Month: April 2022

With only two-and-a-half seasons under his belt at Cedar Ridge, Bryson Massey is still young in his coaching career.

However long his career lasts, he’ll have plenty of pleasant stories to tell about Friday night in a wild doubleheader at Eastern Alamance.

How often does a team trail 5-2 in the seventh inning, then score six runs in the final frame? Against a team tied for first place in the conference?

And how often does a pitcher, called up from the junior varsity earlier in the day, throws over three innings in his varsity debut against said 1st place team? And how often does a team score eight runs in a game–off two hits?

That’s a lot of questions that worked in Cedar Ridge’s favor Friday night. In a Central Carolina Conference that seems to deliver a surprise almost every night, Cedar Ridge swept a doubleheader from Eastern Alamance, rallying to win the opening game 8-5, then taking the nightcap 8-7 in Mebane.

The sweep not only knocked Eastern Alamance out of a tie with Orange for first place in the CCC, but the Red Wolves are now tied with the Eagles for second place with a 5-3 conference mark. The Red Wolves start a two-game series against Western Alamance tonight in Elon.

“This shows how much we’ve grown this season,” Massey said. “I’ve said this team doesn’t quit at any point. They didn’t on opening night against Chapel Hill and I didn’t think they would going into the seventh inning tonight. They’ve worked hard in practice this week and I think that showed tonight.”

In the opener, Eastern Alamance had senior starter Joey Teixeria on the mound, who was on a four-game winning streak. He took a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning, but Cedar Ridge’s Mason Cates and Garrett Ray opened with singles. Freshman Quinn Finnegan, as a pinch-hitter, drew a walk to juice the bases. Eastern Alamance inserted Kasen McCawley as pitcher to replace Teixeria, who struck the next batter out. Cedar Ridge’s Brian Flores started the rally after he was hit by a pitch, scoring Cates. B.J. Thornton was also hit by a pitch, which brought Ray to home plate and reduce the Eagle lead to 5-4. With the bases still loaded, senior Aidan McCallister sent a sharply hit grounder that got past the third baseman and trickled into the outfield, allowing Finnegan and Flores to score and vault Cedar Ridge into the lead for the first time at 6-5.

The Red Wolves weren’t done. With two out, sophomore Efrain Morales drew a walk to load the bases again. Cates, in his second at-bat in the inning, singled to right field to score Thornton.

It wasn’t smooth sailing in the seventh inning for Cedar Ridge. Junior catcher Cole McGuiness hit a leadoff double, while Colton Roberston also singled. Tristan Keck hit a liner to Flores at third base. Flores threw to Morales, who tagged out McGinnis trying to score at the plate. Finnegan earned his first career save when Jackson Saunders grounded out to Cristian Macias at second base, triggering an emotional celebration by the Red Wolves in the dugout.

Brian Flores earned the win, throwing six innings, his second victory of the season.

If the first game was one for drama, the second one was straight out of Moneyball. The objective for Cedar Ridge was getting on base, which they did courtesy of 14 walks issued by Eastern Alamance pitchers. The Red Wolves had just as many hits (two) as hit batters.

“We’ve taught our batters to stay patient at the plate,” Massey said. “We want them to wait for their pitch. The most important thing is to get on base and I thought they handled that well.”

After the Eagles charged out to a 4-0 lead, Cedar Ridge scored all eight of its runs in the second inning. Morales and Cates each walked, while Will Tippin also had a base on balls to load the bases with one out. Finnegan walked to score Morales. With two out, Thornton walked to plate Cates. McCawley came in as pitcher, but Tippin came in to score off a wild pitch. McCallister was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, which led to Macias reaching on a five-pitch walk, scoring Finnegan and tying the game. Morales lined a double over the head of the centerfielder to plate Thornton and McAllister. Cates drew another walk, leading to Ray drawing a bases-loaded walk to score Macias. Tippin was the latest player to walk, plating Morales and giving Cedar Ridge an 8-4 lead.

While Finnegan, after earning the save in the opening game, got the win in the second game, the unsung hero of the night was freshman Nick Atkins. Since it was Cedar Ridge’s first doubleheader of the season (after Tuesday’s game scheduled in Hillsborough had been rained out), Massey told Atkins he would get called up from the junior varsity team earlier in the day.

“I though maybe we could get a few good innings out of him,” Massey said. “He did a lot better than that.”

Atkins threw three-and-two-thirds innings and struck out three. He allowed just two runs on five hits.

Once again, Cedar Ridge had to earn it when the Eagles cut the lead down to 8-7 in the seventh inning. Thornton, who started the game in right field, relieved Atkins in the seventh inning and retired the Eagles in order for his first save of the season and a doubleheader sweep that will dramatically alter the Central Carolina Conference pennant chase in numerous ways.

Like many people, Lauren Jackson had some doubts during the pandemic. When the 2020 season was stopped, Jackson was only four games into her sophomore year. Her dreams of playing in college was in question after summer travel season was greatly reduced. Jackson responded with a great junior season for Orange, where she led the team with five home runs. On Monday night, Jackson officially signed her letter of intent to play with Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory. Jackson has started for four seasons at Orange. She has been a starter on two Big 8 Conference championship teams. As a freshman in 2019, Jackson led the team with five home runs and was second on the team with 21 RBIs. In her junior season, Jackson had 17 RBIs, second only to Carson Bradsher She was also third on the team with 20 hits. Joining Lauren for the ceremony at Orange High Softball Field on Monday night was her mother Christy and her father William, along with Orange softball coach Johnny Barefoot, assistant Wayne Bradsher, Principal Jason Johnson and Athletic Director Mike McCauley. A couple of Lauren’s travel coaches, Rick Webster and Craig Apple, were also on hand. The Orange softball team returns to action on Tuesday night with a road trip to Burlington to face Walter Williams. 

The Orange baseball team may be too young to know The Rolling Stones’ song “You Can’t Always Get Want You Want,” since it was released in 1969 and all.

Coming out of the Hilltopper Invitational over Spring Break, Orange didn’t get want they wanted, which was three wins. Instead, the Panthers emerged 1-2, with losses to New Hanover and Ashely. Yet Orange Coach Jason Knapp suspected his team got what they needed, which was confidence after standing toe-to-toe in one-run losses to New Hanover (ranked #2 by MaxPreps in the 4A East Region) and Ashely (ranked #6).

So the big question on Knapp’s mind going into its two-game series against Person was what did his team learn over spring break?

The answer was a lot. It led to, by far and away, Orange’s most dominant showing of the season which paved many dividends.

Junior Cross Clayton, the younger brother of former Orange pitcher Caige Clayton, threw a one-hit shutout with ten strikeouts as the Panthers rolled to a 10-0 victory over the Rockets on Friday in Roxboro. It was Orange’s first run-rule victory in conference play this season.

Clayton, in his first year at varsity, leads Orange with four victories. His ten strikeouts are a career-high.

After Cedar Ridge swept Eastern Alamance in a doubleheader on Friday night in Mebane, Orange suddenly has a two-game lead in the Central Carolina Conference with a 5-1 record. Cedar Ridge and Eastern Alamance are tied for 2nd at 5-3.

The Panthers (9-6 overall) haven’t won a conference championship since 2016, which was Bryse Wilson’s senior year.

In addition to Clayton surfacing as the Panthers’ second starter behind Ryan Hench, Orange’s offense finally came out of neutral after several disappointing games in the first half of the season. After registering 12 hits in the series opener against the Rockets last Wednesday, Orange posted a season-best 15 hits on Friday night.

Right fielder David Waitt went 4-for-4 and is now tied with shortstop Jackson Berini for the team-lead with 18 hits. It was Waitt’s fifth multi-hit game of the season. Connor Funk finished 3-for-4.

Ryan Hench, who captured the victory on Tuesday in Orange’s 9-1 win over the Rockets, led off the second inning with a double that hugged the third base line. After Connor Nordan moved Hench over to third with a fly ball to left field, Cameron Guentensberger scored Nordan with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Nordan and Guentensberger started the fourth inning off with consecutive singles. Funk grounded to Person second baseman Bryce Thaxton, who threw out Guentensberger at second. The relay on the double play attempt wound up behind first base, leading to Nordan scoring. After Cesar Lozano grounded into a fielder’s choice, leading to Funk being thrown out. Codey Snipes reached on a grounder that rolled into right field for a single. Berini, who hit a grand slam against Person on Tuesday, lined a single to left field to bring in Lozano and Snipes, who scored when the throw from the outfield missed the cutoff man. Waitt followed with a line drive to left field to score Berini and increase Orange’s lead to 5-0.

Person’s only baserunner in the opening four innings was Cayden Goodwin, who had a two-out single in the first inning. After that, Clayton set eleven consecutive Rockets down. The only other Rocket get aboard in the game was Dylan England, who walked in the sixth.

Orange racked up five in the sixth inning to draw things to a close. Berini drew a one-out walk, while Waitt singled to right field. Catcher Davis Horton belted a hard grounder up the middle to score Waitt. Nordan followed with his first career home run, a three-run dinger to left field to score Neo Best (running for Horton) and Hench.

The Panthers will start a two-game series against Northwood tonight. The Panthers will host the opening game tonight at 6 PM. Orange will also travel to Carrboro on Wednesday afternoon at 5PM.

Photo courtesy of FoxSports.com

Bryse Wilson: The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 in Busch Stadium on Sunday. Wilson made his first start of the year for the Pirates and threw four innings. He took a no decision. Wilson struck out two and gave up three runs on five hits with one walk. He was replaced by Miguel Yajure, who earned the win in middle relief. It was the Pirates only win of the weekend. Wilson is slated to return to action against Washington at PNC Park on Saturday.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team took two-out-of-three against Wichita State at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville over the weekend. On Sunday, the Shockers salvaged a game out of the series from the Pirates with a 5-0 win. Berini entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and went 0-for-1. He remained in the game as a second baseman for the final three innings.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers baseball team was swept by #18 Southern Miss over the weekend at Hayes Stadium in Charlotte. On Sunday, the Golden Eagles edged the 49ers 6-5 in 13 innings. DeFranco entered the game as a pinch runner in the seventh inning for Drew Tyndall. On Friday, Southern Miss won 2-1 over Charlotte. DeFranco again played as a pinch runner for David McCabe in the fifth inning and was stranded at second base. Charlotte is 17-14 overall, 4-8 in Conference USA.

Brandon Andrews: The Nicholls State baseball team dropped two-out-of-three games against Houston Baptist in a weekend series at Husky Field in Houston. On Saturday, Houston Baptist defeated the Colonels 6-5. Andrews suffered his first loss of the season after giving up a walkout single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Andrews threw one-thirds of an inning.

Phillip Berger: Berger had two appearances for Division III William Peace over the weekend against North Carolina Wesleyan at Bauer Field in Rocky Mount. On Friday, Berger took his first loss of the year in a 13-1 win by the Battling Bishops. Berger started and threw three innings and gave up six runs off eight hits. He had three strikeouts and one walk. On Sunday, Wesleyan outscored Peace 16-15. Berger entered the game out of the bullpen in the fifth inning and threw two innings. He gave up one run off three hits and two walks. He struck out two. Berger is 5-1 with a 4.47 ERA. The Pacers are 16-13 overall, 6-6 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Cooper Porter: The Pensacola State baseball team dropped all four games against Tallahassee Community College last week. On Thursday, the Eagles defeated the Pirates 2-1 in Pensacola. Porter started at shortstop for Pensacola and went 0-for-4. Tallahassee took the nightcap 15-5 in seven innings. Porter led off for the Pirates and finished 0-for-4. On Saturday, the Eagles edged the Pirates 1-0. Porter went 0-for-3. He also pitched one-thirds-of-an-inning and retired the final Eagle. Tallahassee captured the second game of the doubleheader 4-3. Porter, once agin hitting leadoff, went 0-for-4. Pensacola State is 15-23 overall.

Will Walker: Walker started two games at first base as the Pitt Community College baseball team swept a weekend series from Brunswick Community College in Greenville. On Friday, the Bulldogs defeated the Dolphins 9-7. Walker went 0-for-2 with an RBI after he walked with the bases loaded in the 7th inning. On Sunday, Walker went 3-for-5 with two RBIs as the Bulldogs won 16-11. Walker singled in the first inning and scored off a home run by Robert Buckley. In the fourth inning, after the Dolphins rallied to take a 10-6 lead, Walker lined a single to left field to score a run. The Bulldogs scored six runs in the sixth inning. Pitt Community College 25-5 overall, 20-5 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Mia Davidson: Another weekend, another milestone for the all-time home run hitter in Mississippi State softball history. Davidson hit career home run #85 in the Bulldogs 9-2 win over Missouri at Nusz Park in Starkville. Davidson’s solo blast in the third inning, which tied the game 1-1, tied her for seventh place in NCAA history. It was her 16th homer of the year. Davidson went 2-for-3 with an RBI on Friday. In the Bulldogs’ 2-0 win on Saturday, Davidson went 1-for-1 with a run scored. On Sunday, the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 8-5 in eight innings. Davidson went 0-for-4. Mississippi State has won five of its last seven Southeastern Conference series. They’re 26-14 overall, 7-5 in the SEC.

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle got to face one of her former Orange High teammates in Wake Tech’s Kara Tackett on Saturday. Patrick & Henry Community College defeated swept a doubleheader from the Eagles in Martinsville, VA. In the opening game, Hurdle went 2-for-3 with two RBIs as the Patriots won 10-2 in five innings. In the nightcap, Hurdle went 1-for-2 with an RBI double. The Patriots won once again 10-2. On Sunday, Patrick & Henry swept another doubleheader, this time against Southwest Virginia. The Patriots won the opener 6-2. Hurdle went 0-for-3. In the Patriots 9-1 win in the finale, Hurdle hit leadoff and went 1-for-1 with two RBIs. She also earned her sixth win of the season in the circle, throwing a complete game. In five innings, Hurdle surrendered only two hits with one run. She had one strikeout and one walk. The Patriots are 24-10 overall, 15-3 in Region X. Hurdle is second in Region X with nine home runs, behind only Essence Champion of USC Salkehatchie.

Kara Tackett: Tackett started in centerfield against Patrick & Henry on Saturday. She also pitched one and one-thirds innings in the nightcap. Tackett also started in the circle in the second game of a doubleheader against Surry Community College on Friday. Surry won 11-1. Tackett started in centerfield in the opening game of the doubleheader against Surry.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team got back on the winning track with two doubleheader sweeps this weekend. On Friday, the Red Hawks swept USC Union at Kiwanis Park in Hickory. Andrews, starting at third base, went 0-for-3 in CVCC’s opening 5-0 win. The Red Hawks won 9-1 in five innings in the nightcap. Andrews went 0-for-2 with a walk. On Saturday, CVCC swept a doubleheader from Cleveland Community College. The Red Hawks won both games via run rule. Andrews went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the opening 15-0 win in five innings. In the second game, where the Red Hawks rolled 13-5 in five innings. Andrews hit a home run in the 2nd inning. The Red Hawks are 12-2 in Region X, tied in the loss column with Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute for 2nd place.

Photo by Sherri Corbin Nevius

There’s the Crustacean Sensation. There’s the Cow Man. There’s the son of a former UNC lacrosse star that is its leading scorer. And the goalkeeper is female.

Those parts, and many, many more, have put the Orange lacrosse team in line for its second straight conference championship.

Connor Kruse, the son of former UNC and Johns Hopkins lacrosse midfielder Travis Kruse, scored six goals while junior Tigh Metheney added two goals in the fourth quarter as Orange remained undefeated in the Mid-Carolina Conference with a 14-8 win over Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium on Friday night.

The Panthers (9-2, 7-0) have won seven in a row.

Cedar Ridge senior co-Captain Roman Oguntoyinbo factored in on every Red Wolf tally except one, scoring four goals and assisting on three others. Oguntoyinbo tied the game at 7-7 after he grabbed a ground ball on the opening faceoff of the second half, won by Cedar Ridge’s Jackson Kralic, and sent an overhand shot past Orange sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wolter just 25 seconds into the third quarter. Wolter and the rest of the Orange defense held Cedar Ridge to just one goal for the rest of the game. Wolter finished with eight saves.

In the second half, five different Panthers scored, including junior Joe Cady notching the game-winning goal with 8:29 remaining in the third quarter when he ran in from the right wing and threw a bounce shot past Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Leo Oguntoyinbo. Kruse, Metheney, Andrew Harris and Josh Crabtree added goals during Orange’s 7-1 run to finish the game.

“We have a pretty deep team,” said Orange coach Chandler Zirkle. “I think we have more guys who can up the middle of the field than other teams. This Cedar Ridge team is a phenomenal team. This is the best Cedar Ridge team since I’ve been here. It is, by far, the best coached team. They picked their level up to a pace that was insane.”

Cedar Ridge, under first-year head coach Cole Churchill, played its third game in as many days. On Wednesday night, Northwood scored in the final two minutes to defeat the Red Wolves 9-8. Cedar Ridge bounced back the next night with a 12-5 win over Seaforth in Pittsboro.

“I think we have some more running to do,” said Cedar Ridge coach Cole Churchill. “We can always be in better shape. I think we played a good first half and in the second half we lost some of our focus. We did some of the silly things that hurt us quickly. As the momentum shifted, we just never caught back up. Our energy was low because we were tired and we didn’t get the same kind of bench energy.”

Kruse, who had four goals in a 14-7 win at Western Alamance on Wednesday night in Elon, immediately inserted his influence by scoring the game’s opening two goals in just 48 seconds. Metheny found Kruse for the second goal, and the Panthers roared out to a 2-0 lead they wouldn’t concede for the rest of the half.

Oguntoyinbo hit senior attacker James Clayton with a centering pace, and Clayton fired in an sidearm shot from the top of the box for the first Cedar Ridge goal. Kruse responded with another goal with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter, following by the opening tally from junior Jake Wimsatt, Orange’s face-off ace. Kruse scored his fourth goal in the opening quarter on a running bounce shot with 1:27 remaining.

Cedar Ridge went on a 4-2 run to close out the first half. Junior Billy Power, who transferred to Hillsborough in November, took a pass from Clayton and fired in a shot from 15 yards away. After Cady scored for Orange, Oguntoyinbo fired in a shot in a man-up situation off an assist from Power after Orange was called for a slashing penalty. Clayton whittled the Orange lead down to 6-5 off a feed from Ogunotoyinbo. The Red Wolves had an opportunity to tie, but couldn’t clear the ball up the field off a check by Crabtree. Wimsatt chased in on the loose ground ball with a sidearm shot to increase Orange’s lead to 7-5.

Cedar Ridge’s Holden Neal put the Red Wolves within one goal at the half on another goal set up on an assist by Oguntoyinbo.

“For them to cut the lead down to one goal at the half was eye-opening for us, but in a fun way,” Zirkle said. “It put our level higher to where we had to get to. They were playing its third game in three days. Cedar Ridge played a great game.”

For a team with three players named “Josh,” the Panthers have had to get creative with nicknames. Josh Crabtree, who scored Orange’s 10th goal in the third quarter, is the “Crustacean Sensation.” Josh Cowan, a mainstay on defense, is the “Cow Man.” Whether he joined the FFA is a question that remains unanswered.

For Churchill, who was a member of the Cedar Ridge Class of 2015, the struggle to get healthy has been a huge obstacle. Senior Kellan Hepditch has been out of action, while another defensive stalwart, Thomas Allen, just returned to action this week. Gavin Scher, a freshman long-stink defenseman, has had shoulder problems.

Nonetheless, the Red Wolves (8-4, 5-4) remain likely to make the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs.

“I think our consistency has been impacted because of injuries,” Churchill said. “Before you had two seniors and a junior that have played three years together. Then when you put others in the lineup, you don’t have the same chemistry. They do a great job coming together and I’m hoping adding Thomas back will give us more chemistry.”

Person 4, Cedar Ridge 3: Whether its volleyball, basketball or softball, women’s sports have proven to be deep in the Central Carolina Conference since its inception in August.

The Cedar Ridge softball team is 1-6 in the CCC after losing to Person on Friday night, yet are still ranked #19 in the 3A East Softball Standings, according to MaxPreps. That’s mainly because Cedar Ridge has Eastern Alamance (#1 in 3A East), Person (#2), Western Alamance (#6) and Orange (#9) as conference rivals.

On Friday night, the Red Wolves nearly pulled off an upset against Person. Cedar Ridge and the Rockets were tied 3-3 at the end of five innings before the Rockets’ Kylie Gould knocked in Taryn Massey with an RBI groundout in the sixth inning for the game-winning run.

In the seventh inning, Person pitcher Lillie Davis set down the Red Wolves in order to ensure the Rockets’ 4-3 win. Person (11-1, 6-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) is in 2nd place in the CCC, one game behind Eastern Alamance.

Cedar Ridge senior Takia Nichols, who recently became the first player in school history to surpass 100 career RBIs, slammed a solo homer to centerfield in the first inning to put the Red Wolves into the early lead. Nichol’s classmate, Olivia Aitkin, followed with a double to right field, but she was stranded at second after Davis racked up consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.

Person tied the game in the bottom of the field inning after a leadoff double by Mariah McCowan, who moved to third base after a wild pitch. Delaney Glover singled on a hard grounder to third base to bring in McCowan.

The Rockets added two more runs in the second inning. Gould laced a one-out single to centerfield. After a wild pitch, Lindsey Melton plated Gould with a single to left field. Melton would steal second base, leading to McCowan sending a liner to centerfield to score Melton to put Person ahead 3-1.

Cedar Ridge chipped away to tie the game. Senior shortstop Ava Lowry launched a solo homer to left field in the top of the fourth inning. The Red Wolves went on to load the bases with two out in the inning when freshman Charlotte Lowry and junior Tori Carden both singled, then Caira Peach was hit by a pitch. Massey, Person’s shortstop, caught a pop-up to end the inning.

Nichols tied the game in the fifth after a leadoff single. Kimber Shambley grounded a two-out single up the middle into centerfield. With a 3-2 count, freshman Reagan Simmons hit a fly ball to right field that dropped for a hit, scoring Nichols.

The Red Wolves will travel to Harnett Central on Monday, then host Northwood on Tuesday and crosstown rival Orange on Friday.

Western Alamance 4, Orange 1: Western Alamance pitcher Taylor Apple, who has committed to play at East Carolina, struck out 15 batters as the Warriors improved to 9-4 overall, 6-2 in the CCC. The Warriors, just 48 hours removed from a win over defending 3A State Champion Southern Alamance, got a two-run homer from Julia Brunton, who finished 2-for-3.

Orange 10, Northwood 0 5 innings: On Wednesday night, Orange played its first game since the end of spring break with a 10-0 win over Northwood. The Lady Panthers got a home run from senior catcher Lauren Jackson, who has announced her commitment to Lenoir-Rhyne College. Jackson also had a double.

Sophomore Caden Robinson, who earned the win as pitcher, also had a home run and finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. It was the first varsity start for freshman Sadie Cecil, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI single.

Senior Courtney Watkins, starting in left field, finished 2-for-3 with an RBI single.

Orange (6-4, 4-3) will continue a four-game road trip on Tuesday when they go to Burlington to face Williams. On Wednesday, the Panthers head up Highway 57 to face Person in Roxboro, then face Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Softball Field on Friday night.

The 2022 Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team has become the first squad in school history to claim a share of a conference championship as a 3A team. The Red Wolves swept Williams in a doubleheader on Thursday night to clinch a portion of the Central Carolina Conference championship. Junior Josh Mayhew won both of his singles matches at #1 by scores of 8-0 and 8-0. Mathew, who became the first Cedar Ridge player in history to play in the finals of a state championship singles match last year, is 11-0 in singles play this year. Sophomore Lev Bearman also won both of his singles matches against the Bulldogs at #3 singles. Bearman won his opening match 8-6, then won the nightcap 9-7. Holden Rachlin and Derrick Stephens also won their singles matches for the Red Wolves, while Eli Rachlin and Holden Rachlin teamed to win their #1 doubles match to clinch the win in the second match against the Bulldogs. The Red Wolves will complete a suspended match against Northwood this week, which could lead to Cedar Ridge cementing the conference championship outright. The Central Carolina Conference Tournament is coming up Wednesday.