Month: September 2022

Braden Homsey: Ferrum College has named Homsey as its Male Athlete of the Year. Last winter, Homsey won three tournaments for the Panthers’ wrestling team at 197 pounds. He captured the Cougar Open, the Pete Wilson Memorial Tournament in Illinois and the Southeast Conference Tournament. Homsey finished the season with a 25-7 record with four pins and, at one point, was ranked #11 in the country in Division III. Homsey, a senior at Ferrum, was named the Big 8 Conference Wrestling of the Year for Orange in 2018. He won the Mideast Regional championship at 195 pounds in his senior season.

Trenton Gill: Gill found himself busy as the Chicago Bears faced the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday night. Gill had four punts for an average of 49.5 yards. His longest went 57 yards and there was one downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill is averaging 47.5 yards per punt through two games, good enough for 15th in the National Football League.

Payton Wilson: For the first time in nearly two years, Wilson started and finished an entire game for N.C. State against Texas Tech on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Wilson led the Wolfpack with ten tackles as the Wolfpack defeated the Red Raiders 27-14. N.C. State will face Connecticut on Saturday night.

Keshawn Thompson: East Carolina defeated the Camels 49-10 on Saturday night at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville. Thompson started for the Camels and finished with three tackles. Campbell is 1-2 and will look to bounce back when they host North Carolina Central on October 1 in Buies Creek.

Darius Satterfield: Satterfield had a crucial punt as Elizabeth City State defeated Winston-Salem State 20-17 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City on Saturday. With 20 seconds remaining and the Vikings clinging to a three-point lead, Satterfield was forced to punt from the back of his own end zone. He got away a 28-yarder that backed the Broncos away from the end zone. The Vikings’ defense was able to run out the clock to win its CIAA opener. For the day, Satterfield had an average of 27.3 yards on seven punts. Two of the punts went over 50 yards.

Bryse Wilson: At the same time his brother was playing for N.C. State, Bryse Wilson started for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Mets defeated the Pirates 5-1 to remain atop the National League East. Wilson suffered the loss to fall to 3-9 on the season. He threw 5.1 innings and surrendered four runs off four hits. He had five strikeouts with two walks. Wilson now has a 6.07 ERA.

Kayla Hodges: Last Thursday, the Virginia Commonwealth women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie against Massachusetts in Richmond, VA. Hodges started on the backline of defense and played all 90 minutes. On Sunday, the Rams played to yet another tie against Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. Hodges started once again and fired a shot. She played all 90 minutes. VCU is 2-1-7, 0-0-2 in the Atlantic 10.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team defeated Limestone 1-0 on Saturday at Moretz Sports Complex in Hickory. Talley came off the bench to play 22 minutes as the Bears improved to 3-0 in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne is 3-2-1 overall.

Lottie Scully: The Binghamton volleyball team win 1-2 in the West Virginia Tournament at WVU Coliseum last week. On Thursday, Delaware State defeated the Bearcats (27-25, 23-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-4). Scully had a season-high 39 assists against the Hornets. She also finished with two aces, two blocks, and 13 digs. Later in the day, West Virginia knocked off Binghamton 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-12). Scully registered 30 assists, one ace and eight digs. The Bearcats won its only match of the event over Merrimack 3-0 on Friday (25-21, 25-10, 25-17). Scully had two kills, 33 assists, two aces and three digs. Binghamton is 8-4 and will face Niagara on Tuesday.

Avery Miller: Lenoir Community College defeated Pitt Community College 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19) last Wednesday in Winterville. Miller played three sets and finished with two kills and three digs for Pitt. The Bulldogs are now 7-3 overall, 0-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

There’s a section of Orange High students who watched home soccer matches from the beds of their trucks across from Orange Middle School’s baseball/softball field.

Possibly for the first-time ever, they scaled the fence to rush the field on Wednesday night as the buzzer sounded to conclude Orange’s 3-1 win over Cedar Ridge.

As a noisy group of fans departed for the parking lot afterwards, one Orange supporter griped about the fans rushing the pitch, wishing they had acted like they had been there before.

Maybe so, but the fact of the matter is none of the Orange players had been there before. It was the Panthers’ first win over Cedar Ridge since October 8, 2018, when many of the 13 seniors currently on the Orange roster were in middle school.

Orange (2-5, 1-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) earned its first home win of the season in front of a spirited and large crowd representing both schools. After the final buzzer, an Orange student playfully rushed across to the Cedar Ridge student section on the opposite grandstand to hand them a gold, inflatable ballon shaped like an “L” for loss. Fortunately, it was received in good nature.

Orange, which had only scored three goals in its first six games, doubled that total agains the Red Wolves. The Panthers surprisingly dominated possession in the first half after Cedar Ridge’s Issac Anderson scored the opening goal off a corner kick in the fifth minute.

“That’s what we expect,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman said. “We were disappointed that we got down in that situation and we expected to control possession, create and move forward. That’s what we did.”

With Cedar Ridge ahead 1-0, the Panthers fired from all directions to keep Red Wolves freshman goalkeeper Erik Galunas busy. With 27:18 remaining in the first half, Galunas made a diving save on a shot from 23 yards by Orange senior Bryan Membreno. Afterwards, Galunas came up limping.

The Panthers continued to pour on the pressure until senior Tucker Gaddy scored off a rebound on a corner kick. Tucker fired it into the top right corner of the net from 22 yards away for the equalizer, right in front of the Truck Bed Rowdies, who tested the shocks on their vehicles by jumping up and down.

The Orange defense limited Cedar Ridge’s attack to a handful of counters for the remainder of the half. The Red Wolves best chance came when Chris Mendez, who has two hat tricks this season, whistled a line drive past Orange goalkeeper Connor McMurtry that narrowly cleared the crossbar.

“I think we had some difficulties trying to gain possession, at times,” said Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell. “I think we just didn’t put it together. I think all the pieces are there, we just couldn’t find the magic to put it all together.”

After Orange’s Dylan Silverman nearly notched a second Panther tally following a steal and shot that barely inched over the goal, junior Enzo Bruhns got the game-winner off a pass from Ivan Guzman Ruiz, who stole the ball away at midfield with 10:02 remaining in the first half.

“He’s just a high energy guy,” Bowman said about Bruhns. “We put him in there and told him to go chase the ball. He did and he was able to convert.”

With 38:43 remaining in the second half, Orange junior Ryker Stein gained possession from 12 yards away and scored his first goal of the season, vaulting the Panthers ahead 3-1. The rally started with a shot by Membreno that rebounded off a Red Wolves defender, was followed by another attempt from Tyler Mann.

The Red Wolves did have various chances throughout the second half. Shortly after Stein’s goal, Mendez took a lead pass from Justin Murillo in an attempt to narrow the deficit. Orange senior centerback Darius Corbett thwarted the chance by winning a foot race and kicking it to McMurtry.

Orange wingback Cooper Zinn headed a ball off the goal line following another shot by Mendez from a corner kick by Mendez with 18:41 remaining.

“Orange had a lot of intensity,” Brummell said. “Their fans helped out a lot and gave them a lot of support. That can be a game changer. Good for them. They played well and executed when we fell short.”

Orange, who held defending 3A State Champion Western Alamance in check offensively last week in a 2-1 loss in Hillsborough, will look to continue its momentum in Roxboro against Person on Monday.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” Bowman said. “But it’s starting to trend in the right direction.”

Women’s Tennis:

Orange 7, Roxboro Community School 2: Another strong week for the Orange women’s tennis team concluded with a victory over Roxboro Community School in Person County on Thursday.

Senior Madelyn Horn claimed two wins for the Lady Panthers. She won her match at #5 singles, then won her doubles match. Orange is now 9-2 overall. They’re 4-1 in the Central Carolina Conference, behind only Walter Williams. The Lady Panthers will resume CCC action when they travel to Eastern Alamance on Monday afternoon.

Cedar Ridge 7, Western Alamance 2: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team remains in the hunt for a spot in the state dual tournament after beating Western Alamance 8-1 on Thursday in Elon. Junior Cameron Mayhew won her #2 singles match 6-0, 6-0, then teamed with Adeline Cummings to claim a victory at #1 doubles 8-2.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Ella Caltabiano didn’t win her match at #3 singles, but she may have claimed the award for longest match in the CCC this year in terms of points played. Reagan Williams of Western Alamance worked double overtime to win her match over Caltabiano 6-4, 3-6, 16-14 (10-point tiebreaker).

Not to be outdone, Cedar Ridge junior Catherine Ballenger had her own 10-point tiebreaker at #3 singles. Ballenger defeated Western Alamance’s Kensley Gasaway 6-3, 5-7, 10-4. Ballenger and Caltabiano, a doubles team that could be dubbed “The Ironwomen,” fittingly teamed later in the night to win at #2 doubles 8-2.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Raven Mowles-Aring won her match at #5 singles 6-0, 6-3. Molly Alverson won at #6 singles by default. The Red Wolves are 6-5, 4-2 in the CCC. They will travel to the Durham School of the Arts later today.

Orange

Walter Williams 7, Cedar Ridge 1: On Wednesday, Williams maintained its undefeated record in the CCC with a victory at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

Cameron Mayhew won at #2 singles for Cedar Ridge over Jaden Wilson is another three-set battle. Mayhew prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 12-10. Caltabiano played in yet another match that went three sets. Ella Forfilio defeated Caltabiano 3-6, 6-3, 10-4. The Bulldogs ended the match 5-0 overall, 4-0 in the CCC.

Orange 7, Riverside 2: On Wednesday, the Orange women’s tennis team extended its winning streak to four with a win over Riverside at Orange Tennis Courts. All of the matches were contained to one set comprised of eight games.

Lady Panthers sophomore Shannon Sollars won at #2 singles 8-0. At #1 doubles, Sollars teamed with her older sister Erin Sollars to win 8-1. At #3 singles, Makayla Davis won 8-2. Davis now has 13 overall wins this season after she teamed with Sydney Rogers to claim an 8-5 victory at #2 doubles.

Rogers, who has eleven overall victories this year, won at #4 singles 8-1.

Senior Madelyn Horn improved to 14-4 in all competitions this year. Horn won at #6 singles 8-4.

At #3 doubles, Isabel Jones and Katelyn Van Mater claimed their second win in as many days with an 8-2 victory. On Tuesday, Jones and Van Mater teamed to win over Northwood’s #3 doubles team.

Men’s Soccer: Northwood 3, Cedar Ridge 0 The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team played for the second time in two nights on Thursday at Red Wolves Stadium. Northwood scored the game-winning goal in the 61st minute to beat the Red Wolves. The Chargers added insurance with 11:14 remaining. Cedar Ridge is now 3-6-1 overall, 1-2 in the CCC.

Women’s Golf: Orange and Cedar Ridge participated in this week’s CCC golf meet at Northwood High School on Monday.

Among teams that had more than four competitors, Orange finished fourth among four teams. Shannon Murphy was the top competitor for Orange, shooting a 49 on the front nine. Samantha Durham finished with a 55. Shannon Dorsi and Kayla Pope also competed for Orange.

Eastern Alamance wound up finishing first.

Orange soccer fans who watch games from the beds of their trucks rushed the field on Wednesday night as the Panthers won the first leg of the Hillsborough Derby. The Panthers scored three unanswered goals to defeat crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 3-1 at Orange Soccer Field. It ended the Panthers five-game losing streak to the Red Wolves. Orange defeated Cedar Ridge for the first time since October 8, 2018. After the Red Wolves’ scored the opening goal off a corner kick in the opening five minutes, the Panthers controlled possession for much of the rest of the first half. Tucker Gaddy, a senior co-Captain, scored the equalizing goal in the 20th minute. Orange took the lead in the 30th minute when junior Enzo Bruhns took a pass off a steal from Ivan Guzman Ruiz and fired it in from ten yards away. In the second half, Orange added insurance when junior Ryker Stein unleashed a shot from 12 yards away and scored off a rebound. The possession started when Bryan Membreno fired a shot on net, followed by another shot from midfielder Tyler Mann. Orange earned its second win of the season and will face Person in Roxboro on Monday night. 

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team continues to roll on. Playing its second match in as many night, the Red Wolves won its eleventh straight by beating Southern Alamance of the 4A DAC-VII Conference 3-0 on scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-16. Senior Grace Young turned in another solid defensive performance for the Red Wolves, who are now 11-1 overall. They sit atop the Central Carolina Conference with a 5-0 record. Last week in a 3-0 win over Orange, Young had a season-high 21 digs. On Tuesday, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 3-0 in Elon. It marked the return of senior outside hitter Melissa Benkowitz to the lineup after she missed last week. This season, Benkowitz opened the year with seven kills against J.H. Rose. She followed with seven kills in a win over Apex Friendship, followed by another seven kills in a 3-0 victory over D.H. Conley. The most impressive thing about Cedar Ridge’s eleven-match winning streak is they haven’t dropped a set during that span. The Red Wolves will go for its twelfth straight win when they face Walter Williams tonight at Red Wolves Gymnasium in Hillsborough. 

Editor’s note–(We’re a little behind in posting The Magnificent 7. We try to write this column weekly. So for this edition, we’re going to focus on the week of August 21-27. We’ll play catch up for the next few weeks).

Summer isn’t over yet.

Of course, the prevalent line of thinking is that Labor Day marks “the unofficial end of summer,” as the television anchors like to put it. However, the official end isn’t until September 21 (look it up on your calendar).

The week of August 21-27 will be remembered locally for the Cedar Ridge football team ending its 11-game losing streak against East Chapel Hill in a game that had more coincidences than humanly believable. The Cedar Ridge marching band performed “Master of Puppets,” the Metallica-classic, at halftime as part of its season-long tribute to “Stranger Things.” Naturally, the losing streak ended at eleven, which happens to be the name of the title character of the show.

Cedar Ridge’s football win was a wonderful note on a season that started with some promise. Just the fact that the Red Wolves are fielding a team will bring the wonderful amenities that this Cedar Ridge senior class deserves. It’s the things that past Red Wolves classes lacked. There will be a Homecoming game, with a King and Queen crowned on a Friday night. Two of the past four classes have had Homecoming night on Thursdays during junior varsity games. There will be a Senior Night in late October. Regardless of what the Red Wolves record is once fall rolls around (it starts September 22), this senior class of football players deserve full credit for making sure those things that other schools take for granted will be front and center this year in the western part of Hillsborough.

So here it is, our seven standout performers from the second week of the high school sports season from August 21-27.

1. Matt Turner, Sr. Cedar Ridge–Had a critical fumble recovery late in Cedar Ridge’s win over East Chapel Hill that set up the game-winning safety as the Red Wolves won 9-7. Turner returned to playing football last year when Cedar Ridge fielded only a junior varsity team and his presence helped the Red Wolves to its first varsity win since October 2019.
2. Darius Corbett, Sr. Orange–Scored on a penalty kick for the Orange men’s soccer team for its first win of the season over Knightdale 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park. Corbett has been a reliable centerback for Orange. He also scored Orange’s first goal of the season against Northern Durham on August 15. Was named the Orange Panther of the Week for the second week of the year.
3. Roman Morrell, Sr. Cedar Ridge–Won the Ronald Horton Cross Country Classic at Northwood High School on August 27. Morrell finished with a time of 17:23.7, beating his nearest competitor by 49 seconds. Morrell opened the year with a second-place finish in the Early Bird Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on August 20. Qualified for the 3A State Championships last year.
4. Cameron Lanier, Sr. Cedar Ridge–Had eleven kills in Cedar Ridge’s win over Green Level, the defending 4A State Champions, on August 27. During the second week of the season, Lanier had nine kills in a win at D.H. Conley (the 2021 3A State Champions) and four kills against Carrboro (the 2016 2A State Champions). Lanier has committed to play volleyball at Elon.
5. Chris Mendez, Sr. Cedar Ridge–Scored the game-winning goal against South Garner in the Red Wolves’ first win of the season on August 26 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The following day, Mendez scored a goal in a 2-1 loss to Wallace-Rose Hill. Mendez was the leading scorer for Cedar Ridge last season with 13 goals and 29 points.
6. Allie Wilkerson, Sr. Orange–Had a strong week for the Orange volleyball team as the Lady Panthers defeated East Chapel Hill and swept Roxboro Community School. Wilkerson has announced that she will play volleyball at Averett University in Danville, VA. She is in her third-year as a varsity player for the Lady Panthers.
7. Erin Sollars, Jr. Orange–Sollars won two matches for the Orange women’s tennis team against Roxboro Community School on August 24. Sollars won her #1 singles match 6-0, 6-1. Later in the day, she teamed with her younger sister Shannon to win at #1 doubles 8-0. The Lady Panthers opened the season 3-1 with wins over the Bulldogs, Southern Alamance and Voyager Academy.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior volleyball outside hitter Ella WImsatt. Last week, Wimsatt helped Orange to its first win at Person since 2014 in a 3-0 victory. WImsatt is among the top attackers for Orange, even though she didn’t start playing volleyball until the seventh grade. Her first sport was soccer. Last spring, Wimsatt helped the Orange women’s soccer team reach the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs for the first-time ever. Orange defeated Harnett Central 5-3 in Lillington in the opening round of the state playoffs. Wimsatt scored a goal and assisted on another. In volleyball last season, Orange reached the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs after beating West Johnston 3-0. It was the first playoff win for the Orange volleyball team since 2016. Wimsatt had seven kills, two aces and two blocks last week against defending 3A State Champion Cedar Ridge. On Tuesday night, the Lady Panthers defeated Northwood in Hillsborough to improve its record to 8-5, 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. Orange travels to face Chapel Hill tonight.