Summer hibernation is over. At last.
One of the things I envy about the young is many of them still look forward to summer. I haven’t for a very long time. Give me the fall for the cooler weather, the football and the sun setting earlier.
But mostly for the football.
As we start the 2023-2024 academic year on Hillsboroughsports.com, the Central Carolina Conference is different. Northwood has returned to 2A and is now in the Mid-Carolina Conference. The only sport where the Chargers are still a conference rival to Cedar Ridge and Orange is men’s lacrosse. Southern Alamance has taken the Chargers’ place, which makes the CCC a lethal conference in football, baseball and softball. In fact, the last four 3A Eastern Regional champions in softball are now in the CCC. It will be an interesting spring.
And a fascinating fall on the gridiron. With Williams, Eastern Alamance, Southern Alamance and Western Alamance, one of those teams may be on the outside looking in when the football state playoffs begin.
As for volleyball, Orange and Cedar Ridge spent the opening week playing tough teams left and right. Cedar Ridge is the three-time defending conference champions. Orange, needless to say, would love to break that streak. The two teams’ first meeting will be on September 5 at Cedar Ridge.
We’re bringing back the Magnificent 7 this season, a weekly column honoring the seven best performances of the week in no particular order.
- Illah Babchenko, Sr. The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is 3-0 for the first time since 2009, at the very least. Babchenko, a co-Captain, had a strong opening week. He scored the game-winning goal in the Red Wolves victory over Eno River Academy on August 14. Babchenko scored on a penalty kick in the Red Wolves 4-1 win at Voyager Academy on August 17. Cedar Ridge defeated Vance County in Henderson on Monday night.
- Brandon Cummings, Sr. It was a night of big plays for the Orange football team in its 33-20 win over Southeast Alamance on Friday night. Cummings scored the first touchdown of the year for the Panthers after he hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Hank Nunnery. Cumming scored on an 89-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Cummings finished with three catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers first win in a season-opener since 2017.
- Graylinn Serge, Sr. Despite finishing the week 1-2, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team nearly knocked off the defending 4A State Champions on the road. Serge, who has played regularly the past two years, had a team-high 15 kills in the season-opening win over Eno River Academy. Against Millbrook, Serge had eleven kills. She also leads the team with ten aces.
- Shannon Sollars, Jr. Shannon won all four of her matches during the opening week of the season. She teamed with her sister, Erin, to win the deciding doubles match in the Orange women’s tennis team’s 5-4 victory at Riverside on Thursday night in Durham. Shannon also won her singles match against the Pirates 6-2, 6-2. Erin and Shannon Sollars qualified for the state championships in doubles last year.
- Ella Wimsatt, Sr. The Orange volleyball team played six matches in four days to start the season. Wimsatt led Orange with 12 kills in a season-opening win over Jordan. She had a season-high 19 kills against Southwest Randolph at the East Chapel Hill Invitational on Saturday morning. Through the first six games, Wimsatt has 87 kills.
- Traver Bruhns, Sr. The Orange men’s soccer team defeated Durham School of the Arts 2-1 in its season opener on Thursday. Bruins scored the opening goal of the season for the Panthers. He assisted on the game-winning goal by Emmanuel Mil Cruz off a free kick in the second half. Orange beat a DSA team that won 14 games in 2022.
- Cameron Mayhew, Sr. The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team defeated Voyager Academy for its first win of the season last Thursday. Mayhew won at #1 singles over Katelyn Hutson 6-3, 6-1. Mayhew also teamed with Adeline Cummings to win at #1 doubles 6-0. Mayhew’s brother, Josh, moved in at Belmont-Abbey after graduating from Cedar Ridge in June.