Cedar Ridge Football

Photo courtesy of Card Chronicle

Scott Satterfield: The 1991 Orange High graduate, who grew up miles from the Caldwell community where he watched his father Freddie run street stock race cars at the Orange County Speedway, is the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Coach of the Year. The official announcement came Thursday morning from the ACC office in Greensboro. Among a panel of 46 media members, Satterfield received 23 votes. Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall finished second with 17. Dabo Sweeney of Clemson received 15 votes.

Satterfield took over the reigns of the Louisville Cardinals last December after leaving Appalachian State, his alma mater. The Cardinals were picked to finish last in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Louisville went 7-5, 5-3 in the ACC. They became bowl eligible with a victory over N.C. State in Raleigh on November 16. The Cardinals also played three ranked teams in 2019, including its season-opener against #9 Notre Dame on September 1.

On October 13, Louisville defeated #19 Wake Forest at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, its first road win over a ranked team since 2011.

At Appalachian State, Satterfield led the Mountaineers to three consecutive Sun Belt Conference Championships. His final game with the Mountaineers came in the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship game, where Appalachian defeated the University of Louisiana 30-19 at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone. Afterwards, Satterfield left for Louisville while assistant Mark Ivey prepared the Mountaineers for the New Orleans Bowl, which they won over Middle Tennessee.

Satterfield played quarterback and safety for the Orange Panthers in 1990. His junior season was cut short in 1989 after he tore his ACL in the season opener against Eastern Alamance in Mebane.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge football and soccer star was named 3rd-team All-ACC punter by a panel of 46 media members and the ACC’s 14 head coaches. Gill received 61 votes. After he didn’t play his freshman year at N.C. State, Gill averaged 47.6 yards per punt in 2019, a school record. He also averaged a net of 41.5 yards per punt. 50% of Gill’s punts were over 50 yards. Of Gill’s 56 punts, 17 were downed inside the 20-yard line. As a placekicker, 50% of Gill’s kickoff were touchbacks. Gill was nominated for the Ray Guy Award, but didn’t made the cut for semifinalists. Gill was an All-Big 8 Conference performer in soccer and football at Cedar Ridge.

Icez Barnett: Belmont Abbey defeated Division II Chowan 83-57 in women’s basketball on Tuesday night. Barnett played six minutes and grabbed one rebound. The Hawks are now 1-6 overall, 1-2 in Conference Carolinas. Chowan returns to action against Erskine on December 14.

Lauren Cates: Spartanburg Methodist defeated the Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team 66-56 in Spartanburg, SC on Monday. Cates started and was the only Eagle to play all 40 minutes. She finished with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-11 from 3-point range. Cates also had three rebounds and one assist. Wake Tech is 5-3, 3-2 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Cates has started all eight of the Eagles games. She is the second leading scorer on the team with 10.6 points per game. She’s shooting 37% from 3-point range. The Eagles travel to Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA on Saturday.

Payton Wilson: UNC defeated N.C. State 41-10 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. Wilson concluded his freshman season with the first interception of his college career, which led to a field goal from Chris Dunn in the 2nd quarter that evened the game 6-6. Wilson also led N.C. State with 14 tackles, including four solo. To conclude his freshman season, Wilson led the team with 69 tackles, one more than sophomore Tanner Ingle. Wilson had 36 unassisted tackles, second on the team. He had five tackles for loss and will likely be included in several year-end awards which will be announced in the subsequent days.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter was busy during the 2nd half of the UNC game. He had six punts for a 48.3 average. His longest punt was 68 yards, his only attempt over 50 yards on the night. Two of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill, who was named to the Ray Guy Watch list last month, was not named a semifinalist. He ends the year with 56 punts for an average of 47.6 yards per attempt. His longest of the year was 75 yards. 24 of the 56 punts were over 50 yards, and 16 of them were downed inside the 20-yard line.

Icez Barnett: Division II Mount Olive defeated Chowan 63-57 on Tuesday inside the Helms Center in Murfreesboro on Wednesday night. Barnett scored two points off 1-of-4 shooting from the field. She played ten minutes. Barnett also grabbed four rebounds and blocked three shots. On Saturday, UNC Pembroke defeated Chowan 55-51 at English E. Jones Center in Pembroke. Barnett played 20 minutes, the most of any of her six games thus far. She went 0-for-5 from the field and finished scoreless, but she did grab two rebounds and dish out an assist. The Hawks are 1-5 overall, 1-1 in Conference Carolinas. Chowan travels to Belmont Abbey on Tuesday.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team routed Sarah Lawrence 68-28 on Monday at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, CT. Campbell, a redshirt sophomore, scored seven points off the bench in 15 minutes. She shot 3-of-5 from the field, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range. Campbell also grabbed four rebounds, and was credited with two assists and a steal. The Bantams had a game scheduled against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Sunday, but it was canceled because of winter weather. Trinity is 6-1, has won six in a row and closed out a stretch of seven games in ten days with the Sarah Lawrence win. They travel to Connecticut College on Thursday.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The former Orange Panther ended his college soccer career with Division III Dickinson College last month. Johns Hopkins defeated Dickinson 2-0 in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament at Franklin & Marshall University in Lancaster, PA on November 9. Reid-Shaw started at center back. The Red Devils end the year 10-8. Reid-Shaw ends his career with 67 games played. He scored he only goal of his Dickinson career on his senior night game, a 3-1 victory over Muhlenberg on October 30. This season, Reid-Shaw played in 17 games, starting 13. He had one assist in his sophomore year.

Payton Wilson: After he missed the Louisville game on November 16 with an injured shoulder, Wilson returned to the lineup for the N.C. State football team on Thursday night in Atlanta. Georgia Tech defeated the Wolfpack 28-26 in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Wilson finished with seven tackles, including a half-tackle for loss. The loss ended any chance of the Wolfpack making a bowl game. Wilson is second on the Wolfpack with 55 tackles. Only sophomore safety Tanner Ingle has more. He also has five tackles for loss and three pass breakups. N.C. State will face North Carolina next Saturday in Raleigh to end the year.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge kicker had three punts against the Yellow Jackets. He averaged 40 yards per punt with one downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also had six kickoff for with two touchbacks.

Keshawn Thompson: The FCS Campbell Camels ended the season with a 41-31 loss to Charleston Southern at Buccaneer Field in Charleston, S.C. Thompson had two tackles against the Buccaneers. Thompson concludes the campaign with 24 tackles with one for a loss. After a 6-1 start, the Camels end the year on a four-game losing streak. They went 3-3 in the Big South Conference.

Adam Chnupa: The FCS Elon Phoenix concluded the season in thrilling fashion on Saturday. Skyler Davis kicked a 35-yard field goal with 41 seconds remaining as Elon defeated Towson 25-23 at Unitas Stadium in Towson, MD. Chnupa was credited with a tackle on special teams, the first tackle of his college career. Elon ended the year 5-6, 4-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Icez Barnett: The 2019 Orange High graduate scored her first college points on Saturday. Division II Chowan edged North Greenville 76-75 at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro. It was Chowan’s Conference Carolinas opener. Barnett played nine minutes off the bench, scored four points and grabbed five rebounds, four of them offensive. She also had two steals. The Hawks are 1-3 and will host Mount Olive on Tuesday.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team won two games in the Gordon College Classic at Bennett College in Wenham, MA this weekend. On Friday, the Bantams defeated New England College 68-56. Campbell played seven minutes as a reserve and didn’t score. On Saturday, Trinity defeated Gordon 68-57. Campbell didn’t play in the game. Trinity has won five in a row and will play its seventh game in ten days against Sarah Lawrence College on Saturday.

Lauren Cates: As mentioned in Wednesday’s update, the Wake Technical Community College women’s basketball team defeated Lenoir Community College 88-51 on Wednesday in Kinston. Cates, who graduated in June, finished with 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field. She was 2-of-5 from 3-point range and one of four Eagles in double figures. Cates also had five rebounds, four assists and two assists. Through seven games, Cates has started every contest for the Eagles. She’s averaging 11 points per contest and shooting 42.5% from 3-point range. Wake Tech returns to action against Spartanburg Methodist on December 2.

Madison Wardlow: After she played in some of the opening game of the season for Guilford Technical Community College, Wardlow is out right now with a leg injury.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team started its season with two games in two days. On Friday, North Georgia defeated the Hawks 82-67 in the opening game of the UNG Nighthawk Classic at the UNG Convocation Center in Dahlonega, GA. Barnett, who graduated from Orange in June after being named the co-Big 8 Conference Player of the Year in her senior season, played three minutes without scoring. She was 0-for-1 from the field with one steal. On Saturday, Georgia College defeated Chowan 59-54. Against the Bobcats, Barnett played 12 minutes. She went 0-for-2 from the field and grabbed two rebounds. Chowan plays its home opener against Francis Marion in Wednesday in Murfreesboro.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team is off to a 3-2 start. Cates, who also graduated from Orange last June, has started all five games for the Eagles. On Wednesday, Cates scored 12 points in a 67-64 loss to Cape Fear Community College. Cates went 4-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range. She also had three rebounds and two assists. Cates also started in a 67-61 win over CCBC Essex last Sunday. Cates led the Eagles with 12 points in a 58-50 loss to USC-Salkehatchie on November 9. In a 117-24 rout of Fayetteville Technical Community College, Cates scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team won its first game of the season with a 74-52 victory over Montclair State at Trinity Tip-Off Tournament at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, CT on Saturday. Campbell, now a redshirt sophomore who graduated from Orange in 2017, played eight minutes. She grabbed three rebounds and had one assist. Eastern Connecticut State defeated Trinity 77-67 on Friday. Campbell came off the bench to score two points.

Trenton Gill: Louisville, coached by 1991 Orange High graduate Scott Satterfield, defeated N.C. State 34-20 on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Gill punted twice. He averaged 54 yards per punt. His longest was 58 yards. Gill also had four kickoffs. Two of them went for touchbacks.

Keshawn Thompson: In FCS action on Saturday, Monmouth defeated Campbell 47-10 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson had a tackle for loss. The Camels are 6-4, 3-2 in the Big South Conference. They conclude its season at Charleston Southern next Saturday.

Adam Chnupa: Maine defeated Elon 31-17 on Senior Day for the Phoenix at Rhodes Stadium. Chnupa played special teams for Elon. The Phoenix are 4-6, 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They will conclude its season next Saturday at Towson.

Rodney Brooks: Johnston C. Smith defeated Livingston 34-6 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks finished the year with four tackles, including one-half tackle for loss. He also had a pass breakup. The Blue Bears end the season 4-6, 1-6 in the CIAA.

Kevin Wright: North Carolina Wesleyan had a successful end to the season on Saturday. The Battling Bishops defeated Maryville 23-0 at the Vernon T. Bradley Complex in Rocky Mount. Wright played safety. Wesleyan finished the year 6-4 overall, 5-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. They finished one game behind conference champion Huntingdon.

Jack Schmid: Division III Wheaton College completed an undefeated regular season with a 10-0 record as they routed Elmhurst 58-0 in Naperville, IL. Schmid, a former quarterback at Orange, has played two games for the Thunder this season. Wheaton will host Martin Luther in the opening round of the Division III playoffs next Saturday at McCully Stadium.

Taylor Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team had its season end on Thursday. Mount Olive defeated the Saints 1-0 in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas tournament. Jean started as the Limestone goalkeeper and made five saves in the loss. This season, Jean started 16 games in net. She finished with a 8-8 record and a 1.37 goals against average and 56 saves.

785 days. That’s the amount of time Cedar Ridge varsity football waited for a win.

In fact, the heartache went deeper on several levels. On August 18, 2017, Cedar Ridge defeated Carrboro 21-6, but the game was stopped late in the second quarter. Though there was little doubt the Red Wolves would still defeat the Jaguars that night, you had to go all the way back to November 4, 2016 to find the last time Cedar Ridge won a game that lasted all four quarters.

That win was against Northern Vance, a school that no longer exists.

On October 11, Cedar Ridge was due. In particular, it was a special night for seniors Bradon Thompson, Braxton Mergenthal, Zach Holmes, K.J. Barnes, Brandon Poteat, Jai’Keel Gibbs and Matthew Hinton. It was Homecoming against Chapel Hill.

As tough as Cedar Ridge’s 1-10 season in 2019 ended up being, it wasn’t nearly as painful as the year before.

That’s because, in 2018, the varsity Red Wolves varsity didn’t play at all.

The deceit, staff turnover, player turnover and stress from that decision has been told time and again in this space. It not only hurt Cedar Ridge in football, but none of the other men’s athletic teams at Cedar Ridge made the state playoffs in 2018-19. It’s doubtful that was a coincidence.

Any or all of Cedar Ridge’s seven seniors could have elected to leave in the summer of 2018. No one would have blamed them. Five of their teammates did. But those seniors remained and they started to see the fruit of their courageousness pay off against Chapel Hill.

Cedar Ridge would defeat Chapel Hill 20-19 behind 190 yards and three touchdowns from sophomore running back Isaiah McCambry.

Cedar Ridge spent much of the game playing catch up. Chapel Hill’s Caleb Clegg opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run. Tyler Roberts extra point bolted the Tigers ahead 7-0.

McCabry scored his first touchdown on a 53-yard run late in the first half.

Chapel Hill opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Jaylen Mitchell scored off a two-yard touchdown run, but the extra point failed.

Barnes returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards. McCambry rumbled up the middle for a four-yard touchdown run to cut Chapel Hill’s lead to 13-12.

Clegg struck pay dirt for the second time midway through the third quarter. With Chapel Hill leading 19-12, McCambry scored his third touchdown with a 36-yard burst up the middle. Cedar Ridge Coach Torrean Hinton didn’t hesitate on the extra point, sending out his offense for a two-point conversion.

Instead of going to McCambry, the Red Wolves ran a trick play. Quarterback Willam Berger faked a handoff to McCambry, instead sending the ball to Barnes, who ran an end-around. He had the entire end of the field to himself and scored untouched into the left corner of the end zone to give Cedar Ridge a 20-19 lead with four minutes remaining.

The Tigers managed to drive into Cedar Ridge territory late, but junior Desi Raspberry broke up a late pass attempt. A desperation field goal attempt came up short for the Tigers and Cedar Ridge finally savored a long-awaited taste of victory on their Homecoming night.

The fall sports season for Hillsborough middle schools ended with two local team appearing in the Orange-Person Athletic Conference Championship games.

On October 30, Southern Middle School led Stanford 14-0 in the OPAC Football Championship game in Roxboro. The game was stopped a few minutes into the third quarter after Stanford linebacker Jeremy Morrow suffered a concussion following a hard hit. According to Kelly Snow of PersonCountySportsNow.com, one of Southern’s assistant coaches is an ER nurse who treated Morrow immediately. After staying at Duke Children’s Hospital for one night, Morrow was released and returned home. Stanford ends the year 5-3.

On the same day, the Gravelly Hill football team defeated the Stanback Bulldogs 16-6 to conclude its season. Maliky Poole opened the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Derick Yanko. On the subsequent 2-point conversion, Yanko scored to push the Grizzlies lead to 8-0.

Gravelly’s other touchdown came when Yanko threw to Mason Cates. Yanko added another 2-point run on the point after.

Running back Tyler Fields had a strong all-around game for the Grizzlies. He had several strong runs on offense and made big tackles on defense as a linebacker.

In addition to his touchdown, Cates had an interception, a fumble recovery and several big tackles on defense. Christian Moore also had a solid day for the Grizzlies to conclude the season at 3-4.

Boy’s Soccer: The Gravelly Hill boys soccer team claimed its 3rd straight OPAC Northern Division championship when they defeated Phillips 5-1. Nathan Sorrells had a hat trick for the Grizzlies, while Konnor Johnson and Carson Condon each scored for the Grizzlies. Smith Middle School defeated the Grizzlies for the OPAC Championship.

Also in the final week of October, the Stanback Bulldogs defeated Stanford 4-0 to conclude its season. It was a special night for the Stanback 8th graders who won its final home game. The Bulldogs were coached by J.P. Joubert and Mary-Kathryn Scheppegrell.

Kevin Wright: In Sunday’s Alumni Update, we didn’t include Kevin Wright’s latest game because he was erroneously reported as having not played during North Carolina Wesleyan’s game against Huntingdon on Saturday. In fact, Wright did play as Wesleyan won 23-7 at Samford Stadium in Montgomery, AL. Wright was credited with three tackles as the Battling Bishops improved to 5-4 overall, 4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Wesleyan will conclude its season against Maryville on Senior Day in Rocky Mount on Saturday.

Finally, last week during a column I wrote regarding the Chapel Hill-Orange rivalry, I mentioned that Orange High School never received a golden football from the National Football League despite the fact that 1993 Orange graduate Alvis Whitted had played in Super Bowl XXXVII for the Oakland Raiders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That was incorrect. In fact, Orange did receive a gold football from the NFL in 2016 for the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl and is, in fact, in the trophy case outside the Orange High Gymnasium. I apologize to the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell for the error.

Speaking of which, Whitted is now the wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers. Whitted left Colorado State last year and joined the Packers over the summer. He actually started he coaching career at Orange before reaching the college ranks.

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell Fighting Camels of the Football Championship Subdivision suffered its first Big South Conference loss of the season to #11 Kennesaw State, 38-35, at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. Thompson, who wasn’t credited for a tackle last week against North Alabama, made a career-high seven tackles against the Owls. A redshirt sophomore, Thompson had five tackles in a season-opening loss to Troy of the Sun Belt Conference. Campbell is 6-3 overall, 3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. They return to action against Monmouth next Saturday.

Payton Wilson: #4 Clemson defeated N.C. State 55-10 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday night. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, left the game with a sprained left shoulder in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return. Wilson had two tackles up to that point. He emerged from the locker room with his left arm in a sling on the sidelines during the 2nd half. After the game, Wolfpack Coach Dave Doeren said he didn’t know how long Wilson would be out. N.C. State has three games remaining, starting with Louisville next Saturday in Raleigh.

Trenton Gill: Against Clemson, Gill had five punts for an average of 52.2 yards per punt. On a brisk night, his longest was 75 yards. Three of the punts were over 50 yards, two were downed inside the 20-yard line and one was a touchback. Gill also had three kickoffs, one of which was a touchback.

Adam Chnupa: The FCS Elon Phoenix’s hopes making the FCS playoffs took a drastic hit on Saturday after losing 31-17 to Maine at Rhodes Stadium in Elon. Chnupa, redshirt freshman, played special teams for Elon, who falls to 4-6, 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Rodney Brooks: In CIAA action on Saturday, Fayetteville State defeated Livingston 32-0 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks, who suited up for Livingstone, had three tackles, including one for a loss. Brooks is classified as a junior, according to the Livingstone website. The Blue Bears haven’t scored in eight quarters and have lost five straight. They’re 4-5 overall, 1-5 in the CIAA. They conclude the season next week against Johnston C. Smith in Salisbury next week.

Chandler Compton: After four years on the Wofford men’s soccer team, Compton’s college career came to an end on Friday night. The Terriers lost to Mercer 3-0 in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Stone Soccer Stadium in Greenville, S.C. Wofford finished the year 4-13-1. Compton played in two games. He played 17 games in his Wofford career. He scored one goal in 2018 against VMI.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The college career of Lionel Reid-Shaw also ended on Saturday. Division III Johns Hopkins defeated Dickinson 2-0 in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament at Franklin & Marshall University in Lancaster, PA. Reid-Shaw scored his only college goal last week in his final home game against Muhlenberg. Reid-Shaw concludes his career with the Red Devils with 67 games played. He started 45 with one goal and one assist. Dickinson ends the year 10-8.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone Saints women’s soccer team defeated North Greenville University 2-1 in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Saturday at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. Jean started at goalkeeper for the Saints and earned the win after she made three saves. Limestone, who is a #4 seed in the tournament, will face regular season champion Mount Olive on Thursday in the semifinals.

Brittany Daley: The season of the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team ended in the semifinals of the USA South Athletic Conference on Friday. Covenant College defeated Greensboro 3-1 on penalty kicks after the two sides played to a scoreless tie in regulation. Greensboro lost despite outshooting the Scots 22-3 in regulation. As she has done every game this season, Daley started at center back for the Pride. Daley didn’t attempt a penalty during the shootout. Greensboro, which went undefeated in the regular season last year only to lose in the USA South Conference Tournament and were denied a trip to the Division III National Tournament, end the year 13-4-2. Daley, a sophomore, started all 19 games for the Pride.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith volleyball team had its season come to an end in the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday. Maryville defeated Methodist 3-1 in the USA South semifinals at the Grant Center in Danville, VA. Lucas started again for Meredith and finished with 25 assists, eleven digs, and one kill. In the quarterfinals, Meredith defeated William Peace 3-1 at Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Wednesday. Lucas started and had 28 assists, 10 digs and one kill. Meredith ends the year 20-9. Lucas was 2nd on the team this season with 267 assists.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team had an exhibition game against Gardner-Webb last week. The Running Bulldogs won 69-33. Barnett came off the bench and played three minutes. She grabbed one rebound. The Hawks will officially start its season on Friday against North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA.

Lauren Cates: Wake Tech Community College improved to 2-0 on the season with a 117-24 win over Fayetteville Technical Community College at Reid Ross Gymnasium in Fayetteville on Wednesday night. Cates scored 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Cates also had three rebounds, three steals and two assists. On Saturday, the Eagles suffered its first loss of the season to South Carolina-Salkehatchie 58-50. Statistics from that game weren’t immediately available.

by Tim Hackett

Everything had led to this. All the hard work, the long hours, the grueling drills, the tough losses, they all built up to one more moment: Friday’s regular season finale, which meant one more chance for the Cedar Ridge players to go out and compete after a year without football. One more chance to strap ‘em up with your teammates and play together. One more chance to play spoiler and uproot a conference rival’s strong season. One more chance to prove to others – and themselves – that they belong. 

Instead, Vance County quickly proved why they might be a legitimate force in the 3A playoffs in just the second year of this version of the school. A Viper team that averaged close to 33 points and just shy of 400 yards of offense in the first ten games of the 2019 season easily surpassed both of those lofty marks in their regular season finale, as Vance County (9-2, 5-2 Big 8) dominated its first-ever meeting with Cedar Ridge (1-10, 1-6) 65-6 on Friday night in Henderson. 

The Red Wolves picked up one first down and then punted on their first possession, and once the Vipers got the ball, they swiftly showcased that elite offense that’s helped them dominate nearly every team they’ve played this season save for the two Big 8 teams from Durham. Against this team from Hillsborough, Vance County scored eight touchdowns on eight offensive possessions before taking knees on their final one, and even scored once on a defensive possession, and barely allowed Cedar Ridge to cross midfield until the waning minutes of the game. Quarterback Samein Burwell, who averages more total yards of offense per game individually than Cedar Ridge does as a team, authored one more chapter in the story of his electrifying senior season, throwing for three touchdowns in the first half and eclipsing the 3000 total yard mark with another standout all-around performance.

Noah Terry, one of the conference’s best two-way players, scored four total touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air. Davonte Evans rushed for two scores. Top wideout Phadol Jordan found the end zone on both sides of the ball, including a 60-yard fumble recovery for six in the first quarter. Burwell hit Jordan for two two-point conversions and hit William Hawkins IV for two more. Even backup quarterback Saimir Best got in on the action, scoring a 32-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion for his first trip to the end zone since Vance County’s fourth game of the season. 

The Vipers players and fans who braved the sub-40-degree temperatures got to see plenty of great plays, but they were never louder than they were late in the first quarter. Phadol Jordan had just put the game beyond any doubt with his fumble recovery to make it 28-0 in the first period, but Vance County kicker Stephanie Melgar added in some history by knocking through the PAT. Vance County’s first made kick of the season was made by the conference’s only regular female player, and the Senior Night crowd gave the soccer veteran some much-deserved appreciation. 

It was always going to be a difficult task for a Cedar Ridge team once again playing without a few regulars to contain a truly elite offense, but the Vipers, also working without a few key players, still showcased a solid defense and didn’t have to worry about poor special teams play on this night. Those latter two phases could be problematic for Vance County once they hit the playoffs, but if the Viper offense plays as close to as well as it played Friday, it’s tough to imagine many teams slowing them down.  

But even in the worst, most lopsided loss in a season full of them, the Cedar Ridge players once again showcased their resolve, tenacity, heart and desire to compete. It’s not easy to look back and say that Vance County was simply a far better team than Cedar Ridge and played like it. It would have been easy for Cedar Ridge, knowing that fact, to just give up or not even try. But try they did. Sure, the Vipers still executed, but that’s a testament to Vance County’s skill level. The manner in which the Cedar Ridge players comported themselves, in this tough game and all throughout this tough season, is a testament to their coaches, their families, and to their own characters. 

And the Red Wolves got to put up a few highlights of their own on the field as well. Zach Holmes completed another fake punt pass. His brother Toby Holmes handled the punting duties in the second half and looked pretty solid. KJ Barnes was Cedar Ridge’s best player in his final football game, turning multiple catches along the line of scrimmage into double-digit gains. Braedon Thompson, like usual, made a bunch of stops, even in the fourth quarter. And once the Red Wolves finally got into the red zone with the running clock winding down, Braxton Mergenthal got to add one final moment to his stellar senior season, running the ball in around right tackle from three yards out for his first career touchdown. One of the guys who helped to lay the foundation for Cedar Ridge’s return to football relevance got one more moment to remember, and on a cold night a long way from home, Cedar Ridge finally had cause to celebrate.

Friday night will be the end of the chapter of the lives of Braedon Thompson and Braxton Mergenthal. It will be their last football game as Cedar Ridge Red Wolves when they face Vance County in Henderson. Thompson and Mergenthal have been teammates on the gridiron for over a decade of their young lives. Aside from one year when Mergenthal moved to Germany, they’ve been teammates more often than not. While Cedar Ridge is 1-9 this season, the key role for Thompson, Mergenthal and the rest of the Cedar Ridge seniors wasn’t simply about winning. It was keeping the program alive. Cedar Ridge didn’t field a varsity team in 2018. Instead of transferring, Thompson, Mergenthal and the rest of the seniors stayed at Cedar Ridge and played junior varsity football last year. Whatever success the Red Wolves have in the future will be directly because of the sacrifice that the Red Wolves seniors made this year. Hillsboroughsports.com will broadcast Cedar Ridge at Vance County tonight at 6:55 with Tim Hackett on the play-by-play. Kickoff will be at 7.