition during the Southeast JUCO Jamboree in Albany, GA. The Eagles will officially starts its season against Meredith at Wake Tech on October 22.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior cross country runner Anne Morrell. Last week at the Wendy’s Invitational in Charlotte, the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team finished 1st in the Open Division race, beating out 24 other teams from across the state. Morrell was the top finisher for the Red Wolves at 20:09.90. Last month, Cedar Ridge also finished 1st in the 36th Greensboro Invitational in Pleasant Garden. Morrell finished 7th overall. The Red Wolves Cross Country team finished 2nd in the 3A Mideast Regionals last year, qualifying for the state championships. Morrell has experienced plenty of success in cross country and track & field so far in her Cedar Ridge stint. She continued her strong 2019 form on Tuesday when Cedar Ridge won a dual match against Orange, a race where Morrell finished 1st. 

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior soccer wingback Sebastian Rios. Last week, Rios assisted on the game-winning goal of Orange’s 3-1 win over Southern Durham in extra time. Rios is one of 12 seniors on the Orange men’s soccer team. On August 28, he scored in Orange’s 5-3 win over Eastern Alamance. He has an interest in social work once he leaves college. Rios’ brother attends Duke University. On Wednesday night, Rios started as Orange defeated Vance County 9-0 in Henderson. On Monday, Orange hosts Cedar Ridge in a rematch from a thrilling game earlier this year that the Red Wolves won in penalty kicks after coming back from a 3-1 deficit. Orange is 6-0, 3-6 in the Big 8 Conference. 

Story by Tim Hackett

It was a matchup between two teams that are among the top 20 seeds in HighSchoolOT’s first 3A volleyball playoff projections. It was a matchup between two teams that are among the top 20 teams in MaxPreps’ adjusted rankings. It was a matchup between two rival schools that have practically split the head-to-head series over the last dozen years. It was a matchup in front of a packed house of fans sporting the colors of their chosen side, with a little extra added for the sake of the rivalry – black shirts with “Beat Orange” on one side of the gym, white shirts with “Beat The Ridge” on the other. And the second installment of Orange vs. Cedar Ridge 2019, volleyball edition, lived up to the billing on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. 

“With a rival team there’s usually high emotion. There’s a bigger fan group, and so there’s more noise and you can kind of become nervy,” Cedar Ridge head coach Anna Seethaler said. “The mentality of this game was just ‘This ball. Next ball. Let’s get this ball. How about this ball?’ So just a one point at a time mentality rather than ‘Let’s win in five.’” 

The Red Wolves would need a serious comeback to even have a chance to win in five on this day, but their bounce-back efforts fell short: after splitting four tight sets with their cross-town rival, Orange (12-6, 7-3 Big 8) dominated in the fifth, fending off Cedar Ridge (15-4, 7-3) in a five-set affair. After Cedar Ridge took the first meeting between the two in five sets at Orange a month ago, Tuesday’s win brings Orange even with Cedar Ridge at third place in the strong Big 8 Conference, and adds another high-quality win to the Panthers’ ledger.

“Once we got into a rhythm we really showed up together and…well, it sucks to lose,” Seethaler said with an honest chuckle. “I mean, they’re a good team, and they showed up tonight.” 

The gameplan that has proved successful for Kelly Young’s Panthers all season was evident again in the first two sets Tuesday: serve and pass well, cycle setters and set up offense from the middle and the right side. Seethaler says it isn’t necessarily harder to coach or defend a team that attacks from the right side as much as Orange does – “it’s the same as an outside, just on the opposite side of the court,” she quipped – but that didn’t help Cedar Ridge slow down Lottie Scully, who was strong in the second set especially in leading Orange to identical 25-21 victories in the first two frames.

Defensively, Orange did well to limit top Cedar Ridge outside Cameron Lloyd, but she can only be contained for so long – as the tight third set wore on, she finally broke out, delivering three kills over four points to vault the Red Wolves into a 23-22 edge. With Orange on match point just moments later, Cameron Lanier delivered a middle kill and Julie Altieri dropped in back-to-back service aces to give the home team the 26-24 win. Altieri sent the first serve of the fourth set long, but that was the only time Cedar Ridge trailed – a Scully ace brought Orange to within 19-17, but solid serving from Haley Cothran and Lanier helped Cedar Ridge to a comprehensive 25-19 victory. 

Orange had played well in the first two sets, but Cedar Ridge had fully flipped the momentum – and the atmosphere – in the gym. But not for long. The Panthers’ level of play increased at the same rate as the “This is our house!” chants from their fans on the left side of the gym increased – Orange won the first four points of the fifth set and won nine of the first ten overall before Lloyd finally got the Red Wolves settled with a kill. But by then, it was too late: Seethaler had to burn both of her timeouts, and the Panthers’ lead in the first-to-15 sprint was much too great for the Red Wolves to overcome. Avery Miller provided a rare left side kill to put Orange up match point, but Cedar Ridge persisted through a Lloyd kill and a Lanier ace. But then, with the chants from the white-clad visiting contingent loud as ever, chaos struck: Lanier served at Orange libero Brooke Fryar, a common strategy despite her solid passing, again. Fryar’s return went back over the net but the only person who could make a play was Lanier, hustling in from the service line – her diving bump pass attempt sailed out of play, and Orange had sealed a five-set upset win over their longtime rivals with a 15-9 victory in set five. 

It’s looking likely that both of these teams will make an appearance in the 3A volleyball playoffs in 2019, but there aren’t many more chances for either side to prove it deserves a higher seed than they are currently projected to hold. Cedar Ridge only has four regular season matches left, including one at home next week against a strong East Chapel Hill side, while Orange still has the two-time conference champ Chapel Hill among its final five contests. A loss almost certainly wouldn’t knock either Hillsborough team out of the postseason, but those games might serve as the final chance for them to turn some heads – if nothing else, Tuesday’s match proved both schools belong in the conversation for best in the conference, even though the 2019 season split won’t help to prove which school is the best in the city.

It wasn’t just another rivalry game for Orange senior Emma Clements against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night. It was, in all likelihood, her last game against Cedar Ridge. Orange started with a purpose, winning the first two sets against the Red Wolves. After Cedar Ridge rallied back to force a fifth set, Orange prevailed in the end to earn a season split with the Red Wolves. Clements, a senior co-captain, returned to action after missing several games because of an injury.  After Tuesday’s win, Cedar Ridge and Orange are tied for 3rd in the Big 8 Conference. Orange will travel to Northwood on Thursday night. 

The Orange volleyball team was four points away from sweeping Cedar Ridge on Wednesday night. But a sweep would have just been too dull the way these two teams have played this year. Instead, Orange won in five sets to split the season series with their crosstown rival. Avery Miller is one of many underclassmen in Hillsborough who have had a strong season. Last week, Miller had eleven kills in a sweep of Vance County. Last Tuesday, she also had eleven kills in a four set loss to East Chapel Hill. Orange is 12-6, 7-3 in the Big 8 Conference. They’re now tied for 3rd with Cedar Ridge heading into Thursday’s trip to Northwood. 

Orange sophomore outside hitter Avery Miller talks win over Cedar Ridge

The Orange volleyball team was four points away from sweeping Cedar Ridge on Wednesday night. But a sweep would have just been too dull the way these two teams have played this year. Instead, Orange won in five sets to split the season series with their crosstown rival.