Month: August 2022

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior football safety Matt Turner. On Friday night, Turner secured a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter against East Chapel Hill deep in Wildcat territory. Though the Red Wolves didn’t score on the subsequent possession, it did help secure a safety from linebacker James Este Wittinger that provided the game-winning points. It was Cedar Ridge football’s first varsity win in 1,050 days. Turner played football at Gravelly Hill Middle School. He played as a freshman under head coach Torrean Hinton in 2019. He took the following two years off from football, but decided to return for the 2022 season as Cedar Ridge revived its varsity program. Turner has been a steady contributor thus far through two games in the 2022 season. On Friday night, Cedar Ridge rode its defense to victory. The Red Wolves forced turnovers in its last four possessions, including two interceptions by Justin Hartsell. There was another by Mason Cates late in the game. Cedar Ridge will go for its second straight win when they face Bartlett Yancey on Friday night in Yanceyville. You can hear that game on Hillsboroughsports.com. Congratulations to Mattt Turner, this week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week. 

Women’s Tennis: Cedar Ridge 9, Person 0: While Walter Williams has established itself as the team to beat in the Central Carolina Conference, the race is on for the league’s second automatic spot in the 3A State Playoffs.

Cedar Ridge made itself into a contender this week with three strong victories, starting with its conference opener on Monday. The Red Wolves swept Person in Roxboro 9-0. Adeline Cummings, who was elevated to #1 singles, won her match 6-2, 6-0. Junior Cameron Mayhew, the younger sister of Central Carolina Conference Men’s Player of the Year Josh Mayhew, won her match 6-2, 6-0. Sophomore Ella Caltabiano (#3), junior Catherine Ballenger (#4), junior Annabeth Lundberg, (#5) and junior Rowan Mowes-Aring (#6) all won their singles matches.

Lundberg and Mowes-Aring were the only Red Wolves to win two matches on the day. They teamed together to win at #1 doubles 8-1. Molly Alversson and Addie Payne, a pair of sophomores, captured the #2 doubles match 8-1. The tightest match of the day was at #3 doubles where Chloe Pankratz and Lila Rhoades were extended to a tiebreaker after battling Cassidy Swank & Jessica Williams to an 8-8 tie. Pankratz & Rhoades won the tiebreaker 7-1.

Cedar Ridge 7, Southern Alamance 2: On Tuesday, the Red Wolves defeated the Patriots for the second time this season. Cedar Ridge won all six of its singles matches. Cummings, again starting at #1 singles, won the most competitive match of the day against Southern’s Faith Moore. Cummings prevailed 7-6 in the opening set, winning the tiebreaker 8-6. Cummings sewed up her fifth singles victory of the season winning the second set 6-2.

Mayhew captured her match at #2 singles 6-2, 6-2, her third victory of the year. Caltabiano (#3) won 6-1, 6-0 for her fifth victory of 2022. Catherine Ballenger won 6-1, 6-0. Annabeth Lundberg (#5) won 6-0, 6-2 to wrap up the Red Wolves’ third dual win of the season. Mowes-Aring finished the singles sweep 6-1, 6-1.

Caltabiano and Ballenger teamed together to win at #1 doubles 8-0, the only doubles win of the day for the Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge 6, Northwood 3: In a dual matches that featured three singles matches going to 10-point, third-set tiebreakers, Cedar Ridge prevailed in its third match in three days on Wednesday.

Cummings had the longest match of the year in the CCC against Northwood’s Destyn Roder 2-6, 6-4, 15-13 in the 10-point tiebreaker. Later in the day, Cummings and Mayhew claimed a forfeit win at #1 doubles after a Northwood player had to retire due to a foot injury. For the week, Cummings won five matches overall.

Cedar Ridge won five out of six singles matches to take the dual match win. Ella Caltabiano (#3) prevailed 6-2, 6-4; Ballenger, who won four matches this week, prevailed 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 at #4 singles. Lundberg won at #5 6-3, 2-6 11-9.

Mowles-Airing completed the dual match win with a 6-2, 6-0 victory at #6.

Cedar Ridge is now 4-3 overall, 2-0 in the Central Carolina Conference. They travel to Orange on Tuesday.

Orange 8, Western Alamance 1: After winning three of its first four in the opening weeks of the season, the Orange women’s tennis team defeated Western Alamance in its CCC opener in Hillsborough on Tuesday.

#1 singles player Erin Sollars wound up in a three-set match for the second time this year. Sollars defeated Amelia Weaver 2-6, 6-3, 10-5 to improve to 4-1 on the season. Sollars would go on to team with her younger sister, Shannon Sollars, to win at #1 doubles 8-0.

Shannon Sollars won her #2 singles match 6-2, 6-2. Seniors Isabel Jones (#4 singles) and Madelyn Horn (who has now won seven overall matches this year) also won their singles matches to secure the dual match win.

In the only other doubles match, Jones and Makayla Davis won at #2 doubles 8-1.

Walter Williams 8, Orange 1: It a battle for first place in the CCC, Williams easily prevailed over Orange in Burlington on Wednesday. Sydney Rogers, who is also the starting kicker for the Orange football team, earned Orange’s only victory on the day. Rogers defeated Williams Gracie Hartle 6-3, 6-4. Orange is now 4-2 overall, 1-1 in the CCC. They will travel to Voyager on Thursday. The Lady Panthers defeated the Vikings in its season-opener on August 16 in Hillsborough.

Ava and Allie Wilkerson helped the Orange volleyball team take its Central Carolina Conference opener on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers defeated Western Alamance 3-1 on scores of 25-20, 25-18, 18-25 and 25-22. Senior Allie Wilkerson finished with five kills, seven digs and two blocks as the Lady Panthers improved to 6-4. Allie’s younger sister, Ava, is a freshman on this year’s team. Together, local photographer Jan DeYoung have dubbed the tandem “Sister Strength.” Allie, a 6’2” freshman, had six kills against the Warriors. The two started playing together in the backyard of their home in northern Orange County and now have their sights set on taking the Lady Panthers back to the 3A State Playoffs. Orange will continue its CCC schedule against Walter Williams in Burlington on Thursday night. Orange will host defending 3A State Champions Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium. 

Since she became the Cedar Ridge volleyball coach, Fiona Cunningham has made it a priority to make the Red Wolves’ nonconfernece schedule as difficult as possible.

In the opening two weeks of the season, the Red Wolves played five of its first six games away from Hillsborough. But they haven’t lacked for support.

That’s because of a rambunctious group called “The Wolf Pack,” Cedar Ridge’s traveling volleyball cheering section that knows no limits in how to support the defending 3A State Champions, whether its distance traveled (a healthy number made the trek to Greenville last week for a match against D.H. Conley) or volume generated in an opposing team’s gym.

On Saturday night, Cedar Ridge faced a Wake County team inside a Wake County gym for an event sponsored by a Wake County website. Yet the Red Wolves volleyball team controlled the action on the floor while the Wolfpack made the most noise in the stands.

Cedar Ridge defeated the defending 4A State Champions, Green Level, 3-0 on scores of 25-21, 25-18 and 25-21. It concluded an impressive week where Cedar Ridge (now 6-1 after wins over East Chapel Hill and Person this week) captured three road matches over teams that all won state championships within the last five years. Last Tuesday, the Red Wolves swept D.H. Conley (the 2021 3A State Champs) in Greenville. The following day, Cedar Ridge defeated Carrboro (the 2017 2A State Champs) at Jaguars Gymnasium.

“I was happy with our poise tonight,” Cunningham said after the Green Level win at Garner High School. “We didn’t let little things impact us. We weren’t intimidated about facing the 4A champions because we have faith in ourselves. We have a group that’s played on the biggest stage before.”

Senior outside hitter Cameron Lanier, who has committed to play at Elon University, finished with eleven kills, three blocks and two aces. Cameron Lloyd, who has committed to play at Bucknell University, finished with nine kills, seven digs and three assists. Senior Julie Altieri, who is the all-time school leader in assists, finished with 25 assists and six digs as the Red Wolves won its fourth straight game. Libero Grace Young had 15 digs.

The cramped settings at Trojan Gymnasium created an unpredictable atmosphere where balls bounced off low-hanging lights, if they came down at all. In the opening set, Young received a serve. As Altieri positioned herself for the second hit, she kept waiting and waiting, only to find the ball got stuck on top of the lights. At various points, Young spilled into the “Wolf Pack” student section twice diving for loose balls.

With the opening set even 7-7, Cedar Ridge reeled off six straight points. Lanier had three kills and a block during the run. Junior Graylinn Serge served up an ace, which led to a Gators timeout. After Green Level reduced the Red Wolves lead to 15-13, Altieri got a kill at the net, which triggered a run that would carry the Red Wolves to the opening set, ending with a kill by Lanier.

The second set would prove to be the tightest of the match. With the frame tied 16-16, Cedar Ridge finished on a 9-3 run behind kills from Lanier and senior Anaya Carter. Lanier would notch a kill to make it 23-18, then got an ace. Cedar Ridge took the set after a Gator return went into the net.

Between sets, the Garner High Athletic Director asked the Wolf Pack not to make any noise while Green Level served. The Wolf Pack followed the orders, going as far as holding up a peace sign while pressing their lips together as the Gators put the ball in play, garnering plenty of chuckles from parents seated around them.

Cedar Ridge never trailed in the third set, which started with Altieri serving up four straight aces. The Red Wolves stretched its lead as wide as 19-11 after consecutive blocks by junior Addie Reid. On match point, Reid scored a kill off an assist by Altieri.

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

Trenton Gill: Following an impressive training camp, Gill will become the first former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf to play in the National Football League. On Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago Bears reduce its roster from 80 to 53 players. Gill, as widely expected, made the final cut. In May, Gill was selected in the 7th round of the NFL Draft by the Bears. He will replace veteran Patrick O’Donnell, who the Bears let leave in free agency last winter. In his final exhibition game last week against Cleveland, Gill averaged 48.3 yards on five punts. One of the punts was downed inside the 20-yard line. His longest attempt was 58 yards. When the Bears face the San Francisco 49ers at Solider Field on September 11, Gill will become the first player from Hillsborough to play in the NFL since Alvis Whitted, who played wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders in 2006. Whitted also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons in a nine-year career. He is now the wide receivers coach at the University of Wisconsin.

Mia Davidson: Davidson completed her first professional season with Athletes Unlimited over the weekend. Davidson finished 21st among 60 players. For the final week of the season, Davidson played for Team Mulipola. The captain of Team Mulipola, Dejah Mulipola, wound up winning the individual championship with 1,782 points. Davidson ended the season with 1,280 points. In the final game of the season on Sunday, Team Mulipola defeated Team Chidester 10-6. Davidson hit her fourth home run of the season in the first inning, a two-run blast. Davidson ended up with 150 points on Sunday (60 for inning points, 50 for the win and 40 for the home run). Team Mulipola lost the other two games last weekend. On Friday, Team McCleney edged Team Mulipola 5-4. Davidson went 0-for-2 and finished with 18 points (10 for winning one inning, eight for getting hit by a pitch). On Saturday, Team Denham defeated Team Mulipola 4-0. Davidson finished with eight points (hit by a pitch). She also made a diving catch in right field, which was the first time she had played a defensive position this year (she was a designated player in her previous 13 games). Davidson ended the year with a .278 batting average with four home runs and eleven RBIs.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson had two starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the past week. On Monday night, Wilson had a no-decision as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied to defeat the Pirates 7-5. Wilson allowed three runs on five hits in three innings. He struck out two and walked two. Pittsburgh had a 5-3 lead going into the eighth inning before the Brewers scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth. On Friday, Wilson started as Philadelphia defeated the Pirates 7-4 at Citizen’s Bank Park. Wilson was chased after one inning where he gave up four runs on five hits. Wilson is now 2-8 with a 6.12 ERA.

Kayla Hodges: The Virginia Commonwealth University women’s soccer team continued its season with a 1-1 tie against former conference rival UNC Wilmington at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, VA on August 25. Hodges came off the bench to play 29 minutes. On Sunday, the Rams played to a 1-1 tie against UNC Greensboro. Hodges played 41 minutes as a reserve. VCU is 0-1-2. They will host William & Mary on Thursday night.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team opened its season with a 2- 2 tie against Lees-McRae at Tate Field in Banner Elk on Saturday. Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history, came off the bench to play eleven minutes.

Avery Miller: Former Orange High volleyball player Avery Miler has started her freshman season at Pitt Community College. The Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start. They opened the season with a 3-0 win over Central Carolina Community College in Sanford. Miller started and finished with seven kills and two digs. On August 23, Pitt defeated CCCC again 3-0, this time in Winterville. Miller had six kills, two aces and seven digs. On August 24, Pitt traveled to Elizabeth City and defeated Mid-Atlantic Christian University 3-0. Miller had two kills and a dig.

Cedar Ridge’s defense came up huge in an 8-6 victory over East Chapel Hill on Friday night. It was the Red Wolves first win in varsity football since October 2019. Junior defensive back Justin Hartsell had two interceptions in the second half, including one that set up a touchdown run by James Este Wittinger. The Red Wolves got the game-winning points off a safety when Este Wittinger tackled East Chapel Hill running back Tyonne Hicks in the end zone. The Red Wolves defense forced three turnovers in the second half. Junior quarterback Tom Crawford won his first varsity game for the Red Wolves. To wrap up the win, Cedar Ridge junior Mason Cates picked off a pass. Cates, Hartsell, and Crawford were teammates last season for the Red Wolves when they fielded a junior varsity team. This Friday night, Cedar Ridge will journey to Yanceyville to face Bartlett Yancey, who are coming off a 40-38 loss to McMichael last week in Mayodan. 

Well, Monday nights are free again.

Now that Better Call Saul is done, we can finally officially turn the page to the fall sports season, which has started with abundance across Hillsborough.

To steal a line from Gus Fring in Breaking Bad (you may not want to YouTube this scene if you’re squeamish): well, get back to work.

And what’s changed? In regards to volleyball, not much.

Cedar Ridge had an early stumble in its season-opener against J.H. Rose. Since then, they’ve won over three teams that have each won a state championship with the last five years, each of the matches outside of Hillsborough.

One thing that has changed is the depth of the Central Carolina Conference. In 2021, it was the deepest league in 3A volleyball. Since Cedar Ridge claimed the state championship, Northwood lost all but two players from a squad that went to the Round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs last year. Person lost nine players from the 2021 squad, which reached the final of the Central Carolina Conference tournament.

It appears that Orange will be the main obstacle to keep Cedar Ridge from winning a third straight conference championship.

It seems that best way to start off a new academic year is by going back to the future and bring back a popular column. Each Monday, we’ll honor the top seven performers from the previous week from Cedar Ridge and Orange High. That’s why it’s called the Magnificent 7.

Unfortunately, we missed the opening week, so we’ll have two columns of the Magnificent 7 to bring you this week. In this one, we’ll focus on the opening week, a time when the Orange men’s soccer team played the first game of the 2021-2022 academic year against Riverside on an unseasonably cool night at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham.

1. Gabriel Schmid-Jr. Orange High School. Started the season by winning the Early Bird Challenge Cross Country Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Schmid, who finished 2nd in the 3,200 meters in the 3A State Track & Field Championships in May, won the first invitational race in his career. He beat out 177 other runners to take the title.
2. Roman Morrell-Sr. Cedar Ridge High School Finished second at the Early Bird Challenge behind Schmid. Morrell followed that up by winning the Ronald Horton Cross Country Challenge at Northwood in Pittsboro this past Saturday. Last season, Morrell finished in the top 30 in the 3A State Cross Country Championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.
3. Grace Young-Sr. Cedar Ridge High School: In the opening week of volleyball season, Young had 13 digs and four assists in a win over Apex Friendship. Against J.H. Rose, Young had 17 digs and 14 service receptions. Young is the libero for the Red Wolves who has committed to play at UNC Asheville. She was named the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week for the opening week of the academic year.
4. Sydney Rogers-Sr. Orange High School: Became the first female to score a point for the orange football team when she kicked an extra point against South Granville. She later kicked an 25-year field goal to give Orange its only lead of the game. Rogers is also playing tennis for coach Justin Webb. In the opening week of the year, she won both of her singles matches as Orange defeated Voyager Academy and Southern Alamance.
5. Ella Caltabiano-Soph. Cedar Ridge High School: Caltabiano won both of her matches in Cedar Ridge’s opening victory of the season against Southern Alamance. Caltabiano won her match at #2 singles 6-0, 6-0. She then teamed with Catherine Ballenger to win at #1 doubles 8-1. Last season, Caltabiano started regularly as a freshman and was named a Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week in the second week of the season.
6. Ella Wimsatt-Jr. Orange High School Led Orange in kills in its season-opening victory over Jordan on August 18. Last season, Wimsatt was second on the team with 104 kills to help Orange reach the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. Wimsatt was also second on the team with 151 digs. The Lady Panthers went to East Chapel Hill for a series of matches on August 19-20 and defeated East Chapel Hill and Western Alamance.
7. Madelyn Horn-Sr. Orange High School: Had a crucial win for the Orange women’s soccer team in a victory over Voyager Academy. She was the only player to win two matches for Orange against the Vikings. Two days later, she won a singles match and a doubles match as the Lady Panthers rolled to a win over Southern Alamance.