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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.