Cedar Ridge Men’s Lacrosse

Rivals on the field, the Orange and Cedar Ridge lacrosse are in a different type of competition to benefit the entire community.

Starting Monday, Orange and Cedar Ridge will compete in a food drive that will culminate at next Friday’s game between the two crosstown rivals at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough.

Fans can bring food to the contest, which begins at 7PM. The deadline for donations is the end of the first quarter.

The drive itself starts on Monday, when only online donations will be accepted.

Cedar Ridge attacker Josh Hart and Orange sophomore Jackson Wrenn have organized the food drive. Previously, Wrenn has organized similar efforts for Orange High’s PORCH club. He has raised 249 pounds of food in two previous food drives.

“We thought the competition would be a great way to get both schools involved,” Wrenn said.

Donations will go to PORCH Hillsborough, where it will be distributed.

Anyone wishing to donate online can go to porchcommunities.org. Write down Orange or Cedar Ridge in the memo to inform organisers which schools the donation is being sent on behalf of.

Starting Tuesday, donations will be accepted at Cedar Ridge front office as well as inside the athletic offices.

At Orange, donations will be accepted inside the Orange High Fieldhouse for Tuesday’s game against Southern Alamance. There is also a food donation box in Orange High’s front office.

Food can also be dropped off during Friday’s game between the Panthers and the Red Wolves, where the final count will be distributed and a winner declared during halftime.

The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team earned its first win of the season behind four goals from Grant Thole. On Monday night, the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 6-5 in a tight defensive battle at Red Wolves Stadium. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, junior Grant Thole scored four goals, including the game-winner in a man-advantage situation with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. Junior Joshua Hart added another goal as the Red Wolves defeated the 2023 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional champions. Sophomore Jordan Jacobson, a starter for the Cedar Ridge basketball team, added another goal and two assists. Ian Castro had four face-off wins for Cedar Ridge. Junior Michael O’Melia, who just finished wrestling season under Cedar Ridge wrestling coach Scott Metcalf, made eight crucial saves. Many of them were crucial in the fourth quarter as the Red Wolves clinged to a one-goal game in the final 12 minutes. Thole also had four ground balls while Jacobson scooped up five loose balls. Senior Gavin Scher had three ground balls and created one turnover. Cedar Ridge will try to finish the week strong when they travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams tonight (Friday) at 6 PM at Memorial Stadium. Cedar Ridge is led by head coach Joe De Leo.

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The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team earned its first win of the season behind four goals from Grant Thole. On Monday night, the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 6-5 in a tight defensive battle at Red Wolves Stadium.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior lacrosse midfielder Jacob Driver. This season, Driver was the leading scorer for the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team. He scored six goals in a win over Eastern Alamance on March 21. In his sophomore season, Driver was a midfielder for a team that included Roman Oguntoyinbo, Alex Castro and James Clayton. That team won in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoff over Western Alamance. Driver scored 26 goals in his junior year. This year, Driver led the Red Wolves back to the state playoffs under new head coach Joe De Leo, where they hosted a state playoff game against West Carteret on Wednesday night. The Red Wolves came up one goal short in beating the Patriots. In his final game, Driver had three goals and an assist as he sparked a comeback after the Patriots held the Red Wolves without a goal for over 16 minutes. Driver has an insatiable appetite for lacrosse, watching college and professional games when he isn’t playing or practicing for the Red Wolves. After he graduates next month, Driver will prepare for a college lacrosse career, where he will play at Division II Mount Olive College, becoming the latest Cedar Ridge lacrosse product to play at the next level.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Jacob Driver

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior lacrosse midfielder Jacob Driver. This season, Driver was the leading scorer for the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team. He scored six goals in a win over Eastern Alamance on March 21.

The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team will host its first game in the state playoffs since 2022 following the release of the 3A/2A/1A State Lacrosse brackets finalized by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

As expected, Orange received the #1 seed in the East Region after going 20-1 in the regular season, the best winning percentage in team history going into the playoffs.

Cedar Ridge, led by first-year head coach Joe De Leo, will host West Carteret in a first-round game at Red Wolves Stadium on Wednesday night at 6PM. The Red Wolves received a #14 seed. It will be the Red Wolves first home playoff game since they defeated Western Alamance in 2022 behind Roman Oguntoyinbo, who scored nine goals in an 18-5 win. The Patriots will arrive in Hillsborough with a 3-7 record. They went 0-4 in the Coastal Conference.

The winner of Cedar Ridge-West Carteret will travel to Kill Devil Hills to face 3rd-seeded First Flight in the second round. As fate would have it, Cedar Ridge’s last playoff game came against First Flight, which the Nighthawks won 14-10. First Flight would go on to win the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional championship, beating Orange in Hillsborough 13-7 for the title.

Cedar Ridge, led by senior Jacob Driver, won five of seven games during a stretch in April to return to the state playoffs. The Red Wolves defeated Southeast Alamance 21-5 at Red Wolves Stadium on April 19, a game where Driver finished with six goals. Cedar Ridge also defeated Eastern Alamance 11-5 on April 23 in Hillsborough. They finished the regular season 9-10 overall, 6-10 in the Mid-Piedmont Conference.

For the third year in a row, the road to the 3A/2A/1A State Championship game will run through Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. Orange won a school-record 16 conference games in the Mid-Piedmont and finished 17-0 against opposition in its same classification this year. The Panthers received a bye into the second round and are scheduled to play on Saturday night, though that is subject to change, against the winner of Southern Alamance vs. Northside-Jacksonville. The Patriots and the Monarchs will face off in Graham on Wednesday.

The Panthers already have defeated Southern Alamance twice this year. Orange defeated the Patriots 18-5 on March 25 in Graham, a game where Orange midfielder Connor Kruse tied the national record with 16 assists in one game. 17 different Orange players scored goals in the opening meeting against the Patriots. On April 22, Orange routed the Patriots 20-1 at Auman Stadium. Junior Gray Crabtree finished with seven goals, while Luke Nevius and Kruse each had a hat trick.

If Orange faces Northside-Jacksonville, it would be a flashback for Orange head coach Chandler Zirkle. His first playoff win as a head coach came in Jacksonville against the Monarchs, a 17-13 victory on May 2, 2019. Dylan Boyer scored four goals as the Panthers never trailed. To show how much Orange lacrosse has progressed, it was just the second-ever playoff win for Orange. In the past two years, the Panthers have won a total of six playoff games.

Orange could play a series of conference rivals in the opening two rounds. If the Panthers can reach the third round, they would face either Seaforth or Western Alamance. This season, Seaforth was the main challenger to the Panthers throne. The Hawks, a 2A team out of Pittsboro now in its third year, finished 2nd in the Mid-Piedmont with a 14-2 mark.

Orange set a team record scoring 355 goals this season. It will be the last playoff run for seniors Connor Kruse, Katie Wolter, defensemen Sascha Van Praag, Alden Cathey and Jace Womble, attackers Josh Crabtree, Brennan Barker, Bryce Nelson and midfielders Josh Cowan, Josh Merrill and Nate Sorrells along with goalkeeper Parker Christie-Pohl.

Crabtree has committed to play with Methodist. Kruse and Van Praag have signed with Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. Wolter will play women’s lacrosse at Elon. Cathey has signed with Arcadia University in Pennsylvania.

Hayden Kirk is a three-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge. In November, he officially signed to play football and lacrosse at Averett University, a Division III college in Danville, VA. In his sophomore season, Kirk’s defense helped the Red Wolves win a state playoff game over Western Alamance inside Red Wolves Stadium. He has also been a regular for the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team for the past four years and was honored during Senior Night festivities against Walter Willimas on Tuesday night. He has also volunteered at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for the past four years. When Hayden signed his letter of intent at Cedar Ridge last fall, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood spoke about the contributions that Kirk has made. Kirk has been a wide receiver for the Cedar Ridge football team and plans to play on the gridiron at Averett. He has been a contributor in keeping Friday night lights on at Cedar Ridge after the school didn’t field a varsity football team in 2018 and in 2021. Kirk will conclude basketball season next week, then start preparing for lacrosse under head coach Cole Churchill. The Red Wolves lacrosse season starts on February 27 when they face Northwood, the defending 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional champions, at Red Wolves Stadium.

Cedar Ridge senior Hayden Kirk discusses commitment to Averett University

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Once May rolls around, the high school sports scene traditionally dies down. This year, the Orange County Hockey Club was just getting off the ground in June. Though their schedule was limited to two games, Orange County won both of its games convincingly. In June, Orange County defeated Chapel Hill 10-2 on June 4 at Invisalign Arena in Morrisville. Will Deis of Orange High School scored four goals. Aidan Raedy of Eno River Academy notched two goals. Glenn Farmer and Andrew Kutchma also scored. The following week, Orange County defeated Enloe 6-4 in its final game of its brief first campaign. Farmer finished with a hat trick, while Kane Clark, Bryce Nelson and Raedy also scored. Vaughn Clough of Eno River Academy was the winning goalie in each of Orange County’s two wins. Orange County was coached by Thomas Loch, an all-Central Carolina Conference golfer who played on the varsity basketball team for four years. Loch graduated in June. The Orange County Hockey Club aims to play a full schedule for next year in the Triangle High School Hockey League. They’re accepting donations at their Intagram page. Go to @ochs_hockey and click on the bio to learn more about how to donate.

Members of the Orange County Hockey Club discuss win over Chapel Hill

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Thomas Loch, dapper in a black suit, stepped away from the bench holding a sheer of paper and his blond hair slicked back.

Officially, he’s the coach of the Orange County Hockey Club, but really it’s a figurative job title. He isn’t Rod Brind’Amour, laboring over line decisions, defensive pairings and who to put on the ice on the power play. But someone has to stand behind the bench and organize things, especially for a fledgling team in a new league.

The Orange County Hockey Club is comprised of players from Orange High, Cedar Ridge High and Eno River Academy, along with a few players from Wake County. They’re part of the Triangle High School Hockey League, which contests games across two rinks at Invisalign Arena in Morrisville during May and June.

Comprised of 18 teams, the THSL was born out of student interest and engagement. Orange County was unable to play a full league schedule because players had commitments to other spring sports, but once they got together on the ice, it was pure fire.

Orange County won both of its games they played earlier this summer. On June 4, they defeated Chapel Hill 10-2. Will Deis of Orange High notched four goals, while Aidan Raedy of Eno River Academy and Kane Clark each scored twice. Glenn Farmer and Andrew Kutchma also had goals.

On June 12, Orange County won its second and final game over Enloe 6-4. Farmer finished with a hat trick, while Clark, Raedy and Bryce Nelson of Orange High each scored a goal.

Vaughn Clough from Eno River was the goalie in both wins for Orange County.

Nelson had some friends from neighboring schools in other districts that started hockey teams. So he asked friends who skated at the Orange County SportsPlex to gauge their interest.

“Why not have one here?” Nelson said. “We have depth. We got a good team. I reached out to these guys, got the ice time to practice and we’re playing games now.”

Hockey in Hillsborough traces back to the 1950s with the old skating rink at the Daniel Boone Village, where UNC and Duke played home games in a building that wasn’t climate controlled. When the puck dropped, UNC and Duke fans would show up to late-night contests on Fridays and Saturdays bundled up in sweaters and blankets because the building had to be kept near freezing for the sake of the ice. Daniel Boone would only be open 4-6 months a year, then close during the spring and summer.

When the SportsPlex opened in 1995, it was a bold step into the future which had early stumbles financially. But it was open all calendar year. Minor league teams passing through town to play the Raleigh IceCaps or the Greensboro Monarchs of the ECHL would reserve the SportsPlex’s rink for practice time.

Over time, the SportsPlex gained traction and has become an attraction throughout the Triangle. Just as the SportsPlex has been a breeding ground for swimmers like Orange’s Katie Belle Sikes,  who was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer at the 3A State Championships last February, it has also provided an NHL-sized rink for hockey players.

The stereotype of the toothless, blood thirsty hockey player may have faded in the NHL at the dawn of the 21st century, but that doesn’t mean things didn’t get physical between Orange and Chapel Hill. There were several skirmishes between whistles that featured pushing, shoving and a few pie-faced palm thrusts.

“I don’t want anybody getting hurt,” Loch said. “It got a little chipping today. I think we have a good group of guys.”

While Orange County was limited to two games this year, they’re hopeful to add more games for next spring. They’re also looking for funding. The team has established a Go Fund Me on Instagram @OCHS_Hockey with a link in the bio. The money goes to pay for ice time and equipment.

Roman Oguntoyinbo wound up with one more win before his days as a Cedar Ridge Red Wolf are done. On Wednesday night, Oguntoyinbo played in the Bull City All-Star Lacrosse Game at Koskinen Stadium at Duke University. Not only is Roman a lacrosse player, but he is an avid college lacrosse fan and has watched Duke play many times at Kosikinen. Oguntoyinbo played for the Blue team, which defeated the White squad 20-18. After spending this season with a Cedar Ridge team that finished third in the Mid-Carolina Conference, Oguntoyinbo was teammates with several of his league rivals on the Blue Team. That included Sam Havertstrom of Walter Williams, Jack DiFabio of Orange High and Pierce Cook of Northwood. This season, Oguntoyinbo led Cedar Ridge to its first win in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs since 2017. When Roman graduates in two weeks, he will continue his lacrosse career at Northfield Mount Herman Prep in Massachusetts. His brother, Leo, watched the Bull City All-Star Game on Wednesday night. Leo Oguntoyinbo will remain in Hillsborough at Cedar Ridge, where he played goalkeeper for the lacrosse team and was a wrestler.