Cedar Ridge Wrestling

The Cedar Ridge seniors that ended their wrestling careers at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro did more than just reach the 3A State Championships this year.

They were part of a group that started with Fernando Martinez and Kaden Tatro which transformed a program.

As sophomores, Ryan Rakouskas and Pierce Prescod were instrumental in Cedar Ridge winning the Central Conference Tournament at Orange High School. A year later, Cedar Ridge defeated crosstown rival Orange for the first time ever. The Panthers’ shadow within the local wrestling community loomed large not just across Hillsborough, but the entire region having won five state championships and 16 consecutive conference championships.

Together in 2023-2024, Rakouskas, Prescod, Tatro, Martinez and a freshman named Favio Jaramillo Esparza would help the Red Wolves march through the Central Conference undefeated to its first regular season championship as a 3A team. It was just the second conference regular season title in school history.

Between 2001-2022, there had only been four wrestlers in Cedar Ridge history that had won 100 matches. Since 2022, that number has doubled between Martinez, Tatro, Prescod and Rakouskas.

In all likelihood, Ezparza will join the group at the first event next November.

At the 3A State Championships, Rakouskas and Prescod ended their accomplished wrestling careers with the Red Wolves inside First Horizon Coliseum. Prescod, at 120 pounds, pinned Ethan Brownlee of South Johnston to reach the quarterfinals and win his 161st career match. He finished tied with Tatro for second place all-time in school history.

Kane Bryson of Pisgah defeated Prescod in the quarterfinals. Bryson would go on to claim the state championship with a 63-1 record for the season. Prescod ended the year 49-10. In the consolation round, Davey McKoy of Smoky Mountain won over Prescod.

Rakouskas came the closest to placing among the three Red Wolves who reached the state championships. At 150 pounds, Rakouskas, the Mideast Regional champion, pinned Eligah Brown of West Charlotte in 46 seconds. James Weaver of Northern Guilford defeated Rakouskas in the quarterfinals.

In the consolation round, Rakouskas defeated Brock Smith of Jacksonville in 2:40. It was Rakouskas’ 147th career win, putting him in 5th place all-time in school history. John Schulz of West Carteret defeated Rakouskas 20-9 to reach the consolation semifinals. Rakouskas ended the season 49-8.

Esparza, in his first state championship appearance at 113 pounds, lost a heartbreaking opening round match to Brayden Reid of Hibriten 12-10. Esparza led 10-9 with time running out before Reid earned a takedown with one second remaining in regulation for the margin of victory.

In the consolation round, Esparza scored a major decision over Bryson Wilhelm of West Rowan 15-3. It was Esparza’s 98th career win. Abrey Verhow of White Oak defeated Esparza in the next match. Esparza  has a career record of 98-45 going into his senior year.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior wrestling Ryan Rakouskas. This week, Rakouskas ended his grappling career at the State Wrestling Championships at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. Last month, Rakouskas won the 150-pound Mideast Regional Wrestling Championship. At the state championships, Rakouskas pinned Eligah Brown of West Charlotte in the opening round in 46 seconds. Rakouskas would go on to pin Brock Smith of Jacksonville. Rakouskas concluded the year 49-8 after reaching the state championships for the second time in his career. He finished his wrestling career with 147 career wins, fifth all-time in school history. Earlier this winter, Rakouskas earned his 100th career pinfall victory. Rakouskas is a part of a senior class that changed the balance of power in local wrestling circles. In his junior year, Rakouskas was a part of Cedar Ridge’s first regular season wrestling championship as a 3A team in wrestling, finishing undefeated in conference action. That included its first-ever win over Orange. This year, Cedar Ridge won at Orange for the first time. Rakouskas won the 150-pound Central Conference championship in 2024 and 2025 at Williams High School in Burlington. On Friday, Rakouskas started his third season playing on the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team, where he is a long-stick midfielder.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Ryan Rakouskas

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior wrestling Ryan Rakouskas. This week, Rakouskas ended his grappling career at the State Wrestling Championships at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. Last month, Rakouskas won the 150-pound Mideast Regional Wrestling Championship.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore wrestler Alejandro Briones. This season, Briones won his second Central Conference championship. At Walter Williams High School, Briones pinned Orange High’s Sebastian Guardia in 1:36 to take the conference crown. Briones, the top-seed, pinned Aiden Cameron of Southern Alamance in the semifinals. Briones has been a quick study for the Red Wolves. A regular starter during his freshman year, he was an invaluable presence during Cedar Ridge’s run to the Central Conference regular season championship in 2023-2024. Briones went 23-14 in his freshman year and defeated senior Mason Tanner of Eastern Alamance to win the 2024 Central Conference championship at 144-pounds. Last week at the Mideast Regional championships at Cedar Ridge High, Briones reached the semifinals and came one win shy of qualifying for the state championships. He starts the tournament by pinning Gavin Macmurray of E.E. Smith. In the quarterfinals, Briones outscored Kyan Webster of Eastern Guilford 24-20. Briones hasn’t lost to a Central Conference opponent in his first two years. He has accumulated 66 wins in his first two varsity seasons. As Pierce Prescod and Ryan Rakouskas graduate, Briones will be one of the grapplers that head coach Scott Metcalf relies on to lead the Cedar Ridge wrestling program into the future.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Alejandro Briones

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore wrestler Alejandro Briones. This season, Briones won his second Central Conference championship. At Walter Williams High School, Briones pinned Orange High’s Sebastian Guardia in 1:36 to take the conference crown. Briones, the top-seed, pinned Aiden Cameron of Southern Alamance in the semifinals.

For Cedar Ridge senior Pierce Prescod, his wait to reach the 3A State Wrestling championships wasn’t denied. It was just delayed. Last Saturday, Prescod finished third in the Mideast Regional championships at Cedar Ridge High School at 120 pounds. Prescod had to overcome some anxious moments in the consolation semifinals. Facing Westover Connor Dean, Prescod got out to a 5-1 lead at the end of the first period. Prescod scored a slam that left Dean injured. It was reminiscent of 2023, when Prescod was disqualified in the consolation semifinal at 120 pounds. This time, the slam was ruled legal. Prescod was awarded the win when Dean couldn’t continue. Prescod would go on to finish in 3rd place in the regional with a decisive technical fall victory over Chris Schroth of Union Pines 20-4. Prescod is now 49-8 on the season. On Saturday in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, Prescod pinned Ethan Brownlee of South Johnston in 5:53. Prescod is now tied with Kaden Tatro for second place all-time in school history in career wins. Prescod has now won 161 matches. Earlier this year, he celebrated his 100th career pinfall win. Prescod will face Kane Bryson of Pisgah in the state quarterfinals on Sunday.

Cedar Ridge senior Pierce Prescod discusses qualifying for state wrestling championships

For Cedar Ridge senior Pierce Prescod, his wait to reach the 3A State Wrestling championships wasn’t denied. It was just delayed. Last Saturday, Prescod finished third in the Mideast Regional championships at Cedar Ridge High School at 120 pounds. Prescod had to overcome some anxious moments in the consolation semifinals.

Cedar Ridge senior Ryan Rakouskas has become the first Red Wolf wrestler to win a regional championship since Fernando Martinez in 2022. Last Saturday, Rakouskas won the 150-pound championship at the Mideast Regionals at Cedar Ridge High School. In his final match inside his home gymnasium, Rakouskas pinned Royce Espinoza of Triton in 23 seconds to take the championship. In the semifinals, Rakouskas advanced when Eastern Guilford’s Kolby Gryder, the top seed in the weight division, couldn’t continue after Rakouksas legally slammed him. Rakousksas was the #4 seed in the tournament. Two years ago, he finished third in his weight division when the regionals were held at Cedar Ridge. This is the second time that Rakouskas has qualified for the state championships. Rakouskas’ win over Gryder was the 144th of his career. It put Rakouskas past Fernando Martinez for fifth on the all-time school wins list. Rakouskas has been a varsity wrestler for four years at Cedar Ridge under head coach Scott Metcalf. He will end his career the way every wrestler in the state dreams of ending their careers–at the Greensboro Coliseum competing for a state championship. Rakouskas will start the state championships on Saturday against Eligah Brown of West Charlotte.

Cedar Ridge’s Ryan Rakouskas discuses winning the 150-pound Mideast Regional Championship

Cedar Ridge senior Ryan Rakouskas has become the first Red Wolf wrestler to win a regional championship since Fernando Martinez in 2022. Last Saturday, Rakouskas won the 150-pound championship at the Mideast Regionals at Cedar Ridge High School. In his final match inside his home gymnasium, Rakouskas pinned Royce Espinoza of Triton in 23 seconds to take the championship.

Scott Metcalf has had to spend more on printing banners in recent years.

Inside the Cedar Ridge wrestling room, there’s a big sign listing the career win leaders in school history. Between 2001-and-2021, four Cedar Ridge wrestlers won 100 career matches.

That number has doubled over the past four years. And one more could join the group next weekend.

“This senior class is a special class,” Metcalf said.

Just to the right of that banner is a list of state qualifiers, which will also need to be refreshed.

On Saturday, Ryan Rakouskas won the 150-pound Mideast Regional championship at Cedar Ridge High School. Rakouskas, who qualified for the state championships for the second time in his career, made quick work of Royce Ezpinoza of Triton, needing just 22 seconds to score the pin in the championship match. It was Rakouskas’ final match in his own gymnasium.

Rakouskas, who was the #4 seed, became the first Cedar Ridge wrestler to win a regional championship since Fernando Martinez won at 113-pounds in 2022 at Union Pines High School. As fate would have it, Rakouskas surpassed Martinez on the school career wins list when he upset top-seeded Kolby Gryder of Eastern Guilford in the semifinals on Saturday. Rakouskas delivered a legal slam in the second period to take a 7-5 lead. Gryder was injured and couldn’t continue after being checked by medical staff.

Rakouskas now has 145 career wins, fifth in school history.

“I’m very surprised,” Rakouskas said. “I wasn’t expecting to make states, honestly. I had a tough weight class. I thought I had a 50-50 shot, but I wasn’t expecting to win it at all. So I was pleasantly surprised.”

On Friday, Rakouksas opened by scoring a technical fall over Issac Cisneros of Harnett Central 22-1. In the quarterfinals, Rakouskas pinned Ben Rich of Western Harnett, who has a record of 45-8, in 2:58.

It continues a year of milestones for Rakouskas. In November, he won his 100th career match. Last month, he scored his 100th career pin.

“Ryan is one of those kids who really likes throws,” Metcalf said. “When you can throw somebody, you have a chance to win against anyone you face on the mat. He’s been a joy to coach.”

It was also a day that Cedar Ridge senior Pierce Prescod had waited three years for. He finally qualified for the state championships at 120 pounds in a situation that was downright eerie.

Two years ago, when the regionals were also held at Cedar Ridge, Prescod was disqualified in the consolation semifinals when his opponent couldn’t continue after what was ruled an illegal slam. Prescod, who won 44 matches as a sophomore, fell one win shy of the state championships.

In the consolation semifinals on Saturday, on the exact same mat where he was disqualified two years ago, Prescod slammed Connor Dean of Westover at the end of the first period.

Dean stayed down. Images of 2023 flashed through Prescod’s mind as he waited and waited to see if Dean could continue. The officials ruled it was a legal slam since Prescod had his knee down on the mat upon initiating the throw. Dean couldn’t finish. Prescod, who was leading 6-1 at the time, would advance to the consolation final, ensuring his first trip to the state championships.

“I was worried,” Prescod said. “I waited about two minutes and I wasn’t sure if the slam was legal. I was pacing and thinking ‘This can’t be happening.’ Then coach (Metcalf) came over and told me we were good. I was relieved.”

For added measure, Prescod dominated Chris Schroth of Union Pines, winning a tech fall 20-4 to finish in third place.

Last year at regionals, another wrestler from Union Pines denied Prescod’s opportunity to go to the state championships. In the consolation semifinals, Keaton Crawford defeated Prescod 11-9 in a sudden death round. Prescod won 45 matches in his junior year, but again fell one win short of Greensboro.

Prescod now has 160 career wins, third all-time in school history. He is one victory shy of tying Kaden Tatro, who graduated last summer, for second place. The all-time school record is held by Chandler Collins, who amassed 166 wins from 2003-2007.

Cedar Ridge junior Favio Jaramillo Esparza will go to the state championships at 113 pounds for the first time. Esparza pinned Union Pines Caiden McDermott to reach the semifinals. Esparza pinned Joshua Sasser of Harnett Central in 43 seconds to reach the 3rd place match. Esparza, who won the Eagle Invitational in Mebane in December, earned his 97th career win.

Orange will not have a representative in the state championships. Senior Jayden Medley reached the consolation semifinals. Union Pines’ Dantrell Williams defeated Medley 5-1. Medley ends the season 31-10.

Panthers freshman Jordan Barbee also reached the consolation semifinals. Greensboro Dudley’s Devin Cotton defeated Barbee via tech fall.

There will be dreams realized and hopes dashed as the 3A Mideast Regional Wrestling championships get underway at Cedar Ridge High on Friday afternoon.

Some local grapplers will be looking to return to the Greensboro Coliseum, now known as First Horizon Coliseum, for next week’s state championships.

Others will be looking for redemption.

In 2023, Cedar Ridge hosted the regional championships. It was a weekend of triumph for several local stars. Orange’s Acoya Isley captured the 195-pound title when his opponent in the final, Eastern Guilford’s Karin Sein, couldn’t continue.

Cedar Ridge’s Fernando Martinez, competing at 113 pounds, had a pedestrian 4th place finish after falling to Person’s Christina Lemaire in the consolation final. A week later, Martinez would wrestle for the State Championship in Greensboro.

Then there was the case of Pierce Prescod, who was a sophomore in 2023. Competing at 120 pounds, Prescod was one win away from the state championships in the consolation semifinals. He appeared to have a power advantage against South Johnston’s Carson Corl,  who landed awkwardly when Prescod slammed him within 30 seconds of the first period. The takedown was ruled out of the circle. Corl claimed he couldn’t continue due to injury, which led to Prescod being disqualified.

Two years later, Prescod hasn’t forgotten. He still hasn’t qualified for the state championships and this weekend is his last chance.

“I still think about it,” Prescod said last month. “I was so pumped up and wanted to continue with the match. He took the easy way out. It still motivates me, but it helps me control my adrenaline when I compete.”

Prescod, who recorded his 100th career pinfall victory earlier this winter, is the #4 seed at 120 pounds. Sporting a record of 44-7, Prescod will open against Orange’s Logan Scarantino on Friday. Earlier this year, Prescod secured his 100th pinfall victory. Last month, he won the Central Conference championship after pinning Eastern Alamance’s Elijah Watson in 3:36.

He’s also looking to continue his climb up the all-time Cedar Ridge wins list. Prescod is at 156 career victories, currently third on the all-time list. He needs four more victories to tie Kaden Tatro, who graduated last year, for second place.

Chandler Collins, who competed from 2003-2007, holds the all-time record with 166 wins.

Another Cedar Ridge senior, Ryan Rakouskas, will look to qualify for the state championships for the third time. In his sophomore season, Rakouskas finished 3rd at 145-pounds. Rakouskas, who became the eighth Cedar Ridge wrestler to win 100 matches in November, is seeded 4th in the 150 pound tournament. With a record of 43-6, Rakouskas will open against Issac Cisneros of Harnett Central. Last month, Rakouskas pinned Markus Thomas of Orange to win the conference championship at Walter Williams High School in Burlington.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Alejandro Briones, who has already won 65 matches in his career, is the #3 seed at 144 pounds. Briones racked up his second conference championship last month. He will open against Gavin Macmurray of E.E. Smith on Friday.

Orange senior Jayden Medley will make his final attempt to reach the state championships at 215 pounds. Medley, who won the Eagle Invitational in Mebane in December, is 28-8. He is seeded #3 and will face Dakota Rodriguez of Cape Fear on Friday.

Orange freshman Jordan Barbee, who won all five matches in the Rumble in the Jungle event at Carrboro High in December, will compete in his first regional final. Barbee, 23-9 this season, is the #11 seed and will face Trenton Westbrook of Cape Fear in the opening round.

The biggest favorite in the entire field will likely be Person senior Trevquan Gary. The #1 seed at heavyweight, Gary won the 3A State Championship last year.

After finishing second in the Central Conference regular season behind Person, Cedar Ridge was the only Hillsborough team to reach the 3A State Dual Team Tournament two weeks ago. For the second year in a row, the Red Wolves traveled to Jacksonville, this time for the opening round. The Cardinals, who eventually reached the Eastern Regional final, defeated the Red Wolves 60-18. Rakouskas, Jordin Blue and Favio Esparza Jaramillo all earned pinfall fins for Cedar Ridge.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior wrestler Pierce Prescod. On Saturday, Prescod won his third consecutive Central Conference championship at 120 pounds at Williams High School in Burlington. Earlier this month at Williams High, Prescod won his 150th career match. During the past four years, Prescod has been a vital part of unprecedented success for the Cedar Ridge wrestling team.  During his sophomore season, Cedar Ridge won the Central Conference Tournament at Orange High School, where he pinned Person’s Taveon Moss for his 1st individual conference title. In his junior year, Cedar Ridge won the Central Conference regular season championship. On December 6, 2023, Prescod earned a pinfall victory as the Red Wolves defeated crosstown rival Orange for the first time in school history. In February 2024, Prescod and his teammates made the long trip to Currituck County and defeated Carrboro and Person to reach the state quarterfinals of the 3A State Dual Team Tournament. In the beginning of his junior season, Prescod won the Red Wolf Invitational. He ended his junior year with 48 wins. Next month, Cedar Ridge will once again compete in the state dual team playoffs after finishing 2nd in the Central Conference this season. Prescod will compete in the Mideast Regionals at Cedar Ridge High School and will aim to earn an elusive trip to the 3A State Individual Tournament at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Pierce Prescod

This week’s Cedar Red Wolf of the Week is senior wrestler Pierce Prescod. On Saturday, Prescod captured the Central Conference championship at 120 pounds at Williams High School in Burlington. It continues a season of milestones for Prescod, who secured his 100th career pinfall victory earlier this month.

After winning his 100th career match in November, Ryan Rakouskas became the latest Cedar Ridge wrestler to celebrate 100 career pins.

In the quarterfinals of the Coach T Memorial Classic at Riverside High School in Durham on Saturday, Rakouskas pinned Topsail’s Luke Williams in 4:00 for his 100th career pinfall. It came two weeks after Rakouskas teammate, Pierce Prescod, earned his 100th career pin.

Rakouskas competed against Williams twice. In the consolation final, Rakouskas pinned Williams again, this time in 3:43, to earn third place in the tournament. Rakouskas improved to 39-6 on the season with 27 pins. He surpassed Randy Greenough for sixth on the all-time schools career win list.

Speaking of which, senior Pierce Prescod continues to move closer to the all-time record, held by Chandler Collins, with 166 career wins. Prescod is now at 152 wins after finishing 2nd in the 120-pound weight division. In the semifinals, Prescod pinned Santos Marin of Wakefield in 3:01 for his 152nd career victory, surpassing Josh Collins for third place on the all-time list. Prescod, who is looking to qualify for the state championships for the first time, lost in the finals to Cape Fear’s Mac Johnson, who was the #3 seed.

Kaden Tatro, who graduated from Cedar Ridge, is #2 in school history with 159 wins.

In the women’s tournament, Cedar Ridge freshman Thalia Paterno continued an impressive rookie year with a second place finish at 100 pounds. In a round-robin event, Paterno score pins in each of her opening three matches, none of which exceeded one minute. Paterno pinned Kaleigh Poteat of Southeast Alamance in 13 seconds; pinned Ashley Smith of Wakefield in 37 seconds and finished Anai Carrillo of Cardinal Gibbons in 50 seconds.

It set up a championship match with Morgan Carpenter of Pine Forest, who had also won her opening three matches. Carpenter scored a pin at 4:49. This season, Paterno has won three individual championships at the Red Wolf Invitational, the Jim King/Orange Invitational and the Eagle Invitational in Mebane.

At 113 pounds in the men’s tournament, Cedar Ridge junior Favio Jaramillo captured 3rd place in a tournament where he scored three wins to boast his record to 37-8 on the season. Jaramillo, who won the championship of the Eagle Invitational last month, dominated Bennett Teague of Southern Alamance 16-3 in the 3rd place match. Jaramillo, seeded #2, scored a technical fall over Jaxton Couch of Pine Forest 19-3. In the consolation semfinals, Jaramillo defeated Jacob Keel of Rolesville 19-11. Top-seeded Spencer Sterling of Cardinal Gibbons won the 113-pound championship with an 11-4 decision over Jacob Pope of Topsail.

Sophomore Alejandro Briones had tough luck in a fourth-place finish at 144 pounds. Briones, who is 37-8 on the year, won his quarterfinal match over Troy Crain of Seaforth. Broughton’s Benjamin Zeren scored a takedown in the third period to defeat Briones in the semifinals 9-6. Briones pinned Wesley Taylor of Cape Fear to reach the third place match. Cardinal Gibbons’ Derek Mason a takedown with :08 remaining to edge Briones 10-9 in the consolation final.

In the women’s tournament, Cedar Ridge’s Chloe Pankratz finished fourth at 138 pounds. Pankratz, a senior who won the JKO tournament in December, opened with a pin over Izabella Roldan of Curritcuk County. Italia Squicciarini of Topsail pinned Pankratz in the second round robin match. Katie Lloyd of Southeast Alamance pinned Pankratz in the 3rd place match.

Cedar Ridge’s Carolina DonJuan was the only entrant in her weight class and claimed first place at 235 pounds.

On Saturday, Cedar Ridge will compete in the Central Conference Championships at Williams High School in Broughton. Briones and Prescod each won their respective conference championships last year in Burlington.

For the first time, there will be a conference tournament for women’s wrestling. This season, Cedar Ridge had several dual women’s matches, including wins over Person, Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill, Walter Williams and Southern Alamance.

It was a joyous holiday for Juan and Favio Jaramillo at the Eagle Invitational in Mebane on December 21. Juan, a freshman, won the 106-pound championship, his first individual tournament title as a Red Wolf. Favio, a junior, won the 113-pound championship. It helped Cedar Ridge to a 1st place finish at the Eagle Invitational, the Red Wolves second team tournament championship this year. Juan scored pins in all three of his matches. In the championship match, he defeated Roland Owen of East Chapel Hill in 5:58. At the time of the pin, Juan led the match 10-1. Juan also pinned Junior McKay of Overhills and Max Molinar of Orange in the tournament. Favio was seeded #2 in the 113-pound tournament and pinned top-seeded Alex Raymundo of Randleman in 4:28. In the semifinals, Favio scored a technical fall against Wyatt Collins of Northwest Guilford 16-1. Favio has had a strong freshman year. Juan is 26-10 with ten pins this season. Favio had a career-high 34 wins with eleven pins this season. Together, they’ve helped Cedar Ridge reach the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs for the second consecutive season after beating Walter Williams on Wednesday night. The Red Wolves have already clinched 2nd place in the Central Conference and the Jaramillo brothers have been a big reason for the team’s success.

Cedar Ridge wrestling’s Juan and Favio Jaramillo discuss their championships at Eagle Invitational

It was a joyous holiday for Juan and Favio Jaramillo at the Eagle Invitational in Mebane on December 21. Juan, a freshman, won the 106-pound championship, his first individual tournament title as a Red Wolf. Favio, a junior, won the 113-pound championship.