Cedar Ridge High School

Featuring Marlee Rakouskas, Jaden Hurdle, Rachel Tilley and Ian Johnson.

In this edition of Thanksgiving wishes, we hear from Orange’s Cooper Porter, Grace Andrews and Taylor Montague, along with Cedar Ridge’s Anaya Carter.

In this edition, we ask Orange shortstop Joey Berini, Cedar Ridge volleyball setter ShiLi Quade, Cedar Ridge women’s basketball center Caitlyn Lloyd and Red Wolf soccer midfielder Eh Kaw Hso what they’re thankful for. Wait until the end for a thoughtful answer from one of the athletes.

This week, after I praised them not even 2 weeks ago, Miami decides to go out and lay an egg over at Florida International. I usually don’t give my thoughts on non conference games, but we have an exception for Miami this time. On with the ramble!

Note: Virginia, North Carolina, and Boston College will not have analysis this week as they played non-conference games, neither of which the result was very surprising.

Georgia Tech

Well, well, well. Tech has won a second ACC game. Given, this is more about NC State’s secondary being made of swiss cheese, but more on that later. Even with State’s dreadful secondary, Yellow Jacket QB James Graham had to do something he hasn’t done all season, make the big throws. Tech didn’t do it much, but when they threw the ball it was very effective. Graham slung 3 touchdowns on only 7-15 passing for 129 yards, and Jordan Mason took care of the rest of the offense with his great day on the ground. Not to mention the run game that Graham had as well. Nice job Jackets, now hopefully Georgia shows you some degree of mercy next week.

Louisville

If it wasn’t for Sam Howell at North Carolina, Javian Hawkins would be my frontrunner for ACC Rookie of the Year. Hawkins continued his reign of terror on opposing defenses, gashing Syracuse for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries in a big time victory. If Louisville had a defense worth anything themselves, they may have only been a one loss team this year. Alas, the offense is stuck doing all the work, and they’re still a 7-4 football team going into their rivalry game. This has been a fun team to watch this year and I feel they will be for years to come.

Virginia Tech

Undoubtedly the favorite to win the Coastal now, Virginia Tech thoroughly dominated Pitt in a 28-0 victory at Lane Stadium. Despite the 28 points, it’s not like Tech’s offense did a whole lot in this game, the real story was the Hokie defense strangling Pitt as a boa constrictor does its prey. VT only allowed 177 total yards of offense to the Panthers and only surrendered 8 first downs. That is what we call dominance ladies and gentlemen.

Wake Forest

Wake’s kick coverage against Duke was bad, but everything else was good. Jamie Newman has a new favorite target in Kendall Hinton, and they should have a really good shot to finish with 10 wins with Syracuse and whatever their bowl game is coming up next.

NC State

Everything is still bad in Wolfpack country. The Pack hit a new low with the loss to Georgia Tech and I can’t imagine it getting any better. With Sam Howell slinging it like he is, it could be a long night in Carter-Finley next Saturday with this NC State defense.

Syracuse

The defense is bad. There’s really nothing more to say about ‘Cuse at this point, the offense has put up enough points the past 2 games to win both and they only won one of them. Bowl hopes are gone, and the search for a new defensive coordinator is going to be interesting this offseason. I do however, expect them to play a good game on senior day against Wake Forest. This could be a game that is surprisingly interesting next Saturday.

Pitt

Pitt avoided turnovers for the most part against Virginia Tech, only losing the ball once. However, they didn’t exactly move the ball either. When you only gain 177 yards on the day, you’re not going to win a football game.

Duke

Congratulations on not being terrible? Then again, half of Dukes 27 points came on kickoff returns so I wouldn’t exactly say their offense is where it needs to be. Duke may not be terrible, but they’re still bad.

Miami

Hey Miami, next time you play Florida International, don’t get down by 20 points in the 4th quarter before you decide to try. Because of this loss, Manny Diaz will probably be out of a job and the Hurricanes program will continue to be stuck in the eternal pit of mediocrity the entirety of the conference outside of Clemson is also in that same pit. It’s official Miami, you’ve never been back, and you won’t ever get back.

Football Power Rankings

1. Clemson, duh.
2. Virginia Tech
3. Virginia
4. Wake Forest
5. Pitt
6. Louisville
7. North Carolina
8. Florida State
9. Boston College
10. Miami
11. Syracuse
12. Georgia Tech
13. Duke
14. NC State

Football Predictions

Virginia Tech at Virginia: Virginia Tech, 24-7

Wake Forest at Syracuse: Syracuse, 38-35

Clemson at South Carolina: Clemson, 42-10

Georgia at Georgia Tech: Georgia, 41-0

Louisville at Kentucky: Louisville, 48-27

Boston College at Pitt: Pitt, 31-21

Miami at Duke: Miami, 21-17

Florida State at Florida: Florida, 38-24

North Carolina at NC State: North Carolina, 41-20

Last week’s predictions: 7-1

Season total: 30-18

Basketball Power Rankings

1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Louisville
5. Syracuse
6. NC State
7. Florida State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Georgia Tech
10. Notre Dame
11. Miami
12. Pitt
13. Clemson
14. Boston College
15. Wake Forest

Basketball Predictions

Virginia Tech v. Michigan State (Maui Invitational): Michigan State, 85-71

Colorado v. Clemson (MGM Resorts Main Event, Las Vegas): Colorado, 70-59

Alabama v. North Carolina (Battle 4 Atlantis): North Carolina, 77-64

Oklahoma State v. Syracuse (NIT Season Tip-Off, Brooklyn): Syracuse 65-60

NC State v. Memphis (Barclays Center Classic, Brooklyn): NC State, 82-71

Tennessee v. Florida State (Emerald Coast Classic: Niceville, FL): Tennessee, 66-62

Last week’s predictions: 5-1

Season total: 16-3

The youth of the Cedar Ridge wrestling team was on display during the Red Wolves Invitational this weekend.

Though the Red Wolves didn’t have any individual champions in the 15-team event on Saturday at Cedar Ridge Gymnasium, freshman Fernando Martinez made an instant impression. Competing at 106 pounds, Martinez won two matches to advance to the championship final.

On Saturday morning, Martinez defeated Derrick Laycock of Person 18-10. In the semifinals, Martinez pinned Trinity’s Chris Grubb in 5:41 to advance to the championship. Joey Bruscino of Southeast Guilford claimed the 106-pound title via pinfall.

Red Wolf junior Cutter Tate also reached the championship final, this time at 195 pounds. In the semifinals, Tate pinned Nisaiah Childers of Salisbury in 49 seconds. Ayden Privette of Trinity coined the championship over Tate.

Five Cedar Ridge wrestlers placed. At 170 pounds, senior Wuffin Ryrick finished 3rd. Rick opened with a quarterfinal pin of East Forsyth’s Ian Sawyer in 46 seconds. After Trinity’s Sebastian Talent prevailed in the semifinals, Ryrick pinned Barltett Yancey’s in 1:00 to reach the consolation final. Ryrick defeated Southeast Guilford’s Ethan Cox to sew up a third place finish.

Senior Alex Christian came in fourth at 182 pounds. Christian pinned Chastin Hawkins to open in 1:06. After falling in the semifinals, Christian pinned Alston Jackson of Carrboro in 4:06 to move on to the consolation final. Trinity’s Tristian Brewer won the 3rd place match.

Junior Daina Pritchard also advanced to the consolation final at 132 pounds. In the opening round, Pritchard pinned Carrboro’s Ezra Sartor in 1:20. Will Lewis of Western Harnett defeated Pritchard in the quarterfinals. Pritchard bounced back to win consecutive matches in the consolation bracket. He pinned Ayden Flanagan in 1:12, then finished off West Johnston’s Chris McHenry in an 11-0 major decision. A North Carolina High School Athletic Association rule prohibits wrestlers from competing five times in one day, so Pritchard’s third place match against Will Lewis of Western Harnett was declared a double forfeit.

Trinity won the Red Wolves Invitational team event with 217 points. Southeast Guilford came in 2nd with 171.5 points. Cedar Ridge finished 5th at 137 points.

Last year, four Red Wolves placed in the top five. Only Darius McLeod reached an individual final.

Across Hillsborough, the Orange wrestling team started its season with the Orange duals, an event where the Panthers compete in four dual matches against non conference opponents. Orange went 4-0.

The Panthers defeated North Davidson 64-12. In round 2, Orange won over Raleigh Sanderson 69-21. The tightest match of the day came in round 3 when the Panthers held off South Stokes 50-24. In the finale, Orange cruised past Chatham Central 75-6.

As with Martinez, a freshman was the star of the day at 106 pounds. In his varsity debut, Dillion Heffernan went 4-0 on the day. Heffernan, who wrestled at 90 pounds last year at Stanford Middle School to help the Chargers to the OPAC Championship, earned a forfeit win in his first varsity match against North Davidson. Heffernan put Sanderson’s Fletcher Kays on his back for his first varsity pin. He also pinned South Stokes’ Kendell Caudill and Chatham Central’s Michael Downing.

Heavyweight Juan Navarro started his senior year with four wins, two via pinfall. 220-pounder Tyler Larkin earned three victories, including a pin of Chatham Central’s Jarrett Marsburn.

Junior Kessell Summers, who qualified for the 3A State Championships in February after a 3rd place finish in the Mideast Regionals, started the campaign with two pins in his only matches on the day.

Orange will face East Chapel Hill, Person and Cardinal Gibbons in the Thanksgiving Quads on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Following her team’s most successful season since 2015, Cedar Ridge volleyball coach Anna Seethaler has been named the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year.

In addition, Cedar Ridge junior Marlee Rakouskas and freshman Cameron Lloyd were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team this week.

Orange, who finished 16-8, had seniors Kaitlyn Werden and Brooke Fryar named to the All-Big 8 team.

Seethaler took a Cedar Ridge team that posted a 7-15 record in 2018 and led them to an 18-6 season, despite losing promising middle hitter Lydia Wood during the summer after she transferred. Cedar Ridge stormed out to a 6-0 start. After they suffered their first setback at Jordan on September 9, the Red Wolves stunned Chapel Hill the following night in Hillsborough. It was the Tigers’ first and only loss of the season.

Chapel Hill won the 3A State Championship over West Henderson in Raleigh two weeks ago.

As if that wasn’t enough, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in five sets at Panther Gymnasium 48 hours later. It was the first time Cedar Ridge win at Orange since 2015.

“Ours was a team that showed up for each other. We worked as a unit, as a team, as a family,” Seethaler said after the season-ending loss to Gray’s Creek in the 3A State Playoffs. “Throughout the season the parents, grandparents, friends, administrators and players all showed up and worked together to make some really incredible things happen. There were challenges and upsets and annoyances, like any other family. But everyone just kept showing up through all of it.”

From the time the season unofficially started with a scrimmage at Burlington’s (non-air conditioned) Fairchild Community Center in early August, Seethaler was set to play three freshmen in her regular rotation. Indeed, Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier started right away and immediately posted impressive numbers.

“For me, actions speak louder than words,” Seethaler said. “Even though I was hopeful and open gyms were looking good AND I kept hearing ‘we’d have a great team this year’, I didn’t really know what we were capable of until we actually competed throughout  the season. About half way through the season I looked back at where we came from, even from last year and thought ‘Well dang. We’ve won more games halfway through this season than we won the entire season last year, I’d say we are doing pretty good.’”

Lloyd was the only freshman in the Big 8 Conference who finished in the top five in kills, aces and digs. She registered 342 kills, 68 aces and 237 digs. On September 17 against Northern Durham, Lloyd had a triple-double with 17 kills, 12 aces and ten digs.

During Cedar Ridge’s team banquet last week, Lloyd was named the Team MVP.

Rakouskas, a junior libero, had 224 digs and 472 service receptions. She had a season-high 20 digs and 37 service receptions in a 3-2 win over Northwood on October 1.

The Orange volleyball team won more games than any other Lady Panther squad this decade. Fryar, who signed with Gardner-Webb last week, was a senior libero who led the team with 276 digs and 338 service receptions. She was third on the team with 52 assists.

“I owe (Orange) Coach (Kelly) Young a lot,” Fryar said. “She’s coached me since I was a freshman. Now I’m a senior. She just really helped out my game.”

Werden led Orange with 36 aces and 290 assists. She was second on the squad with 121 digs. In a victory over Northern Durham on September 26, Werden had 18 assists and 13 digs.

Cedar Ridge’s Altieri and Emma Downing were named honorable mention All-Big 8.

Orange sophomore Lottie Scully and senior Elizabeth Vosburg were also named honorable mention.

The post-Darius McLeod era of Cedar Ridge wrestling is off to a good start.

On Wednesday night, Cedar Ridge defeated Walter Williams 45-36 in Burlington. It was the first dual match of the season for the Red Wolves.

It also served as a steady tune-up for the Red Wolves Invitational, an all-day individual tournament at Cedar Ridge High School on Saturday.

It was the first dual match for Cedar Ridge head coach Scott Metcalf since the graduation of McLeod, who qualified for the 3A State Championships last February. McLeod ended his career with 98 victories and is now studying music at Western Carolina University.

Last season, McLeod finished 35-14 at 132 pounds. In the Mideast Regionals at Southeast Guilford High School, McLeod received ten stitches to his bottom lip after he was head-butted by Westover’s Lydell Canady. Despite that, McLeod finished the match and won it 8-6.

“I miss him,” Cedar Ridge Wrestling Coach Scott Metcalf said. “He was awesome. No one had a bad word to say about Darius. He was two wins shy of 100 for his career. We can’t replace him.”

Nonetheless, Metcalf will try to, starting with tri-Captains Ruffin Wyrick, Cutter Tate and James Rosati-Brown.

“We’re looking for leadership from all of them,” Metcalf said. “Cutter brings toughness and confidence. His demeanor isn’t over the top. I think the guys really respond to him. He’s like a big brother because he helps the younger guys.”

Against Williams, it was Alex Christian who came up with a critical pin at 182 pounds that led the way to the Red Wolves first dual match win of the year. Christian pinned Jordan McDowell in 1:14.

Daina Pritchard opened his season with a 14-7 major decision over Sam Sturgill. At 138, Alex Davis pinned Joshua Silva in 1:58. Rosati-Brown pinned Nick Wolfe in 42 seconds at 152 pounds.

Fernando Martinez (106), Wyatt Robinson (160) and Donaldo Aguilar (220) earned forfeit wins for the Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge also returns Kady Watkins, who made history last year as the first female wrestler from Hillsborough to compete for a individual state championship.

In fact, Watkins’ participation with Cedar Ridge has carried over across school. Now, there are four female wrestlers on the Red Wolves team.

“I think she just wanted to stay competitive in something,” Metcalf said.
“She had a gymnastics background. She just fell in love with wrestling.”

Watkins competed at 126 pounds in the Women’s Invitational State Championships in Winston-Salem last February. While she has competed in tennis and ran track at Cedar Ridge, she considers wrestling her top sport.

“I think it’s just growing throughout the state,” Metcalf said. “Some of the other states are starting to sanction women’s divisions. With MMA (mixed martial arts) becoming popular, that’s getting women involved in wrestling. I love to see the sport grow.”

Cedar Ridge will host 15 other teams at the Red Wolves Invitational on Saturday morning. The field includes Person, Carrboro, Bartlett Yancey, East Forsyth, Enloe, East Wake, Leesville Road, Trinity and Chatham Charter.

Last season, McLeod finished second in the Red Wolves Invitational at 132 pounds, losing in the final.

Over the next week, we’ll hear from Orange and Cedar Ridge athletes about what they’re thankful for. Everyone is thankful for family and friends, so we went searching for other things that they’re giving thanks for this November. Here’s part 1, featuring Tori Dalehite, Brooke Fryar, Tionna Carter and Michael Nicholson.