Cedar Ridge Track and Field

After being a member of Orange’s men’s cross country state championship in November, junior Myles Jermyn nearly won an individual state title in Winston-Salem.

At the 3A State Indoor Track & Field Championships at the JDL Fast Track on February 15; Jermyn finished 2nd in the 3,200 meters. The longest race in track & field came down to a thrilling finish as North Buncombe’s Michael Ferguson edged Jermyn to the finish line by .62 of a second. Ferguson crossed the finish line at 9:24.38, while Jermyn clocked in at 9:25.00.

Jermyn’s teammate, junior Lucas Van Mater, finished at 9:37.44.

Meanwhile, Cedar Ridge nearly had its first individual track and field state champion since 2022. Junior Ender Buchanan finished second in the pole vault, topping out at 14-feet. Swansboro’s James Yesunas captured the state championship at 14-feet, 6-inches.

Orange junior Owen Grant finished tied for 16th at 11-feet, 6-inches.

Cedar Ridge’s last state champion in track & field was Caroline Fowlkes, who won the pole vault in the 2022 outdoor track and field championships at Truist Stadium at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.

Orange’s relay team of Cyrus Neal, Grant Schid, Van Mater and Jermyn finished 2nd in the 4×800 meter relay. They closed at 8:16.39. Croatan won the state championship at 7:59.66.

Cedar Ridge senior Naomi Dyreng finished in the top-five in two separate events. She finished 5th in the 1,600 meters at 5:16.18. North Lincoln had the top two finishers. Olivia Ferraro claimed the state title at 5:07.95, while Bella Green finished 2nd (5:09.91).

Dyreng also finished 5th in the 3,200 meters (11:38.42). Morgan Miller of First Flight claimed the state title at 10:49.37, a good 14 seconds ahead of the runner-up, freshman June Leis of A.C. Reynolds (11:03.96).

Orange junior Adeline Alvis finished 5th in the long jump at 17-feet, 6-inches. Alvis also nearly medaled in the 4×400 relay. Running the anchor leg with Gianni Burnette, Asia Whitsett and Kayla Willey, Orange finished at 4:13.05. Franklin’s team earned the bronze at 4:12.85. Greensboro Dudley, who won the overall women’s team championship, earned the gold medal at 4:01.82.

The Orange men’s 4×400 relay team of Riley Potter, Cyrus Neal, Hunter Albert and Gabe Yen finished 10th at 3;38.41. Dudley, which won the overall men’s state championship, earned the relay state title with a time of 3:29.45.

Neal finished 8th in the 1000 meters at 2:43.77. Croatan’s Noah Guerrero won the state title at 2:30.29.

Orange finished 13th in the women’s  4×800 relay. Sullivan Gaddy, Kayla Willey, Evelyn Over and Caroline Cathey finished at 11:03.97.

Orange’s Clara Flowkes came in fourth in the women’s pole vault as she cleared 8-feet, 6-inches. Blythe Jaworsky of North Lincoln claimed the state title at 10-feet, 6-inches.

Will Berger: Former Cedar Ridge pitcher Will Berger continues to excel as a member of the Wofford men’s track & field team. At the Bulldog Invitational in Birmingham, AL on February 14, Berger set a new school record in the 3,000 meters. He finished at 8:44.20. Last month at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, Berger finished 11th in the 3,000 meters at 9:14.76. Berger returned to the track this winter after redshirting last season. He also competes in cross country and outdoor track & field with the Terriers.

Caleb Barreto: The former Orange Panther is now a sophomore on the Division III Methodist men’s basketball team. This season, Barreto has played in ten games and is averaging 3.2 points per game. Barreto scored a season-high ten points in a game against Apprentice on November 13 in Newport News, VA. Most recently, he played against Greensboro College.

Takia Nichols: The North Carolina Central softball team went 1-2 in the HBCU Collegiate Invitational in Covington, GA last weekend. The Eagles opened with a 4-2 win over Southern University. Nichols started at first base and went 1-for-3. Nichols had a game-tying RBI single in the sixth as the Eagles scored three runs in its final at-bat to win. Alcorn State edged Central 8-7 in the Eagles’ second game on Friday. Nichols had a two-run double on Saturday, but Prairie View A&M defeated the Eagles 11-8. Games against Florida A&M and Grambling State were canceled due to the weather.

Mary Moss Wirt: The Elon softball team defeated Morgan State to start the Elon Classic at Hunt Softball Park last week. Wirt started as catcher as the Phoenix won 2-1 in eight innings. The remaining two games of the event were cancelled. Wirt played as a pinch-runner against N.C. State in Elon on Tuesday, a game the Wolfpack won 4-0.

Connor Kruse: The Lenoir-Rhyme men’s lacrosse team stormed back from a 6-0 deficit to defeat #8 Rollins 15-9 at the Moretz Sports Complex in Hickory. Rollins led 6-0 at one point. Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked #4. Kruse got one shot off as the Bears improved to 4-0. Lenoir-Rhyne will face #8 Indianapolis in Hickory on Saturday.

Nick Cardone: Now a sophomore, Cardone made his season-debut for the Division II Catawba men’s lacrosse team. Cardone played on defence as Catawba defeated Belmont Abbey 13-11 at Shuford Stadium in Salisbury. Catawba improved to 3-0.

Cy Horner: The Division III Methodist men’s lacrosse team scored eight unanswered goals to defeat Guilford College 10-7 at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. Horner fired seven shots, grabbed three ground balls and created one turnover.

Josh Crabtree: Also playing for Methodist, Crabtree had one ground ball and created two turnovers. The Monarchs are 1-2 and will face Virginia Wesleyan in Fayetteville on Saturday.

College baseball season got underway earlier this month. Here’s a list of Orange and Cedar Ridge products that are now playing at the next level.

Dante DeFranco: A former middle infielder with Cedar Ridge and Orange, DeFranco enters this season as a graduate student with the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte had a wild 10-9 win over Old Dominion on Friday where they rallied from a 7-1 deficit to win. DeFranco started the second game of the season, a 3-1 loss to Northeastern, on February 14 as a designated hitter.

Ryan Honeycutt: Honeycutt has started his freshman year at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears are 11-1 and won its opening game in the South Atlantic Conference over Wingate on Friday at Durham Field in Hickory.

Cross Clayton: Clayton has started his freshman season at Gaston College in the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Rhinos are 10-3-1 overall.

Mason Cates: The former Cedar Ridge hurler is now at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory. The Red Hawks are 6-7 overall, 2-1 in Region X in the NJCAA.

Coltin Hedrick: A freshman at Wake Tech Community College.

Wyatt Hedrick: A freshman at Wake Tech Community College. The Eagles have opened the season 4-6, 1-2 in Region X.

Before school started in August, Naomi Dyreng laid out her objective for her senior year.

She had already won a conference championship in women’s cross country, plus several regional championships in track and field. Her goal for 2024 was to spread toe joy of running to her team in hopes of greater success as  a whole.

“I want to make Cedar Ridge a place where people can really learn how to love running,” Dyreng said back in August. “I want to be able to communicate what I’ve learned from my success to the new people we have coming up. I’m focus on that more than winning this race of that race.”

By that measure, Dyreng has already accomplished her mission.

On Wednesday, Cedar Ridge won the women’s cross country team championship at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington. Dyreng repeated as the Central Conference individual champion, finishing first with a time of 20:15.40. Orange’s Reilly Jermyn, a freshman, came in second at 20:38.60.

Dyreng’s first place finish was enough to give Cedar Ridge 31 points. Orange, with its best showing since the Central Conference was formed in 2021, finished second with 50 points.

Dyreng has spent the past week adding on to her legacy at Cedar Ridge. Last Saturday, Dyreng set the school record at the North Carolina Runners Elite Cross Country Invitational at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, which also hosts the state championship each November. Dyreng finished at 18:58.57, eighth overall against some of the top runners in the state.

In addition to two conference championships in cross country, Dyreng has also won three conference championships in outdoor track & field (two in the 3,200 meters, one in the 1,600 meters in 2023). She has captured three regional championships in outdoor track and field, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in 2023 at Franklinton High School. Last year, she won the 3,200 meters at UNC Pembroke, along with a runner-up finish in the 1,600. She has qualified for the state championships three times, finished 7th in the 1,600 meters as a sophomore in 2023. Later that day at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, she came in 8th in the 3,200 meters.

While Orange had three of the top five finishers, Cedar Ridge placed runners 6-through-9 to take the conference title. All four were underclassmen. Sophomore Gracie Whitaker came in sixth (23:01.63) while freshman Ila Diaz earned 7th pace (23:16.78). Elaina Sobus, a freshman, crossed the finish line 8th (23:23.34). Kate Finnegan, a sophomore who plays basketball in the winter and soccer in the spring, came in 9th (23:29.96).

Cedar Ridge senior Anna Peterson finished 11th at 24:08.36.

Jermyn, the younger sister of Orange’s Myles Jermyn, led the best individual finish by a female Orange runner in five years. Of the top five finishers, three were Orange freshman. Finishing behind Jermyn were Ava Bishop, who came in fourth at 21:36.32. Another Panther 9th grader, Kinsey Ross, came in fifth at 22:06.07.

Ava Childress of Walter Williams was the only non-Hillsborough runner in the top five, crossing the finish line in third place at 21:30.85.

Orange senior Caroline Cathey finished 15th (24:40.49). Cedar Ridge senior Serena Summers earned a 23rd place finish (26:56.12). Another Orange underclassman, sophomore Mia Blake, came in 25th at 27:06.67.

Orange and Cedar Ridge each qualified as a team for the Mideast Regionals, which will be held in Louisburg on October 26.

Walter Williams, the defending conference champions, came in third with 65 points. Western Alamance was fourth at 96 points while Southern Alamance was fifth. Person had several individual runners compete, as well.

With the title, Cedar Ridge already has more Central Conference championships this academic year than all of 2023-24. The volleyball team shared the conference title with Orange last week.

Last year, Cedar Ridge’s wrestling team won the school’s only conference regular season title. (The volleyball team won the conference tournament championship)

After being the best competitor for the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team last fall, Naomi Dyreng has become joined a group of impressive Red Wolves to win a regional championship in track and field.

On Friday, Dyreng won three championships at the 3A Mideast Regionals at Franklinton High School. Dyreng claimed the individual title in the 1,600 meters in 5:24.35, beating out Central Carolina Conference rival Catherine Parker of Eastern Alamance, who came in second at 5:27.48.

In the 3,200 meters, there were two Red Wolves who finished in the top three. Dyreng finished first at 12:01.11, six seconds ahead of Natalia Serre of Carrboro. Cedar Ridge’s Abigail Klaitman finished 3rd at 12:13.46.

Klaitman, another sophomore, also finished  fourth in the 1,600 meters at 5:35.47.

Dyreng and Klaitman both qualified for the 3A State Championships, which will be held on Friday at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.

In addition, Cedar Ridge’s 4×800 relay team, which is comprised of Dyreng, Klaitman, Serena Summers and Eliza Klaitman, pulled away with a strong anchor leg to win the regional title. The Red Wolves finished at 10:25.02. Union Pines finished 2nd at 10:39.02.

Cedar Ridge junior Typhany Cheek also qualified for the state championships in the long jump. Cheek had a leap of 16 feet, 3.50 inches, good enough for a third-place finish. Shamari Allen of Durham School of the Arts took the gold medal at 17-feet, three-inches.

Orange sophomore Iyauna Justice earned a spot in the state championships in the shot put. Justice finished fourth in regionals with a toss of 34-feet, seven inches. It will be Justice’s first appearance at the state championships.

In November, Dyreng finished 23rd in the 3A State Cross Country Championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. She finished 2nd in the Central Carolina Conference Cross Country Championships at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington. Her regional championships are the first she has ever won in cross country. In her freshman year, Dyreng played tennis but opted to focus on cross country and long distance running for her sophomore season.

Dyreng and the 4×800 relay team will attempt to bring Cedar Ridge another individual state championship in track and field. Last May, senior Caroline Fowlkes won the 3A State Championship in the pole vault in thrilling fashion. Fowlkes took the gold medal after a jump-off against West Carteret’s Alyssa Cooley when each competitor failed to clear 11-feet. Fowlkes is now on the Appalachian State track & field team.

There were other regional competitors for Orange and Cedar Ridge in the 3A Mideast Regionals. Dyreshia Farrish finished 12th in the 100 meter hurdle preliminaries  with a time of 18.72 seconds.

Summers finished 8th in the 3,200 meters at 13:23.42. Eliza Klaitman, a freshman, finished ninth in the 1,600 meters at 6:15.03.

In the 800 meter finals, Orange sophomore Sophia Schultz finished seventh at 2:40.71.

There have been eight female state champions in track & field for Cedar Ridge. The last Red Wolf female to win a state title in a running competition was Lindsay Fuller, who won three gold medals at the 2A State Championships in 2009. Fuller won the the 100 meter dash at 12.44 seconds. She also claimed the 4×100 meter relay championships and the 4×200 meter relay in 2009.

Overall for her career, Fuller won five state championships for Cedar Ridge. She won the 100 meter dash state championship three times. As a sophomore, she won in 2007 at 12.27 seconds. The following year, Fuller finished first crossing the finish line at 12.44 seconds.

In 2003, Cedar Ridge’s Italie Murphy became the first female athlete from a Hillsborough high school to win a state championship. She won the 400 meters in the 2A State Championships. It was the first of three consecutive state championships for Murphy in the event.

Orange has never had a state champion in women’s track and field.

Men’s Soccer: Orange 3, Northwood 2: Most likely, it was the Orange men’s soccer team’s final trip to Pittsboro for a conference game against Northwood. And the Panthers made it a trip worth remembering as they continue to march towards the state playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Just days after Emmanuel Mil Cruz scored in the final minute for the game-winning goal against Chapel Hill, Orange scored two goals in the final five minutes to stun Northwood 3-2 at Chargers Soccer Field on Monday night. It was the Panthers’ third straight win.

This time the hero was senior Dylan Silverman. With 1:09 remaining, Silverman took a pass from Bryan Membreno and fire a heatseeking missile from 23 yards away that went over the head of the Chargers goalkeeper and caught the roof of the net, setting off a wild celebration along the Orange sideline. It was Silverman’s first game-winning goal of the season and his second of the year. His previous goal came against Western Alamance on September 7.

Orange (10-8, 6-4 in the Central Carolina Conference) has won four in a row. They are now ranked #19 in the 3A East Region.

With 3:10 remaining, the Panthers evened the game off a corner kick sent in by Mil Cruz. The ball landed at the far post. Tyler Mann, the leading scorer on the team, dug the ball free from a Chargers defender and rolled it over the goal line from point-blank range. It was Mann’s tenth goal of the season and his 25th point.

Orange got the opening goal off a pass from Enzo Bruhns, who took a pass from Mann and sent it across with a side foot shot from 17 yards away. The Panthers completed a season sweep of the Chargers for the first time since the two teams became conference rivals in 2012.

Men’s Cross Country: In the final race before the Central Carolina Conference championship meet, Cedar Ridge’s Roman Morrell won his third race of the season at Red Wolves Cross Country course on October 11. Morrell, in his final cross country race at Cedar Ridge, finished first at 18:34.87 in a tri-meet with Orange and Person.

Red Wolves took the top three spots in the standings. Finishing in second was freshman Ryan Matthews, who crossed the finish line at 18:47.30. In third place was Henry Alexander (18:50.02).

Orange junior Gabriel Schmid finished fourth at 19:03.80. Cedar Ridge’s Edgar Ibarra came in fifth.

The Panthers’ Riley Potter came in sixth, while Don Wheelis was seventh.

Cedar Ridge finished with 19 points. Orange was second with 42 points.

Women’s Cross Country: Cedar Ridge’s Abigail Klaitman earned her first career first-place finish in Cedar Ridge’s meet on October 11 against Orange and Person. Klaitman, a sophomore, finished the 5,000 meter course at 22:40.71.

Red Wolves runners finished in the top four spots to help Cedar Ridge easily take the overall team victory. The Red Wolves finished with 17 points. Orange came in with 50 points while Person had 62.

4After Klaitman, senior Sarah Fenwick finished second at 23:41.02. Red Wolves freshman Payton Decker came in third at 24:29.30. Cedar Ridge sophomore Serena Summers crossed the finish line fourth at 24:56.30. Kaitlyn Horn was seventh at 26:01.96. Selene Galla and Sydney Lund finished ninth and tenth, respectively, for the Red Wolves.

Orange’s top finisher was Kayla Mehl, who came in eighth at 26:19.55. Kassi Scarantino, Sophia Schultz, Grace Pell, Caroline Cathey and Margaret Hales all finished in the top 15 for the Panthers.

The Central Carolina Conference men’s and women’s championship meet will take place on Wednesday at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is track & field runner Sarah Tucker. Last month, Sarah graduated from Cedar Ridge after running track for four years. In 2020, during her sophomore outdoor season, she qualified for the 3A State Championships in the 800 meters in a trio-meet against Chapel Hill and Orange with a time of 2:29.4. Unfortunately, later that day, the COVID outbreak took place and by the end of that week, the high school sports season was shut down. On January 28, 2000, Tucker finished first in the 1,000 meters during the indoor track season at the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #3 with a time of 3:24.60, beating 13 other competitors from seven other schools. Tucker continued to compete in track and field during her final two years at Cedar Ridge in indoor and outdoor track & field. The following spring, Tucker won the 400 meter dash in a tri-meet against Southern Durham and Orange at Red Wolves Stadium. After the indoor season was largely canceled during her junior season, Tucker returned to the indoor team last December. She finished 2nd at the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #2 meet in the 1000 meters with a time of 3:40.93. Next month, Tucker will pack her bags and leave for Boone, where she will attend Appalachian State University. She plans to be at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Labor Day weekend for the Mountaineers much-anticipated matchup against North Carolina. 

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior runner William Berger. Last month, Berger ended his career with the Red Wolves as a three-sport athlete. This season, he ran indoor and outdoor track. He started his career as a baseball pitcher, where he played alongside his older brother, Phillip Berger. Will was also a quarterback on the football team. In Cedar Ridge’s opening home outdoor track & field meet this season at Red Wolves Stadium, Berger won the 400 meter dash against ten other competitors against Northwood and Western Alamance. Berger also spent the winter competing in the 500 meter dash for Cedar Ridge indoor track. As a junior, Berger appeared in eight games for the Cedar Ridge baseball team. Two weeks ago, Berger graduated from Cedar Ridge at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. He aims to continue his track & field career at Wofford University in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he will start taking classes in August. 

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior pole vaulter Caroline Fowlkes. On May 20, Fowlkes won the 3A State Championship inside Truist Stadium at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. Fowlkes won the state championship in a jump-off against West Carteret’s Alyssa Cooley after they both failed to clear 11-feet. In the final jump of her Cedar Ridge career, Fowlkes cleared 10’6’ to earn the state title. She became the first Cedar Ridge track & field athlete to win a state championship since 2015. She is the first 3A State Champion in school history. Fowlkes had a dominant spring. She finished first in all nine events she competed in. At the Central Carolina Conference Championships at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane, Fowlkes reached her personal best at 11’6”, over three-and-a-half feet better than the runner-up. Fowlkes is a member of Cedar Ridge’s International Baccalaureate Program and has a 4.0 grade-point-average. She also completed as a high jumper this season. Fowlkes also competed in cross country at Cedar Ridge. After she graduates on Friday, Fowlkes will prepare to start at Appalachian State this August. 

Marvin Jones: Jones, a former track & field star at Cedar Ridge, recorded his career personal best in the high jump during his final meet with North Carolina Central University. It happened in the NCAA East Regionals at Indiana University. Along the way, he narrowly missed becoming the first North Carolina Central Eagle to qualify for the Division I National Track & Field Championships (Central transitioned to Division I in 2011). Jones finished 13th with a jump of 2.15 meters, or 7.05 feet, tying him with six other competitors. He missed qualifying for the national championships due to a tie breaking procedure as he cleared the height on his third attempt as opposed to his first or second. Jones finished the season with seven top-five finishes. He won the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on May 25, after capturing the championship of the MEAC Indoor Championships in February. Jones is the first North Carolina Central Eagle to earn three gold medals since Central went to Division I. He also won the 2021 MEAC Outdoor Championship. This season, Jones also finished first at the Penn Relays and at the Aggie Classic at North Carolina A&T State University.

Jamar Davis: Davis, a former Orange High star in three sports, finished his outdoor track & field season with N.C. State at the East Regionals in Bloomington, IN last week. Davis finished 30th in the long jump at 7.23 (23′ 8.75″) meters. On May 12, Davis finished 7th at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship at Duke University in Durham. Davis’ best leap was 7.63 meters.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team won the American Athletic Conference Tournament at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. The Pirates finished undefeated over four games. ECU defeated Houston 6-1 in the AAC Championship game on Sunday. Berini entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth hitter and drew a walk. In the semifinals on Saturday, the Pirates defeated Tulane 8-5. Berini had an RBI single in the fourth inning, driving in Josh Moylan. In the second round, East Carolina rolled past Cincinnati 15-5 in seven innings. Berini entered the game in the fifth inning and played shortstop for the final two-plus frames. He went 0-for-1 at the plate. East Carolina will enter the NCAA Tournament having won 16 games in a row. On Monday, the Pirates received a #8 national seed. They will host the Greenville Regional at Clark-LeClair Stadium starting on Friday. East Carolina will open against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Coppin State on Friday afternoon at 1 PM. Also in ECU’s region is #2 seed Virginia, who will face Coastal Carolina on Friday night. In addition, Berini is on the roster of the Holly Springs Salamanders of the Coastal Plain League, a wooden-bat summer league. Last season, Berini played for the Asheboro Copperheads of the CPL.

Kate Burgess: The University of North Carolina women’s rowing team ended its season at the ACC Championships in Clemson, SC on Saturday. Burgess was on the Second Four team that finished second racing against Boston College. They finished with a time of 7:56.848. Burgess raced with Lara King, Sarah Redden, Hanna Davis and Julia Louw.

Jaden Hurdle: After finishing her sophomore season at Patrick & Henry Community College, Hurdle was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association East Region first-team. Hurdle, a first baseman, hit .376 over 43 games. She led the Patriots with ten home runs. She was second on the team with 37 RBIs. Hurdle also led the team with 37 runs and four triples. Hurdle graduated from Patrick & Henry in May and will play with Catawba College in Salisbury starting next season.