Cedar Ridge Women’s Soccer

Kayla Hodges: Hodges was one of the seniors honored by the Elon women’s soccer team before last Sunday’s game against Towson at Rudd Field. Hodges fired two shots, including one on net, but the Tigers defeated Elon 1-0. The Phoenix are 6-5-1 overall, 1-2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They face Northeastern this afternoon at 1PM in Boston.

Taylin Jean: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper returned to action for Division II Limestone on Saturday. The Saints defeated Coker 4-0 at Saints Field in Coker, S.C. Jean entered the game to start the second half and made one save, which was Coker’s only shot of the game. Limestone is 8-2-1, 4-2-1 in the SAC. They will host Tusculum on Wednesday.

Emerson Talley: On Wednesday, Talley played the entire second half as the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team defeated Mars Hill 5-0 at Meares Stadium. Talley fired the first shot in her college career. The Bears are 8-1-1, 6-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. They will face Tusculum in Greenville TN this afternoon at 2 PM.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team defeated William Peace University 3-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. Daley started and played her usual 90 minutes at centerback. The victory ended a six-game winless streak for Greensboro, who won the USA South Athletic Conference Southern Division championship last spring. On Tuesday, Methodist defeated Greensboro 1-0 at Pride Field. Daley started and played the distance. The Pride are 4-9-2 overall, 2-4-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Jordan Rogers: The Greensboro College-William Peace matchup pit a former Cedar Ridge player against a former Orange player. Daley for Greensboro and Rogers for Peace. Rogers started as a wingback for the Pacers in the 3-0 loss and got off one shot. On Tuesday, Peace defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park. Rogers played all 90 minutes. Peace is 4-5-2 overall, 2-3-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Joey McMullin: McMullin, who reached 1,000 points for his Orange High career, played his first game during a scrimmage with the Sandhills Community College Flyers on Wednesday in Pinehurst. Fayetteville Tech defeated Sandhills 84-79. McMullin hit two free throws with 1:24 remaining to tie the game at 76-76. McMullin played 19 minutes and scored nine points off 3-of-4 shooting from the field, including one 3-pointer. Sandhills will play Blue Lights College in a scrimmage on Wednesday.

Trenton Gill: The #22 N.C. State Wolfpack football team defeated Boston College 33-7 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA on Saturday night. Gill was also the holder when Wolfpack placekicker Christopher Dunn kicked an extra point to become the Wolfpack’s all-time leading scorer. On a rainy night, Gill had six punts for a 46-yard averaged. His longest was 65 yards. Four punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. He had two punts exceed 50 yards. The Wolfpack will face Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Coral Gables, FL next Saturday night.

Keshawn Thompson: For the third time this season, the former Orange linebacker led Campbell in tackles. Thompson, who is a graduate student with the Camels, had eleven tackles (including one for a loss) and a pass breakup, but Monmuth defeated Campbell 34-17 in a battle for first place in the Big South Conference at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Campbell will host Kennesaw State next week for Homecoming. The Camels are 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Big South.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team is on a five-match winning streak. On Saturday, the Avenging Angels swept a quad match at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, VA. Meredith defeated Southern Virginia 3-1 on scores of 25-21, 25-21, 17-25 and 25-18. Lucas started for the Angels and had a team-high 23 assists, along with one kill and two digs. Later, Meredith defeated Mary Baldwin 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-9. Once again, Lucas led the team with 13 assists. She also had three digs. On Wednesday, Meredith defeated Methodist 3-0 at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville on scores of 25-16, 25-23 and 25-17. Lucas started once again and had 16 assists, along with two kills and seven digs. Lucas is second on the team with 318 assists. Meredith is now tied for second place in the USA South Athletic Conference South Division with Averett with a 5-2 record. William Peace is in first place at 7-0.

Trent Gill: The N.C. State football team grabbed the headlines across the college football world with a thrilling 27-21 win over #9 Clemson in double overtime in front of 56,919 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. It was State’s first win over a top-10 team since 2012. Gill, a former Cedar Ridge linebacker, placekicker and punter, delivered the opening kickoff of the game. All three of Gill’s kickoffs went for touchbacks. The Wolfpack punted six times. Each time, Gill did the honors and had an impressive average of 51 yards per punt. His longest was 57 yards. Four of his six punts traveled over 50 yards. Gill was also the holder on field goals and extra points. On Sunday, N.C. State entered the Associated Press top 25 rankings for the first time this year at #24. The Wolfpack will play its final non conference game against Louisiana Tech on Saturday in Raleigh.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon Phoenix football team had yet another heartbreaking loss on Saturday. This time, William & Mary defeated Elon 34-31 at Rhodes Stadium in Elon. Chnupa, who was Gill’s teammate at Cedar Ridge, played on special teams for the Phoenix. It was Elon’s Colonial Athletic Association opener. So far this young season, the Phoenix’s two loses to FCS opponents have come by a combined margin of five points. Elon is 1-3 and will travel to Richmond on Saturday.

Bryse Wilson: After winning his first game for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, Wilson was played on the 10-day Injured List, ending his season. He was removed from the game against the Miami Marlins after 68 pitches because of a strained left hamstring. Wilson was traded by the Atlanta Braves to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline. In eight games, Wilson threw 40.1 innings for Pittsburgh. He has a 4.91 ERA. Wilson is expected to start rehabilitation immediately with only one week remaining in the regular season.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges scored another goal for the Elon women’s soccer team in its Colonial Athletic Association opener. On Sunday afternoon, Hodges collected a loose ball in the middle of the penalty area and tucked it into the lower left corner of the net to tie the game against UNC Wilmington in the 84th minute. The Seahawks would get the game winner in the 89th minute from Audrey Harding to prevail 2-1 at UNCW Soccer Stadium. Hodges now has three goals this season. She played all 90 minutes. Elon is 5-4, 0-1 in the CAA and will host Delaware next Sunday at Rudd Field.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team defeated Pfeiffer 1-0 at N.E. Lefko Field in Misenhemier on Saturday. It was the Pride’s USA South Athletic Conference opener. Daley started at centerback and played her routine 90 minutes. Last Sunday, Greensboro played a scoreless tie against Piedmont College at Pride Field. This time, Daley played 110 minutes, including extra time. Greensboro improved to 3-4-1 overall, 1-0 in the USA South.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team played to a scoreless tie against Mary Baldwin at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. Rogers started as a wingback and played all 90 minutes. Also last week, despite being undefeated in three consecutive games, the Pacers named Ozzy Peralta as its interim head coach, replacing Reid Clewis, who had been on the job since December 2017.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith volleyball team split a quad match at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, VA on Saturday. The Avenging Angels swept Mary Baldwin 3-0 on scores of 26-24, 25-16 and 25-13 at Knight Arena. Later in the day, Southern Virginia defeated Meredith 3-1 on scores of 18-25, 25-21, 25-21, and 25-12.

Lucas, after missing three matches, made her return to the starting lineup against the Fighting Squirrels. Lucas had 16 assists, three aces and four digs.

Against the Knights, Lucas started. She finished with one kill, 12 assists, one ace and eight digs. Meredith is 8-5, 2-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Bryse Wilson: The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Miami Marlins 6-3 at LoanDepot Park in Florida in Saturday night. It marked Wilson’s first win in a Pirates uniform. Over five innings, Wilson retired the Marlins in order twice. He surrendered two runs off four hits with three strikeouts and no walks. The only runs that Wilson gave up came off a 2-run homer from Nick Fortes in fifth inning. Wilson is now 3-7 with a 4.88 ERA this season. His next start will likely be at Philadelphia next week. It marked the end of a bittersweet week for the Wilson family.

Payton Wilson: On Monday afternoon, N.C. State football coach Dave Doeren announced that Wilson will miss the rest of the season after suffering a shoulder injury against Mississippi State last Saturday. Wilson led the Atlantic Coast Conference in tackles per game last year. Before he left the contest against the Bulldogs, Wilson had his first sack of the season. Wilson has led N.C. State in tackles each of the last two seasons with a total of 177. Last season, the Wolfpack went 6-1 in games where Wilson led the team in tackles. Wilson is a redshirt sophomore who took a medical redshirt two years ago after an injury during spring practice shortly after he enrolled in Raleigh. Wilson had surgeries on both of his shoulders last winter, which led to him missing spring practice.

Trent Gill: On Saturday night in Raleigh, N.C. State rolled past Furman 45-7 at Carter-Finley Stadium. Gill, the former Cedar Ridge kicker, had four punts for an average of 38 yards. Three of the punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. His longest was 41 yards. The Wolfpack are 2-1 and will face #5 Clemson next weekend in Raleigh.

Keshawn Thompson: It was another big week for the former Orange linebacker. Campbell hammered Presbyterian 72-0 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson had his first career interception for the Camels. He also registered two tackles. The past two weeks, Thompson led the team in tackles. Campbell is now 1-2 and will travel to North Alabama next Saturday to open Big South Conference action.

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team defeated Furman 2-0 on Thursday in its final nonconference game of the season. Hodges played all 90 minutes for Elon, who improved to 5-3. Hodges has played 685 out of 690 possible minutes so far this season. The Phoenix will travel to UNC Wilmington to open Colonial Athletic Association action this afternoon.

Emerson Talley: The all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history made her college debut for Division II Lenoir-Rhyne last week. The Bears defeated Francis Marion 6-0 at Mortez Sports Complex in Hickory. Talley came off the bench to play 30 minutes. On Saturday, it was a matchup between two former Cedar Ridge players when Lenoir-Rhyne faced #21 Limestone, featuring goalkeeper Taylin Jean. Neither Talley nor Jean played. Lenoir-Rhyne defeated the Saints 3-2 to improve to 3-0-2. It was the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. Daley made her sixth start of the season and played all 90 minutes. On Wednesday, Bridgewater College defeated Greensboro 5-1 in Virginia. Daley also started and played the distance. The Pride are 2-4.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team defeated Ferrum 3-1 in its USA South Athletic Conference opener at WakeMed Soccer Parkin Cary on Saturday night. Rogers started and played all 90 minutes. On Wednesday, Rogers also went the distance as the Pacers played a scoreless tie against Brevard College at Ives-Lemel Family Field in Brevard on Wednesday. Peace now has a four-game unbeaten streak and is 3-2-1 overall, 1-0 in the USA South.

Keshawn Thompson: It was a showdown between a former Orange Panther and a former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. The Campbell Fighting Camels, featuring former Orange linebacker Keshawn Thompson, faced off against the Elon Phoenix, which included former Cedar Ridge linebacker Adam Chnupa. The Phoenix defeated the Camels 24-23. For the second week in a row, Thompson led Campbell in tackles with nine. Last week, Thompson was honorable mention for Big South weekly football honors. Campbell is 0-2. They will face Presbyterian on Saturday in Buies Creek.

Adam Chnupa: Elon is now 1-1 after the victory over Campbell. Chnupa played special teams for the Phoenix in the win. Elon will travel to Appalachian State on Saturday.

Payton Wilson: In N.C. State’s loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, MS, Wilson suffered a shoulder injury. Wilson did register his first sack of the season. He finished with three tackles. There’s no word yet on whether Wilson will miss any action. Mississippi State defeated N.C. State 24-10. The Wolfpack were deprived of its first road win against an SEC team since 1977.

Trenton Gill: Former Cedar Ridge punter Trenton Gill was too busy for the Wolfpack’s liking against Mississippi State. Gill had seven punts on Saturday night. He averaged 43.6 yards per punt. His longest was 55 yards. One of the punts was downed inside the 20-yard line. The Wolfpack will host Furman on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Rodney Brooks: After missing the opening game of the season for the Division II Livingstone Blue Bears, former Orange quarterback/defensive back Rodney Brooks made his season debut on Saturday. Savannah State, an FCS team, crushed Livingstone 50-6 at Theodore Wright Stadium in Savannah, GA. Brooks, a safety, had four tackles.

Bryse Wilson: On Sunday at PNC Park, the Washington Nationals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Wilson suffered the loss for the Bucs. In four-and-one-third innings, Wilson surrendered five runs off seven hits and two walks. Luis Garcia, Alex Avila and Lane Thomas honored off of Wilson, who is now 2-7 this season with a 4.97 ERA. The Pirates travel to Miami next weekend.

Kayla Hodges: After a tight loss to N.C. State, the Elon women’s soccer team rebounded with consecutive wins last week. On Thursday, the Phoenix defeated Gardner-Webb 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. Hodges started and played all 90 minutes. On Sunday, the Phoenix defeated American University at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. Once again, Hodges played the duration of the game and fired one of Elon’s ten shots against the Eagles. Through seven games, Hodges is tied for the team lead with two goals. Elon faces Furman on Friday in its final nonconference game of the year.

Brittany Daley: Emory University’s women’s soccer routed Greensboro College 6-0 in Atlanta on Saturday. Daley played all 90 minutes at centerback for Greensboro. The Pride will travel to Bridgewater on Wednesday.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team has won two in a row. On Sunday, the Pacers defeated Ferrum 3-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Rogers started at wingback for Peace. On Wednesday, Peace defeated Johnson & Wales University 2-0 in Charlotte. It was Rogers’ 40th game for Peace. The Pacers are 2-2. They will travel to Brevard on Wednesday.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team won two out of three matches over the weekend. On Friday, Christopher Newport defeated the Avenging Angels 3-1 on scores of 25-18, 24-26, 25-23 and 25-12 at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh. For the first time this season, Lucas didn’t start for Meredith. She did finish with two kills, 14 assists and five digs. The Avenging Angels won both of its matches on Saturday. They opened with a sweep of Guilford on scores of 25-17, 25-8 and 25-22 at the Hermann Athletic Center in Raleigh. Lucas came off the bench and had 16 assists and one dig. Meredith defeated William Peace 3-1. Lucas led the Avenging Angels with 25 assists and seven digs. Meredith is 5-3 and will play a doubleheader against Brevard and Maryville on Friday in Brevard.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith Avenging Angels volleyball team opened its season with four matches in four days. Meredith started with a 3-1 win over Roanoke at the Cregger Center in Salem, VA. Meredith won on scores of 16-25, 25-10, 25-16, 26-24. Lucas started and played all four sets. She had 17 assists, an ace and four digs. On Friday, the Avenging Angels swept Geneva on tallies of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-6 to start play at the Marlin Invitational in Virginia Beach, VA at TowneBank Arena. Lucas led the team with 14 assists in the win over the Golden Tornadoes. She also had two digs. On Saturday, Virginia Wesleyan defeated Meredith 3-0. Lucas had nine assists and five digs. To end the weekend, the Avenging Angels defeated Mary Washington 3-1. Once again, Lucas led the team with 20 assists. She also registered six digs.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson returned from the injured list for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a start against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The White Sox defeated the Pirates 4-2. Wilson suffered the loss after he threw five innings. He surrendered four runs off six hits. Yasmani Grandal hit a solo homer off Wilson in the second inning. Jose Abreu lauded a solo homer off Wilson in the third. This season, Wilson is 2-6 with a 4.61 ERA.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges scored her second goal of the series for Elon in a 3-0 win over UNC Asheville on Thursday at Greenwood Field in Asheville. Hodges scored the game’s second goal off an assist from Abby Fusca in the 24th minute. She fired two shots against the Bulldogs. On August 26, Virginia Tech defeated Elon 7-1 at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, VA. Hodges started as a defensive midfielder. Elon is 2-2 and will travel to N.C. State later today (Sunday).

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team suffered a loss to Roanoke 2-0 in its season opener on Wednesday. Daley, a former Cedar Ridge All-Conference selection, started her 37th game with Greensboro as a center back. It was her 40th game. On Saturday, Greensboro rebounded with a 2-1 win over Johnson & Wales University at Pride Field. Daley started for the Pride once again.

Jordan Rogers: Rogers started her senior season for the Division III William Peace women’s soccer team. On Wednesday, Guilford College defeated Peace 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. On Saturday, Randolph College shut out the Pacers 2-0. Rogers started both games as a wingback.

Keshawn Thompson: The former Orange defensive back led Campbell in tackles in its loss to Liberty at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Thompson had a career-high 13 tackles for the Camels, who lost to the Flames 48-7 to open the 2021 season. This was Campbell’s first game since last fall. Unlike many FCS schools, the Camels didn’t play last spring. Next week, Campbell will host Elon.

Payton Wilson: To open his third season with the Wolfpack, Wilson had two tackles as the Wolfpack routed South Florida 45-0 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Wilson had one-half tackle for loss as he was in and out of the lineup throughout the night. The Wolfpack will travel to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Trent Gill: N.C. State only punted three times against the Bulls. Gill, a former Cedar Ridge football and soccer player, had two of the punts for a 45-yard average. Gill’s longest punt was 45 yards. Both of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also had eight kickoffs, four of which were touchbacks. His average kickoff was 64.6 yards.

Adam Chnupa: Former Cedar Ridge linebacker Adam Chnupa started his redshirt sophomore season at Elon with a tremendous game against Wofford at Rhodes Stadium. The Terriers defeated the Phoenix 24-22 on Saturday. Chnupa made one tackle as the Phoenix dropped its opener.

Colin Guentensberger: Guentensberger, who led the 2018 Orange football team in tackles, suffered a torn ACL and MCL during practice with Appalachian State’s football team. Guentensberger is a junior walk-on with the Mountaineers.

Kayla Hodges: After being a regular starter for the Elon women’s soccer team’s first Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship team last spring, Kayla Hodges scored her first college goal in the Phoenix’s season-opener against George Washington. In the 55th minute, Hodges scored off a corner kick when she chipped one in the net off an assist from Lily Harkes. Hodges, who started as a defensive midfielder, played 84 minutes as the Phoenix won 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. On Sunday, UNC Greensboro defeated Elon 1-0 at Rudd Field. Hodges earned another start and fired one shot. She played all 90 minutes. The Phoenix are 1-1 and will travel to Virginia Tech on Thursday. Hodges, a junior, started all ten games last year.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was placed on the Injured List by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16. Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington says the move is mostly about rest from fatigue. At the time he was placed on the Injured List, Wilson had just started against the Milwaukee Brewers in a no decision. Counting his time with the Atlanta Braves, Wilson has thrown 48 and 2/3rds innings and has an 5.55 ERA.

The fall sports season is underway for women’s soccer. It will officially start for football, volleyball and men’s soccer next week. Here are some Cedar Ridge and Orange graduates who will be competing in colleges throughout the country this fall.

Payton Wilson: A second-team All-ACC linebacker with N.C. State last season, Wilson returns for his redshirt sophomore season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders. It kept him sidelines for spring practice. Wilson ranks third among returning ACC players in career tackles. He’s been named to the Butkus Award watch list for the nation’s best linebacker.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter and soccer player is now a redshirt junior at N.C. State. Gill is N.C. State’s career leader in punt average with 46.3 yards–which is tied for the second-best mark among returning ACC punters. Gill’s has 4.997 career punting yards, which is 12 in school history. In 2020, Gill averaged 44.7 yards per punt, the fifth-best single-season mark in school history.

Keshawn Thompson: Thompson is now a graduate student with the FCS Campbell football team. Last year, Campbell played only four games in the fall and sat out the spring. Thompson totaled nine tackles. He started the season opener at Georgia Southern, a game where the Camels lost 28-27 when a two-point attempt in the waning seconds ended with an incomplete pass.

Adam Chnupa: The former Cedar Ridge linebacker returns to Elon’s football team as a redshirt sophomore. The Phoenix played last spring. Chnupa appeared in all six games and finished with six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Elon will open against Wofford at Rhodes Stadium on September 4. It will mark the 20th anniversary of Rhodes Stadium.

Rodney Brooks: The Division II Livingstone Bears of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association didn’t play in 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. Brooks will return as a senior with the Bears. The 2018 Orange graduate had 16 tackles for Livingstone in 2019.

Trey Grizzle: The former Orange linebacker, who graduated in June, has enrolled at Division III Averett University. Averett will face Ferrum College in Virginia on September 4.

Taylin Jean: The 2018 Big 8 Goalkeeper of the Year at Cedar Ridge, Jean starts her junior year at Division II Limestone College. Last season, Jean earned a spot on the South Atlantic Conference Commissioners Honor Roll. She appeared in four games for the Saints between the pipes.

Brittany Daley: A former All-Conference player with the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team, Daley enters her fourth season with the Division III Greensboro College’s women’s soccer team. Last season, Daley earned USA South All-Academic honors with a 3.9 GPA. Daley has played 45 games in her Greensboro career. Last year, she helped the Pride win the USA South East Division Championship, which was the only tournament the Pride was allowed to play in due to the pandemic.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace University women’s soccer team will open against Guilford College on September 1. Rogers, a former Orange star who is now a senior, has started all 37 games she’s played in for the Pacers in her career.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas enters her senior season with the Division III Meredith College volleyball team. Last season, Lucas appeared in 14 matches and had 108 digs. She led the team with 298 assists. The Avenging Angels open the season at Roanoke on September 1.

After its best overall season in six years, there were two Orange women’s soccer players honored by the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association as All-Region 6.

In fact, they came from the same family.

Logan and Sydney Rogers were named to the NCSCA Region 6 3A team. Region 6 includes all the teams from the Big 8 Conference as well as the six teams from the Greater Neuse Conference.

In addition, Logan and Sydney Rogers were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team. Joining them on the All-Big 8 team from Orange were junior Bella Brown and sophomore goalkeeper Abby Monteith.

Cedar Ridge senior striker Emerson Talley and midfielder Nicol Anderson were also named All-Big 8 Conference. It was the third time (out of three possible years) that Talley made All-Big 8.

Logan Rogers scored a career-high nine goals this season for an Orange team that finished 9-5, its best record since going 15-4-2 in the 2015 season. In a non-pandemic year, the Lady Panthers’ record would have been good enough to make the 3A State Playoffs for the first time since 2017. Due to the pandemic, the field was limited to 32 teams, instead of the usual 64, by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

During a two-week period in March, Logan had a three-game goal scoring streak. That included the only tally in a 1-0 victory over Northwood in Hillsborough on March 24. She also scored in a 5-1 win against Cedar Ridge on March 22, the first time the Lady Panthers defeated its crosstown rivals since April 28, 2017. In the rematch on April 14, Rogers notched a season-high two goals. In her final game at Orange, Rogers registered a goal and an assist as the Lady Panthers defeated Northern Durham 4-1 at James Armstrong Stadium.

Sydney Rogers played on Stanford Middle School’s 2019 Orange-Person Athletic Conference Championship team, which stunned Phillips 2-1 in the OPAC title game. It was Stanford’s first-ever tournament title. She has continued that success across the campus at Orange, where she is a defender along Orange’s back line. In Orange’s eight wins that were contested (there was a forfeit against Southern Durham), Orange held all of its opponents to one goal or less.

Logan and Sydney’s older sister, Jordan, is a starter for the Division III William Peace women’s soccer team in Raleigh.

Last summer, Brown transferred to Orange from Alamance Christian School. Her impact was felt immediately as a striker. She scored 12 goals to lead the team. In Orange’s first win of the year, a 9-0 decision over Vance County, Brown scored a hat trick. It was the first of three hat tricks for Brown. She also had three goals against Cedar Ridge on April 14 at Red Wolves Stadium, and added another three goals at Vance County on April 12. In the first matchup against the Red Wolves, Brown scored twice. She finished with a team-high 34 points.

After starting one game as a freshman in 2020, Monteith earned eleven starts in net for the Lady Panthers in 2021. Playing against Eastern Regional Champion Chapel Hill and an East Chapel Hill team that advanced to the 3rd round of the state playoffs (and eliminated by Chapel Hill in penalty kicks), Monteith still finished 7-1-1 for her first appearance on the All-Big 8 Conference team. She opened the season with 12 saves in a 3-0 loss to East Chapel Hill at Orange Soccer Stadium.

For Cedar Ridge, Talley finished her career as the all-time leading goal scorer in school history. In her final game, she notched three goals as the Red Wolves rolled past Vance County 9-0 in Henderson. Talley finished with 87 career goals, and that was after her junior season was limited to four games. Her senior year included four hat tricks, including six goals against Northern Durham in a wild 7-6 Red Wolves victory at Cedar Ridge Stadium.

Talley signed with Division II Lenoir-Rhyne last month to continue her soccer career. She is the fourth member of the 2018 Cedar Ridge team that will play college soccer.

Anderson was a senior co-captain for the Red Wolves. She had a career-high 13 goals in her fourth varsity season. In her final game, she scored two goals against Vance County. Anderson also played on Cedar Ridge’s team, in her freshman year, that was over West Carteret in the 3A State Playoffs in Morehead City.

Among the honorable mention selections was Orange’s Katelyn Van Mater and Madison Orange. Van Mater, a sophomore who is a regular rotation player for the Orange women’s basketball team, scored three goals in her first full varsity season.

Orange, in ten games, had the game-winning goal in the season-finale against Northern Durham. She had two goals against the Knights.

Cedar Ridge’s Ianna Pfeifer and Lily Dyslin, both sophomores, were also named honorable mention. Pfeifer scored five goals in her first varsity season. Dyslin had two goals and four assists.

Women’s Soccer: The standard for goal scoring at Cedar Ridge for years, and possibly decades, to come will be 87 goals.

That’s what Cedar Ridge senior forward Emerson Talley ended her storied high school career with after the Red Wolves defeated Vance County 9-0 in Henderson on Monday. It was Talley’s 14th career hat trick and the fourth of the abbreviated 2021 season.

The Red Wolves ended the season 5-9 after Southern Durham forfeited the final game of the season, which was slated for Wednesday night. Talley, who vowed to former Cedar Ridge head coach P.J. Michaelson that she would score 100 goals in her career, likely would have exceeded that total in her junior season if it wasn’t for the pandemic.

Last week, Talley formally signed with Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.

As Talley’s career ended with a hat trick, a Red Wolf freshman had her first three-goal game. Rachel Alverson had a hat trick for Cedar Ridge, as well. In her final game, Cedar Ridge’s Nicol Anderson had a brace.

ORANGE 4, NORTHERN DURHAM 1

The Orange women’s soccer team concluded its most successful season since 2015 with a 4-1 victory over Northern Durham at James Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday night.

Sophomore Madison Orange scored two goals for the Lady Panthers, who finished the season 11-5. In her final game, senior co-Captain Logan Rogers notched a goal and dished out an assist. Sophomore Isabel Jones also scored a goal for Orange. Freshman Ella Wimsatt had two assists. Junior Bella Brown, who transferred from Alamance Christian School last summer, also assisted on a goal.

Brown ended the year as Orange’s leading scorer with 15 goals and four assists, as well as four hat tricks.

In terms of record, Orange had its best season since they went 15-4-2 in 2015.

WRESTLING: ORANGE 78, NORTHERN DURHAM 0; ORANGE 60, EAST CHAPEL HILL 18

For the first time this century, the Orange wrestling team started as challengers to the Big 8 Conference title as opposed to the defending champions. Things started promising as the Panthers defeated East Chapel Hill 60-18 on Tuesday night inside Panther Gymnasium.

On Thursday, Orange rolled past Northern Durham 78-0 in Hillsborough. Only four matches were contested as the Panthers claimed the other nine bouts via forfeit.

Matthew Smith-Breeden pinned Wyatt Gardner at 152 pounds. At 220 pounds, Hugo Vazquez scored his second pin of the week. Tyler Larkin earned a pin at heavyweight over John Neiman. Samuel Crawford scored his own pin at 145 pounds. Dillon Heffernan, Talan Pearley, Joshua Dunn, Kessel Summers, Avery Clark, Chase Harward, Nate Hecht, Brendon Worsham, and Korbin Nevius all earned forfeit wins.

Against East Chapel Hill, Orange scored nine pinfalls. Summers, a junior who has committed to wrestle at Bluefield College (NAIA) in Virginia, earned a pinfall victory. Joshua Dunn (126), Jose Grimaldo (145), Smith-Breeden (152), Hecht (170), Worsham (182), Nevius (195), Vasquez (220), and Larkin also scored pins for Orange.

CEDAR RIDGE 52, SOUTHERN DURHAM 24

On Thursday night, the Cedar Ridge wrestling team earned its first win of the young season with a 52-24 victory over Southern Durham. The Red Wolves got pins from Fernando Martinez at 120 pounds and veteran James Rosati-Brown at 152 pounds.

Daina Pritchard, fresh off of wrestling season ending, scored a major decision over Thomas Johnson 14-5 at 145 pounds. Mac McGhee, Gavin Mintz, Kaden Tatro, C.J. Jackson, Wyatt Robinson, and Aiden Kearns all claimed forfeit wins.

On Tuesday, Cedar Ridge participated in a tri-match against Northwood and Providence Grove. The Chargers edged the Red Wolves 40-36. Martinez scored a pin at 1:16 in his match. Pritchard, Rosati-Brown and Tatro all earned pinfall victories, as well. At 195 pounds, Wyatt Robinson pinned Northwood’s Jason Schroeder in 1:59.

Providence Grove defeated the Red Wolves 60-21. Martinez earned another pin over Logan Armfield in 1:18. Pritchard pinned Derrick Isley in 1:43. Rosati-Brown pinned Nathan Hutcherson in 3:03. Robinson grinded out a 5-2 decision over Gavin Hardister at 195.

MEN’S TENNIS:

CEDAR RIDGE 9, SOUTHERN DURHAM 0

Will Ballenger and Colby Alford ended their senior seasons successfully for the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team on Wednesday afternoon. The Red Wolves rolled past Southern Durham to conclude the regular season 9-4. It was Cedar RIdge’s most successful dual season since 2017, when the Red Wolves finished 10-3.

Ballenger started at #1 singles and captured a 6-1, 6-1 win. Alford started at #2 singles and won 6-0, 6-2. Junior Derrick Stephens, Bowen Woods and Leo Filley also picked up singles wins for the Red Wolves.

In doubles, Ballenger and Alford teamed for a win at #1. Walker Richards-Baker and Jason Pattison won at #2 doubles. Woods and Filley completed the sweep at #3 doubles.

Cedar Ridge will start play in the Big 8 Conference Men’s Tennis Championships inside Lindsey Linker Tennis Courts at East Chapel Hill High School on Friday afternoon.

ORANGE 6, SOUTHERN DURHAM 0

The Orange men’s tennis team completed its fourth straight winning season with a 6-0 victory at Southern Durham on Tuesday.

Colin O’Hagerty, Joseph Clark, Finn Kelly, Tristan Plummer, Brandon Kessler and Jackson Panning took singles wins for the Panthers.

84 goals. And counting.

When Emerson Talley started training at Cedar Ridge in 2017, she told then-head women’s soccer coach P.J. Michaelson that she would score 100 goals in her high school career. Even when the pandemic limited her junior year to only four games, and restricted her senior season to 14 (with Vance County and Southern Durham scheduled for next week), she has still nearly backed her lofty boast.

“I’m going to give you a pass only because of Covid,” Michaelson told Talley on Thursday night. “As I got to know Emerson, I knew that 100 would be way too low for her. If we didn’t have COVID, she would have had 125 based on how talented she is.”

Before becoming the all-team leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge history, there were endless miles of summer road trips with the Mebane Youth Soccer Association. Playing with the North Carolina Fusion out of Greensboro starting in middle school, there were treks to San Diego, Indianapolis, Seattle, New Jersey and Miami, not to mention all the home games.

It all finally led to a special ceremony at Cedar Ridge High School on Thursday night in front of family and friends.

Talley formally signed to play with Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory. With a table adorned in bright red to match the school colors, Emerson was joined by her father, Randy, and mother, Dawn, for the ceremony in the new J-wing at Cedar Ridge High School. She became the first athlete to sign a scholarship in the wing, but certainly not the last.

Cedar Ridge Athletic Director Andy Simmons presided over the signing, joined by Principal Dr. Carlos Ramirez, current head coach David Jones and assistant Randy Sears.

Talley will become the fourth member of Cedar Ridge’s 2018 team to play college soccer. Centerback Brittany Daley is currently a starter for Division III Greensboro College, which recently won the USA South Athletic Conference East Division Tournament Championship. Taylin Jean, the 2019 Big 8 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, is now at Limestone University in Gaffney, SC.

Another member of that squad, Ivy Garner, transferred to Eno River Academy after her freshman season at Cedar Ridge. Garner has been a member of the North Carolina Courage Academy and has signed to play at N.C. State.

Cedar Ridge’s 2018 squad advanced to the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Talley, as a freshman, scored a goal and an assist as the Red Wolves defeated West Carteret 3-0 in Morehead City in the opening round. They were the first team to shut out the Patriots that season. It was a win that brought profound joy for Michaelson, who had gone 0-8 against West Carteret when he coached at South Central High in Winterville.

“I thought about that game the other day as I was reminiscing,” said Michaelson, who is currently the men’s soccer coach at Graham High. “We relied on her so much. She created so many special moments and she’s going to create more at Lenoir-Rhyne. It’s not a surprise that the moments she had her freshman year have translated to her senior year and to college.”

Talley was All-Big 8 Conference her freshman and sophomore year. She will almost certainly be named All-Conference again when the teams are released next month. In 2019, she was All-Region and was named Most Valuable Player of the team.

This season, Talley has scored 24 goals. That included six goals in a 7-6 win over Northern Durham on March 24 in Hillsborough. On April 6 against Vance County, Talley registered six goals in a 9-0 win.

As a sophomore, Talley scored 35 goals, including eight hat tricks. At one point, she had a four-game streak of scoring three goals or more. Twice in that span, the Red Wolves defeated archival Orange.

Talley’s talent was apparent from the very beginning to David Riley, the Director of Coaching with the MYSA

“We have a team called the Force,” Riley said. “Once you’re a part of the Force Family, you’re always a member of the Force Family. Emerson has been a part of that. She’s more like another daughter to me than a player.”

Talley, who also has a 3.8 grade point average, ran track at Gravelly Hill Middle School. That was where her mother realized that Emerson could be more than just another soccer player at Cedar Ridge.

“I knew she could be a college player at Gravelly Hill,” Dawn Talley said. “That’s when she starting owning her talent and developing. I always envisioned this. I’m not sure if Emmy always did, but we did. She’s a bit timid, but she worked hard for this for four years.”

Talley played her final home game against East Chapel Hill on Wednesday night. She will end her Cedar Ridge career with road trips to Vance County on Monday and Southern Durham on Wednesday.