Month: September 2023

There was one thought on the mind of Chauncey Brummell with 27:36 remaining in regulation against Western Alamance.

“Game over.”

Cedar Ridge had just been whistled for a foul inside the box when Lucas Dumayne was pushed down trying to get into position for a throw-in by Camden Oliveira. Warriors junior striker Konnor Johnson, who had a hat trick last week against Orange, would take the penalty kick.

Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Erik Galunas didn’t shy away from the challenge while he awaited Johnson’s attempt. As Johnson fired a rocket at the net, Galunas guessed correctly that he would aim at the upper right corner.

But the attempt zoomed over the crossbar. Cedar Ridge had new life in a battle for first place in the Central Carolina Conference at Red Wolves Stadium.

Ironically, the captain of Cedar Ridge’s defensive back line, who proved to have many successful clearances in a game where possession was split evenly, would come up with the only offense of the night.

The scoring sequence was set up by Cedar Ridge co-Captain Dominic McNerney, who had a 40-yard run and fired a shot off Western Alamance goalkeeper Eamon Hipps off a tough angle over the end line for a corner. Cedar Ridge midfielder Illah Babchenko’s first corner attempt  was quickly turned away by Western Alamance midfielder Luis Guerrero over the end line. Babchenko’s second attempt was sent out of the box by Oliveria, but Babchenko won the ball back. His third cross hovered over the six yard box, where junior Salomon Hernandez gained position on Dumayne. Without going over Dumayne’s back, Hernandez stood outside the center of the six-yard box and made enough contact with the ball to nudge it into the lower left corner of the net past Hipps with 4:17 remaining in regulation.

A wild celebration ensued as the Red Wolves chased Hernandez onto the track. After a few successful clearances by Giovani Yanez and Abazar Babiker in the waning minutes, the time ran out and Cedar Ridge had its biggest soccer win in recent memory.

The Red Wolves (8-1-2, 4-0-1 in the CCC) defeated Western Alamance 1-0. It was the Red Wolves first win since the Warriors joined the CCC in 2021. The Red Wolves are now undefeated in the CCC after a stunning upset of a Warriors team that won the 2021 3A State Championship.

“Solomon made some really big defensive stops,” Brummell said. “You have to give credit to Western Alamance. They are a great team. There’s a lot of tradition behind that program. This was a big step for our program tonight.”

After Cedar Ridge largely controlled possession in the first half, Western Alamance (6-5, 3-1) opened the second half with a furious rally where Guerrero found Johnson on the doorstep of the net, but Yanez shielded him from an open net. The best Johnson could do was loft a shot over the next.

Minutes later, Western Alamance’s Blake Bacchus took a free kick and unleashed a rocket that banged against the right post. The rebound careened right to Guerrero, who fired wide right of the net.

Up until Hernandez’s game-winner, Cedar Ridge’s best chance came with 20:42 remaining when McNerney had a long throw-in 25 yards from the net. McNerney sent a pinpoint pass to sophomore Edbar Lopez, whose diving header went just wide of the net.

After a joyous team meeting, the Cedar Ridge players gathered for a team picture in front of the scoreboard. Their goal at the beginning of the season was to make the state playoffs. Now, they’re aiming for something higher with a trip to powerful Walter Williams set for Monday night.

“I feel my entire defensive outside line stepped up,” Brummell said. “From the defense to the midfield, I think these boys showed tonight that they want to play soccer. To knock off a state championship team like Western Alamance, that’s not easy to do. Credit Solomon for the header and the game-winner. He saved us.”

There’s a new dimension of winning for the Orange volleyball program.

They’ve been successful, with winning seasons each of the last four years and state playoff victories in 2021 and 2022.

Now, it’s a whole new level. The Lady Panthers are ranked #1 in the current 3A East RPI rankings, a first in school history. They’re also in first place in the Central Carolina Conference. For years, Cardinal Gibbons stood in the way of the Lady Panthers for a league title in the 2A ranks. For the past three years, the Lady Panthers have played second fiddle to Cedar Ridge in the CCC.

That’s not the case in 2023, at least at the moment. Orange is 5-0 in the CCC with the second half of the conference slate set to start on Thursday night. On Wednesday, Orange stepped outside of conference play to face the top-ranked team in the 1A East RPI rankings. While Falls Lake ended Orange’s streak of 32 consecutive victorious sets, the Firebirds didn’t end the Lady Panther winning streak.

After Falls Lake (9-3) captured the first set, Orange responded with wins in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th to clinch its 12th straight win inside Panther Gymnasium. The Lady Panthers (14-3), who defeated Falls Lake in Creedmoor on August 24, prevailed on scores of 18-25, 25-19, 25-21 and 25-18.

Senior Ella Wimsatt finished with 16 kills and 18 digs. Sophomore Katie Silcott finished with 34 assists and eight digs. Another sophomore, Aubrey Jordan, had ten kills and two blocks.

There were four lead changes in the opening set. Orange started on an 9-6 run after an ace by Josie Crawford, which led to a Firebird time out. Falls Lake went on an 9-1 run to take a 22-16 lead, which included two kills by senior co-Captain Anna Holcombe, as well as points by junior Jenae Mason and sophomore Tess DeZurik. Mason had back-to-back kills assisted by Gemma Ines, leading to set point which was sent long on an attack attempt by Orange.

The Firebirds started strong in the second set, building an 8-1 lead behind three straight kills by Holcombe, which led to a timeout by Orange coach Hope Heverly. The Lady Panthers responded with a 14-2 run to take a 20-13 lead. Wimsatt took control of the set, which he racked up eight kills, six digs and two aces. At one point, Wimsatt had three straight kills to give Orange a 15-12 lead. Jordan notched consecutive points assisted by Silcott to increase the Lady Panther advantage to 20-13. Wimsatt evened the match when she spiked home a point on set point.

In the third set, Orange built a 14-5 lead following an ace by Abby Silinski and consecutive kills by Wimsatt and Mariah Poole. It appeared would blow out the Firebirds after an ace by Silcott put Orange ahead 22-11, but the Firebirds scored ten straight points. Kelcey Peterson’s kill and a return by Orange that went wide narrowed the Lady Panther lead to 22-21. Orange sophomore Ava Wilkerson, who finished with nine kills, scored a crucial point that led to an Orange side out. Wilkerson ended the set with a kill on set point assisted by Silcott at the net.

Orange led 8-7 when they went on a 7-3 spurt to take control of the fourth set. Jordan and sophomore Mariah Poole had back-to-back blocks to give Orange a 15-9 lead. Wimsatt had a wild dig off an attack from Holcombe that led to a kill from Jordan, which led to a Falls Lake timeout. Orange took its largest advantage of the set at 22-14 off an ace by Silcott. Wimatt’s fifth kill of the frame came on match point.

Orange will conclude a three-match homestead when they face Western Alamance on Thursday night (tonight) in Hillsborough. The Lady Panthers swept the Warriors in Elon on August 29.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 9, Eastern Alamance 0: Sophomore Molly Kruse won two matches for the Orange women’s tennis team in a successful return to Central Carolina Conference action on Monday in Hillsborough.

Kruse defeated Madison Drewery 6-0, 6-0 at #2 singles. Later, Kruse teamed with senior Makayla Davis to defeat Drewery and Camila Rosa 8-1 at #1 doubles. It was Kruse’s first appearance at #1 doubles.

Erinn Sollars captured her match at #1 singles against Rosa 6-1, 6-0. Sophomore Kyla Mehl defeated Ryan Tanner 6-4, 6-3. Orange sophomore Linsday Woodell defeated Jayci White 6-0, 6-0. Another sophomore, Casey Robinson, won over Areli Silva-Flores 6-0, 6-0.

Adeline Alvis and Ellie Wilson defeated Tanner and White 8-1. Orange is 8-3 overall, 4-2 in the CCC. The Lady Panthers will host Western Alamance on Thursday.

Orange 9, Southern Alamance 0: Last Thursday, Orange won its first conference trip to Graham.

Erinn and Shannon Sollars won both of their singles matches, then teamed to win at #1 doubles. Erin defeated Paicey Cameron 6-1, 6-0. At #2 singles, Shannon defeated Madalyn Corbett 6-0, 6-0. The Sollars sisters defeated Faith Moore and Cameron 8-0.

Senior Makayla Davis, sophomore Molly Kruse and Kyla Mehl each won two matches against the Patriots. Davis defeated Morgan Isley 6-3, 6-0. At #5 singles, Kruse defeated Dayves Waggle 6-0, 6-0. Mehl defeated Ava Lynch 6-3, 6-1.

In the longest match of the day, Orange freshman Ellie Wilson defeated Morgan Edmunds 4-6, 6-4 13-11 (10-point tiebreaker) at #4 singles.

Davis and Kruse won at #2 doubles over Isley and Edmunds 6-4. Mehl teamed with senior Violet Shaw to defeat Corbett and Waggle 8-3.

Men’s Cross Country, Orange 15, Cedar Ridge 58, Southern Alamance 63: Orange hosted its annual cross country meet at Auman Stadium on September 12. Orange senior Gabriel Schmid, the defending 3A State individual champion running on his home course, earned his third win of the season finishing first at 17:25. Orange had the top six runners en route to a team victory.

Sophomore Myles Jerman (18:56) finished second, followed by Nolan Hufner (19:10), Alden Cathey (19:46), Peter Musser (20:04), Aiden Viola (20:21). Cedar Ridge’s top finisher was sophomore Ryan Matthews, who came in seventh at 20:55. Cedar Ridge sophomore Henry Alexander was 7th (20:56). Brian Dehart was the leading runner for Southern Alamance at 20:58.

Orange sophomore Lucas Van Mater came in 11th (20:33). Cedar Ridge senior Grayson Weisnfeld was 13th (21:48), while the Red Wolves Elie Nadiriwe was 14th (21:58).

The Orange men’s cross country team, which won the Mideast Regional Championship in 2021, has finished first in all of its Central Carolina Conference meets thus far in 2023.

Women’s Cross Country, Cedar Ridge 21, Orange 35: For the second time in two weeks, Cedar Ridge’s Naomi Dyreng finished first to help the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team to a win inside Auman Stadium.

Dyreng, who won three regional championships at the Mideast Regional Track & Field Championship last year, finished first at 21:54. It was her second first place finish of the year. Abigail Klaitman of the Red Wolves came in second at 22:28. Caroline Cathey was the highest placer for Orange at 25:32.

Kate Finnegan of Cedar Ridge finished fourth (25:42) as the Red Wolves had six of the top ten finishers. Among the other Cedar Ridge runners to finish in the top ten: Cia Biddix finished sixth (25:47), Serena Summers came in eighth (26:02) and Anna Peterson finished 10th (27:04).

Orange’s Kassi Scarantino finished fifth at 25:45. Channing Mahaney came in seventh at 25:48. Orange’s Grace Pell crossed the finish line in 9th place (26:50).

Cedar Ridge had runners place 12th-through-15th. In 12th place was Rebecca Fullwood (27:21), while Gracie Whitaker finished 13th (27:28), Kaitlyn Horn was 14th (28:18) and Safiyya Frej was 15th (28:42).

The Central Carolina Conference cross country championships will be held in Burlington in Burlington on October 18. The 3A Mideast Regional Championships will take place at Louisburg High School on October 28. It’s a shift for the regional championships, which were held at Northwood High for years. Northwood moved down to 2A during the summer.

The 3A State Championships will take place at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, it’s traditional home. The State Championships will take place on November 4.

The Orange volleyball team is halfway to its first regular season championship in volleyball since 2005. On Tuesday night, Orange swept Eastern Alamance for its tenth straight win at Panther Gymnasium on scores of 25-14, 25-12 and 25-13. The Lady Panthers have now won 32 consecutive sets dating back to August 21, when they dropped the 2nd set to Seaforth in Pittsboro. Sophomore middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had seven kills, three aces and a block to win set point in the 2nd. Freshman Sawyer White made her first career start and finished with a career-high 14 assists. She also had three digs. Orange is now 5-0 in the Central Carolina Conference and are in sole possession of first place. The Lady Panthers are currently ranked #1 in the 3A East RPI rankings, ahead of defending 3A Eastern Regional Champion J.H. Rose. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan had 12 kills for the Lady Panthers. The match against Eastern Alamance kicked off a three-game homestead for Orange. They will face Falls Lake, the #1 ranked team in the 1A East RPI rankings, on Wednesday night in Hillsborough. On Thursday, Orange will host Western Alamance in a rematch from last month. Orange swept the Warriors in Elon on August 29.

Orange volleyball’s Ava Wilkerson and Sawyer White discuss win over Eastern Alamance

The Orange volleyball team is halfway to its first regular season championship in volleyball since 2005. On Tuesday night, Orange swept Eastern Alamance for its tenth straight win at Panther Gymnasium on scores of 25-14, 25-12 and 25-13. The Lady Panthers have now won 32 consecutive sets dating back to August 21, when they dropped the 2nd set to Seaforth in Pittsboro.

After a frustrating month, the Orange men’s soccer team returned to the win column on Monday night. The Panthers defeated Person 4-1 at Orange Soccer Park. Sophomore Dallas Johnson scored his first varsity goal on a penalty kick in the first half. Another sophomore Daniel Romero, notched the game-winning goal for the Panthers, who earned its second win of the season. Junior Angel Chavez also scored in the first half, while senior Emmanuel Mil Cruz added a goal off a header on a gorgeous cross in the second half. Mil Cruz’s goal came off an assist from sophomore Yore Tapia Mendez. Mil Cruz leads Orange with three goals, including the game-winner in the Panthers’ season-opening victory over Durham School of the Arts. Orange lost plenty of players from last year’s team that reached the 3A State playoffs for the first time since 2017. Senior goalkeeper Finn Kelly made two saves to earn his second win of the season. Orange will return to action on Wednesday night when they face Southern Alamance at Redmond Stadium in Graham.

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It was time that the Orange men’s soccer team found its scoring punch after a frustrating month. The Panthers struck early on Monday night for its first Central Carolina Conference win of the season against Person.

Daniel Romero scored his first goal of the season in the fifth minute, which turned out to be the game-winner, as Orange defeated the Rockets 4-1 at Orange Soccer Park. Sophomore Dallas Johnson added his first tally of the season on a penalty kick in the 11th minute for insurance.

Orange won for the first time since its season opener at Durham School of the Arts on August 17 in the Bull City. Romero lead the Panthers with five shots. The Panthers (2-5-1, 1-2 in the Central Carolina Conference), fired 17 shots against Person goalkeeper Jared Viveros, who was under constant siege in the second half. Orange had eleven corner kicks.

“I think we were watching each other a little bit more,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “I think we needed to follow up things a little bit more and put in a little more effort to make sure that effort was rewarded.”

After Person netted a goal to reduce Orange’s lead to 2-1, the Panthers’ Angel Chavez knotted an equalizer in the 34th minute. In the second half, the Panthers had a litany of crosses that yielded plenty of chances but not enough scoring. Finally, Emmanuel Mil Cruz scored on the closing goal on a header in the 55th minute. Mil Cruz now leads Orange with three goals this season.

Angel Arroyo-Cruz, Yore Tapia-Mendez and Romero also had assists for the Panthers.

“I think Dallas Johnson, Yurem Tapia-Mendez played pretty well,” Bowman said. “Those are some younger guys who are really stepping up and taking leadership roles.”

Finn Kelly earned the win as Orange goalkeeper. Backup Eben Petrifies replaced Kelly in net late in the game. Kelly earned his second win of the season.

Orange will travel to Hanford Stadium to face Southern Alamance in Graham on Wednesday.

“I want to be more focused and consistent,” Bowman said about the rest of the regular season. “I want to be more focused going into everything and maintain that focus throughout. If we do that, I think we’ll be OK. But we haven’t done that and here we are.”

Cedar Ridge 3, Eastern Alamance 1: The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team not only grabbed a road win on Monday night. They set up potentially the biggest soccer match at Red Wolves Stadium in years this Wednesday night.

For the second straight game, junior co-Captain Dominic McNerney scored the game-winning goal as the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane. Senior co-Captain Illah Babchenko assisted on two goals as the Red Wolves improved to 7-1-2, 3-0-1 in the CCC.

Cedar Ridge is now in sole possession of second place in the conference. The only team ahead of them is Western Alamance. On Wednesday night, the Warriors will visit Red Wolves Stadium with first place on the line.

Jonam Juarez scored his second goal in as many games, assisted by Gael Arturo Nunez. Solomon Hernandez finished the scoring with an insurance tally in the second half.

Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Eric Galunas finished with six saves to earn his seventh win of the season.

Cedar Ridge has won in its last three trips to Eastern Alamance.

The Red Wolves last winning season came in 2016, when they finished 10-6-4. Since then, they haven’t had more than eight wins in a regular season.

After the matchup against Western Alamance on Wednesday, the Red Wolves will travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams next Monday.

Cedar Ridge is 4-1-2 on the road this year. Its only road loss came against East Chapel Hill two weeks ago.

Photo courtesy of Elon University Athletics 

Cameron Lanier: Lanier was named the Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Week on Monday, becoming the first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf to earn a Division I Conference honor. In Elon’s CAA opener against Hofstra on Saturday, Lanier had a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs, along with four digs and two aces. Hofstra swept the match against the Phoenix on scores of 35-33, 25-20, and 25-21 at the Mack Physical Education Center in Hempstead, N.Y. On Sunday, Hofstra defeated Elon 3-1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-21, 25-11). Lanier had 12 kills, four digs and two aces. Elon is 3-8, 0-2 in CAA.

Lottie Scully: The Binghamton Bearcats had two five-set thrillers in the UConn Dog Pound Challenge at Gampel Arena in Storrs, CT on Saturday. Brown University defeated Binghamton 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 25-18 and 15-12). The Bears improved to 8-0. Scully had 41 assists, 16 digs, three kills, and one ace. Later that day, Connecticut defeated Binghamton in five sets (26-28, 25-23, 15-25, 25-18 and 15-6). Scully, the Bearcats starting setter, finished with 39 assists, eleven digs, and two kills. On Sunday, Michigan State defeated Binghamton 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 25-15 and 25-19). Scully had 24 assists, eight digs and two kills. Binghamton is 6-7 and will face Colgate on Tuesday.

Cameron Lloyd: Bucknell got underway with its Patriot League schedule on Friday. Army swept the Bison at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, PA on Friday on scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-23. Lloyd had seven kills and eleven digs. On Saturday, Colgate defeated Bucknell 3-1 (25-11, 25-22, 22-25 and 25-21). Lloyd led the team with eleven kills, along with eleven digs and two aces. Bucknell is 4-7 overall, 0-2 in the Patriot League. The Bison will host cross-state rival Lehigh on Friday.

Grace Young: UNC Asheville split two matches in the Spartan Tri-Match at UNC Greensboro on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated UNC Greensboro 3-2 (27-25, 23-25, 17-25, 25-17 and 15-9) Young played two sets and had one ace with four digs. Earlier in the day, Charlotte defeated UNC Asheville is another five set match (25-12, 30-32, 25-20, 15-25 and 15-13). Young played one set. The Bulldogs are 6-7 and starts its Big South Conference slate against USC Upstate on Saturday in Spartanburg, SC.

Anaya Carter: The Division II UNC Pembroke Braves won both matches of a tri-match on Saturday. The Braves defeated Chowan 3-1 at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court in Pembroke (25-21, 22-25, 25-14 and 29-27). Carter played all four sets and had three kills, seven digs and two aces. Pembroke defeated Winston-Salem State 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 26-28 and 25-18). Carter was second on the team with 14 kills, along with eight digs. She had one ace. UNC Pembroke is 6-5, 1-0 in Conference Carolinas.

Allie Wilkerson: Division III Averett University defeated the University of Lynchburg 3-1 on September 12 in a match that had two former Orange Panthers on opposite sides. Wilkerson was third on the squad with nine kills. She also had one assist, one ace and one dig. Wilkerson faced Ashlyn Davis, who graduated with Wilkerson from Orange in June. On Thursday, the Cougars defeated Virginia University of Lynchburg 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-11) at the Stuart James Grant Center in Danville, VA. Wilkerson registered two kills, one ace, one block and two digs. On Thursday, Averett defeated Pfeiffer 3-0. Wilkerson was second on the team with six kills. She also had two aces and two digs. The Cougars have won three in a row, are 6-4 overall, 1-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Julie Altieri: The Division III Salisbury Seagulls split a tri-match against William Smith and Gettysburg on Saturday. The Seagulls opened the day with a 3-1 win over William Smith (25-23, 25-17, 15-25, and 25-20). Altieri was tied for the team lead with 14 assists. She also had seven digs and one ace. Gettysburg defeated Salisbury 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-21 and 25-16). Altieri had 12 assists and six digs. Salisbury is 7-2. They will open play in the Hopkins Invitational on Friday against Mount Union.

Melissa Benkowitz: Division III Franklin & Marshall journeyed down to San Antonio for three matches over the weekend, going 2-1. The Diplomats defeated Whittier 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-20 and 25-14). Benkowitz had 13 kills, eight digs, three aces and two assists. #12 Trinity (Texas) defeated Franklin & Marshall 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-21 and 25-19). Benkowitz finished with 13 kills, six aces, ten digs and one assist. The Diplomats defeated Pomona-Pitzer 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 22-25, 8-25 and 15-13). Benkowitz had ten kills, five aces, and eight digs. The Diplomats are 6-4.

Ashlyn Davis: The Division III University of Lynchburg defeated Trinity (D.C) at Giles Gymnasium in Lynchburg on Saturday 3-0 (25-3, 25-4 and 25-4). Davis played two sets and finished with one kill. The Hornets are 3-4.