Month: September 2022

Not one. Not two. But there’s three sports where Cedar Ridge and Orange will tangle this week.

Hopefully Tropical Storm Ian won’t get in the way of Friday’s football game between Cedar Ridge and Orange at Auman Stadium. It will be a battle of two young teams that are struggling to find their way in a new conference controlled by the Alamance County schools, where football is a way of life from the time children are midway through elementary school–at the latest.

On Thursday, Cedar Ridge and Orange will face off in volleyball at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves remain #2 in the 3A East Region behind J.H. Rose, the only team to beat the Red Wolves this season. Since then, the Red Wolves have won 42 consecutive sets during a 14-match winning streak. During that amazing run, Orange came the closest to ending that streak when they faced Cedar Ridge n September 6, and some around Lady Panthers circles believe they did in the opening set. But because of a scoreboard error, Orange allegedly lost a point, which made a big difference when the Lady Panthers lost four set points, and eventually the set entirely, 30-28. If Cedar Ridge wins, they will all but sew up its third straight CCC championship.

On Wednesday, Orange and Cedar Ridge will have a rematch in women’s tennis. It’s a big week for Orange, who will face Walter Williams this afternoon in Hillsborough with first place on the line in the CCC. The Lady Panthers are on track to earn the second automatic bid from the CCC to the 3A State Dual Team Tournament.

So, going back two weeks, here are the top performers from the week of September 4-10.

1. Hank Nunnery, Soph. Orange: Nunnery threw for a career-high five touchdowns in the first half of Orange’s 45-0 win over Granville Central on September 9. Nunnery may have been the first Orange quarterback ever to throw for five touchdowns in a half. Nunnery also had a career-high 196 yards as the Panthers won its first game under head coach DeVante Pettiford.
2. Julie Altieri, Sr. Cedar Ridge: The all-time assists leader in Cedar Ridge volleyball history, Altieri was at another level against crosstown rival Orange on September 6. Altieri finished with 39 assists as the Red Wolves defeated the Lady Panthers 3-0. Altieri, who has 1,797 career assists, also had four kills and six digs as the Red Wolves remained undefeated in the Central Carolina Conference.
3. Isabel Jones, Sr. Orange: Jones won a total of three matches as the Orange women’s tennis team defeated Cedar Ridge and Person. On September 8, Jones won her singles match against Person 6-0, 6-0. Later in the day, she teamed with Makayla Davis to win at #2 doubles. Against Cedar Ridge, Jones won at #4 singles. Jones and Sydney Rogers are two members of the Orange women’s soccer team who also play tennis.
4. Nate Sorrells, Jr. Orange: Sorrells had a career-high 157 yards in the Panthers’ win over Granville Central. Sorrells added three touchdowns, including a rushing score to open the game. Sorrells is Orange’s leading rusher. He also led the team in receptions for the opening four weeks of the season. Sorrells is in his second year as a starting wingback.
5. Cameron Mayhew, Jr. Cedar Ridge: Mayhew worked by the hour during this particular week. She had a four-hour marathon singles match against Orange’s Shannon Sollars. Two days later, Mayhew defeated Eastern Alamance at #2 singles 6-0, 6-0 as Cedar Ridge defeated the Eagles 5-1. The Red Wolves still have a chance to reach the state dual team playoffs.
6. Aubrey Jordan, Fr. Orange: Against Cedar Ridge, Jordan finished with six kills as the Lady Panthers nearly became the first CCC team this year to win a set against the Red Wolves. Jordan also had a strong game two days later as Orange defeated Walter Williams in Burlington 3-1.
7. Chris Mendez, Sr. Cedar Ridge: Had a hat trick for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team in its 10-1 win over Person on September 7 in Roxboro. It was the Red Wolves’ first conference win of the season. Mendez has two hat tricks for Cedar Ridge this season.

Bryse Wilson: In his final start of the season on Friday night, Bryse Wilson had a no-decision for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Wilson threw five innings and surrendered two runs off five hits. He had five strikeouts and three walks. In the second inning, Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run homer off of Wilson, who left the game with the Pirates ahead 4-2. For the season, Wilson had a 3-9 record with a 5.95 ERA. He struck out 72 and walked 29 in 104.1 innings pitched. Wilson appeared in 23 games, starting 19. In addition, Wilson went 5-0 with the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A International League. With Indianapolis, Wilson had a 2.97 ERA with 34 strikeouts and six walks in five starts. Wilson was sent down to Indianapolis on in May and returned to Pittsburgh in July, where he remained until the end of the season. This was Wilson’s first full season in Pittsburgh after he was traded to the Pirates by Atlanta in 2021.

Payton Wilson: The N.C. State Wolfpack football team has reached the top-ten of the Associated Press College Football poll for the first time since 2002. On Saturday night, the Wolfpack routed Connecticut 41-10 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh to improve to 4-0. Wilson had two tackles for the Wolfpack, who will open Atlantic Coast Conference play at #5 Clemson next Saturday.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter helped the Chicago Bears defeat the Houston Texans 23-20 at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. Gill was the holder for the game-winning 30-yard field goal by Cairo Santos as time expired. As far as his main job is concerned, Gill had four punts for an average of 45.5 yards. One punt was downed inside the 20-yard line. The Bears are 2-1 and will face the New York Giants next Sunday.

Braxton Mergenthal: On September 17, the Division III Hampden-Sydney football team defeated Greensboro College 70-28. at Lewis Everett Stadium in Hampden Sydney, VA. Mergenthal had one-half of a tackle for a loss for Hampden-Sydney, who earned its first win of the season. The Tigers will travel to Bridgewater next Saturday to open play in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Lottie Scully: In its only match of the week, the Binghamton Bearcats volleyball team defeated Niagara University 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-15 and 25-16. Scully finished with a team-high 33 assists, four kills, one ace and ten digs. The Bearcats are 9-4 and will open play in the American East Conference at New Hampshire on Saturday.

Avery Miller: On Tuesday, Miller started for the Pitt Community College volleyball team in its 3-1 loss to Cape Fear Community College in Winterville (25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18). Miller finished with four kills and six digs. On Thursday, Bryant & Stratton College defeated Pitt 3-2 (26-24, 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-8). Miller started a had a career-high eight kills for the Bulldogs. She also finished with nine digs. Pitt CC is now 7-5 overall, 0-5 in Region X. The Bulldogs will host Louisburg College on Tuesday.

Emerson Talley: It was a successful start to South Atlantic Conference play for the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team. Last Wednesday, the Bears tied Anderson 1-1 at Moretz Sports Complex in Hickory. Talley came off the bench and fired two shots. She played 20 minutes. On Saturday, Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Mars Hill 3-1 at Meares Stadium. Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history, came off the bench to play 30 minutes. Lenoir Rhyne sits atop the SAC with a 4-0-1 record. They are 4-2-2 overall and will travel to Belmont-Abbey on Wednesday.

Women’s tennis: Orange 9, J.F. Webb 0 (Thursday): The Orange women’s tennis team improved to 12-2 with a 9-0 victory over the Warriors on Thursday at Orange High Tennis Courts. Last year, the Lady Panthers set what is believed to be a school record with 16 team wins, including a victory in the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs over Wilson Fike.

The current edition of the Lady Panthers still has six regular season matches remaining, including a crucial match against Williams on Monday. The Bulldogs hold a one-game lead over Orange for first place in the Central Carolina Conference.

In Thursday’s nonconfernece match against J.F. Webb, many first-time starters had a chance to show their talent. Senior Isabel Jones, a regular stater, was slotted at #1 singles for the first time and won 8-0. Another senior, Madelyn Horn, won at #2 8-0. Grace Allred got a start at #3 singles to win her match. Aubrey Petrosanu won at #4 singles 8-2. At #5 singles, freshman Nora Plummer captured her match 5-3. Another freshman, Lindsey Woodell completed the sweep at singles with an 8-0 victory.

Makayla Davis and Katelyn Van Mater teamed at #1 doubles to win 8-0. Horn and Allred won at #2 doubles 8-0. Petrosanu and Woodell won at #3 doubles to finish the sweep 8-0.

Orange 8, Western Alamance 1 (Wednesday): Orange started the second half of its conference schedule on Wednesday with a road win over Western Alamance in Elon. The Lady Panthers completed a season sweep of the Warriors. On August 29, the Lady Panthers defeated the Warriors 8-1 in Hillsborough.

Sophomore Shannon Sollars, seniors Isabel Jones, Sydney Rogers and Madelyn Horn each had two wins on the day. Sollars won her singles match over Saran McLaughlin 6-1, 6-2. At #1 doubles, Sollars teamed with her older sister, Erin, to win 8-2. Shannon Sollars has 18 overall wins this season, including a 9-3 record in singles.

Jones took a 6-0, 6-1 victory at #5 singles. She teamed with Rogers to win at #2 doubles 8-4. Earlier, Rogers won her singles match 6-3, 6-2.

Horn, at #6 singles, prevailed when her opponent retired after the first set, which Horn won 6-0. Horn joined Katelyn Van Mater to win 8-0 at #3 doubles.

Davis, at #3 singles, worked overtime to win the only three-set match of the day. McLaughlin defeated Reagan Williams 6-2, 4-6, 10-6. Sydney Rogers, at #4 singles, defeated Kensley Gasaway 6-3, 6-2.

Cedar Ridge 9, Person 0: In its only match of this week, the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team rolled past Person at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. #1 singles player Adeline Cummings, a sophomore, won her match at #1 singles 6-0, 6-0. Cameron Mayhew won at #2 singles 6-0, 6-1.

Sophomore Ella Caltabiano, junior Annabeth Lundberg, junior Catherine Ballenger and junior Raven Mowles-Airing all won two matches on the afternoon. Caltabiano won at #3 singles 6-0, 6-0. She teamed with Ballenger to win 8-1 at #1 doubles.

Lundberg, started at #5 singles, won 6-1, 6-0. She teamed with Mowles-Aring at #2 doubles to prevail 8-1. Earlier, Mowles-Aring captured her singles match 6-0, 6-0.

At #3 doubles, Molly Alvesson and Addie Payne won at #3 doubles 8-0. The Red Wolves are now 7-5, 5-2 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Red Wolves remain in contention for a wildcard spot for the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs.

Women’s Golf: On Thursday, the Cedar Ridge and Orange women’s golf teams participated in a Central Carolina Conference match at Roxboro Country Club.

The top local finisher was Orange’s Samantha Durham, who finished with a 54. Durham finished tied for ninth overall on the day.

The overall winner was Eastern Alamance’s Emily Matthew, who shot a 33 in nine holes. Western Alamance’s Mary Allen Massey was in second with a 37. Northwood’s Lily Jordan carded a 40.

The Lady Panthers’ Shannon Dorsi finished with a 55. Orange’s Shannon Murphy had a 56. Kayla Pope carded a 67 while Orange’s Rylie Digiliramo had a 67.

Victoria Matthew led Cedar Ridge with a 67. The Red Wolves’ Alice Ann Kohler and Emily Worthy each finished with a 71.

Western Alamance won the team competition with a 133. Eastern Alamance was second at 142. Orange finished fourth at 165. Cedar Ridge registered 209.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore quarterback Hank Nunnery. On September 9, Nunnery threw for five touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Granville Central 45-0 in Stem. Nunnery is believed to be the first Orange quarterback ever to throw for five touchdowns in one half. Nunnery added a career-high 196 yards as the Panthers won its first game under head coach DeVante’ Pettiford. When Nunnery was a middle school student at Gravelly Hill, he didn’t know he would be the starting quarterback by his sophomore year at Orange High. Nunnery started playing football in Mebane when he was in fourth grade. He grew up as a linebacker at Gravelly Hill, then asked Coach Pettiford if he could adjust to quarterback. He has started Orange’s last three games. He threw touchdown passes against Chapel Hill and Burlington Cummings. Coming up tonight, Nunnery and the Panthers will travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams to kick off the second half of the season.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team increased several streaks in its 3-0 win over Person on Thursday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Cedar Ridge has now won 14 in a row overall. They have captured 42 consecutive sets. And they have now won 31 straight conference matches. Senior Melissa Benkowitz finished with eight kills, a new season-high, against the Rockets. Junior Rachel Alverson had seven assists as the Red Wolves improved its record to 14-1. They started the second half of its Central Carolina Conference schedule with a win and are now 7-0 in league play. The Red Wolves ends the week with two wins. On Monday, they defeated Jordan in Durham. Next week, Cedar Ridge will journey to Northwood to face the Chargers. Then they will host crosstown rival Orange, who remains one game behind the Red Wolves for first place in the CCC. Cedar Ridge is going for its third straight conference championship. 

For the first time since 2018, the Orange men’s soccer team has defeated Northwood. At the same time, the Panthers’ chances of making the 3A State Playoffs for the first time since 2017 are suddenly alive and well. The Panthers got a goal from Ryker Stein off a free kick from Cooper Zinn with 9:46 remaining as Orange defeated Northwood 3-2. Senior Tyler Mann finished with two goals, including the opener for the Panthers, who have won three in a row. Zinn added another goal to put the Panthers ahead 2-1 to close the first half. The Panthers lost a 3-1 lead after they surrendered two goals in the span of 48 seconds in the second half. Orange has won three in a row in Central Carolina Conference play and are 4-5 overall. Earlier this week, the Panthers defeated Person 4-0. Zinn, Bryan Membreno, Manny Mil Cruz and Angel Arroyo all scored for the Panthers. Coming up tonight, Orange will travel to Southern Durham in a non conference matchup. Orange is going for its first four-game winning streak since 2017.