Cedar Ridge High School

Chris Walker has a long memory.

When Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 4-1 in 2017 at Red Wolves Stadium, Walker muttered afterward that he hadn’t lost to Orange at home since he took over as coach in 2013.

On September 18, it appeared another loss to Orange was certain. Rohan Kasthuri scored in the second half to bolt the Panthers ahead 3-1 with 22:30 remaining.

To make matters more difficult, Cedar Ridge already had lost leading scorer Brandon Garcia, who was injured midway through the second half. Garcia had a seven-game scoring streak to open the season and didn’t return until the 2nd overtime session, and barely touched the ball even then.

With 17:00 remaining, the Red Wolves went on the attack. Freshman Nicholas Frank scored two goals in a span of 43 seconds to tie the game.

Junior Dean Allen fed Frank with two gorgeous through passes on each goal that ultimately sent the game into penalty kicks.

Fittingly, Frank laced the game-winning penalty into the middle right side of the net. Cedar Ridge junior goalkeeper Ty Corbin made the save on Orange’s final attempt to start a wild celebration among the Cedar Ridge players.

“I told our guys at halftime we had to go back to our game plan,” said Walker, his voice hoarse from an intense night off coaching. “I pulled Nick in the first half because he told me ‘Coach, I’m not getting the ball.’ And I asked him what he was going to do? I told him he had to do more to get the ball.”

And he did. On consecutive possessions in the 2nd half, Frank received the ball after 20-yard runs. His first goal came from 20 yards away after Orange’s goalkeeper came out of net as Frank collected a gorgeous balll from Reese Weaver.

Less than a minute later, Frank received another pass to even the game.

Orange led penalties 3-2 after three rounds, but Corbin made saves on the last two attempts.

Garcia, Weaver, Erickson Thole and Frank scored penalties for Cedar Ridge.

The rematch in Hillsborough would be just as dramatic. Orange’s Elliott Sikes sent the game into overtime on an equalizing goal with 1:06 remaining in the second half.

Tyler Werden started the scoring for Orange. Frank and William Mendoza put the Red Wolves ahead with consecutive goals, including one assisted by Victor Garcia-Salazar.

After two scoreless overtime period, it came down to penalty kicks once again. In penalties, it once again boiled down to the fifth and final round. Frank calmly slotted his attempt past Orange goalkeeper Jonathan Cowan. Kasthuri stepped up and missed wide right on the final attempt.

The Cedar Ridge huddle at midfield exploded and rushed to join their goalie. As they raced past him at full speed, Kasthuri, seemingly in slow motion, fell to the ground.

Cedar Ridge would narrowly miss the playoffs with a 7-12-1 record. They had close losses to Northwood and Southern Durham to conclude the season, but they succeeded in sweeping the Hillsborough Derby from its arch rivals. Orange ended the year 7-13, 4-10 in the Big 8 Conference.

Just as the clock went to zero in his head coaching debut, Jaison Brooks wanted to capture the moment that he wishes would last forever.

It was a night every coach dreams of in his first game. Cedar Ridge, which went 1-23 the season before, had just routed the North Carolina School of Science and Match 77-48. The gym, triggered by the electrifying play of guard Mekai Collins, started to empty.

Brooks pulled out his iPhone to take a photo of the scoreboard, where the Red Wolves equalled its win total from all of last season on opening night.

It was certainly one to remember for the Red Wolves, who had as much life and enthusiasm than any point last year. Collins, in his return to Cedar Ridge after he spent his junior season at Orange, finished with 20 points to lead all scorers.

Junior Ian Johnson added ten points on a night where 14 Red Wolves scored.

“Mekai is one piece of the puzzle,” said Brooks. “He’s an awesome player. He plays with great intensity. He knows how to handle the ball, attack the basket and score. That’s an valuable asset that we definitely need on this team. The collaborative effort of everyone has added something to this team. He’s added some gasoline to the fire.”

Science and Math tied the game at 9 midway through the first quarter after a three-pointer from Ben Kersey. Johnson followed with a three-pointer, and Andrew Altieri canned a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to put Cedar Ridge ahead 25-13.

The Red Wolves finished the first half with 49 points, which included two more three-pointers from Johnson. James Ragland, Grayson Ramos and Chris Tinnen also added treys in a decisive spurt that put the game away. For comparison’s sake, Cedar Ridge failed to score 49 points in regulation in 17 of its 24 games last season.

At one point in the second half, Cedar Ridge led 54-27. It was a ridiculously dominant showing by Cedar Ridge after last season’s 1-win campaign, it’s hard to believe it was the same team. Of course, in some ways it wasn’t with Collins’ reemergence added a scoring punch that the Red Wolves desperately lacked last season.

Milan Wilkerson had 14 points to lead the Unicorns (0-3).

Cedar Ridge travels to Carrboro on Wednesday, then goes to Chatham Charter in Siler City on Thursday.

In the women’s game, NCSSM defeated Cedar Ridge 52-31. It was William Dobbs’ debut as head coach of the Lady Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge jumped out to an 8-2 lead behind three-pointers from NaDia Oswald and Amiyah Gibbs. The Unicorns shifted into a 1-2-2 full-court zone press, which left the Red Wolves in a quandary since it was their first game without since the graduation of its all-time leading scorer, Madison Wardlow.

The Unicorns went on a 18-2 run and held the Red Wolves to two field goals in the second quarter. NCSSM led 21-15 at the half. They pulled away late.

Oswald was the only Red Wolf in doubles figures with eleven points. Gibbs scored five.

Bella Alfaro paced NCSSM with 15 points, while Anna Coley added 12.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Carrboro on Wednesday night at 6.

Cedar Ridge’s Ian Johnson had ten points in the Red Wolves’ season-opening win over the North Carolina School of Science and Math on Monday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Johnson came out firing with two three-pointers in the first half. Cedar Ridge showed its depth under new head coach Jaison Brooks. 14 Red Wolves scored as Cedar Ridge never trailed against the Unicorns. There was only one tie in the game at 9-9, at which point Cedar Ridge promptly went on a 11-1 run. Johnson and Mekai Collins were the only Red Wolves in double figures. Cedar Ridge had 26 bench points as they equaled its win total from all of last season as Coach Brooks won his first game as a head coach. The Red Wolves will travel to Carrboro on Wednesday night, then go to Chatham Central on Thursday in Bear Creek. 

We have a new team at the bottom of the football power rankings this week! And if you think that has something to do with the title of this column, you would be right. I’m sure the tens of Duke football fans on the planet will have a tough time reading this one. 

Note: Florida State did not play a conference team this week, therefore there will be no analysis for Florida State.

Pitt

With the Panthers holding on to win in overtime against the always tough Tar Heels, the Coastal crown is very much in play for Pitt. If the Panthers win out, and Virginia Tech wins the commonwealth clash, that would send Pittsburgh to their second straight ACC Championship game. Do I think it happens? Not particularly, but I don’t think it’s a ridiculous proposition either.

Clemson

Clemson continues their quest of beating the ever-living crap of everybody in their path en route to another College Football Playoff appearance. Wake Forest was their most recent victim, and poor South Carolina 2 weeks from now is the next. Don’t expect Dabo to hold back anything in any game the rest of the way for the Tigers.

Syracuse

I FINALLY GET TO PUT MY SCHOOL IN THE WINNERS SECTION OF THIS COLUMN! All my excitement aside, with their dominating win over Duke, bowl hopes are still somewhat alive for the Orange. With defensive coordinator Brian Ward gone, the Orange turned in their best performance of the season. If Ward was the issue, and that’s the true capability of that Orange defense, wins over both Louisville and Wake Forest in their last 2 games seems unlikely, but not nearly as unlikely as it seemed prior to the Duke game.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech thoroughly dominated Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Like Clemson, Virginia Tech seems to be on a mission to destroy anyone and everyone in their way. Credit to Justin Fuente, the Hokies really got the ship turned around after the drubbing at the hands of Duke, and I think this is a team that could make things interesting, albeit slightly, for Clemson in the ACC Championship if that’s the matchup.

Louisville

Louisville secured bowl eligibility with their win over a dismal NC State team. More than anything else, I want to take the time to give Scott Satterfield a shoutout for how well he’s done in year one at Louisville. He took the team projected to finish dead last in the Atlantic and has made them a bowl eligible team who has been able to compete with everyone (barring Clemson of course.) It’s absolutely ridiculous how quickly Satterfield got this ship turned around, and if he can get recruiting going on the level he’s capable of, this will be a very, very good team in a couple years.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels 4th quarter magic wasn’t enough against Pittsburgh, and they continue to confuse the heck out of me with how well they’re capable of playing in the 4th but can’t do it for a whole game. Ultimately, I think this will end up being a bowl-eligible Carolina team with their next 2 games against Mercer and an NC State team you know that Carolina is really going to be ready for this year. That being said, this could have been so much more of a great season for the Heels. If recruiting is any indicator, I would expect the Heels to be a perennial threat to get 10 wins in a couple years.

Wake Forest

What can I really say about Wake? They got killed by Clemson. Outside of that, the Wake Forest dream of going to an Orange Bowl is likely off the table now due to Virginia Tech being as hot as they are. Seems like a bit of a disappointing season for Wake when you look at it this way, but this program is as healthy as it has been in years. If you’re a Wake fan, you better pray Clawson doesn’t bolt for a job like Florida State, Arkansas, or possibly even Michigan State at the end of this season.

Duke

They’re bad, they’re REAL bad. The fans don’t care about this Duke team, the quarterback is a great guy but not a great quarterback, and their offensive coordinator is completely inept. Mix all these things together, and you have the new worst team in the conference after you get trounced by who I previously thought was the worst in Syracuse.

Georgia Tech

As soon as I thought they were getting better every week, they get killed by Virginia Tech. That being said, Wake got killed by VT too. The Jackets are in a tough spot this year, like I’ve said many times this season, it will be a few years before they even threaten to be bowl eligible, but I do feel like Geoff Collins has them going in the right direction.

NC State

Is Matt McKay still around? He was the only quarterback that wasn’t a complete turnover machine for the Pack. The quarterbacks are bad, the secondary is bad, and the linebackers are really young. Injuries have also been a huge issue for the Wolfpack thus far. This season has been a wash for State for some time now, and their hopes of reaching a 6th straight bowl game seem highly unlikely.

Football Power Rankings

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

Football Predictions

NC State at Georgia Tech (-1.5): Georgia Tech, 21-17

Liberty at Virginia (-17): Virginia, 34-20

Boston College at Notre Dame (-20): Notre Dame, 38-14

Mercer at North Carolina (-39): North Carolina, 52-10

Pitt at Virginia Tech (-3.5): Virginia Tech, 24-21

Syracuse at Louisville (-9): Louisville, 28-24

Miami (-18.5) at Florida International: Miami, 35-10

Duke at Wake Forest (-7): Wake Forest, 38-14

Last week’s predictions: 4-2

Season total: 23-17

Basketball Power Rankings

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

Basketball Predictions

Vermont at Virginia: Virginia, 57-40

Cornell at Syracuse: Syracuse, 75-62

Georgia Tech at Georgia: Georgia, 81-77

Duke vs California (Madison Square Garden, NYC): Duke, 85-74

Wake Forest vs Davidson (Spectrum Center, Charlotte): Davidson, 71-68

DePaul at Boston College: DePaul, 92-78

Last week’s predictions: 6-0

Season total: 11-2

Mekai Collins made his return to Cedar Ridge in a big way on Monday night. Collins, after spending last year at Orange, had a game-high 20 points as the Red Wolves defeated the North Carolina School of Science & Math. 77-48. The Red Wolves never trailed after Chris Tinnen opened the game with a technical free throw after the Unicorns were called for dunking in pregame warmups. Once the game started, Collins’ up-tempo game kicked into high gear as the Red Wolves scored 49 points in the first half. Collins spent his first two seasons at Cedar Ridge. After he left following his sophomore season, the Red Wolves went 1-23 last year. On Wednesday, Cedar Ridge will try to surpass its win total from all of last season when they travel to Carrboro. You can hear that game on Hillsboroughsports.com starting a 6 PM with the women’s game. Tim Hackett & Jason Knapp will have the call. 

There were be new faces about when the Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s basketball teams start their respective seasons this afternoon.

However, one former Red Wolf will mark his return to his old gymnasium after a year away.

Mekai Collins will start his senior season inside a Cedar Ridge uniform, the same way he began his career as a freshman playing varsity.

Collins spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cedar Ridge before he transferred to Orange last year. During a 10-15 season in 2018-19, Collins led the Panthers with 15.6 points and 4.2 assists per game.

Collins’ return to Cedar Ridge coincides with Jaison Brooks’ appointment as the new Red Wolves’ head coach. Brooks replaced Clay Jones, who left Cedar Ridge after six seasons last summer.

The Red Wolves went 1-23 last year, beating only Rockingham County in December.

Brooks, who previously served as an assistant coach at Southern Vance, will waste no time in putting the Red Wolves in motion. They will open with three games in four days this week, starting with tonight’s game against the North Carolina School of Science and Math inside Red Wolves Gymnasium. You can hear tonight’s game on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 5:30 with the women’s game.

On Wednesday, Cedar Ridge travels to Carrboro, followed by a trip to Chatham Charter the following day.

“It’s a top heavy schedule, but I think we’ll be OK,” Brooks said. “We’ve been building towards this and life is full of lessons. So we’ll learn some good things and good lessons. We’re looking forward to it.”

Brooks steps into a Big 8 Conference that underwent major changes at the top. Hillside, the defending Big 8 Conference regular season and postseason champions, left the league to return to 4A. Southern Durham, the Big 8 runner up in 2018-19, lost head coach David Noel last month to the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA Gatorade League.

Replacing Noel was no other than Greg Motley, the most successful head coach in Orange High history.

There’s also the unknown in Vance County, led by longtime Northern Vance head coach Wilson Baskett. Last season as a 2A team, the Vipers tied Granville Central for the Northern Carolina 1A/2A regular season championship. They reached the quarterfinals of the 2A State Playoffs, where they lost to Farmville Central 85-75.

Brooks said he was encouraged with a scrimmage against Graham on Thursday.

“There was some good ball movement by our guards,” Brooks said. “There were some dunk attempts, which were awesome. They’re buying into the system and they’re buying into what we’re selling.”

After the conclusion of football season on November 8, K.J. Barnes, Zach Holmes and Jaikel Gibbs started practicing with the basketball team. Senior Braxton Mergenthal, a two-year varsity player, elected not to play basketball this year.

“K.J. has a spark on defense that we love,” Brooks said. “Him and Jaikel are strong defensively.”

Brooks won’t have a shortage of guards. In addition to Collins, junior Luke Pagnanelli and sophomore Cameron Harper return from last season.

“We have a bunch of guys who work hard,” Brooks said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that stands out is how everybody gives in practice. We have solid point guards that can help carry us. We have some good shooting guards, like Chris Tinnen, that will be a great role filler.”

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team started its season with two games in two days. On Friday, North Georgia defeated the Hawks 82-67 in the opening game of the UNG Nighthawk Classic at the UNG Convocation Center in Dahlonega, GA. Barnett, who graduated from Orange in June after being named the co-Big 8 Conference Player of the Year in her senior season, played three minutes without scoring. She was 0-for-1 from the field with one steal. On Saturday, Georgia College defeated Chowan 59-54. Against the Bobcats, Barnett played 12 minutes. She went 0-for-2 from the field and grabbed two rebounds. Chowan plays its home opener against Francis Marion in Wednesday in Murfreesboro.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team is off to a 3-2 start. Cates, who also graduated from Orange last June, has started all five games for the Eagles. On Wednesday, Cates scored 12 points in a 67-64 loss to Cape Fear Community College. Cates went 4-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range. She also had three rebounds and two assists. Cates also started in a 67-61 win over CCBC Essex last Sunday. Cates led the Eagles with 12 points in a 58-50 loss to USC-Salkehatchie on November 9. In a 117-24 rout of Fayetteville Technical Community College, Cates scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team won its first game of the season with a 74-52 victory over Montclair State at Trinity Tip-Off Tournament at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, CT on Saturday. Campbell, now a redshirt sophomore who graduated from Orange in 2017, played eight minutes. She grabbed three rebounds and had one assist. Eastern Connecticut State defeated Trinity 77-67 on Friday. Campbell came off the bench to score two points.

Trenton Gill: Louisville, coached by 1991 Orange High graduate Scott Satterfield, defeated N.C. State 34-20 on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Gill punted twice. He averaged 54 yards per punt. His longest was 58 yards. Gill also had four kickoffs. Two of them went for touchbacks.

Keshawn Thompson: In FCS action on Saturday, Monmouth defeated Campbell 47-10 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson had a tackle for loss. The Camels are 6-4, 3-2 in the Big South Conference. They conclude its season at Charleston Southern next Saturday.

Adam Chnupa: Maine defeated Elon 31-17 on Senior Day for the Phoenix at Rhodes Stadium. Chnupa played special teams for Elon. The Phoenix are 4-6, 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They will conclude its season next Saturday at Towson.

Rodney Brooks: Johnston C. Smith defeated Livingston 34-6 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks finished the year with four tackles, including one-half tackle for loss. He also had a pass breakup. The Blue Bears end the season 4-6, 1-6 in the CIAA.

Kevin Wright: North Carolina Wesleyan had a successful end to the season on Saturday. The Battling Bishops defeated Maryville 23-0 at the Vernon T. Bradley Complex in Rocky Mount. Wright played safety. Wesleyan finished the year 6-4 overall, 5-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. They finished one game behind conference champion Huntingdon.

Jack Schmid: Division III Wheaton College completed an undefeated regular season with a 10-0 record as they routed Elmhurst 58-0 in Naperville, IL. Schmid, a former quarterback at Orange, has played two games for the Thunder this season. Wheaton will host Martin Luther in the opening round of the Division III playoffs next Saturday at McCully Stadium.

Taylor Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team had its season end on Thursday. Mount Olive defeated the Saints 1-0 in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas tournament. Jean started as the Limestone goalkeeper and made five saves in the loss. This season, Jean started 16 games in net. She finished with a 8-8 record and a 1.37 goals against average and 56 saves.