Month: November 2021

Take a look at the photo above this post.

Now look closer.

When Cedar Ridge’s players wanted a group photo to pose with their newly captured 3A Eastern Regional Volleyball championship trophy on Tuesday night, they made sure to include the student section (the Wolf Pack) in there with them.

From August 19, when Cedar Ridge swept Riverside for its first home win, the Wolf Pack has been there from the beginning. They’ve stuck through local government sanctions that curtailed attendance and remained staunchly behind a team that has had playing for the state championship its main goal since the first day of practice—three years ago.

That’s what Cedar Ridge’s 3A Eastern Regional volleyball championship represents to this school and western Orange County as a whole.

On Tuesday night, it wasn’t simply a win for Cedar Ridge to defeat J.H. Rose and advance to today’s 3A State Championship match at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. It was an emotional release for students who haven’t been able to enjoy rudimentary activities that their counterparts at most neighboring schools look forward to annually.

How so? For starters, the Class of 2022 hasn’t had varsity football in two of its four years. There have been Homecoming activities, like the one last month during a junior varsity football game against Walter Williams, but it was on a Thursday night. For half of their time at Cedar Ridge, if the seniors wanted to see Friday Night Lights, they had to travel across town to Auman Stadium, or go to Chapel Hill or Durham.

And need I even mention the pandemic and the dozens of games lost as a result? The records that could have been shattered by the likes of Takia Nichols, Cameron Lloyd, Emerson Talley and countless others boggles the mind.

In any aspect of life, people cling to what they can rely on. Whether its Alabama Football, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson putting away the bad guys, Beyonce putting on a killer concert (Rush in my dated mind), or holidays with your parents, there’s no substitute for something you can put your faith in.

That’s been hard to do with Cedar Ridge athletics in recent years. Between coaches and players, there have been many defections to neighboring schools. The right pieces have been in place to establish a football program again, just as the late, great Lou Geary started 20 years ago when he picked up rocks at the field that would become Red Wolves Stadium. Keeping coaches and players has proven difficult at a time when the future of football in Hillsborough has never been more uncertain.

Athletes in other sports have opted to finish their high school careers at various Alamance County Schools instead of staying at Cedar Ridge, even if it meant much less playing time. If they played at all.

Today will be the first time that any Cedar Ridge athletic team has played for a head-to-head state championship since 2017. The Cedar Ridge men’s lacrosse team won the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship over Chapel Hill, but lost to a much more talented Weddington team in the final at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

There have been other opportunities for the Red Wolves to return to the state championship spotlight. Most notably, there was the 2018 softball team, a squad that roared through the Big 8 Conference undefeated and finished 15-1 behind pitcher Rivers Andrews, 2nd baseman Tori Dalehite, catcher Kymberlie Thacker and first baseman Kara Wagoner.

The only problem with that 15-1 season was there were a lot of rainouts, which cost the Red Wolves a chance to play nonconfernece games against Western Alamance and Cardinal Gibbons. That led to a much lower seed than they deserved and a third-round game against top-seeded West Brunswick in Shallotte, where the Red Wolves lost 4-3 in nine innings. It’s a game that softball coach Allan Byrd remembers so vividly years later, he can tell you the key moments point-by-point like a poker player detailing a bad beat.

It’s trite to say that this state volleyball championship would mean more to Cedar Ridge than it would to North Iredell. Anyone who goes back and watches North Iredell’s victory over Fred T. Foard on Tuesday night can’t say that with certainty. If you doubt the passion that Raider fans have for their team, just try to find a empty seat on the hard side of the camera from that Western Regional Championship game.

Spoiler alert: you can’t.

One thing is for sure at Cedar Ridge. After 57 wins, two conference championships and a regional championship over the past three years in volleyball, Red Wolf fans have something to rally around again.

Even more, the volleyball team has followed the template for how to succeed in any sport.

Start young and develop. Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri, Grace Young, Anaya Carter and Rachel Alverson all started playing against each other at the White Cross Recreation Center when they were in elementary school. They’ve worked year round, beyond the confines of Cedar Ridge and inside the gyms of the Chapel Hill Area Volleyball Club, and later on beach volleyball courts.

While tomorrow never knows, with all nine Cedar Ridge rotation players set to return next year, it appears the Red Wolves will be the team to beat again in 2022 in the Central Carolina Conference. Possibly the entire East Region.

All Cedar Ridge wants today is one more win to add to its school record total of 30. Regardless, they can sleep tonight with the security of being something that the entire Red Wolf community can rely on.

And not a moment too soon.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team became the first team from Hillsborough to win the Eastern Regional Championship in any sport since the Orange softball team in 2017. Cedar Ridge will now go on to face North Iredell for the 3A State Championship in Raleigh at 1:30 inside Reynolds Coliseum. Its truly a special experience for everyone involved with Cedar Ridge High School, who have labored through many defections and disappointments over the last four years. The fact of the matter is that the state championship has always been the goal for this junior class of Cedar Ridge players since they started together as freshmen. Julie Altieri, Cameron Lloyd and Cameron Lanier started together as freshmen. During the pandemic of 2020, Fiona Cunningham became the Red Wolves head coach and led the Red Wolves to consecutive conference championships, the Central Carolina Conference Tournament championship and, now, the Eastern Regional Championship. Here are the radio highlights of Cedar Ridge’s win over J.H. Rose on Tuesday night. Listen in to our broadcast of Cedar Ridge-North Iredell on Saturday starting a 1:15 live from Reynolds Coliseum.

J.H. Rose rode into Hillsborough on Tuesday night with plenty of fans in tow.

The Rampants carry one of the richest athletic heritages of any high school in North Carolina. In June, Rose captured the 3A State Championship in baseball.

The volleyball team was in its fourth regional championship game in eight years when they faced off against Cedar Ridge on Tuesday in Red Wolves Gymnasium.

When the Rampants’ jumped out to a 6-1 lead and coach Ginny Howard substituting players at will in the opening set, it felt like the Red Wolves were somewhat shaken. But they never panicked and they didn’t wilt under the pressure, even though it was their first regional championship game together.

Rose led the vast majority of the opening set. A net error by the Rampants gave the Red Wolves its first lead of the match at 20-19, but juniors Grace Young and Julie Altieri would serve Cedar Ridge to victory in the opening set, closing with a 5-1 run culminating with an Altieri ace.

Any opponent that faces Cedar Ridge must understand they’re not just facing a volleyball team with three juniors (Cameron Lloyd, Altieri and Grace Young) who have played on the varsity level since they were freshmen. In reality, they’ve played together for nearly a decade. While Cameron Lanier (who also started as a freshman) played softball with the Orange County Parks and Recreation Department, Lloyd, Altieri, Young and Anaya Carter all played against and with each other in the White Cross Recreation Center when they were in elementary school.

Friday night lights? This was more like Friday Night Liberos, with hot dogs and soft drinks handed out to players after games while their parents waited to take them home. It’s still a tradition in White Cross. That experience turned into travel ball with the Chapel Hill Area Volleyball Club, where they roamed throughout the country. The players’ devotion to CHAVC remains so strong that, after Cedar Ridge’s playoff win over Northwood last Saturday, Lloyd, Benkowitz, and Lanier went directly to CHAVC’s season opener.

That level of familiarity is rare among high school teams. The players know each other’s quirks, their habits, and perhaps more importantly, how to make each other laugh.

Perhaps that’s why Cedar Ridge went through the entire East Region of the state playoffs without losing one set in its five matches. The Red Wolves swept South Brunswick, South Johnston, Harnett Central, Northwood and, finally, J.H. Rose. The latter put Cedar Ridge in a league of its own, the first volleyball team in school history to win 30 games.

“I would say that we were rattled early,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Fiona Cunningham. “But I’d say they showed the composure that we’ve been working on. Our key word has been consistency the last few games. Other teams are going to get their big points and we just have to stay calm.”

Now, Cedar Ridge will face North Iredell at Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. They’re two teams that are complete strangers to one another, but have plenty in common. Cedar Ridge played in the dominant 3A conference in the East, the Central Carolina, which put three teams in the state quarterfinals. The Raiders (26-1) shared the Western Foothills Conference championship with Fred T. Foard, who handed the Raiders its only loss.

On Tuesday, North Iredell defeated Foard in the Western Regional Championship game.

Both teams will likely have almost all of its key parts back next year. None of the players that Cunningham uses in her 9-woman rotation are seniors. The Raiders have just one senior on its roster–and five freshman.

North Iredell won the 2017 3A State Championship in Raleigh. They defeated Chapel Hill, Cunningham’s alma mater. While many of the Cedar Ridge players have already played throughout the country in their young lives, the bright lights of Reynolds Coliseum will present an environment they’ve never experienced before.

“We’re so excited for it,” Cunningham said. “This has been the goal in mind since the start of the season. They’re ready to feel that environment and know they’ve earned it.”

There are two types of Cedar Ridge volleyball wins.

There are Bojangles wins and there are Mexican Restaurant wins.

Typically, a quick and easy win calls for postgame team dinner at Bojangles. Big wins, over rivals like Orange and Person, mean a trip to Pueblo Viejo Mexican Restaurant on South Churton Street in Hillsborough.

The latest Cedar Ridge victory falls into a category by itself. There was no time for a postgame meal. Only time to ice down and rest.

After sweeping the entire Eastern Region, there is a state championship to play for, after all.

The Red Wolves (30-2) completed a dominant run to the 3A Eastern Regional championship by beating J.H. Rose 3-0 at a packed Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Cedar Ridge will play North Iredell for the 3A State Championship on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum. First serve will be at 1:30.

It is Cedar Ridge’s first regional championship in a team sport since winning the 2017 men’s lacrosse championship, where they defeated Chapel Hill at Red Wolves Stadium.

It was the first time this year that Rose (24-4) was swept by a 3A team. Over the course of the past eleven days, Cedar Ridge defeated South Brunswick, South Johnston, Harnett Central, Northwood and J.H. Rose in the 3A State Playoffs without dropping a set. The Red Wolves have won 30 consecutive sets.

Cedar Ridge coach Fiona Cunningham will return to the State Championship game. As an assistant at Chapel Hill, the Tigers won the 2019 3A State Championship, the year before she joined Cedar Ridge. Twice as a player with Chapel Hill in 2011 and 2012, Cunningham reached the 3A Eastern Regional final, where the Tigers lost to Cardinal Gibbons each time.

“I was quite convinced that Rose would take a set from us,” Cunningham said. “Not even just before the game but during the game. They are a phenomenal team. They have great athletes, great coaches, great players. We came into tonight ready to fight for five (sets).”

While Cedar Ridge gained another sweep, the Red Wolves’ poise was tested unlike no other team this postseason. Rose bolted out to a 6-1 lead in each of the first two sets. The usual avenues for Red Wolves points, mainly hard smashes from the left end of the floor by Cameron Lloyd and Melissa Benkowitz, were usually dug by Rose libero Riley Cutler and sophomore setter Shea Jenkins. Cedar Ridge mounted its comeback in the first set off blocks by Lloyd and Cameron Lanier.

“We’ve been working at blocking all season,” Cunningham said. “Before I started at Cedar Ridge, that was one of the first things I knew we needed to change was blocking. It’s been a weakness for the program. Addie Reid and Lanier really stepped up and took control. That’s what we worked on yesterday in practice.”

While Cedar Ridge has a 8-woman rotation comprised of six juniors, it was their two sophomores who provided critical points when the situation required it most. With the opening frame tied 20-20, Addie Reid made a huge block off an attack by Emily Smith to give the Red Wolves the lead. The Red Wolves, who trailed 11-5 at one point, scored four of the final five points, including a kill by Lanier. Setter Julie Altieri served up an ace on set point.

In the 2nd set, tied 20-20, Cedar Ridge got a side out after a finish by Lloyd. Sophomore Graylinn Serge served the Red Wolves out for the final four points, starting with an ace that bounced on the grey line along the brown hardwood floor. Leading 22-20, Altieri made a quick flash kill that landed between three outstretched Rampants. Benkowitz factored in on the final two plays of the set, starting with a kill for the 24th point and another spike for set point that went off the hands of blocker Helen Wilford.

“That’s just what our program is,” Cunningham said. “We’ve told them the whole season that it’s not up to one person to win. This is up to a whole team to win. That showed today.”

Rose led 7-3 in the third set before Reid came up with another kill, which unchained a Cedar Ridge avalanche. With Serge serving, the Red Wolves went on a 11-1 run. Serge had consecutive aces to put Cedar Ridge into the lead for good. After a side out for Rose, Benkowitz racked up back-to-back aces and the rout was on. Cedar Ridge led 24-15 when Addie Reid finished off the match with a kill where she only partially caught the ball on an overhead spike, but just enough to get it to the floor and move the Red Wolves on to Raleigh.

The Cedar Ridge Red Wolves volleyball team has won the 3A Eastern Regional volleyball championship. Not only that, but the Red Wolves didn’t lose a set in winning its five matches in the Eastern Region of the state playoffs. Cedar Ridge swept J.H. Rose 3-0 on Tuesday night in a packed Red Wolves Gymnasium. Cameron Lloyd led the Red Wolves in kills as Cedar Ridge won became the first team in school history to win 30 games in a season. Julie Altieri served out Cedar Ridge to win the first set. Altieri had an ace on set point to win the first 25-21. Junior middle blocker Cameron Lanier scored a block to win the second set 25-20. Cedar Ridge became the first 3A team to sweep J.H. Rose this year. Ever since Cedar Ridge defeated reigning 3A State Champion D.H. Conley on August 19, they’ve had the 3A State Championship in their sights. Now, the Red Wolves is one step away. Cedar Ridge will face North Iredell for the 3A State Championship on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of N.C. State University. First serve will be at 1:30.

On a team whose rotation is largely comprised of juniors, two sophomores played a huge role in Cedar Ridge volleyball winning the 3A Eastern Regional championship on Wednesday night. Addie Reid had several huge blocks throughout the Red Wolves 3-0 sweep of J.H. Rose inside a packed Red Wolves Gymnasium. Sophomore Graylinn Serge served out Cedar Ridge in the second set, scoring an ace to put the Red Wolves ahead 21-20. Serge would go on to serve the final five points as the Red Wolves won the frame to go ahead 2-sets-to-nothing. Reid spiked home match point to set up a big celebration as the Red Wolves won its final home game of the season. Cedar Ridge finished 17-1 at home this season. They become the first regional champion in a team sport at Cedar Ridge since the 2017 men’s lacrosse team. Cedar Ridge will play North Iredell for the 3A State Championship on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. The Red Wolves are now the most successful volleyball high school team in Hillsborough history, with a 30-2 record and a regional championship.

Photo by Shannon Bradsher

It would be accurate to say that Appalachian State softball has recruited Carson Bradsher for several years.

It’s also fair to say that Bradsher has been recruiting Appalachian State for just as long.

Her first journey to Boone came when she was 12 years old, still with dreams about playing college softball. However, she had just been diagnosed with type one diabetes, which left her with doubts.

Janice Savage, who was the Appalachian State Softball coach at that point, invited Carson to Boone to tell her about one of her own players, who was also a type one diabetic, to prove that her dream wasn’t dead before she started high school.

During the trip, she sat down with her family at the Sunrise Grill along Highway 105 over some chocolate chip pancakes.

From that point forward, Bradsher was hooked.

It was the first of 15 visits she’s taken to Boone. Ten of those trips were with Carolina Elite, her travel team with coach Rick Webster. The rest have been simply to enjoy the pure pleasure of the high country, where her mother Shannon and father Wayne share a trailer with family friends in Banner Elk for vacations.

“Last year, I went for my 16th birthday just to go,” Bradsher said. “We ate at the Daniel Boone Village because I really like that place. Then we walked downtown with Kinsley and Kadence and got our nails done.”

There was another college offer from South Carolina Upstate. Elon, where Bradsher’s teammate Mary Moss Wirt will play next year, also showed interest. But if there was ever a tipping point, it came two weeks ago when Bradsher soaked in an Appalachian experience unlike any other. She watched from the student section at Kidd Brewer Stadium, along with the rest of the softball team, as the Mountaineers’ football squad defeated #14 Coastal Carolina off a 24-yard field goal by Chandler Staton as time expired, setting off a raucous celebration that started when thousands of students rushed the field and carried on well into the following morning.

The next day, Bradsher committed to Appalachian.

“I just liked the atmosphere,” Bradsher said. “When I put that (Appalachian) uniform on, it was like a dream come true. Since I was 12, I wanted to go there. I loved Elon and USC Upstate, but I’ve wanted to be in Boone. I felt relieved because I worked so hard for this.”

Last spring as a sophomore, in her first full season at Orange, Bradsher was named to the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association All-State team. She also earned All-Big 8 Conference honors after she led the Lady Panthers in seven offensive categories.

She hit .700 in a regular season shortened to eight games by the pandemic. Bradsher also led the team in hits (28), runs scored (24), RBIs (20), doubles (7), triples (4) and stolen bases (16). The Lady Panthers finished 8-0, the first undefeated regular season in school history en route to the Big 8 Championship.

In 2020, Bradsher played four games as a freshman before the season suddenly ended because of the pandemic.

Playing at Orange has been a family tradition in the Bradsher family. Shannon was a member of the last slow-pitch softball team that Orange ever fielded, coached by Dave Murr. One of Shanon’s teammates was Constance Poteat, who went on to play basketball at N.C. State under Kay Yow.

While her father, Wayne, never participated in sports at Orange, he has been instrumental in developing Carson with constant weekend trips throughout the country for travel ball. Wayne is currently an assistant coach for Orange, alongside head coach Johnny Barefoot.

“Everyone always told me I could be a college softball player, but you always have that doubt in your mind,” Bradsher said. “I just kept working hard and I always went to Appalachian camps and stuff. They’d always kind of hint at me that they were interested, but they weren’t allowed to come out and say it. So I think the hints from them and other softball coaches helped me.”

At Appalachian, Bradsher will play under Shelly Hoerner, who is in her fourth season in Boone. She was previously the head coach at Georgia Tech.

“They’re the best,” Bradsher said of the coaching staff. “I never met anyone like them. They’re very family oriented. Coach Hoerner is like a mother figure. Coach Show (Shane Showalter, the hitting coach) is like a father figure. They’re really close and they’re all really close to their players. But they also push you so that’s exactly what I needed.”

Bradsher’s commitment to Appalachian comes during a sudden growth surge for the Sun Belt Conference, where the Mountaineers have played since 2014. Over the past week, the Sun Belt has added Southern Mississippi, Old Dominion and Marshall from Conference USA. They’re all expected to officially join their new league in 2023, just in time for Bradsher’s freshman year. Since almost all college sports conference realignment occurs because of football, it’s expected that James Madison will start the process of leaving the Colonial Athletic Association to join the Sun Belt following this week’s Virginia gubernatorial election. The Dukes will probably be the latest team from Virginia to move from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

By the time she arrives to Boone in the fall of 2023, Bradsher will likely play conference games against a James Madison squad that became the darlings of America after a stunning run during the Women’s College World Series last summer, highlighted by pitcher Oddici Alexander.

“The Sun Belt is also competitive in softball,” Bradsher said. “That’s just going to make it tougher.”

They’re also changes back home for Bradsher. Orange’s new league, the Central Carolina Conference, will include 2019 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance and perennial power Western Alamance. There’s also 2019 Big 8 Champion Cedar Ridge, which will return the league’s Player of the Year, Takia Nichols, who has committed to play at North Carolina Central. Bradsher grew up playing on travel teams with and against several players who will soon be conference rivals. Her final two years at Orange will not lack for intensity or competition.

Orange lost third baseman Emma Puckett and first baseman Gracie Colley at the end of last season, but there will be seven returning starters, including Wirt, Serenity McPherson and the Big 8 Pitcher of the Year, Gracie Walker.

“We have a good team,” Bradsher said. “Our conference is a lot tougher. We’re not going to have as much room for error, but I think if we work hard this offseason, we should be able to compete. It will be more interesting to play with the new teams.”

When Bradsher graduates from Orange in two years, she will journey to Boone. But she won’t exactly be going away, because she’ll go to a place that reminds her so much of the Cedar Grove Ruritan Club, where she first put on a glove.

“This will be like home to me,” Bradsher said.