Month: September 2023

The Orange volleyball team has won seven consecutive matches after sweeping Person on Thursday night in Hillsborough. The Lady Panthers prevailed on scored 25-8, 27-25 and 25-21. Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Jordan finished with 17 kills while Ella Wimsatt added 12 kills and 15 digs. It was only the second home match for Orange this season. Since August 16, Orange played nine consecutive matches on the road, ranging from Chapel Hill to Creedmoor. Despite that, Orange is the only undefeated team in the Central Carolina Conference at 3-0. Sophomore setter Katie Silcott finished with 31 assists, ten digs and one kill. Senior libero Sadye Porter had 23 digs and five assists. It has been a triumphant week for Orange, who defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 3-0 on Tuesday to end the Red Wolves 42-game conference winning streak, as well as their 31-game homeport winning streak. Silcott was a regular performer as a freshman last season for Orange. With a year under her belt, Silcott has been a steady presence at the net for Orange. So what’s next for Orange after returning home? Naturally, two more road games. Orange will travel to Roxboro tonight (Friday) to face Roxboro Community School. On Tuesday, the Lady Panthers travel to Graham to face Southern Alamance.

Orange volleyball’s Katie Silcott & Sadye Porter discuss win over Person

The Orange volleyball team has won seven consecutive matches after sweeping Person on Thursday night in Hillsborough. The Lady Panthers prevailed on scored 25-8, 27-25 and 25-21. Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Jordan finished with 17 kills while Ella Wimsatt added 12 kills and 15 digs.

Over the summer, the 21-year-old scoreboard at Cedar Ridge Stadium got an overhaul, courtesy of one of its most famous alumni.

As Trenton Gill prepares for his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears this weekend against the Green Bay Packers, he can rest assured that the soccer team he once played on put enough goals on the very board he helped fund to remain undefeated.

Not that everyone in a Red Wolves uniform was happy.

Junior Alejandro Macero-Ramos scored two goals, the first of his varsity career, to propel the Red Wolves past Person 5-0 in Hillsborugh on Wednesday night. Cedar Ridge (5-1-1, 1-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) won its league opener.

Sophomore Edber Lopez added a goal and an assist for the Red Wolves. Abazar Babiker and Salomon Hernandez each added a goal for the Red Wolves, who are off to its best start since at least 2010. Gael Antunez-Nunez added two assists for Cedar Ridge.

Senior co-Captain Iliah Babcenko had two assists.

Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made six saves to earn the win. He made six saves. Midway through the second half, junior Ben Miller replaced Galunas in net and made two saves to keep the clean sheet intact.

On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge’s undefeated string came to an end. East Chapel Hill narrowly defeated the Red Wolves 1-0 at Dave Thaden Stadium.

Cedar Ridge will resume play in the CCC with its first conference road trip to Southern Alamance on Monday night in Graham.

Western Alamance 5, Orange 1: Konner Johnson notched a hat trick for Western Alamance to beat Orange in the Panthers’ conference opener at David Morton Field in Elon.

The Panthers fall to 1-4-1. Emanuel Mil Cruz scored Orange’s only goal on an assist from Yore Tapia Mendez. Orange will host Williams in Hillsborough on Monday night.

Another week goes by and the Orange volleyball team remains in first place in the Central Carolina Conference.

Not only that, but the three top contenders to stop Orange from its first conference championship in over 15 years have been turned back by the Lady Panthers in the opening three matches of league play.

On Thursday night, Orange made its long-awaited return home with a 3-0 sweep of Person. The Lady Panthers, who had played its past nine matches on the road, remain the only undefeated teaming the CCC at 3-0.

It was the Lady Panthers first home match since August 15.

Sophomore Aubrey Jordan finished with a career-high 17 kills while sophomore setter Katie Silcott had 31 assists. Senior Ella Wimsatt registered 12 kills and 15 digs as Orange won its seventh straight match. Sophomore Ava Wilkerson added nine kills, two aces and two blocks.

Person (4-5, 1-2) dropped its third straight match to Orange.

Orange dominated the opening set 25-8, reeling off an 8-2 run behind three kills from Wimsatt. Jordan had a block and a kill for the final points of the set.

It appeared the second stanza would follow a similar path. Orange jumped out to an 11-3 lead behind an ace from Wilkerson and consecutive kills from Wimsatt. Person roared back with a 9-1 run to seven the match at 12-12, the tying point coming from sophomore Abby Sharlow off a pass from Miriam Clayton. The Rockets increased its lead to 21-18 following a block from Clayton, but Orange rallied to even the set 23-23 after the Rockets were called for a net violation. Person had a set point after a return from Orange went wide, but the subsequent serve went into the net. Even 25-25, Jordan notched a kill. On set point, Jordan’s attack was returned wide by the Rockets, giving Orange a 2-sets-to-nothing lead.

Orange got off to another strong start in the third set, leading 7-3 following a point by Wilkerson. Once again, Person rallied off strong plays by Kaylie Parker and Clayton, narrowing Orange’s lead to 13-12 until Wilkerson scored off a block. That spawned a 5-1 Panther run which included an ace by Abby Silinski and two kills by Wimsatt. Jordan racked up kills on the final two points of the match, which sent the Orange student section into jubilation, many of them adorned in neon yellow safety vets who traded taunts with Person students at the other end of the gym throughout the night.

On Friday night (tonight), Orange will travel up Highway 57 to face Roxboro Community School. Last week, Person defeated their crosstown rival in five sets.

Men’s cross country: Orange 19, Williams 43, Person 62, Eastern Alamance n/a: Two months from the 3A State Cross Country state championships and Orange’s Gabriel Schmid appears in midseason form.

Schmid, the 2022 3A State Cross County Champion, earned his second victory of the season during Orange’s meet at Walter Williams high School in Burlington on Wednesday. Schmid finished at 18:34.0, beating Williams Easton Freeman by five seconds.

Orange had five of the top six runners. Alden Cathey finished third (18:50.1), while Myles Jermyn came in fourth (19:02.0), followed by Lucas Van Mater (19:17.6), and Peter Musser in sixth place (19:28.6).

Cyrus Neal (8th), Nolan Hufner (9th) and Aidan Viola (10th) had top ten finishes for Orange. It was Orange’s second win in a conference meet in as many weeks. Last week, the Orange men finished first at Person.

Women’s cross country: Williams 18, Orange 31, Person 70, Eastern Alamance n/a: Caroline Cathey was the top finisher for the Orange women’s cross country meet at the Williams meet. Cathey finished fifth at 28:00.2, a split second behind Williams Sofia Anaya, who came in a 28:00.0. Grace Pell came in sixth for the Lady Panthers (28:43.2), while Kassi Scarantino came in seventh, one-tenth of a second behind Pell. Orange’s Channing Mahaney finished in ninth place. Orange’s Mia Blake finished 11th, while Harper Trust finished 14th (32.56.9).

Williams won the meet with the top four finishers. Lucy Lowe was at the head of the pack at 26:50.9, while Avery LaPlante was runner-up at 26:58.8.

The tenure of Steve Mayhew as Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s tennis coach has brought unprecedented success to the programs.

His son, Josh, graduated in June as the most accomplished men’s player in the history of Hillsborough. Josh became the first player in Cedar Ridge or Orange history to reach the 3A State singles final four times. He also played for the 3A Mideast Regional championship four times. Mayhew was the captain of the 2022 Cedar Ridge men’s team that won the Central Carolina Conference championship, the first such title in school history.

While Josh has moved on to Belmont-Abbey, his sister, Cameron, has goals of her own for her senior year. On Tuesday night, amid a sticky and sweltering evening at Red Wolves Tennis Court, Cameron Mayhew, Raven Mowles-Airing, Catherine Ballenger, Annabeth Lundberg and Dupree Sorenson commemorated Senior Night with its first win over Orange since 2019.

The Red Wolves won four singles matches to defeat the Lady Panthers 6-3. All four singles wins came from Cedar Ridge seniors.

Mayhew and Ballinger each captured two victories as the Red Wolves (4-2, 2-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) remained undefeated in league play.

Mayhew defeated Erinn Sollars at #1 singles 10-2. Later, Mayhew and Adeline Cummings became the first team to defeat Orange’s top doubles team of Erinn and Shannon Sollars this season. in a match that captured the attention of everyone on hand since it was the last of the night, Mayhew and Cummings won 8-5.

Mayhew and Cummings are now 4-1 as a team in 2023.

“That’s the best I’ve seen Adeline play,” said Steve Mayhew, a former tennis player at Orange. “She was solid. She and Cameron complimented each other. It was a great, great match. It was close. The Sollars are a great team. There were a lot of close matches.”

While Mayhew and Cummings’ victory was icing on the cake, it was Ella Caltabiano and Ballenger who ensured the Red Wolves’ victory. Caltabiano and Ballenger defeated Molly Kruse and Ellie Wilson 8-0 for Cedar Ridge’s fifth win of the night.

Earlier in the night, Ballenger defeated Kruse 10-7 at #5 singles.

Mowles-Airing defeated Ellie Wilson 10-2 at #4 singles. Lundberg knocked off Orange sophomore Kyla Mehl 10-5.

In the tightest match of the night, Orange’s Makayla Davis and Kyla Mehl defeated Mowles-Airing and Lundberg 9-8 in a contest that came down to a 7-point tiebreaker. Davis and Mehl won 7-5.

This fall marks a farewell tour for Steve and Cameron Mayhew. It’s Cameron’s senior year. Steve will step down as Cedar Ridge tennis coach at the conclusion of the women’s tennis, partly because he wants to follow Josh’s at Belmont-Abbey.

“We feel fortunate to get the win,” Mayhew said. “We didn’t have many unforced errors. They had to beat us and we forced errors. That’s what you have to do in doubles.”

On Wednesday night, Cedar Ridge continued a span of three matches over three sweltering days by beating Eno River Academy 7-2 at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. Mayhew, Cummings, Caltabiano and Ballenger each won two matches.

Mayhew defeated Abby Winslow 8-0 at #1 singles. Cummings knocked off Betts Roney at #3 singles 8-1. At #1 doubles, Mayhew and Cummings teamed to beat Winslow and Roney 8-1.

Caltabiano won at #2 singles over Rebecca Kirby 8-2. Ballenger defeated Quinn Parker 8-0 at #5 singles. Caltabiano and Ballenger won at #2 doubles against Kirby and Chiara Menolascino 8-1.

At #3 doubles, Mowles-Airing and Lundberg defeated Parker and Lily Kate Philipps 8-3.

For Eno River, Eleanor Finkle defeated Mowles-Airing 8-5. The Bobcats’ Menolascino defeated Lundberg 8-1.

The Red Wolves will resume CCC play on Thursday when they travel to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance.

“It’s very nice,” Mayhew said. “Our players have stepped up and played outstanding. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

It speaks to the higher standards of Cedar Ridge men’s soccer than they tied their win total from all of last season on Wednesday night, but still came away disappointed in their performance. The Red Wolves defeated Person 5-0 at Red Wolves Stadium, Cedar Ridge’s first home game since the season-opener against Eno River Academy on August 14. Yet Cedar Ridge missed out on several scoring opportunities that could have increased the scoring total. Junior Alejandro Macero-Ramos notched his first two goals at the varsity level. Senior Abazar Babiker, junior Salomon Hernandez and sophomore Edber Lopez also had goals for the Red Wolves. Cedar Ridge senior co—Captain Iliah Babchenko, this academic year’s first winner of the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week, had two assists. Cedar Ridge won its Central Carolina Conference opener and improves to 5-0-1, improving on the best start for the team in over 13 years. Gael Antunez-Nunez also had two assists. Cedar Ridge will turn around and travel to Dave Thaden Stadium on Thursday night for a non conference game against East Chapel Hill. Then the Red Wolves will travel to Graham to face Southern Alamance on Monday night. Next Wednesday, the Red Wolves will host Orange in the first leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium.

CRHS soccer’s Iliah Babchenko, Alejandro Macero-Ramos,Abazar Babiker & Salomon Hernandez talk win

It speaks to the higher standards of Cedar Ridge men’s soccer than they tied their win total from all of last season on Wednesday night, but still came away disappointed in their performance. The Red Wolves defeated Person 5-0 at Red Wolves Stadium, Cedar Ridge’s first home game since the season-opener against Eno River Academy on August 14.

While they’re only two games into their conference slate, the Orange volleyball team has established itself as the team to beat in the Central Carolina Conference. The Lady Panthers defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 3-0 on scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-14. Orange ended Cedar Ridge’s 44-game conference winning streak, as well as the Red Wolves’ 31-game home court winning streak. Senior Ella Wimsatt made her final game inside Red Wolves Gymnasium a memorable one. She had 19 kills, tying her second-highest total of the year. She also had 12 digs. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan had 15 kills, her second-highest total of the year. Orange ended an eight-game losing streak to the Red Wolves. While conference play just started, Orange is already the only undefeated team in CCC play and stand alone in first place with a 2-0 league mark. On Thursday, Orange will start a string of two games in two days, both against teams from Roxboro. The Panthers will face Person on Thursday night in Hillsborough. It will be their first home game since August 15. On Friday night, the Lady Panthers will travel to Roxboro Community School, currently the #5 team in the 1A East RPI rankings. Orange is 8-3 overall.

Orange volleyball’s Ella Wimsatt and Aubrey Jordan discuss win at Cedar Ridge

While they’re only two games into their conference slate, the Orange volleyball team has established itself as the team to beat in the Central Carolina Conference. The Lady Panthers defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 3-0 on scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-14.