Cedar Ridge Football

by John Franklin

My middle school baseball coach always told me, “Everyone loves a winner” or “Everyone at the game has a good time when you’re winning”.

Coach, you got that right.

If you came to last Friday night’s varsity football game at Cedar Ridge Stadium, a good time was had by all during the Red Wolves’ 20-19 victory over Chapel Hill – especially when you break a winless drought of 785 days.

I seriously hate talking about myself, but have to explain.

During the game, outside of the normal announcements of plays, yardage, ball spot, penalties, etc. – I have incorporated something that is becoming a new trend. In the vast collection of music files on my laptop, I also have a batch of …. Sound Effects.

What!? Sound effects? Seriously!? – ABSOLUTELY! I’m not playing them all game long, just a few clips here and there for fun, and even some drama. With many of these clips – My inner pro wrestling fan comes out.

To start each game, I go back to circa 1997 when the faction known as the nWo (or New World Order) Wolfpac would come out to the song, “Don’t Turn Your Back on the Wolfpac”.

To the pure football fans, I’m certain you’re thinking I’m turning the game into a circus. But in reality, it’s something I’ve embraced to make the game more fun. The response I got from the Red Wolf faithful is that they’re embracing it too. For example, when Isiah McCambry emphatically charges 15 yards for a first down or Will Berger completes a long pass to a receiver to acquire a first down, or any play that results in a first down, cue up the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and his signature cry of “WHOO!!!”

I procured this simple two-second clip, and it’s caught on. Every time Cedar Ridge tallies a first down, I’ll strike up “Naitch”. The great thing about this, the Red Wolf fans respond with their own rendition of “WHOO!!!!” every time I cue up a trio of Ric Flairs. Then again, it caught on with the opposing fans too. Last season during the JV game and in this year’s varsity game against Chapel Hill, the Tiger fans would mock the Wolf Pack from their section by returning the Ric Flairs in their condescending way.

Afterwards, I’ll play something that they’re not expecting. “Oh YEAH!” I’ve played another legend in “Macho Man” Randy Savage; cartoon legend Daffy Duck with his traditional laugh; and even went to hip-hop legend Flavor Flav and his traditional “Yeah, Boyee!!” For big time rushes, you may even hear another hall of famer in Michael Hegstrand (you know him better as Road Warrior Hawk) in his trademark saying, “What a Rush!”, or the Roadrunner “MEEP MEEP”.

Oddly enough, the Pack will say these same things in response.

For the dramatic effect, I use a clip that makes Jeff Hamlin happy. The AC/DC tenor bell. That’s right, the big BONG you hear at the beginning of “Hell’s Bells” is my go to sound when rallying up the crowd on 3rd and 4th down defensive plays. This is reminiscent of 3rd & 4th down plays at UNC and Appalachian State that uses the same sound.

When a penalty flag appears upon a play, and no one knows who it’s against, I’ll play the familiar “Doink Doink” that’s synonymous with the Law & Order franchise. It definitely gets people’s attention as to who’s moving forward or backwards.

But when the Red Wolves cross into the end zone for a touchdown or conversion, kick a successful field goal, score a safety, or win the game, I’ll sound the horn. This comes from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, whose goal horn is tied into the late Warren Zevon’s hit song, “Werewolves of London”.

Again, I’m not trying to make sporting events into farces, but sporting events were made to be fun. All that I’m trying to do is add to a very fun atmosphere. When growing up in Marion and attending games at McDowell, we didn’t have these effects. Despite very vocal, if not rabid, fans, we would create our own effects and traditions.

Which reminds me. If you’ve come to volleyball matches inside Cedar Ridge Arena, you may have heard some of the aforementioned sounds. The students have also become very extemporaneous in their enthusiasm as it has assisted the Lady Wolves to their best season since 2015. It all started with a Cedar Ridge student shouting “OH YEAH!” (In similarity to the Kool-Aid Man), when an opposing team would serve or receive a serve.

It’s been fun this season on New Grady Brown School Drive, and I’m certain more fun is coming down the road. I for one am glad to come along for the rid

By Tim Hackett

Last week in Hillsborough, something just felt different. Now, that sounds trite and impossible to conceptualize, but it was true – and last week, with a well-stocked and well-dressed Homecoming crowd on hand, Cedar Ridge turned that magical feeling into its first varsity win in close to 800 days. This week in Chapel Hill, everything once again just felt a little different – but the Red Wolves quickly realized that, this time around, different meant bad. 

With that mystical Homecoming magic now working against them, Cedar Ridge (1-7, 1-3 Big 8) went three-and-out on its first four drives, threw four interceptions, had two touchdowns wiped out due to penalties, and were simply outplayed by an East Chapel Hill (1-7, 1-3) team that hadn’t won at the varsity level in almost exactly a year. The Wildcats keyed in on the Red Wolves’ offensive gameplan early, and, from there, all it took was a few mistakes from the visitors and a few big plans from the hosts to help the Wildcats to a comprehensive 33-12 victory that snapped a ten-game losing streak dating back to October 12 of last year. 

A week ago, the Tigers and the Red Wolves were so methodical and successful moving the ball that each team had one possession in the first quarter and just three full possessions in the first half. That wasn’t the case this week: Cedar Ridge had four possessions in the first quarter alone, but didn’t pick up a single first down. Zach Holmes only had to attempt three punts last game. He had four in the first quarter in this one. On the other side, East Chapel Hill also produced three punts and two three-and-outs in the first quarter, but the Wildcats also produced an Anton Enoch quarterback keeper for a one-yard touchdown, set up by a massive connection from Enoch to his brother Anthony a few plays before. 

From that point until halftime, the Cedar Ridge defense was rock solid. East had three possessions in the second quarter – one ended in a three-and-out, one ended in a Desi Raspberry end zone interception, and one ended the half. But in that same span, East still managed to score 13 points with their offense watching from the sidelines. 

The Red Wolves were finally able to move the ball to begin their first drive of the quarter, but only because they fooled the Wildcat defense with the same trick play that won them the game against Chapel Hill last week – a Will Berger right-side toss to Isaiah McCambry ended up a handoff to K.J. Barnes running an end-around from right to left. Last week that got the Red Wolves two points, this week it got them about 45 yards and put McCambry in position to find the end zone on another right-side toss – only for the score to be called back due to a penalty. Facing a third-and-goal from the 15, Berger opted to pass for Barnes staring at one-on-one coverage, but ZaMail Vaughn won the individual battle and came away with a pick in the end zone to stop the threat. 

The Cedar Ridge defense promptly forced a three-and-out, and a bad East punt placed the Red Wolves right around midfield. But on the very first play, Berger tried to quickly hit Barnes on the left sideline, but the pass was too high and Barnes, volleyball setter-style, tipped the ball in the air with both hands. It fell perfectly into the hands of Zaion Vaughn, who redeemed himself for his poor punt by racing the pick back 46 yards to the house. A great return of the ensuing kickoff put Cedar Ridge right back at its own 45, but just a couple of plays later new quarterback Elijah Whitaker zipped a risky pass to the right flank that his receiver never saw – but Zaion Vaughn did see it, and he returned this pass about 60 yards to the house. The next Red Wolves possession saw Barnes ejected and while Raspberry was able to help save face by picking off Enoch in the end zone, the damage was done: the Wildcats led 20-0 at the break. 

Perhaps energized by the Homecoming festivities or the prospect of holding a halftime lead, the Wildcats struck instantly in the second half, with Anton Enoch once again connecting with Anthony on a 37-yard rainbow of a touchdown pass over the defense. Nicholas DeMasi doinked the PAT in off the left upright – it really was that kind of night. Cedar Ridge punted once and went four-and-out once in the third quarter, but McCambry opened the fourth with a two-yard score to finally get the visitors on the board. Vaughan Lanier missed the extra point, but any sniff of a Cedar Ridge comeback was instantly snuffed out when Zaion Vaughn caught Ian Kavanaugh’s low kickoff right in the gullet and freight trained his way for a 75-yard kickoff return. 

ZaMail Vaughn got back in on the action by picking off Berger again on the next drive, this time off a drop by Tyler Roberts, and East gifted Cedar Ridge the ball right back with botched snap on the next play, the Red Wolves simply ran out of time. The visitors marched down the field, helped by a couple of strong runs from Aiden Seagroves, to set up another McCambry score, but that too was wiped out due to a penalty – it really was that kind of night. For some reason the clock kept running during the final few minutes, but no one made any protest. East Chapel Hill deserved the win, and it got the win, 33-12.

Cedar Ridge probably should have been the favored team against the winless Wildcats, but, in truth, the Red Wolves were playing at a disadvantage from the get-go. Now that certainly doesn’t fully excuse the result, but it does go a ways towards explaining it. With a few key contributors present but not dressed and still other starters not even present, Cedar Ridge was playing short-handed, and that severely restricted the Red Wolves’ depth on both sides. Once Barnes was tossed, Cedar Ridge became more one-dimensional on offense than they were before, and the Wildcats’ defensive front stonewalled McCambry all evening. It remains to be seen if Cedar Ridge will get any of those missing players back any time soon, but, if not, those who are there will need to regroup in a hurry: up next is conference title frontrunner Southern Durham, and the Red Wolves will have to be ready to go if they want to avoid this kind of night again.

Doing play-by-play for football requires a lot of preparation. There’s a lot of names and numbers to memorize. Plenty of facts to pour over and write down. Football tends to draw the biggest listening audience to the website (though there have been baseball and softball games that have drawn more listeners, except for the 2016 Orange-Havelock football game), so no announcer worth their salt wants to sound uneducated to a listener.

When you try to fool the viewer at home, chances are the broadcaster is the one who will get fooled.

If you do enough games, a broadcaster will see some memorable ones, to one degree or another. The 2014 Orange-Chapel Hill football game stands out for me, when Orange came back from a 21-7 deficit to win 38-37. After Bryse Wilson recovered an onside kick, Tay Jones scored on a long touchdown run, then cashed in on a 2-point conversion with 37 seconds remaining.

I was lucky to do seven years of play-by-play for Northern Durham, where all of the teams had a goal to win the state championship every August. None of the squads I covered ever did, but there were some amazing games. The 2001 Northern Nash-Northern game stands out, where Fred Williams scored on a slant from 65-yards with 1:31 remaining to tie the game, only to have Northern Nash run the subsequent kickoff back 91 yards for a touchdown to win.

Every broadcaster will have forgettable games if they do it for a long time.

Then there are the games that are unforgettable for perverse reasons.

For me and some of my friends, that game is the 2006 Cedar Ridge-East Chapel Hill game.

The game was played on Labor Day, which was fitting, because both offenses sure did labor. Cedar Ridge won 3-0 in what was merely the worst football game ever played. How bad? The longest play from scrimmage was 14 yards. Cedar Ridge had 97 yards total offense—and won.

In the 2nd quarter, Cedar Ridge recovered a fumble deep in East territory and proceeded to go minus-three yards on the subsequent three plays.

And this was the game-winning drive.

Cedar Ridge’s kicker a 29-yard field goal and the two teams spent the rest of the night slogging across a muddy field with one punt piled on top of another.

Which leads us to the officiating, not a subject I look to insult because it’s a hard job and high school sports needs as many bodies as they can nowadays.

But they need people who know the rules.

Any casual football viewer understands what happens when a block in the back is called on the receiving team during a punt. It has to happen once a game, at least.

The receiving team is penalized ten years from the spot of the foul, but they keep possession of the ball.

This simple fact eluded the officiating crew on this night, who called the block in the back penalty against East. But instead of correctly switching possession to East, they gave Cedar Ridge the ball back like it was a roughing the kicker penalty.

And the crew did this TWICE.

After the second time, I completely lost it on the air. I ripped the officials, saying if they didn’t know the rules, they didn’t need to be out there. I threw it to a break at one point with the words “We go to the 4th quarter, and not a moment too soon.”

My colorman, Walter Storholt, couldn’t contain his laughter.

Did I mention there was a rain delay at halftime? Play-by-play men HATE rain delays in football because we have to kill time. We’re talking about anything. By the time the delay started in a slog of a game, I felt like I was sitting beside John Matuzak and Woody Hayes in football purgatory (O.J. Simpson’s seat is warm and waiting, by the way)

Ah, but one bright memory remains.

East’s coach was David Thompson, who spoke with a high-pitched lisp that Avery Johnson would have found exaggerated. His tenure at East was, at best, difficult. But it did lead to the greatest halftime interview in recorded broadcasting history, one that has remained in my Dropbox folder for some 13 years.

I’m not sure how my friend Johnny Jones maintained a straight face through this, but it’s a true tribute to his immense talent that he did.

Enjoy.

For my money, on the list of the greatest coaching rants, you can have your Dennis Greens. You can have your Jim Moras. You can have your Mike Singletarys.

“There’s my foot, I’m going to shoot it” lives on forever, as much as airing over a 5,000 watt AM station possibly can. When I see some of my former WCHL friends to this day, we blurt out “there’s my foot” just to crack each other up.

In 1995, Cowboy Junkies released a song called “A Common Disaster,” which is about people growing closer based off of troubling stories from their past.

Cedar Ridge-East from 2006 will always be my Common Disaster. Aside from most of my first dates, of course.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore running back Isaiah McCambry. On Friday night, McCambry ran for 190 yards and three touchdowns as Cedar Ridge defeated Chapel Hill 20-19 at Red Wolves Stadium. McCambry has rushed for over 100 yards twice this season. In the Big 8 Conference opener against Northwood on September 27, McCambry ran for 102 yards and a touchdown at Northwood. Isaiah was part of a promising group of young players who suited up for the Cedar Ridge junior varsity team last year.  Now he8s ready to help propel Cedar a Ridge football into the future under head coach Torrean Hinton. This Friday, the Red Wolves travel to East Chapel Hill looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since 2016. 

What’s better than winning your first varsity football game in 765 days? Winning two in a row would be the answer for Cedar Ridge, which is what the Red Wolves are focused on this week as they prepare for East Chapel Hill. Braxton Mergenthal had another strong game for Cedar Ridge in its 20-19 victory over Chapel Hill last Friday. Mergenthal also doesn’t believe in days off. He plays football in the fall, suits up for the varsity basketball team in the winter and then play lacrosse during the spring. As his Cedar Ridge football career winds to a close, he wants to leave in great shape for his younger brother, Jake, who also plays on team. Most of all, Mergenthal wants to go out with some more wins as Cedar Ridge enters its final four games. They start with East Chapel Hill this Friday at Dave Thaden Stadium in Chapel Hill. You can hear the game live on Hillsboroughsports.com with Tim Hackett, Jason Knapp and Jmari Graham starting at 6:55 with the C&R Ski Outdoor pregame show this Friday night.

The finish line is approaching for several fall sports. After the Big 8 Women’s Tennis Championships last week at East Chapel Hill High School, two singles players qualified for the 3A Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center. Another tandem qualified for the doubles regionals.

In volleyball, Cedar Ridge and Orange enter the week tied for 3rd place after the Lady Panthers defeated the Red Wolves last Thursday. Orange hosts Chapel Hill this week, while Cedar Ridge will have senior night on Tuesday against East Chapel Hill. Orange will also have its senior night on Thursday against Southern Durham.

In men’s soccer, the second leg of the Hillsborough Derby will be held tonight (Monday) at Orange. After Cedar Ridge rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Orange in penalty kicks last month, the Panthers will look to split the season series tonight at Orange Soccer Stadium. Cedar Ridge defeated Orange last year at OHS. Cedar Ridge is on the state playoff bubble, currently ranked #63 in the Maxpreps ranking. Orange is #71.

Of course, on Friday night, there’s football. Cedar Ridge, coming off the Chapel Hill win last week, will look for its first winning streak since September 2016 when they travel to East Chapel Hill. Interestingly, the last time Cedar Ridge won consecutive games, they defeated Jordan-Matthews and East Chapel Hill en route to a 6-5 season.

Orange will make its first-ever trip to Vance County. After a disappointing performance against Northern Durham, Orange’s state playoff hopes may be on the line against the Vipers.

Without further ado, here’s this week’s Magnificent 7.

Isaiah McCambry: The sophomore was simply sensational in the Cedar Ridge football team’s 20-19 win over Chapel Hill. He amassed 190 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Red Wolves won a varsity football game for the first time in 765 days. McCambry has a chance at a 1,000 yard season. With four games remaining, he has 630 yards and five touchdowns.

Brianna Cellini: Cellini qualified for the 3A Mideast Regional tennis tournament in doubles. Last week, Cellini and Mary-Hunter Millet partnered to advance to the semifinals of the Big 8 Conference Tournament. Cellini and Millet will start play this weekend at the Burlington Tennis Center. Cedar Ridge’s Olivia Ward also qualified for regionals in singles competition.

Anne Morrell: Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team won a meet at Orange last week. Morrell won the women’s race at 22:31.6. In fact, Cedar Ridge had the top seven finishers: Morrell, Zoe Wade, Jill Myler, Ariadna Solis, Allegra Hart, Allison Musty and Sarah Tucker. Morrell has been the top finisher for the Cedar Ridge women in races in Charlotte and Greensboro this season.

Cameron Lloyd: Lloyd is one of three Cedar Ridge players to register 100 points this year. The kicker is all three of those players are freshmen. Lloyd had two 20-kill matches last week. In a four-set win over Northern on Thursday at Poe Gymtorium in Durham, Lloyd had 20 kills, eleven digs, three aces and two assists. In the five-set loss to Orange, Lloyd had a career-high 25 kills, five aces, 17 digs, and an assist.

Jera Hargrove: A sophomore, Hargrove qualified for the 3A Mideast Regionals during the Big 8 Women’s Tennis tournament. In the quarterfinals last Wednesday, Hargrove defeated an opponent from East Chapel Hill 6-2, 6-4 Hargrove also won in Orange’s final dual match of the season against Northern Durham last Monday. Hargrove had to default in her semifinal match in the Big 8 Tournament because of a gimpy knee, but she is set to compete for a spot in the state championships this weekend.

Lottie Scully: The Orange volleyball team is headed to the state playoffs after sweeping Cedar Ridge and Northwood last week. Scully, a sophomore, had 12 kills, three aces, ten blocks and eight digs against the Red Wolves. Scully is second on the team with 72 kills going into Tuesday match against Chapel Hill.

Bennett Fleming: A senior for the Orange men’s cross country team, Fleming finished first in a meet against Cedar Ridge last week at Cedar Ridge. Fleming crossed the finish line at 18:53.6. as Orange won the meet with 26 points. Last month, Fleming was Orange’s top finisher at the Adidas Cross Country Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary.

Cedar Ridge’s 20-19 win over Chapel Hill on Friday night wasn’t just its first varsity win in 765 days. It also showed how persistent this team has grown over the past two months. The Red Wolves trailed until its final possession. But Isaiah McCambry, K.J. Barnes and several big plays by the Cedar Ridge defense wouldn’t let the Red Wolves lose on Homecoming night. Here are the 12 plays that led to Cedar Ridge’s long-awaited 1st win under head coach Torrean Hinton.

1. Zachary Holmes make a key tackle on 3rd-and-12.

Chapel Hill jumped out to a 13-0 lead, but Cedar Ridge’s defense held the Tigers to only six points in the final three quarters. The Tigers tried to mount a drive in the second quarter to go ahead 19-0, but on a 3rd-and-12, Cedar Ridge defensive tackle Zachary Holmes sniffed out a screen pass and forced a punt with a solid tackle.

2. Isaiah McCambry 53 yard touchdown run

Since Cedar Ridge fielded a junior varsity team last season, Isaiah McCambry has been someone the coaching staff has been high on. This game provided a look at the Red Wolves’ future. After Holmes’ stop on the previous Chapel Hill drive, McCambrey injected some momentum with this 53-yard touchdown run to give the Red Wolves life going into halftime.

3. Elijah Whitaker blocks an extra point.

Chapel Hill came out of the locker room with a touchdown, but Elijah Whitaker blocked an extra point. Sometimes missed extra points don’t amount to very much, but this one did by the fourth quarter.

4. Braxton Mergenthal and Jared Clayton team up on big stop

Chapel Hill was in position to take a two touchdown lead in the 3rd quarter. It was only fitting that interior lineman Braxton Mergenthal would factor in on one of the biggest plays of the game for the Cedar Ridge defense. Mergenthal and Jared Clayton fought off blocks on this draw play on 3rd down that led to a Chapel Hill punt.

5. Isaiah McCambry 30 yard run

We’re just getting going on the Isaiah McCambry fun. McCambry finished with a career-high 190 rushing yards and three touchdowns. This was a 30-yard run that led to Cedar Ridge tying the game.

6. McCambry scores his second touchdown

Cedar Ridge drew to within 14-13 after McCambry’s fourth touchdown of the year. Strong blocks from Clayton and right guard Ryan Long on this score as Cedar Ridge went into the final quarter trailing 14-13.

7. Another blocked extra point.

Chapel Hill scored on its first possession of the fourth quarter, but the Tigers missed the extra point. The Red Wolves trailed 20-13 leading to the big finish.

8. K.J. Barnes 49 yard kickoff return

Right after the final Chapel Hill touchdown, Cedar Ridge wide receiver K.J. Barnes would jump start the game-winning drive with a 49-yard kickoff return to immediately put the Red Wolves in scoring position.

9. Isaiah McCambry’s final touchdown from 36 yards

Check out sophomore Jake Mergenthal at fullback on the lead block for McCambry as this play starts. He spring McCambry to the inside of the right tackle, and McCambry does the rest to put Cedar Ridge within one point.

10. K.J. Barnes scores on a 2-point conversion for the game-winning score.

Cedar Ridge got creative on the game-winning score. Lining up in an old school power-I formation, it appeared the Red Wolves would be content with riding the hot hand of McCambry. But Barnes may be the fastest man on the team. Once McCambry handed off to Barnes, he had nothing but open field and he could have skipped to the end zone after he turned the corner.

11. Desi Raspberry breaks up a pass on Chapel Hill’s final drive

Chapel Hill crossed the 50-yard line on its final drive and could have done serious damage if it wasn’t for cornerback Desi Raspberry, who made a big pass breakup on 3rd down.

12. Chapel Hill misses field goal

Chapel Hill opted not to go for it on 4th down, instead opting to go for a 43-yard field goal. After it fell short, the celebration was on along the Red Wolves sidelines. Elijah Whitaker got a strong rush around the corner and nearly blocked it