Cedar Ridge High School

August 18, 2017 was never supposed to be a famous date. Sure, it marked the beginning of a new football season and all the promise and excitement that contains, but there wasn’t much more to it than that. On that day, the Cedar Ridge football team opened its season at home against Carrboro, but the game was never completed – with 2:39 left in the second quarter and Cedar Ridge on top 21-6, awful weather in the area forced the game to be delayed, postponed, and ultimately called. It wasn’t pretty, and it sure wasn’t perfect, but Cedar Ridge still got the win. 

Little did anyone involved with the Red Wolves program know that it would take more than two years for them to get another one. 

August 18, 2017 was the date of the last Cedar Ridge varsity football win. That win was followed by 10 straight losses to close 2017 and six straight to open 2019, with a full year without varsity sandwiched in between. Thus far in 2019, the Red Wolves had been outscored by an average of 30 points per game and had only held one lead all season – the wait for that next varsity win seemed interminable. 

The Chapel Hill Tigers entered Friday night’s match with a story remarkably similar to that of Cedar Ridge. They too were unable to field a varsity team in 2018 after a one-win season in 2017, and their only win in 2019 was a thrilling 35-34 overtime victory over Carrboro in which the Tigers scored 16 points in the final 100 seconds of the game to force overtime. Since August 18, 2017, Chapel Hill only had one other varsity win: a victory at Cedar Ridge on October 6. 

In 2019, almost exactly two years later, Cedar Ridge got its revenge. Led by a trio of rushing touchdowns from Isaiah McCambry and a shorthanded defense that improved as the game progressed for the first time this season, the Red Wolves (1-6, 1-2 Big 8) nipped the Tigers (1-6, 0-3) 20-19 on Homecoming night in Hillsborough. It had been 785 days since August 18, 2017, the now-infamous date of the last Red Wolves win. Reset that counter to zero. 

It was clear early on Friday that the Red Wolves and the Tigers were quite evenly matched. There are differences, to be sure – the Tigers are much more capable of passing the ball and Cedar Ridge has a dominant feature back, for example – but both teams seemed to recognize the opportunity for victory that had presented itself. After Cedar Ridge punted fairly early into its first possession, Chapel Hill marched 82 yards and opened the scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by senior Caleb Clegg. The Tigers acted like they were going to go for two but flexed out of the formation with about 12 seconds left of the play clock, barely allowing kicker Luke Roeber to get set up, but he still made his kick to put the visitors up 7-0.

Those two drives used up all but 23 seconds of the first quarter clock, and the second quarter went by about as quickly. Both teams traded punts to open the period, but Tyler Roberts got a solid return of Roeber’s kick to set up Cedar Ridge at their own 47 – and then McCambry arrived. The sophomore tailback had already put together a solid showing in the game, but he made his mark with a 53-yard score down the left sideline to get the home team on the board. The Tigers snuffed out a 2-point conversion rush from Jake Mergenthal to keep the score 7-6. 

From there, Chapel Hill had only one more drive before they punted it away with less than two minutes to go – each team had only three full possessions in a half that lasted less than an hour. The players parted to make way for the Homecoming festivities, but then the fans in attendance were treated to even further drama.  

Chapel Hill opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by a two-yard score from Jaylen Mitchell but that fake conversion formation robbed Roeber of the time to set up properly and he missed the PAT. Down 13-6, K.J. Barnes, fresh off his honor as a member of the Homecoming Court, returned the kickoff out to the Tiger 40-yard line, and McCambry soon punched it in from four yards out. The Red Wolves again went for two on a quick hitter from Will Berger to Barnes, but the Tigers again were up to the task, keeping the score 13-12.

The Tigers were often able to move the ball despite poor field position, and on the one drive where they did have a good start they capitalized quickly. Getting going from their own 40 on the first drive of the fourth quarter, Clegg soon capped it off with his second rushing score to put the visitors up seven. The Tigers initially lined up in a traditional two-point conversion formation – with about five minutes left a nine-point lead might have been insurmountable – but a Chapel Hill penalty changed coach Isaac Marsh’s mind. He instead elected to kick the PAT, but even with the traditional setup Roeber missed, keeping the Red Wolves within striking distance. 

And strike they did. Cedar Ridge began a drive on its own 40-yard line or better four times Friday, and the Red Wolves scored on three of those situations. Another good kickoff return brought the Red Wolves out to their own 41, and just a few plays later McCambry completed his hat trick with a 36-yard burst up the middle of the defense and into the end zone. That made it 19-18, and Torrean Hinton didn’t waste any time in going for two and the lead. Cedar Ridge lined up with two fullbacks stacked right and everyone thought the ball went to McCambry – but instead, Berger flipped it to Barnes running an end-around from right to left, and no one was there to stop him from skipping into the end zone. With 4 minutes to go, Cedar Ridge had its latest lead all season at 20-19. 

But Chapel Hill wasn’t done. The Tigers got a great kickoff return and started off at the Cedar Ridge 46, but the drive didn’t go well. Facing a 3^rd-and-15 from the 29 with about two minutes left, Caleb Kelley went for it all with a heave down the right sideline for K.J. Jones, but Desi Raspberry Jr. was there to break it up. Marsh elected to kick the field goal rather than have his offense try again, and his second-string kicker sent his possible game-winning bid fluttering to the goal line, nearly 15 yards short of its target. 

Cedar Ridge got the ball back. All it had to do was kneel a few times, and the wait would be over. For the first time in a long time, the Red Wolves had tasted varsity victory. After the handshakes and as the well-dressed Homecoming crowd filed out, the team circled around an energized Hinton for an address. Meanwhile, a few of the younger members of the team carted three Gatorade coolers over and doused the meeting’s inner circle – the seniors – with the drink. Cold, but good, they called it. The same could be said for the 2019 season so far – tough for a while, but, now, good.  

It was the perfect Homecoming for Cedar Ridge’s Isaiah McCambry, K.J. Barnes, Braedon Thompson and Braxton Mergenthal on Friday night. McCambry scores the game-winning touchdown with 4:06 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Red Wolves defeated Chapel Hill 20-19 at Red Wolves Stadium. Barnes scored the game-winning two-point conversion on a pass from William Berger. Cedar Ridge ended a 16-game losing streak. McCambry finished with over 100 yards as the Red Wolves won for the first time in varsity football in 765 days. Cedar Ridge will go for its second straight win at East Chapel Hill next Friday.

For the first time in 765 days, the Cedar Ridge football team won a varsity football game on Friday night. Trailing 19-12 midway through the fourth quarter, Cedar Ridge running back Isaiah McCambry scores a touchdown a 36-yard touchdown run with 4:06 remaining. The Red Wolves got a 2-point conversion on a pass from William Berger to K.J. Barnes for the game-winning score as the Red Wolves defeated the Tigers 20-19. McCambry scores three touchdowns as the Red Wolves won on Homecoming to end a 16-game losing streak. It was also Torrean Hinton’s first win as Cedar Ridge head coach to send the Red Wolves fans happy for a team that deserves it. Hinton took over as the coach of the Red Wolves in late July in pace of Antonio King, who left after one season.The Red Wolves travel to East Chapel Hill next Friday at Dave Thaden Stadium. 

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with Drexel at Rudd Field in Elon on Sunday. The Phoenix remain undefeated at home. Hodges, a 2018 Orange graduate, scored Elon’s only goal in the 15th minute off a header from six yards out. Hannah Doherty assisted on the goal. Hodges now had three goals for the Phoenix this season. Elon is 8-3-2 overall, 2-1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They travel to Maryland to play Towson on Sunday.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team fell to Queen’s College 2-1 at Dickson Field in Charlotte on Wednesday night. Jean, a 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate, made seven saves starting as the Saints’ goalkeeper. After not playing in her freshman year, Jean has started nine games this season. She has made 36 saves. Limestone is 4-5, 3-2 in Conference Carolians. They host Converse College at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. on Saturday.

Brittany Daley: Division III Greensboro College defeated Meredith College 1-0 at Pride Field on Wednesday night. Daley started her 13th game of the season at center back. Greensboro improved to 9-3-1 overall, 3-0-1 in the USA South Conference. They host Mary Baldwin University on Tuesday.

Jordan Rogers: For the first time in women’s soccer, Division III William Peace defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 2-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Wednesday night. Rogers made her 13th start of the season at wingback. Peace improved to 6-6-1 overall, 2-1 in the USA South Conference. They face Methodist in Fayetteville on Saturday.

Alfredo Rodriguez: The 2017 Orange High graduate is now a forward for NAIA Montreat men’s soccer team in Black Mountain. Rodriguez has yet to play varsity this season and has shuttled between varsity and junior varsity with the Cavaliers. Montreat has won five in a row and has an overall record of 9-3-1.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: Reid-Shaw was back in the lineup for Division III Dickinson men’s soccer on Tuesday night. It was another down-to-the-wire win for the Red Devils, who defeated Misericordia 3-2 in overtime at Mangelsdorf Field in Dallas, PA. Dickinson’s Kevin Gilbert scored the game-winning goal in the 98th minute. Reid-Shaw has stared seven games this season for Dickinson. The Red Devils improved to 7-5 overall.

Lili Henry: The Division III Pfeiffer volleyball team defeated Methodist in a sweep at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville on Tuesday night. Henry had 15 assists, six digs and two aces for the Monarchs. She played all three sets. Methodist falls to 3-11, 2-4 in the USA South Conference. The Monarchs will travel to Greensboro on Saturday for a tri-match-match against Greensboro College and William Peace at Hanes Gymnasium.

Lauren Cates: The leading scorer from Orange’s women’s basketball team unofficially started her college career last weekend. The Wake Tech women’s basketball team had an exhibition during the Southeast JUCO Jamboree in Albany, GA. The Eagles will officially starts its season against Meredith at Wake Tech on October 22.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior cross country runner Anne Morrell. Last week at the Wendy’s Invitational in Charlotte, the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team finished 1st in the Open Division race, beating out 24 other teams from across the state. Morrell was the top finisher for the Red Wolves at 20:09.90. Last month, Cedar Ridge also finished 1st in the 36th Greensboro Invitational in Pleasant Garden. Morrell finished 7th overall. The Red Wolves Cross Country team finished 2nd in the 3A Mideast Regionals last year, qualifying for the state championships. Morrell has experienced plenty of success in cross country and track & field so far in her Cedar Ridge stint. She continued her strong 2019 form on Tuesday when Cedar Ridge won a dual match against Orange, a race where Morrell finished 1st. 

Story by Tim Hackett

It was a matchup between two teams that are among the top 20 seeds in HighSchoolOT’s first 3A volleyball playoff projections. It was a matchup between two teams that are among the top 20 teams in MaxPreps’ adjusted rankings. It was a matchup between two rival schools that have practically split the head-to-head series over the last dozen years. It was a matchup in front of a packed house of fans sporting the colors of their chosen side, with a little extra added for the sake of the rivalry – black shirts with “Beat Orange” on one side of the gym, white shirts with “Beat The Ridge” on the other. And the second installment of Orange vs. Cedar Ridge 2019, volleyball edition, lived up to the billing on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. 

“With a rival team there’s usually high emotion. There’s a bigger fan group, and so there’s more noise and you can kind of become nervy,” Cedar Ridge head coach Anna Seethaler said. “The mentality of this game was just ‘This ball. Next ball. Let’s get this ball. How about this ball?’ So just a one point at a time mentality rather than ‘Let’s win in five.’” 

The Red Wolves would need a serious comeback to even have a chance to win in five on this day, but their bounce-back efforts fell short: after splitting four tight sets with their cross-town rival, Orange (12-6, 7-3 Big 8) dominated in the fifth, fending off Cedar Ridge (15-4, 7-3) in a five-set affair. After Cedar Ridge took the first meeting between the two in five sets at Orange a month ago, Tuesday’s win brings Orange even with Cedar Ridge at third place in the strong Big 8 Conference, and adds another high-quality win to the Panthers’ ledger.

“Once we got into a rhythm we really showed up together and…well, it sucks to lose,” Seethaler said with an honest chuckle. “I mean, they’re a good team, and they showed up tonight.” 

The gameplan that has proved successful for Kelly Young’s Panthers all season was evident again in the first two sets Tuesday: serve and pass well, cycle setters and set up offense from the middle and the right side. Seethaler says it isn’t necessarily harder to coach or defend a team that attacks from the right side as much as Orange does – “it’s the same as an outside, just on the opposite side of the court,” she quipped – but that didn’t help Cedar Ridge slow down Lottie Scully, who was strong in the second set especially in leading Orange to identical 25-21 victories in the first two frames.

Defensively, Orange did well to limit top Cedar Ridge outside Cameron Lloyd, but she can only be contained for so long – as the tight third set wore on, she finally broke out, delivering three kills over four points to vault the Red Wolves into a 23-22 edge. With Orange on match point just moments later, Cameron Lanier delivered a middle kill and Julie Altieri dropped in back-to-back service aces to give the home team the 26-24 win. Altieri sent the first serve of the fourth set long, but that was the only time Cedar Ridge trailed – a Scully ace brought Orange to within 19-17, but solid serving from Haley Cothran and Lanier helped Cedar Ridge to a comprehensive 25-19 victory. 

Orange had played well in the first two sets, but Cedar Ridge had fully flipped the momentum – and the atmosphere – in the gym. But not for long. The Panthers’ level of play increased at the same rate as the “This is our house!” chants from their fans on the left side of the gym increased – Orange won the first four points of the fifth set and won nine of the first ten overall before Lloyd finally got the Red Wolves settled with a kill. But by then, it was too late: Seethaler had to burn both of her timeouts, and the Panthers’ lead in the first-to-15 sprint was much too great for the Red Wolves to overcome. Avery Miller provided a rare left side kill to put Orange up match point, but Cedar Ridge persisted through a Lloyd kill and a Lanier ace. But then, with the chants from the white-clad visiting contingent loud as ever, chaos struck: Lanier served at Orange libero Brooke Fryar, a common strategy despite her solid passing, again. Fryar’s return went back over the net but the only person who could make a play was Lanier, hustling in from the service line – her diving bump pass attempt sailed out of play, and Orange had sealed a five-set upset win over their longtime rivals with a 15-9 victory in set five. 

It’s looking likely that both of these teams will make an appearance in the 3A volleyball playoffs in 2019, but there aren’t many more chances for either side to prove it deserves a higher seed than they are currently projected to hold. Cedar Ridge only has four regular season matches left, including one at home next week against a strong East Chapel Hill side, while Orange still has the two-time conference champ Chapel Hill among its final five contests. A loss almost certainly wouldn’t knock either Hillsborough team out of the postseason, but those games might serve as the final chance for them to turn some heads – if nothing else, Tuesday’s match proved both schools belong in the conversation for best in the conference, even though the 2019 season split won’t help to prove which school is the best in the city.

The Orange volleyball team was four points away from sweeping Cedar Ridge on Wednesday night. But a sweep would have just been too dull the way these two teams have played this year. Instead, Orange won in five sets to split the season series with their crosstown rival. Avery Miller is one of many underclassmen in Hillsborough who have had a strong season. Last week, Miller had eleven kills in a sweep of Vance County. Last Tuesday, she also had eleven kills in a four set loss to East Chapel Hill. Orange is 12-6, 7-3 in the Big 8 Conference. They’re now tied for 3rd with Cedar Ridge heading into Thursday’s trip to Northwood. 

Orange sophomore outside hitter Avery Miller talks win over Cedar Ridge

The Orange volleyball team was four points away from sweeping Cedar Ridge on Wednesday night. But a sweep would have just been too dull the way these two teams have played this year. Instead, Orange won in five sets to split the season series with their crosstown rival.

This was the week that was: This is the first time all year that Cedar Ridge volleyball starts the week outside of first place in the Big 8 Conference. After losses to East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill, the Red Wolves enter Tuesday’s match against Orange still battling for an automatic spot in the playoffs.

For those unfamiliar with how the current playoff structure works in North Carolina, the teams that finish in the top two of their conference automatically make the playoffs. The remaining teams are determined by MaxPreps rankings. As of Sunday night, Cedar Ridge and East Chapel Hill are tied for 2nd with 7-2 conference marks. Orange is 6-3, which makes Tuesday’s match between the Red Wolves and the Lady Panthers all the more important. A second place finish guarantees a home state playoff match for whoever captures it.

However, Orange and Cedar Ridge are shoo-ins for the state playoffs. Cedar Ridge’s MaxPreps ranking is #15. East Chapel Hill is #18. Orange is #24. Neither Cedar Ridge or Orange are on the bubble to make the playoffs, but they sure would love to host a match in the state playoffs. That’s much more questionable in the final two weeks of the regular season.

However, the Cedar Ridge and Orange men’s soccer teams are on the bubble. Cedar Ridge has a critical match against Northwood on Monday night. The Red Wolves swept Southern Durham and Vance County last week. Orange defeated Southern Durham but fell to Northern Durham. Cedar Ridge’s MaxPreps ranking is #65, while Orange is #71.

In women’s tennis, Orange and Cedar Ridge will compete in the Big 8 Conference Tournament on the Lindsay Linker Tennis Courts at East Chapel Hill on Wednesday afternoon. Orange guaranteed itself a winning season on Thursday by beating Roxboro Community School, it’s first winning campaign in at least eight years.

Here’s the Magnificent 7 from an interesting Week 7. As always, two of the following athletes will be named the Orange Panther of the Week and the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week sometime in the days ahead.

The Magnificent 7:

Reese Weaver: Scored the opening goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Southern Durham at Spartan Stadium. On Monday night, Weaver scored two goals as the Red Wolves defeated Vance County 6-1 in Henderson. Weaver, a senior, now has eight goals this season.

Zoe Wade: After her teammate Anne Morrell was honored last week when the Red Wolves women’s cross country team won the Greensboro Invitational, Wade is inducted into the Hall of Awesome this week after coming in 10th at the Wendy’s Invitational at McAlpine Park. Wade crossed the finish line at 20:31.50. Morrell finished 7th as the Red Wolves won its second open race in two weeks. Cedar Ridge finish 1st out of 25 teams.

Brianna Cellini: Won her singles and doubles match as Cedar Ridge defeated Vance County in Henderson 9-0. It was Cellini’s final dual match as a member of the Red Wolves. In her career, Cellini helped the Red Wolves win the 2016 Big 8 Championship. Now, she will focus on the Big 8 Tournament on Wednesday in an attempt to qualify for regionals.

Cameron Lanier: Finished with eleven kills, a block, an ace and a dig in the Cedar Ridge volleyball team’s 3-2 win over Vance County on Monday. On Wednesday, she had the final two kills in Cedar Ridge’s sweep of N.C. School of Science and Math. Cedar Ridge is 14-3 headed into Monday’s road trip to Bartlett Yancey.

Sydney Allison: The Orange women’s tennis team won its final home match of the season against J.F. Webb on Wednesday. Allison was selected by head coach Justin Webb as the player of the match. She won her match at #2 singles 8-6. Later on in doubles, Allison teamed with Gaylaw Eh to win 8-1. On Friday, Allison teamed with Elsa Landeros to win at #3 doubles as the Lady Panthers clinched a winning season.

Tyler Werden: Werden scored the game-winning goal in the first period of extra time as the Orange men’s soccer team defeated Southern Durham 3-1 on Monday night. On September 27, Werden scored two goals in a loss to Carrboro. He also scored in a loss to Northern Durham on Thursday.

Avery Miller: The sophomore stepped up with seniors Emma Clements and Elizabeth Vosburg out of the lineup against East Chapel Hill last Tuesday. Miller had eleven kills in a tight 3-1 loss to the Wildcats. On Thursday in Orange’s 3-0 win over Vance County, Miller led Orange with eleven kills. She also had eight digs and an ace as Orange improve to 11-6.

There were high expectations for the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team entering this year, and so far they’ve delivered. On Saturday, Cedar Ridge finished 1st in the Wendy’s Invitational at McAlpine Park in Charlotte. Junior Anne Morrell was the top Red Wolf finished in 7th place, and her teammates weren’t far behind. Sophomore Zoe Wade finished tenth, while junior Ruby Lapham came in 19th. Right behind Lapham was junior classmate Jill Myler in 20th. On September 28, Cedar Ridge came in first in the Greensboro Cross Country Invitational. Now, Cedar Ridge is preparing for Orange later this week with a chance to continue momentum for the Big 8 Championships later this month at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.