A year after become the first Cedar Ridge competitor to play for the 3A State Singles tennis championship, sophomore Josh Mayhew has led the Red Wolves to a solid opening week of the season.
On Monday, the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team defeated Person 8-1 to open the season at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. The Red Wolves captured all six singles matches, with Mayhew winning at #1 singles 6-0, 6-0. At #2 singles, senior Eli Rachlin won 6-0, 6-0. Lev Bearman, Walker Richards-Baker, Holdin Rachlin and Seth Upchurch also claimed singles victories for the Red Wolves.
At #1 doubles, Upchurch teamed with senior Derrick Stephens to win 8-2. Juniors Bowen Wood and Jason Pattison captured the final Red Wolf victory at #2 singles 8-4.
In its first nonconference match of the year on Tuesday, Chapel Hill defeated the Red Wolves 8-1. However, Mayhew did captured the Red Wolves #1 singles match over Chapel Hill’s Ayan Patel 6-2, 6-2. Last year, Chapel Hill’s Dennis Permuov was the only player in the state to beat Mayhew the entire season. Permuov and Mayhew met four times, including once in the 3A State Championship match, as well as the Mideast Regional Final.
On Thursday, the Red Wolves won its first road match of the season went they defeated Northwood 6-1 in Pittsboro. Mayhew defeated Jio Sumogod 6-3, 7-5 in the top singles match. At #2, Eli Rachlin had a thrilling match with Matteus Butler. Rachlin pulled out a three-set win, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (10-4).
Bearman, Richards-Baker and Holden Rachlin all captured singles wins for the Red Wolves. In the only doubles match, Richards-Baker and Bearman prevailed 8-2.
Cedar Ridge hosts Orange on Monday.
Men’s Tennis: Western Alamance 6, Orange 3: The Panthers opened the season with a loss to the Warriors in Hillsborough on Monday. Freshman Cameron Foster, in his first match for Orange, won at #4 singles 6-1, 6-3.
At #5 singles, Tristian Plummer defeated Western’s Jacob Howell 5-7, 6-2, 10-4. Orange sophomore Jackson Panning also extended his match to a 10-point breaker, but Western freshman Evan Gwin won 1-6, 6-4, 10-8.
Orange’s doubles team of Porter Pelphrey and Cameron Foster, both freshmen, earned a win at #2 doubles over Christopher Barringer and Harry Jefferson 8-5.
Williams 8, Orange 1: The Bulldogs, which have now won 21 consecutive conference matches dating back to its days in the Mid-State Conference, rolled past the Panthers in Hillsborough on Wednesday. Sophomore Jackson Panning claimed Orange’s only win at #6 doubles. Panning defeated Res Sharpe 6-4, 6-3.
Orange travels to Riverside for its first nonconfence match of the season on Monday.
The Bulldogs, which have won three consecutive conference championships, travel to Western Alamance on Wednesday for its next match.
Women’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 5, South Granville 0: For the first time since 2018, the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team played a match without its all-time leading scorer, Emerson Talley, who is now at Lenoir-Rhyne. Nonetheless, the Red Wolves easily disposed of South Granville 5-0 in Creedmoor on Wednesday night.
Cedar Ridge will host Clover Garden School tonight (Friday) at 6PM in its home opener at Cedar Ridge Stadium. On Saturday, the Red Wolves face South Brunswick.