Month: June 2021

Just between me and you, I’m happy Bryson Massey, Allen Byrd and Andy Simmons allow me to have the VIP parking spot for Cedar Ridge baseball and softball games. That’s located down the hill near the tennis courts.

There’s a lot of equipment to haul nowadays to get those sound signals through your Internet speaker. There are miles to travel, but they’ve been worth it.

The four-year class that will graduate for Cedar Ridge this week were all freshmen when I started this website. Since then, I’ve traveled to Morehead City to watch the Cedar Ridge softball team beat West Carteret in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. Tori Dalehite and Takia Nichols both homered that night.

This past January, the drive to Greenville to watch the Cedar Ridge volleyball team battle D.H. Conley wasn’t as far, but it was intense. For the second year in a row, the Red Wolves played a team that won the 3A State Championship. Unlike in 2019 when they stunned Chapel Hill, the Red Wolves would fall a little short, but they did capture the first set. I’m sure that match hasn’t left the minds of Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier this spring as they’ve been practicing with Coach Fiona Cunningham.

To the seniors who have been so kind and patient with this website, I truly want to thank them for giving me the honor of covering their games and listening to my dumb questions. I hope they keep up with the website as they move on in life because some of them have left impressions on me.

I’ll remember ShiLi Quade, who doesn’t seem to believe in days off. In the winter, she played volleyball for the Cedar Ridge team that won the Big 8 Championship. When she wasn’t practicing or playing, she had to handle editor duties for the Cedar Ridge Yearbook. She would be on the sidelines shooting photos at men’s and women’s basketball games and was kind enough to share some of her galleries for this website. Keeping my usual overnight hours, I’d be typing away with some album from King’s X blaring in my headphones, and then an email from ShiLi would pop in my inbox at 2AM. In 2025, an employer somewhere will hire someone with a great work ethic.

Alexandria Matthews, Lajoan Stuart, and Emma-Rae Sharp and Quade were part of one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen. For anyone who reads this website, it’s become cliche to bring up Cedar Ridge softball scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to tie Orange 9-9 to send the game into extra innings. Alex, who played 1st base and pitched, jump started the rally with a single up the middle and later scored off a single by Olivia Aitkin. Stuart started in right field that night for Cedar Ridge and Sharp started at 1st base. It was something to remember for everyone in attendance.

I’ll remember Elijah Whitaker, and his dedication to the Cedar Ridge football program. The emotion of the Cedar Ridge players as they walked off the field in their final game against Vance County was unmistakeable. All of those players want to win every game, of course, but there were tears in the eyes of the seniors who had just played their last football game. They want to establish a program. Elijah didn’t plan to be the quarterback this season, but the top starter was injured in the first half of the first game, never to return. Elijah played quarterback for the final five games against a tough Big 8 Conference. Afterwards, he talked about coming back to Cedar Ridge to coach wide receivers because he loved the brotherhood that Coach Cory Lea is developing.

I’ll remember Kyle Long, who rarely got a play off along the interior line for Cedar Ridge. Kyle is going into the Navy now. He’ll be keeping up with Cedar Ridge football on Friday nights, no matter where he is. He may be leaving Cedar Ridge, but Cedar Ridge won’t leave him.

I’ll remember Luke Pagnanelli and Ian Johnson. And their perseverance. It would have been easy to throw in the towel when Orange led Cedar Ridge in men’s basketball 49-31 with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter on January 11. But Luke and Ian wouldn’t let that happen. Instead, they erased that deficit in just five minutes and 53 seconds. Pagnanelli scored the opening four points of overtime and Cedar Ridge won 67-66. A month later, Pagnanelli and Johnson each hit pressure free throws in the final minute to beat Orange again, this time in Panther Gymnasium. Pagnanelli and Johnson labored through a 1-23 season as sophomores, but they each won their last four games against Orange.

I’ll remember A.J. Richmond for his dedication to athletics. He played basketball, football and ran track. I’ll also remember him for a memorable interview last week where he said that his father played basketball against Jerry West. Jerry West?! The logo of the NBA? The man who traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant?! Why didn’t Andre ever tell me about this? Turned out it was David West, who played at Garner when Andre Richmond was at Orange. David went on to play 16 years in the NBA and won two World Championships with Golden State. I’m sure Andre was more impressed with his son’s two victories at Northwood High in the 100 and 200 meters last week.

I’ll remember the versatility of Marlee Rakouskas. She was a starting libero for Cedar Ridge volleyball. She played on two Cedar Ridge softball teams that won the Big 8 Conference Championship. Marlee didn’t always get the headlines, but those teams wouldn’t have been as successful without her. Between playing two sports, she put together an art show for the Orange County Arts Commission. And, like Krzyzewski, I’ve learned how to spell Rakouskas by typing it so often I don’t even need to look it up. (Well, just once for old time sake tonight).

I’ll remember James Rosati-Brown and Daina Pritchard. Like all other senior wrestlers in Hillsborough, they had some of the most cherished annual events in the area taken from them because of the pandemic. James and Daina both love competing in the Jim King/Orange Invitational, the Tiger Holiday Classic and the Red Wolf Invitational. This year, they had to start the season at a time when it would normally be long in the rear view mirror. That hasn’t stood in the way of making progress. Daina is 20-1 this year. James is 19-2, and both of those losses were last week to wrestlers who placed in the state championships last year. Fortunately, they’ll be able to compete for spots in the state championships next week.

I’ll remember the excellence of Emerson Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history. A reluctant star who prefers to let her playing do the talking, Emerson will be a prime performer for the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team for years to come and provide plenty of fodder for Alumni Update.

And there are more. There’s Bryce Clark hitting a home run against Orange two weeks ago. There’s Grady Ray, who competes in three different sports and never takes a play off, regardless of what the sport is. There’s Matt Hughes, who will play baseball at Brunswick Community College after his final high school game this week.

To all of them, as they go forward in life, I’ll share with you what Coach Charles Watters told me when I walked away from Auman Stadium on my graduation night around this time 30 years ago.

There are only three things in life that truly matter: what you think about yourself when you wake up and see yourself in the mirror. What you think about yourself when you go to bed at night. And what your loved ones, in their hearts, truly think of you.

Have fun. Be free.

By his own admission, it was the best game Jordan Underwood has thrown in his life.

The fact that it happened in his final game on Orange High Field was poetic justice considering all that he’s had to overcome.

That includes more than just a pandemic, which took away most of his junior season in 2020, when he would have been Orange’s top starting pitcher. There have also been arm troubles that he’s still working his way back from. Even on Friday night against Chapel Hill, Underwood was on a pitch coach as mandated by Orange Coach Jason Knapp.

Despite that, Underwood needed just 44 pitches to complete five innings against the Tigers, tying the longest start of his career.

Underwood earned his second win of the season, while sophomore Joey Pounds picked up his second save as Orange (9-3) defeated Chapel Hill 3-2 in Hillsborough. It was the final game between the two longtime rivals as Big 8 Conference opponents. The Tigers will return to 4A in August.

“I’m proud of him,” said Orange Coach Jason Knapp said of Underwood. “He wanted the baseball. He’s come back from injury and has been itching to get back on the mound. I was tickled to be able to give him more than just a couple of innings. I felt like it was time to let him roll and he did a great job.”

The only other time in Underwood’s career that he completed five innings was his first varsity start against Hillside on March 22, 2019 in Durham.

It was another near miss for Chapel Hill (7-5), who have lost three one-run games this season.

Orange struck for two runs in the first inning. Jackson Berini, whose brother Joey played for East Carolina earlier in the day against Norfolk State in the NCAA Tournament, drew a leadoff walk. With one out, catcher Davis Horton extended his hitting streak to 13-games with a line drive to left field. As Berini reached third base safely, Horton raced for second, which drew an errant throw that rolled all the way to the centerfield fence. Horton scored easily.

“That was the longest I’ve run in a long time,” Horton said.

The 2-0 lead stood through four innings because of the Orange defense. Underwood only allowed three baserunners in five innings. Midway through the game, Underwood retired seven in a row until an error led to Will Epstein getting onboard to start the fifth inning. Panther right fielder David Waitt had a season-high five putouts, and second baseman Connor Funk had five assists.

Third baseman Ryan Hench led off the fourth inning with a solo blast to the porch in left field that straddled the line but stayed just to the right of the fair pole to push Orange’s lead to 3-0.

Trevor Liebe, who had Chapel Hill’s only two hits in the first matchup against Orange on May 11, blasted a two-run homer in the sixth off Pounds to reduce the Chapel Hill deficit to 3-2. Pounds, a sophomore, remained composed and smoothly retired the final five Tigers he faced. Senior Jaren Sikes made a big catch in centerfield on a tricky line drive to conclude the sixth. Pounds quickly set down Chapel Hill in order in the seventh for the win.

“He bailed us out down in Pittsboro the other night,” Knapp said about Pounds. “He’s thrown strikes and that’s the name of the game. It sounds simple but that’s what you have to do. We have the defense behind us and it usually plays good like they did tonight.”

Orange will conclude the regular season by completing a suspended game against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday at Red Wolves Territory. The game will resume in the top of the third inning with Orange leading 2-1 in the top of the third inning with runners and 1st and second base with two out.

Orange will travel to Northern Durham next Thursday before starting play in the 3A State Playoffs. The Knights handed the Panthers its only conference loss on May 18.

After battling injuries and the pandemic over the past year, Jordan Underwood had a farewell to remember on Friday night. In his final game at Orange High Field, Underwood pitched the best game of his career as Orange defeated Chapel Hill 3-2. Underwood tied his career-best with five shutout innings. It was a total he hadn’t reached since the first game of his sophomore year. Underwood needed only 44 pitches and surrendered just one hit. Sophomore Joey Pounds replaced Underwood in the sixth inning and retired the last five Tigers to earn his second save of the season. Pounds struck out two batters and set Chapel Hill down in order in the seventh inning in the final game between the two teams as Big 8 Conference rivals. Orange is now 9–3 going into the final week of the regular season. The Panthers will complete a suspended game at Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night, then travel to Northern Durham to finish the regular season on Thursday before starting play in the 3A State Playoffs.

In an effort to make sure Orange junior point guard Aaliyah Harris received her Retro Orange Panther of the Week Award, we went to her workplace at the Tokyo Express on Mayo Street. Aaliyah earned the award after scoring 16 points in Orange’s 61-39 win over Southern Durham on January 22 at Panther Gymnasium. In her third varsity season, Harris scored in double figures five consecutive games this year. She also scored 16 points against Vance County in a 57-40 Orange in Henderson on February 6. Harris took on an increased scoring load this year to help Orange finish third in the Big 8 Conference. Since the season ended, Harris has been doing workouts with Orange head coach B.J. Condron, along with center Erin Jordan-Cornell. Harris has also traveled across the state with her summer travel team as she prepares for her senior season. Along with her classmate Jarmil Wingate, Aaliyah will try and make her senior season one to remember as Orange aims for a return to the state playoffs next winter. Special thanks to the folks at Tokyo Express in Hillsborough for their indulgence in allowing us to shoot this interview with our Retro Orange Panther of the Week for January 1/17, Aaliyah Harris. 

Wrestling: Cedar Ridge 33, Neuse Charter School 12; Trinity 63, Cedar Ridge 15

Wrestling its third dual match in two nights, several Cedar Ridge Red Wolves continued impressive seasons during a tri-meet at Trinity High.

Cedar Ridge defeated Neuse Charter School 33-12 in the opener. Senior Daina Pritchard scored a pin over the Cougars’ Jackson Evans in 1:32. Against Trinity, Pritchard pinned Charles “Bear” Schaefer in 2:30. On Wednesday night during a dual meet against 1A power Uwharrie Charter Academy, Pritchard pinned Alec Milikan in 2:55. For the season, Pritchard is 22-1 with 13 pins. He has won his last four matches via pinfall.

Sophomore Fernando Martinez concluded an impressive week going 3-0. That included a 13-6 decision over Trinity’s Levi Dennis, one of only three individual wins for the Red Wolves over the Bulldogs. On Wednesday, Martinez pinned Uwharrie’s Michael Blackwell in 1:03. Martinez is now 20-1 this season with nine pins.

Senior James Rosati-Brown earned the 75th win of his Cedar Ridge career on Thursday night. Rosati-Brown held off Camden Gurley of Neuse Carter 4-3. Alex Minish earned a decision win over Rosati-Brown, who is now 20-2 this year.

In the win over Neuse Charter, Kady Watkins earned a forfeit win at 126-pounds. Watkins, a senior co-Captain, has eleven wins this season.

At 160 pounds, freshman Kaden Tatro pinned Devin Lebow in 1:07. Gavin Mintz earned a forfeit victory at 170 pounds.

Cedar Ridge is 13-8 on the season. They will complete its dual scheduled on Tuesday in another tri-meet against Ledford and Kernersville Glenn.

ALUMNI UPDATE:

Grace Andrews: After her freshman year at Catawba Valley Community College, Andrews was named to the second-team All-Region squad by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

This was the first year that Catawba Valley fielded a softball team. Andrews led the Red Hawks in with 53 hits and 41 RBIs. She was second on the squad with a .442 batting average and eight home runs. Andrews scored 35 runs, which was third on the team.

This season, Catawba Valley finished 23-13 overall, 12-9 in Region X. Andrews started at second base for Orange’s 2017 3A State Championship Softball team. The fourth anniversary of Orange’s game 2 win over Piedmont was Thursday. It is the only state championship won by a female team in Orange High history.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson suffered his first loss of the season pitching for the Gwinnett Stripers of Triple-A East on Thursday night. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp defeated the Stripers 6-2 at CoolRay Field in Lawrenceville, GA. Wilson threw five innings with six strikeouts. He surrendered five runs off six hits and four walks. Wilson is 2-1 for the Stripers, who fell to 15-12.

NCAA Baseball Tournament:

The NCAA Baseball Tournament gets underway today with 32 games spread across 16 regional sites. Three former Orange/Cedar Ridge players will represent teams in the tournament.

Two of them will be in the Greenville Regional, hosted by #13 East Carolina. Suiting up for the Pirates will be Joey Berini, the 2019 Big 8 Conference Player of the Year. Berini was a starting shortstop for Orange for four seasons. East Carolina opens play against Norfolk State, the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Friday at noon.

The #2 seed in the Greenville Region is Charlotte, which includes former Cedar Ridge/Orange shortstop Dante DeFranco. The 49ers claimed the Conference USA Regular Season Championship. DeFranco hasn’t played in a game this season. Charlotte will open against Maryland on Friday at 6 PM.

In the Knoxville Regional, former Orange pitcher Landon Riley will suit up for Liberty. For the third time this season, the Flames will face Duke. The Blue Devils, the Champions of the ACC Tournament, swept the regular season series against the Flames. Duke and Liberty will face off Friday at noon. Liberty won the Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship, but lost to Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship game.

Any time Cedar Ridge sweeps a season-series from Orange, it’s special. When it happens in men’s basketball, it becomes a permanent memory. This year, even though no fans were on hand to witness it, there were two classic wins for the Red Wolves over the Panthers in men’s basketball, which leads to our retro Cedar Ridge Red Wolves of the Week. The honoree for the week of January 10 is senior guard Luke Pagnanelli. And for the week of January 31, it is senior guard Luke Johnson. On January 11, Cedar Ridge fought back from an 18-point deficit with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter, finished regulation on a 24-7 run and beat the Panthers 67-66. Pagnanelli finished with 17 points and five rebounds, including the opening two field goals of overtime to put Cedar Ridge ahead to stay. On February 5 in Hillsborough, Cedar Ridge fought back from an early deficit to beat the Panthers 51-48. Both Pagnanelli and Johnson knocked down pressure free throws in the final minute. Pagnanelli hit two charity tosses to put Cedar Ridge ahead. Johnson knocked down two free throws for the final points of the game. In his final game against Orange, Johnson tied his season-high with 14 points. Next week, both Pagnanelli and Johnson will graduate. Pagnanelli will move to St. Petersburg, Florida to attend a community college. Johnson will head to N.C. State, where he plans to major in Aerospace Engineering. Away from the hardwood, Johnson was a member of Cedar Ridge’s Science Olympiad team, which would have competed in the statewide competition if it wasn’t for the pandemic. Congratulations to two seniors to completed their Cedar Ridge basketball careers with four straight wins over Orange, Luke Pagnanelli and Ian Johnson.

For the second year in.a row, the COVID-19 pandemic will keep the Bull City All-Star Game from being played at Koskinen Stadium at Duke University.

But that doesn’t mean players from around the state can’t be honored.

Over the weekend, two 32-player rosters were released by representatives from the Bull City All-Star Game. Comprised of 64 seniors, players from Wilmington to Weddington were included on the men’s roster.

There were also four players from Hillsborough included after a season where Orange and Cedar Ridge finished in the top two spots in Conference 9.

After being named an All-American last month, Orange long stick defenseman Duncan Grant was included on the Blue Team. Joining Grant on the Blue squad was his Orange teammate Cy Horner. Also on the Blue team was Cedar Ridge defenseman Dov Bearman.

On the White team was Orange’s leading scorer, Ryan Merrill.

In April, Grant was named an All-American by USA Lacrosse. He became the first Orange player to ever be named an All-American.

“It is a testament to the type of game changing player he was for us,” said Orange Lacrosse Coach Chandler Zirkle. “Having a guy who could not only guard the other team’s best player but who could also score 2-3 points a game.”

Grant led Orange with 38 takeaways, nearly three-times more than any other player on the team. He also had 68 ground balls, which was second behind sophomore Jake Wimsatt, Orange’s top face-off man. Grant’s inclusion on the Bull City All-Star team continues a spring that has been filled with postseason honors. He was the Conference 9 Player of the Year and was named to the 3A/2A/1A All-Region team by the North Carolina Lacrosse Coaches Association. Grant will graduate next week and plans to attend N.C. State.

Grant was a key defensive player on the most successful lacrosse team in Orange history, even though the Panthers relied on a goalkeeper-by-committee approach the entire season. Orange captured the Conference 9 Championship and advanced to the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals for the first time ever. They defeated Terry Sanford and Northwood in the state playoffs before falling to eventual Eastern Regional Champion East Chapel Hill.

Cedar Ridge’s Dov Bearman was the Conference 9 Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Red Wolves in ground balls and takeaways. Cedar Ridge finished 5-4. In its five wins, the Red Wolves held each of its opponents to three goals or less. With the help of Bearman and goalkeeper Aiden Kehoe, Cedar Ridge had three shutouts in 2021, including a 14-0 win at Northern Durham at Durham County Stadium on March 1. Bearman will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in August.

Merrill was Orange’s leading scorer with 40 goals and 61 points. He opened the season with six goals in an 18-15 win over Walter Williams. Three weeks later, he scored six goals against Cedar Ridge in a 10-6 Panther win at Auman Stadium. Merrill was the most reliable Orange scorer right up until the very end of his career, when he scored four goals in the playoff loss to East Chapel Hill.

Horner finished the season with seven goals and 15 assists. In the victory over Cedar Ridge, Horner had a season-high four takeaways. He registered two goals in wins over Carrboro and Northern Durham during early March.

Players for the Bull City All-Star Game are nominated by coaches from across the state.

The Bull City All-Star Game is an annual doubleheader featuring the top men’s and women’s lacrosse seniors in North Carolina. It has been held at Koskinen Stadium since its inception in 2017. The game is also a fundraiser for the Duke Cancer Institute and the Tony Cullen Memorial Scholarship.

Tony Cullen was a former player at Duke who went on to coach the Blue Devils for nine years. Cullen was part of the inaugural class of the North Carolina Lacrosse Hall of Fame. After he resigned as Duke’s coach, he went into officiating. He served as the head official for ten ACC Tournaments and five NCAA Division I title games.

The Bull City All-Star Game plans to return with a doubleheader at Koskinen Stadium on June 4, 2022.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior sprinter A.J. Richmond. Last week during a tri-meet in Northwood last Tuesday, Richmond won the 100 and 200 meters against the Chargers and Orange. Richmond won the 100 meters with a time of 12.14 seconds. In the 200 meters, Richmond finished at 24.24 seconds. He also finished second in the high jump with a leap of 5-feet. Since 2021 started, Richmond hasn’t had very much time off. He was a forward for the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team, which swept the season-series from crosstown rival Orange. That included coming back from 19-point down on January 11 to beat the Panthers 67-66 in overtime. Richmond scored four points in that game. After basketball season ended, Richmond was a starting wide receiver and cornerback for the Cedar Ridge football team under head coach Corey Lea. Next week, Richmond will graduate. He plans to attend a community college this fall and start looking into a career with computer repair. Richmond is the son of Andre Richmond, a former Orange High football player who is now a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Richmond will continue track and field season on Thursday with a meet at Dave Thaden Stadium at East Chapel Hill.