Month: December 2021

What do you do the morning after you’ve coached a volleyball team to its first 3A State Championship?

In Fiona Cunningham’s case, you continue coaching.

Though the jubilation of Cedar Ridge’s victory over North Iredell for the 3A State Championship at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh was still vibrant within her body, Cunningham attended a private session in Chapel Hill hours later on a Sunday morning.

Cunningham, in her second year at Cedar Ridge, has been named the Central Carolina Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year. This season, in a league that was the toughest in the 3A East Region, Cunningham led the Red Wolves to a perfect 12-0 record and its second straight conference title. The Red Wolves set a school record with 31 wins and became the first female team in Cedar Ridge history to win a state championship.

Through two years as head coach at Cedar Ridge, Cunningham has a 40-3 overall record, 20-0 in conference games.

Three Cedar Ridge players were named to the All-Central Carolina Conference team: junior outside hitter Cameron Lloyd, junior Cameron Lanier and setter Julie Altieri.

In addition, Orange had three players named All-Conference: senior outside hitter Ella Van Tiem, sophomore Ella Wimsatt and sophomore libero Sadye Porter.

Lloyd was named the 3A State Player of the Year by the North Carolina Volleyball Coaches Association last month. Curiously, Northwood sophomore Asia Thigpen was named the Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year, though she wasn’t included on the NCVBCA 3A All-State team.

Lloyd set a single-season school record for kills with 360. Early in the season, Lloyd was honored for surpassing 500 career kills. She was also 2nd on the team with 65 aces and registered 239 digs (also 2nd on the team). Lloyd’s final kill of the season was on match point against North Iredell, which set up a wild celebration at Reynolds Coliseum with hundreds of Cedar Ridge fans in attendance.

Lanier joined Lloyd on the NCVBCA 3A All-State team. She was second on the squad with 245 kills. Lanier also finished with 39 blocks, which was second on the team behind sophomore Addie Reid. Lanier had a season-high 16 kills against Northwood on September 28 in Hillsborough. Lanier had a six-game string of double-digit kills, starting with Person on August 31. In the state championship match, Lanier had 12 kills, seven digs, two blocks and an ace against the Raiders. Lost in the celebration of winning the state championship was the fact that Lanier also surpassed 500 career kills.

Altieri, in her third year as a starter, constantly kept opposing teams off-balance by being a left handed server who notched several milestones of her own. She set a single-season record with 717 assists. Against Eastern Alamance on September 9, she surpassed 1,000 career assists. Altieri concluded the season with 1,499 assists. Currently, Altieri is playing her first season of high school basketball. On Monday, Altieri assisted on a game-winning shot by senior Phoenix Smith as Cedar Ridge defeated Northern Durham to end a 26-game losing streak.

For Orange, Van Tiem led the Lady Panthers with 117 kills. She had a season-high 19 kills in a 3-1 win over Southern Alamance in Graham on September 1. Van Tiem had six games with double-digit kills, including eleven kills against Western Alamance on September 23.

Wimsatt, another outside hitter, was second on the team with 104 kills. She also had 151 digs, which was second on the team. Against Southern Alamance on September 22, Wimsatt had a season-high 15 kills, 26 digs and two blocks. Wimsatt had eleven kills and six digs against Western Alamance on October 11.

Porter led Orange with 299 digs. She also had eleven aces, which was second on the team behind Caitlin Carden’s 21 aces. Porter had a season-high 48 digs against Southern Alamance on September 1, and later had 35 digs against the Patriots on September 22 in Hillsborough. She had seven games with over 20 digs this season for an Orange team that defeated West Johnston in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. It was the Panthers first postseason win under head coach Kelly Young.

After leading the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team in scoring, junior striker Chris Mendez has been named to the All-Central Carolina Conference squad.

Mendez was one of four Cedar Ridge players honored. Also voted to the All-Conference team was goalkeeper Benjamin Weaver, senior co-Captain Alex Jackan and wingback Issac Anderson.

Orange placed two players on the All-Conference team: junior midfielder Darius Corbett and Tucker Gaddy. The Panthers were also honored with the league’s Sportsmanship Award.

This season, Mendez led Cedar Ridge with 13 goals and 29 points. On September 15, Mendez scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Orange in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium. Mendez scored Cedar Ridge’s second goal off an assist from Jesus Quirez-Rivera and blasted the ball into the net from eight yards away. In the second half, Mendez notched the brace after he stuck in a rebound after a save by Orange goalkeeper Connor McMurtry.

Mendez ended the season with a hat trick in Cedar Ridge’s 6-0 win over Eastern Alamance on October 26, which put the Red Wolves on the verge of making the state playoffs for the first time since 2016. Cedar Ridge likely was the first team out of the field of 64 when the playoff field was unveiled in October.

Weaver was the starting goalkeeper for all 20 of Cedar Ridge’s games this season. After moving to North Carolina form Pennsylvania, Weaver was inserted into the starting lineup by first year Red Wolves’ head coach Chauncey Brummell. He posted his first clean sheet in a 9-0 win over Clover Garden School on August 25. In the opening tilt against Orange, Weaver kept the Red Wolves in the lead midway through the second half when he blocked a shot by Corbett from the penalty spot after the Panthers had narrowed Cedar Ridge’s lead to 2-1. Weaver posted three more shutouts in the regular season.

Jackan was the senior leader who developed a reputation as a strong defensive midfielder. He had two goals in 2021, including a marker in an 8-1 victory over Person on September 23 in Hillsborough.

Anderson had a season-high two goals against Person in Hillsborough. He was chosen as the player of the game in a rugged game against Williams, where the Bulldogs pulled out a 2-0 win. Anderson also had goals against East Chapel Hill and Clover Garden School.

For Orange, Corbett scored eight goals and one assist. He had a hat trick in Orange’s opening win of the season, a 9-0 victory over Henderson Collegiate at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Corbett also notched a hat trick in a 4-3 loss at Southern Durham on September 24. Corbett scored the final goal with seconds remaining in regulation as Orange defeated Graham 4-1, a game where the Panthers exploded for four goals in the final 16 minutes.

Gaddy, a junior, was a strong defense presence for the Panthers, who finished 7-12-1 overall under head coach Palmer Bowman. Gaddy had an assist in Orange’s 4-1 victory over Eastern Alamance on September 29 in Hillsborough. The Panthers concluded the season with a 9-2 victory over the Eagles in Mebane on October 25.

Western Alamance’s Ian Bacchus was named the Central Carolina Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Baccus scored 22 goals as the Warriors, despite finishing 2nd in the CCC, won the 3A State Championship.

Walter Williams’ Ty Thompson was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Year. Williams’ Jeremy Krist was the CCC Coach of the Year.

It was the second time in three years that a team from Alamance County won the 3A men’s soccer state championship. Williams captured the 2019 crown.

After he scored 41 points in the opening game of his senior season, it would be easy for Jerec Thompson’s teammates on the Orange men’s basketball team to let him carry the load down the stretch of tight games.

But that’s not the recipe for success.

Instead, against Carrboro on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium, it was another Thompson that came through with the biggest play of the game.

With the game tied 56-56 with 2:26 remaining, Thompson did a flashy crossover to shake Carrboro point guard Ti’von Bird, then drilled a 3-pointer to put Orange (2-3) ahead for good. Joshua Jackson hit enough free throws in the final minute as Orange pulled out a 61-58 victory over Carrboro for the Panthers first home win of the season.

Jerec Thompson finished with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Ethan Stutts led Carrboro (3-1) with 19 points, but was scoreless in the final quarter.

J.J. Thompson had all nine of his points off three-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation.

“That’s not unexpected,” said Orange coach Darryl Britt. “We’ve been preaching for J.J. to do this type of thing the whole time. Luckily he knocked them down tonight. I hope in the future, we won’t have to push him so hard because everybody is going to try to take J.T. (Jerec Thompson) away at times like that.”

After J.J.’s crossover three-pointer, Carrboro’s L.J. Riggsbee scored off a rebound and was fouled by Orange’s Ryan Moss with 2:08 remaining. But Riggsbee missed the subsequent free throw that would have tied the game and the Jaguars didn’t score again.

Thompson’s 3-pointer turned out to be the final field goal of the game. Jackson, who finished with nine points, made three big three throws in the final minute. Carrboro had several chances to even the game in the waning minutes, but Jerec Thompson and Darius Corbett came up with crucial rebounds after Jaguars misses from the field. With under a minute remaining, Carrboro forced a steal and broke out in transition set to tie the game, but the Jaguars were called for traveling.

Orange didn’t trail in the first half, but its largest lead was seven. After Jackson opened the game with a 3-pointer, Thompson drained consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter, including one from 30-feet to put Orange in the lead for the remainder of the half. Jackson was fouled on a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession, and made two free throws.

Stutts scored 15 points in the first half for the Jaguars. Carrboro had three chances to even the game in the second quarter, but the Panthers came up with stops on every trip.

Riggsbee put the Jaguars ahead in the third quarter after two free throws.

Tuesday’s game was the start of a five-game homestead for Orange. They will host Riverside on Friday night.

WOMEN’S GAME: ORANGE 68, CARRBORO 36

Two Orange women’s players had career-highs as the Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro 68-36 on Tuesday night.

Senior guard Samantha George put up 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, including both of her 3-point attempts. Last Thursday, George had a career-high of 19 points in a win over the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham.

Another senior guard, Nikayla Whitted, added eleven points and six steals. Whitted, who played at Gravelly Hill Middle School, reached double-figures for the first time in her career.

Senior point guard Aaliyah Harris added 18 points as Orange improved to 3-2. Jarmil Wingate added eight points.

It was the first home game of the season for Orange. The Lady Panthers opened the season with road trips to Graham, Chapel Hill, Durham and Pittsboro.

Not only did the Orange men’s basketball team win its first home game of the season on Tuesday night. They became the first team to defeat Carrboro this season. The Panthers held off the Jaguars 61-58 at Panther Gymnasium. Senior guard J.J. Thompson save his best for last, scoring all nine of his points off three 3-pointers in the final five minutes. The biggest came with 2:26 remaining when Thompson drilled a 20-footer following a sweet crossover that shook the Jaguars point guard. Senior guard Joshua Jackson hit three big free throws in the final minute as Orange improved to 2-3. Jackson started with five points in the opening quarter. Senior guard Jerec Thompson led all scorers with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Orange will return home to face Riverside on Friday night in Hillsborough.

After trips to Graham, Chapel Hill, Durham and Pittsboro, the Orange women’s basketball team finally got to play a home game on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro 68-36. Orange put three players in double-figures, including junior Nikayla Whitted, who scored a career-high 12 points. Senior Samantha George, for the second time in two weeks, set her own career-high with 23 points off 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Point guard Aaliyah Harris added 18 point as Orange improved to 3-2. In addition to her 12 points, Whitted added six steals. Going into a difficult Central Carolina Conference, Orange will look to continue momentum when they face Riverside in Hillsborough on Friday night. The victory over the Jaguars started a five-game homestand for the Lady Panthers. After Riverside, Orange will host Western Alamance, East Chapel Hill and Walter Williams next week.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler and linebacker Brendon Worsham. In the opening week of the season, Worsham won his first three matches for the Orange wrestling team. Competing at 182 pounds, Worsham defeated Northwest Guilford’s Alex Brasheer 7-2. In Orange’s Central Carolina Conference opener, Worsham pinned Western Alamance’s Dylan Teague in 1:08 as the Panthers won the dual match 66-18. Last season, Worsham qualified for the 3A State Championships at 182 pounds. He wrestled for the Mideast Regional championship when he pinned Northwood’s Cliff Davis in 3:30. Last season, Worsham finished 16-4. The past two years, Worsham played football under head coach Van Smith. This season, Worsham started at linebacker and as an offensive lineman. He made 55 tackles. Last Saturday in the Jim King/Orange Invitational, Worsham finished 4th at 182 pounds and scored pins over Person’s Aiden Walker, as well as Northwood’s Cliff Davis. Worsham is looking to help Orange win another conference championship in wrestling. The Panthers are 3-0 in the CCC and will face off against Cedar Ridge, Jordan Matthews and Providence Grove in a quad match on Wednesday night.