Month: October 2023

It was a special night for Cedar Ridge senior volleyball setter Rachel Alverson. On Monday night, Alverson surpassed 1,000 career assists as the Red Wolves defeated Walter Williams 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Central Carolina Conference tournament. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists to become only the second player in school history with 1,000 assists. Alverson joined her former teammate Julie Altieri, who is now playing at Salisbury University in Maryland. Alverson is in her second year at the varsity level. This season, according to records from MaxPreps.com, Alverson has set the single-season assist record with 721, breaking Altieri’s previous mark of 717 set during the State Championship season of 2021. Alverson is a two-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge. She has also played in women’s soccer with teammate Addie Reid. The Red Wolves have won the two previous CCC Tournaments. On Tuesday night, they will host Person in the CCC Semifinals. Cedar Ridge will likely host a home match in the 3A State Playoffs on Saturday. The pairings will be announced on Friday. Cedar Ridge won both its previous matchups against Person this year.

Cedar Ridge senior Rachel Alverson discusses 1,000 career assists with Jon Franklin

It was a special night for Cedar Ridge senior volleyball setter Rachel Alverson. On Monday night, Alverson surpassed 1,000 career assists as the Red Wolves defeated Walter Williams 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Central Carolina Conference tournament. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists to become only the second player in school history with 1,000 assists.

ELON–At the end of an intense, chilly night inside Primm Stadium, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team huddled around a corner stick as several Western Alamance players took down the soccer nets along the east end goal post.

As Red Wolves head coach Chauncey Brummell wound down his address, one of the Western players could be overheard, perhaps deliberately, saying to his teammates “I hope we play these guys again in the state playoffs.”

Everyone around the Red Wolf huddle heard it.

At first, there was likely some offense behind it. But when you think about it, it shows a degree of credibility that the Red Wolves have earned this season.

In 2022, the Warriors beat the Red Wolves 2-0 and 2-1 en route to a second place finish in the Central Carolina Conference.

On Monday night, in a battle of two teams tied for the CCC lead, the Warriors simply couldn’t get one past Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas in 100 minutes of action, despite plenty of chances.

In possibly the biggest soccer match in school history, Cedar Ridge came away from Elon with a 0-0 tie against Western Alamance. The Red Wolves and the Warriors remain tied for first place in the CCC with a mark of 7-1-2. Cedar Ridge holds the head-t0-head tiebreaker over the Warriors after beating them 1-0 on September 20 after a goal by Salomon Hernandez. If the Red Wolves defeat Walter Willams on Wednesday and Eastern Alamance next week, they will clinch its first-ever conference title in men’s soccer.

Western Alamance (11-5-3) goalkeeper, sophomore Eamon Hipps, earned his sixth clean sheet of the year.

“It’s a good tie,” said Brummell, who couldn’t disguise a wide smile postgame. “I thought we played really well. These are two of the best teams in the conference. We were both at each other. I thought overall, our performance couldn’t get any better than what I asked for.”

Galunas denied one Warriors opportunity after another in the second half. The best chance by Western Alamance came with 9:47 remaining in regulation when Luis Guerrero dribbled around the left end line with Cedar Ridge’s Marcos Huerta leaning on him. At a tight angle inside the box, Guerrero avoided Galunas and got the ball under his right arm. Galunas nicked it with his finger just enough to where the ball rolled across the dark blue goal line, but not over it. It angled away from the post and went over the end line.

Western’s Jerson Hernandez fired a deflected shot with 6:50 remaining which was immediately captured by Galunas, who immediately launched a counter. Cedar Ridge’s Edber Lopez aimed a shot from 19 yards over the far post.

With 3:35 remaining, a deep throw in for the Red Wolves nearly ended the match in regulation. Konner Johnson sent the ball into the box, where Brian Villanueva-Herrera completed a turn from ten yards and fired, but was turned away by Galunas. The rebound went to Guerrero, who sent a rocket that Galunas somehow blocked to keep things level.

Karma also fell on the side of the Red Wolves in the extra session. Last week against Orange, the Panthers’ Joseph Lopez scored in the opening minute of overtime, which was the game-winner.

In the opening minute of overtime, Lopez sent a great ball to Jonam Juarez, who fired from ten yards away on a near-breakaway, only for Hipps to capture it cold.

With 1:42 remaining in overtime, Johnson’s shot from 19 yards along the right corner of the box bounced off the crossbar. The ball had so much power, it bounced off the metal and landed over the sidelines.

In the final minute, Guerrero had one last chance from ten yards under duress, but it rolled wide of the post.

Coming out of Elon, Cedar Ridge didn’t get everything they wanted, which was a win that would put them one step away from a goal they’ve never achieved. But they gained some satisfaction, mainly because of their sophomore netminder.

“I looked at Erik tonight and I thought ‘Where is MLS? Where is Barcelona?,'” Brummell said. “‘Where is Chelsea?’ Someone give him a contract. That is world class. He’s that keeper. There were shots tonight where I thought, “Oh, crap.” And he just came up big. I think Western thought they had a goal several times. He’s a sophomore, so I’m glad I have him another two years.”

It’s an emotional week for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team.

In all likelihood, it will be the final home games for the senior class that is the last connection to the 2021 3A State Championship squad. There will be a Central Carolina Conference semifinal match on Tuesday against Person inside Red Wolves Gymnasium with an outside chance of hosting the tournament title tilt.

In all likelihood, there will be one, final, state playoff match on Saturday at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Together, Graylinn Serge, Rachel Alverson, Addie Reid, Natasha Buchler-Fosado, Ellie Woolson, Caroline Park, Cecilia Kenan, and Alexandra Hood have been a part of championship teams. Serge, Reid and Buchler-Fosado walked together under the spotlight of Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh for the 3A State Championship match against North Iredell, a memory that still clear in their minds.

They have also witnessed milestones. Cameron Lloyd, now at Bucknell College, recorded 1.062 kills, a school record. In her sophomore year, Lloyd became the first Red Wolf in school history with 500 kills.

Her teammate, Cameron Lanier, joined the 500 kill club in the state championship match against Iredell, though no one noticed at the time with a state title on the line and all. Setter Julie Altieri, another member of the Class of 2023, became the first Cedar Ridge player with 1,000 assists.

Now, Altieri has company.

Rachel Alverson, who has been at the varsity level for two years, reached 1,000 career assists in Cedar Ridge’s 3-0 win over Walter Williams in the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night. The Red Wolves (13-8), the 2nd seed out of the CCC, will host Person on Tuesday night in the semifinals. The Rockets defeated Eastern Alamance 3-1 on Monday in Roxboro.

Alverson, who has 721 assists on the season, appears to have broken the single-season ecord, held by Altieri. In 2022, Altieri is registered with 717 assists, according to MaxPreps.com.

Altieri is now a freshman setter, already starting, for the Division III Salisbury University Seagulls of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference.

The Red Wolves, who have won the previous two CCC Tournaments, never trailed against Williams in securing its fifth straight conference tournament win stretching back to 2021. Sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 12 kills and five digs. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists, five digs and one kill. Reid finished with six kills and one block. Serge had 13 digs and four kills.

Williams ends the year 3-13.

From the time Alverson set up Kayla Stoll for a kill on the opening point, the Red Wolves were never seriously challenged. Serge had an ace while Hargett notched consecutive kills to send the Red Wolves off to a 8-0 lead in the first set. The Red Wolves reeled off nine consecutive points to take a 19-4 lead, which included four aces from Park and three more kills from Reid. Woolson had a block on set point to conclude the frame 25-12, and that was the most competitive frame of the night.

Cedar Ridge scored the first six points of the second set, with Hargett scoring the first three off a block and two kills. The big run of the second set was eight straight points, three of which came off kills by Hargett, who now leads the team with 253 kills. The Red Wolves scored the final seven points of the set, with Kenan racking up an ace on set point to win 25-5.

Woolson had consecutive kills to open the third set. Woolson also had a block to increase the Red Wolves lead to 7-1, leading to a Bulldogs timeout. Hargett registered two aces during a 6-0 run. Hood ended the match with an ace as Cedar Ridge took the third set 25-9.

There will be volleyball action on both ends of Hillsborough on Tuesday night. In addition to Cedar Ridge’s match against Person, top-seeded Orange will host Western Alamance. The Warriors defeated Southern Alamance on Monday to advance to the semifinals.

Throughout the 1990s, an inescapable song was “These are the Days” by 10,000 Maniacs.

You heard it on the Album Oriented Rock Radio stations, the top 40 stations, and eventually the Adult Contemporary stations.

These are the days you’ll remember. And sure enough, these next few weeks could bring unprecedented achievements for several local teams.

On Monday night, Cedar Ridge will compete in merely the biggest soccer game in school history. They travel to Western Alamance with both teams tied for first place in the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-1-1 league record. If the Red Wolves win, they will hold the all important tiebreaker against the Warriors. Cedar Ridge defeated Western Alamance 1-0 on September 20. The Warriors haven’t lost since.

There has never been a men’s soccer conference champion at Orange or Cedar Ridge High Schools.

The Orange volleyball team will enter the Central Carolina Conference tournament #1 in the 3A East Region RPI rankings. That means if Orange can hold on to the top spot, they will have home court advantage for the 3A State Playoffs for the first time in school history. Orange will host either Southern Alamance or Western Alamance in the semifinals of the CCC Tournament on Tuesday. If the Panthers secure a win on Tuesday, they will host the CCC Tournament championship match on Wednesday night.

We’ve completed playing catch up, so here’s the Magnificent 7 for the week of October 1-October 7. These are the seven best performances from last week in no particular order.

1. Ava Wilkerson, Orange, Soph.: As a middle blocker, Wilkerson had a career-best 19 kills in Orange’s 3-0 win over Person in Roxboro. Wilkerson also had one block. Two days later, Wilkerson finished with eight kills, three blocks and an ace in Orange’s 3-1 win over Southern Alamance, which clinched the Lady Panthers first conference championship in volleyball in 18 years.
2. Salomon Hernandez, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: Hernandez notched the first hat trick of his career in Cedar Ridge’s 7-2 win over Southern Alamance on October 4. Hernandez scored the final goal on a penalty kick in the final minute. Hernandez, who trains with Wake FC in Holly Springs during the spring and summer, has six goals this season for a Cedar Ridge team that is bidding for a conference championship.
3. Adeline Cummings, Cedar Ridge, Jr. In the final full week of the women’s tennis regular season, Cummings had five wins for Cedar Ridge. In a 5-4 victory over Durham School of the Arts, Cummings defeated Sadie Miller at #3 singles 6-1, 6-2. Cummings also won her doubles match with partner Cameron Mayhew 6-4. Cummings also won singles matches against Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance.
4. Makayla Davis, Orange, Sr: In Orange’s 7-2 win over Southern Alamance on Senior Night in Hillsborough, Davis had a singles win over Madalyn Corbett at #3 singles 6-0, 6-2. Later that night, Davis teamed with Molly Kruse to defeat Morgan Isley and Morgan Edmunds 8-0. Earlier that week, Davis won her singles match against Person.
5. Abigail Klaitman, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: In a CCC women’s cross country meet at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington, Klaitman finished first in a field of 44 runners. Klaitman finished with a time of 22:23.23, barely holding off her teammate, Naomi Dyreng. The Cedar Ridge women finished third out of six teams.
6. Ryker Stein, Orange, Sr.: Scored a goal to lead the Orange men’s soccer team past Walter Williams at Orange Soccer Field. It is believed to be the first time that Orange has ever defeated the Bulldogs in men’s soccer. Stein is a senior who notched his second marker of the season. Orange is looking to make the state playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history.
7. Addie Reid, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: Just a few weeks after being named Homecoming Queen, Reid led Cedar Ridge with ten kills in its 3-0 win over Eastern Alamance. Reid also had two blocks. Reid is a rare three-sport athlete. She has been the starting goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team. Last year, she played forward in basketball.

Men’s Soccer: Orange 6, Person 0: For the first time since 2018, the Orange men’s soccer team has posted back-to-back shutouts. On Wednesday night, the Panthers defeated Person 6-0 in Roxboro. Senior Finn Kelly earned his second straight clean sheet. Orange has allowed only one goal over the past three games.

On Monday night, the Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 2-0 in overtime. Kelly had a season-high 15 saves as the Panthers won the second leg of the Hillsborough Derby.

The victory improves Orange’s chances of advancing to the state playoffs. Orange was eliminated in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs last season by J.H. Rose. Since men’s soccer started at Orange in 1988, the Panthers have never made the state playoffs in back-to-back years. As of Thursday night, Orange was up to #24 in the 3A East RPI rankings, a six-notch jump compared to one week ago.

Orange (6-6-2 overall, 5-3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) got the opening goal from Daniel Romero, who scored the insurance goal against Cedar Ridge on Monday. Enzo Bruhns, a senior who assisted on Romero’s goal against the Red Wolves, added his first goal of the season in the first half.

Joseph Lopez, a junior who scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Cedar Ridge, added his third goal of the season. Issac Gallegos, Angel Chavez and Issac Gallegos also scored goals for Orange. Yurem Tapia Mendez had two assists on the night. Senior Ryker Stein, Chavez, and Romero also had assists for the Panthers.

The Panthers now have a three-game winning streak. Last week, the Panthers defeated Walter Williams 2-1 in Hillsborough. It is believed to be Orange’s first-ever win over the Bulldogs in men’s soccer. Stein and Mendez scored goals for Orange. Kelly earned the win in net. He finished with seven saves.

Orange will continue its pursuit of a state playoff birth when they face Eno River Academy at the Soccer.com Complex in Efland at 6PM. It’s the first-ever matchup between the two teams in men’s soccer. It will be Orange’s final regular season nonconference game.

Men’s Cross Country: Orange and Cedar Ridge runners were among hundreds of competitors at the Great American Cross Country Festival at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on October 6.

The men’s Race of Champions had 375 competitors. Orange High’s Gabriel Schmid finished 12th with a time of 15:03.30. Schmid was the highest finisher among competitors from a 3A public school. Athens Drive’s Noah Valyo finished first at 14:42.60.

Orange finished 14th among 44 teams that gathered from across the region. Orange sophomore Myles Jermyn came in 90th (16:15.30), while senior Alden Cathey came in 98th (16:17.50). Another Orange sophomore, Lucas Van Mater, finished 142nd (16:39.30). Nolan Hufner, Peter Musser, Cyrus Neal and Alden Viola also competed and finished for Orange.

Belen Jesuit Preparatory School finished first in the men’s team standings.

Schmid, the defending 3A State Individual Champion, will compete again on Saturday during the NC Runners Elite Cross Country Invitational at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Schmid won the state championship on that course last November. Once again, Redmon Sports Complex will be the site of the North Carolina High School State Athletic Association state cross country championships next month.

Cedar Ridge’s men’s cross country team competed in the Blue Race. Edgar Ibarra had a season-best time of 17:59.40, which was good enough for 72nd. Ryan Matthews finished 80th

Women’s Cross Country: Also at the Great American Cross Country Festival, Cedar Ridge’s women’s team competed in the 1-Girls Blue Race. Naomi Dyreng finished 13th among 298 competitors with a time of 19:48.50. Abigail Klaitman had a season-best time of 20:05.90 and finished 29th overall. Kate Finnegan, Anna Peterson, Samantha Quade and Lillian Barber also had season best times for the Red Wolves.

Dyreng was the top finisher for Cedar Ridge in the 3A State Championships last November.

Payton Wilson: In his final year at N.C. State, Wilson continues to rack up honors. For September, Wilson was named the National Linebacker of the Month by the Butkus Foundation. In the opening five games of the year, Wilson averaged 11.5 tackles per game, which led the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led the Wolfpack in tackles in all five games. This week, Wilson was named ACC Linebacker of the Week for the third time this season. Against Marshall on Saturday, Wilson had 14 tackles as the Wolfpack defeated the Thundering Herd 48-41 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Wilson finished with one sack. Wilson also had a fumble recovery for a ten-yard return as the Wolfpack improved to 4-2. Marshall’s top running back came into the game averaging 113 yards per game, but the N.C. State defense held him to 63 yards. Wilson is averaging 11.3 tackles per game, which leads the ACC and is fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. This Saturday night, the Wolfpack will travel to Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham to face #17 Duke. It will be the Wolfpack’s first trip to Wallace Wade Stadium since 2013, when Dave Doeren was in first season as the Wolfpack head coach. The Wolfpack is 1-1 in the ACC.

Bryse Wilson: The Milwaukee Brewers season ended in the National League Wildcard Series when the Arizona Diamondbacks swept the best-of-three series at American Family Field. Wilson’s only appearance was in game one, when he retired Gabriel Moreno to ground out to first base for the final out for Arizona. In his first season with Milwaukee, Wilson had a 6-0 record with a 2.58 ERA in 53 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He had three saves. In 76.2 innings of work, Wilson had 61 strikeouts with 22 walks. The Brewers won the National League Central division championship.

Darius Satterfield: Virginia Union defeated Elizabeth City State 42-20 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City last Saturday. Satterfield had seven punts for an average of 36.9 yards per boot. His longest punt was 47 yards. One was downed inside the 20-yard line. Another went for a touchback. Elizabeth City State is 1-5 overall, 0-4 in the CIAA. They travel to Pennsylvania on Saturday to face Lincoln University.

Trenton Gill: Last Thursday, the Chicago Bears earned its first win of the season with a 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. Gill averaged 43.7 yards on three punts. His longest was 47 yards. One punt was downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also held on extra points and field goals for placekicker Cairo Santos. The Bears are 1-4 and will host Minnesota at Solider Field this Sunday.

Braxton Mergenthal: The Division III Hampden-Sydney football team bounced back to defeat Ferrum 48-10 at Everett Stadium in Hampden Sydney, VA on Saturday. Mergenthal had a career-high five tackles as the Tigers improved to 3-2 overall. They’re 1-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Hampden-Sydney will travel to face Averett in Danville, VA on Saturday.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty women’s soccer team played to a scoreless tie against Florida International at FIU Soccer Stadium in Miami on Saturday. Garner, who started at midfielder, had one of six shots on net for the Flames. Overall, Liberty had 12 shots. Garner played 73 minutes. Liberty will travel to El Paso, TX to face UTEP in another Conference USA matchup on Sunday. The Flames are 11-1-1 overall, 2-1-1 in Conference USA.

Emerson Talley: The Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team is now ranked #21 in Division II. On Wednesday, the Bears rolled past Coker 7-0 at Moretz Sports Campus in Hickory. Talley started at midfield and played 45 minutes for Lenoir-Rhyne. On Saturday, the Bears defeated Carson-Newman 3-0 at McCown Field in Jefferson City, TN. Talley started and played 65 minutes for the Bears, who are 10-0-3, 8-0 in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne will host Newberry in Hickory on Saturday night.

Lottie Scully: The Binghamton volleyball setter was named the America East Setter of the Week on Tuesday. Last week, Scully tallied 75 assists and 28 digs as Binghamton defeated the University of New Hampshire and Bryant University. On Tuesday, Binghamton defeated Long Island University 3-1 on scores of 22-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-18 at NEC Front Row in Brooklyn. Scully had 43 assists and 15 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. She also had three kills and an ace. Binghamton is 10-8 overall, 3-0 in America East. They will face the University of Albany on Saturday.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior volleyball liberto Sadye Porter. After a year away from the Orange volleyball team in 2022, Porter returned to the team for her senior season under new head coach Hope Heverly. Her return has greatly helped the Orange defense with a team-high 342 digs. She also has 35 aces, which is third on the team. Her return has helped Orange to possibly its most successful volleyball season in school history. Last week, Orange secured its first conference championship in 18 years when they defeated Southern Alamance in Hillsborough. After its win over Walter Williams on Wednesday night, Orange has won 18 in a row and secured a 20-win season. In her sophomore season in 2022, Porter led the team with 299 digs. Orange has secured the #1 seed in the CCC Tournament. Orange will receive a bye into the semifinals, where they will face either Western Alamance, Southern Alamance or Eastern Alamance next Tuesday. If Orange wins, they will host the conference tournament championship match next Wednesday. Orange will also host a match in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament on October 21 in Hillsborough. Orange is currently ranked #1 in the 3A East RPI rankings. If the Lady Panthers maintain that ranking, they will have home-court advantage throughout the state playoffs. Orange will try to complete its first undefeated conference season in school history against Eastern Alamance on Thursday in Mebane.

Orange Panther of the Week: Sadye Porter

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior volleyball liberto Sadye Porter. After a year away from the Orange volleyball team in 2022, Porter returned to the team for her senior season under new head coach Hope Heverly. Her return has greatly helped the Orange defense with a team-high 342 digs.

The eight seniors on the Cedar Ridge volleyball team will forever be immortalized in school history. Several of the players were members of the 3A State Championship team in 2021, which defeated North Iredell 3-1 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Together, they have won six championships together, including two Central Carolina Conference regular season titles, two CCC Tournament championships, the 2021 3A Eastern Regional title and the state crown. On Tuesday night, seniors Graylinn Serge, Rachel Alverson, Addie Reid, Natasha Buchler-Fosado, Ellie Woolson, Cecilia Kenan, Caroline Park, and Alexandra Hood were honored on Senior night. Also honored were managers Cierra and Cameron Copeland, who are members of Cedar Ridge’s women’s basketball team. Cedar Ridge defeated Walter Williams 3-0. Fittingly, Reid led Cedar Ridge with ten kills. Serge, who leads the team in kills, had a team-high five aces. Kenan had a team-high 18 digs, along with three aces. Alverson, who leads the team in assists, finished with 35 on the night. While it was Senior Night, it won’t be Cedar Ridge’s final home game of the season. The Red Wolves will face Williams again in the opening round of the CCC Tournament on Monday night at Red Wolves Stadium. If Cedar Ridge wins, they will host a semifinal game on Tuesday. Cedar Ridge also stands a strong chance to host an opening round game in the 3A State Playoffs on October 21.

Cedar Ridge volleyball seniors discuss Senior Night win over Walter Williams

The nine seniors on the Cedar Ridge volleyball team will forever be immortalized in school history. Several of the players were members of the 3A State Championship team in 2021, which defeated North Iredell 3-1 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.