Cedar Ridge High School

Article by Tim Hackett

Silent in Sanford: Cedar Ridge Suffers Second-Straight Shutout at Hands of Southern Lee

Friday the 13^th with a full moon in full effect – Friday night seemed like a great night for a team named the Red Wolves to transfigure some meteorological magic into their first varsity football win in more than two years. Instead, the Cedar Ridge Red Wolves (0-3) were bewitched and bedeviled all evening on this, the unluckiest of evenings, by the Southern Lee Cavaliers (2-2), falling 44-0. It’s the second week in a row that Cedar Ridge failed to score a single point. 

It’s also the second week in a row that mistakes cost Cedar Ridge dearly. After they mostly shirked the responsibility for their turnovers and missed opportunities against Carrboro, Bartlett Yancey made the Red Wolves pay for their turnovers last week – and the Cavaliers did too. Cedar Ridge moved the ball to midfield on its opening possession, but quarterback Will Berger miscommunicated with his two tailbacks on an attempted handoff, and Southern Lee fell on the dropped change. A few plays later, the Cavaliers were in the end zone for the opening score. 

But Cedar Ridge didn’t waver. Berger rebounded to help spearhead a drive deep into Cavalier territory, but the drive stalled in the Southern Lee red zone when Torrean Hinton correctly elected to attempt to convert a fourth-and-medium rather than try a 35-yard field goal with an inexperienced kicker. The gamble failed, leaving Southern Lee the ball on their own 18-yard line. Two plays later, the Cavaliers were at the other 18-yard line, and a few plays after that, they were back in the end zone. 

Cedar Ridge never had another prolonged drive. On Cedar Ridge’s next three possessions, the Red Wolves punted. On Southern Lee’s next three drives, the Cavaliers found the end zone, and the home team headed to halftime on top 35-0. There was only more trouble in store after the break, as Zach Holmes had to scramble to recover a poor snap on a punt attempt, hustling after the loose ball and tossing it through the back of the end zone for a safety. The Red Wolves did force a trio of Southern Lee punts in the second half, but the Cavs were able to strike once more to switch on the running clock and seal the deal at 44-0. 

Southern Lee entered Friday night’s contest with a lot of questions. Could its defense, which surrendered more than 60 points two weeks ago against Pinecrest, get back in shape? Was its offense, which put up 47 in a rout of Northwood last week, for real? On this night, at least, the answer to both of those questions seemed to be yes. The Cavs’ defensive front bottled up Isaiah McCambry for the first time this year, while a loaded secondary rendered ineffective a passing attack that was without top wideout KJ Barnes. 

On the other side of the ball, Southern Lee showcased just what its new-era, modernized pseudo I-formation offense can do. Running backs Keshaun Mays and Nick Locklear were excellent up the middle, allowing for halfback Tanoah Lockley to ravage the Cedar Ridge perimeter defense with sweeps and pitch-based runs all evening – Lockley had four all-purpose touchdowns in the first half alone before Locklear added his in the second. 

For Torrean Hinton and Cedar Ridge it was another evening of finding the silver linings in the many clouds, literal and metaphorical, that covered the Sanford sky on Friday. The defense was solid, though not perfect in the second half, even if Southern Lee might have lifted its foot off the gas somewhat. The secondary was pretty solid even without Barnes and albeit against a team that doesn’t throw very much. Elijah Whitaker was excellent in the return game in Barnes’ absence, consistently giving the offense good and even great field position to work from. The highlight though for Cedar Ridge was easily the blocked field goal in the second half when someone reached up their right arm and redirected Daniel Pisano’s bid from about 34 yards away. The next step, once again, is learning from those moments and turning it into better, more consistent play in all phases. The Red Wolves will need to be much better next week than they have been the last two, but the good news is there are eight more chances for that first win in more than two years, and the next chance comes on the road next week against Providence Grove at 7 PM. 

Standing in a sweatbox gym at Fairchild Community Center in Burlington, Anna Seethaler seemed to know something a month ahead of everyone else.

She was asked by a local reporter how good her 2nd Cedar Ridge volleyball team would be.

“Look out,” was her pithy reply while wearing a beaming grin.

Look out? Many coaches in fall sports are full of optimism in August, but for a team that went 7-15 last year? That just lost senior Sarah McCuiston, who led the team in kills? That just lost promising sophomore Lydia Wood, who opted to transfer to The Trinity School after one year in Hillsborough?

Indeed, Seethaler did know something that almost everyone else didn’t. She watched as the Red Wolves breezed past Riverside, Greensboro Page and the Alamance Aces in scrimmages at the Fairchild Center on August 17 and understood that 2019 would be very different, in part because of three freshmen.

Three weeks later, Cedar Ridge has just completed its most successful stretch since reaching the 3A Eastern Regional Championship match in 2015.

To end an unenviable stretch in a sultry Orange High Gymnasium, the Red Wolves defeated crosstown rival Orange 3-2 on Thursday night in a rivalry game that was as entertaining as it was draining. Freshman Julie Altieri’s ace on match point was the perfect culmination of a week where the Cedar Ridge rookies delivered notice to the rest of the Big 8 Conference, and possibly the entire region.

Look out, indeed.

Cedar Ridge won on scores of 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 15-25 and 15-7.

Orange (6-4, 1-1) had a six-game winning streak snapped.

After beating three-time defending Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill on Tuesday and Orange on Thursday, the Red Wolves sit atop the league with a 3-0 league record. With an 8-1 overall mark, the Red Wolves have already surpassed its win total from last season.

The last time Cedar Ridge defeated Orange, it was September 1, 2016. There was barely a ripple of celebration around Red Wolves Gymnasium that night because beating the Lady Panthers was all too common. Cedar Ridge had trumped Orange nine straight times.

Seethaler, who lived in Utah in 2016, wasn’t a clued in about the rivalry as other longtime local residents.

“I haven’t been here so I don’t know the rivalry so well,” Seethaler said. “I’m happy, though.”

The win on Thursday ended the Red Wolves’ five-game losing streak to the Lady Panthers.

It came amid a raucous gym where opposing student sections standing on opposite sides traded barbs about everything from the officiating to lack of air conditioning.

On a day where the heat index reached 101 degrees in Hillsborough, the sweltering weather led to a slick court and some spectators retreated to the parking lot before the exciting finish.

“I think it got to me,” Seethaler said. “I don’t think they thought about the heat. They had to play through it.”

In the fifth set, it was freshman Cameron Lloyd who fired the biggest shots, serving four consecutive aces as the Red Wolves bounced ahead 7-2. Lloyd, who already has 100 kills after Monday’s loss to Jordan, had three kills in the final set.

Orange sophomore Lottie Scully had four kills in the 4th set, the only lopsided frame in the match.

The opening set had eight ties and four lead changes. The second set had 13 ties and four lead changes.

In the first frame, Cedar Ridge scored the final four points with Lloyd serving. She delivered an ace to tie the set 23-23. Senior Emma Downing gave Cedar Ridge the lead with an unassisted kill. The Red Wolves took the opening set when a service return by Orange went wide.

Orange evened the match in the second. A successful block by Erin Jordan-Cornell gave the Lady Panthers a 22-18 lead. Jordan-Cornell finished the set with five kills. Cedar Ridge lost junior setter Layne Foster in the 2nd set because of a left quadricep injury.

Orange appeared set to take the 3rd set, leading 20-15 after a kill by senior Emma Clements off an assist from Ella Van Time. Cedar Ridge finished the frame with a 10-3 run, which included Altieri serving up three straight aces. She also slammed home set point.

The Red Wolves return home to face Bartlett Yancey on Monday. Orange returns home to take on Bartlett Yancey on Tuesday, then travels to Chapel Hill on Thursday.

It was a night of triumph for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team, who defeated Orange 3-2 in a thrilling match at Panther Gymnasium. It was Cedar Ridge’s first win over the Lady Panthers since 2016, a span of five matches. Julie Altieri had an ace on match point to culminate the most successful week in recent team history. On Tuesday, the Red Wolves defeated three-time defending Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill 3-2. Altieri and classmate Cameron Lloyd were teammates with Orange’s Erin Jordan-Cornell on the Chapel Hill Area Volleyball Club last spring. On Thursday, they were on opposite sides of the net. Cedar Ridge won despite losing junior Layne Foster with an injured quad in the 2nd set. Cedar Ridge now sits atop the Big 8 with a 3-0 mark going into Monday’s nonconference match against Bartlett Yancey in Hillsborough. 

Thursday night was a long time coming for Cedar Ridge middle blocker Celeste Pasley. As a senior, she’s been on the short end of five straight losses to crosstown rival Orange. On Friday night, only 48 removed from a dramatic win over defending Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill, the Red Wolves defeated Orange 3-2 in a sultry Panther Gymnasium, ending a five-game losing streak to the Lady Panthers. Pasley has been a reliable ball handler for the Red Wolves, totaling five kills in its victory over Northwood last week. This week, she started in the most successful week of Cedar Ridge volleyball since they won the Big 8 Championship in 2015 and reached the Final Four of the 3A State Playoffs. 

Article by Tim Hackett

Cedar Ridge High School volleyball coach Anna Seethaler isn’t usually a loud, exuberant coach. She doesn’t usually race up and down the sidelines, yell after every point, and take every opportunity to high-five, advise and rev up her players. She’ll get animated when necessary, but, usually, she’s content to watch, note, and instruct when needed. 

Tuesday was not a usual night. 

“I feel like we all needed that extra boost tonight,” Seethaler said.

News of one of the best starts to a season in Cedar Ridge volleyball history had clearly spread through Hillsborough, as a boisterous crowd packed the high school’s gym Tuesday night to see how the Red Wolves could rebound from a four-set loss to Jordan the night before. On the other side of the net: the three-time reigning and defending Big 8 conference champions, one of the top-ranked teams, 3A or otherwise, in the state of North Carolina, a team that hadn’t lost a match to a team from North Carolina all year, a team with wins over schools like perennial power Cardinal Gibbons and that same Jordan team that had just beaten Cedar Ridge – the Chapel Hill Tigers. 

On a usual night, this Chapel Hill team, by far the taller, stronger, more experienced of the two squads on Tuesday, might have mopped the floor with Cedar Ridge. But Tuesday was not a usual night. Instead, the Red Wolves (7-1, 2-0 Big 8) added a statement win to what could be a signature season, knocking off the Tigers (10-2, 1-1 Big 8) 25-23, 18-25, 17-25, 25-23, 15-12 in an all-time classic in Hillsborough. 

A tight first set proved predictive of how the rest of the match would be. No team led by more than four, and Chapel Hill battled back from two different deficits to level the score at 20-all and 22-all before Cedar Ridge took three of the final four points. As a Tiger hit the ball into her half of the net to clinch the first frame for the home team, the first drop of reality seemed to set in on the Cedar Ridge sideline – maybe this really could happen.

From there, the crowd was ready for the occasion: a couple of guys from a large Tuesday night student section bellowed “Oh Yeah!” every time a Tiger prepared to serve or receive (picture the Kool-Aid Man, but a bit more aggressive and about three octaves higher), and there were plenty of slaps on the risers from parents and even some tongue-in-cheek “O-ver-rate-ed!” chants as the match heated up. 

Chapel Hill quickly dispelled that notion, however, winning sets two and three fairly comfortably thanks to the swing of senior outside Kaya Merkler, who flashed some of the power from the left side and finesse from the back row that helped her win an offer from UNC a few years ago. Cedar Ridge led 15-11 at one point in set two, but then the Tigers took over, going on a 14-3 run to win the second set and barely ever trailing in the third. Seethaler conceded that it’s rare to see someone with Merkler’s 6’3 frame – not to mention arm strength – at the high school level, but that doesn’t mean she was an unstoppable force. 

“The plan was just to be aggressive,” Seethaler said. “She’s good, but she’s human. She can hit into the net and hit into blocks, as long as we force her into that.” 

And that’s exactly what they did. As the page turned to the fourth set, the left-side success Merkler and fellow senior outside Julia Charney had in the second and third sets started to dry up, thanks in large part to an improved Cedar Ridge block anchored by freshman Cameron Lanier. But while Lanier’s performance at the net was notable, her effort at the service line bordered on legendary. With set four even at 8 apiece, Lanier head back behind the line and steered her team to a 7-0 run, with five of those points coming from Lanier aces. Chapel Hill finally sided her out and battled back to level the set at 23, but then the other two standout Red Wolf freshmen came through – setter Julie Altieri delivered a setter kill for set point, and outside Cameron Lloyd did the rest by tooling the block to tie the match. 

By the time the fifth set arrived, much of the crowd that remained got to its feet. Chapel Hill held the advantage in the early going, but never led by more than two. The visitors were first to what Seethaler conceded was that pivotal tenth point, but with the Tigers ahead 11-10, Lanier stepped back to the line and delivered two more service aces to flip the script. Chapel Hill coach Ross Fields called a timeout. The teams traded points, as Merkler finished off another back row kill to make it 13-12 Cedar Ridge. From there, the Red Wolves’ gameplan was simple: feed Cameron Lloyd. It had worked all season, it had worked all game, and it worked when it mattered most: Lloyd delivered the game’s final two kills, both set up by Altieri, placing the match-winning point precariously over the net, pinpointing it into the middle of the back row for a 15-12, five-set victory. 

The excitement and emotion following this epic upset was evident. The Cedar Ridge coaches hugged. Chapel Hill shook hands, huddled and left the premises as soon as possible. Some parents stormed the floor, while others stayed rooted to their seats in disbelief. But in the midst of the mayhem, Layne Foster, with the rest of the team still on the court behind her, bounded up the riser steps, embraced her family, and succinctly summed the night up with three simple words. 

“We did it.”

The best start in Cedar Ridge volleyball history came to an end against a deep, tall, experienced group from Jordan High.

The Falcons defeated the Red Wolves 3-1 at Falcon Gymnasium on Monday night. The Red Wolves (6-1) lost the final set 25-15. Cedar Ridge remained close in the final set, trailing 10-9 before Jordan went on a 9-2 run. Jordan junior Maegan Williams had three kills in that span. Senior Morgan Hyman ended the match with a kill that hugged the outside line to improve the Falcons to 5-3 on the season.

Jordan also defeated Orange in the Peak City Classic at Apex Friendship High School on August 24.

It’s the start of a strenuous week for the Red Wolves. After facing a Jordan team that has six seniors on its 13-player roster on Monday, the Red Wolves will host three-time defending Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill on Tuesday night at Cedar Ridge. Chapel Hill, who defeated Jordan 3-1 on August 20, started its Big 8 season with a 3-0 victory over Vance County on Monday night.

On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge will face crosstown rival Orange at Panther Gymnasium. The Lady Panthers have defeated Cedar Ridge five straight times. The game will pair teammates from the Chapel Hill Area Volleyball Club against each other. Last spring, the CHAVC finished 2nd in the Big South Qualifier in Atlanta, Georgia. They earned an invitation to the USA Volleyball Girls National Championships in Indianapolis, which took place in June.

Cedar Ridge freshmen Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri, and Cameron Lanier were members of the CHAVC, along with current Orange freshman Erin Jordan-Cornell. Lloyd and Jordan-Cornell were also teammates at Stanford Middle School, but will be on opposite sides of the net on Thursday.

Orange will start its Big 8 Conference campaign on Tuesday night, making the long trip north to play Vance County. The Vipers joined the Big 8 Conference during the summer after Hillside moved back up to 4A.

Men’s Soccer: The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team took a hard luck loss against Bartlett Yancey 3-2 on Monday night in Yanceyville. The Red Wolves fought back from a 2-0 deficit at halftime and evened the game, but the Buccaneers scored the game-winning goal late.

Senior midfielder Brandon Garcia scored for the sixth consecutive game by scoring the opener for the Red Wolves in the 2nd half. Cedar Ridge evened the game when Reese Weaver scored off an assist from Nick Frank.

Garcia now has six goals and three assists through six games this season. Weaver has four goals, while Frank has two goals and two assists.

Cedar Ridge is 2-3-1. The Red Wolves will open Big 8 Conference play against Northwood on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Remarkably, this will be the home opener for Cedar Ridge three weeks into the season. They were supposed to play Bartlett Yancey last week, but the game was postponed.

The Orange men’s soccer team will play only once this week. They travel to East Chapel Hill on Wednesday night. It will also be their Big 8 Conference opener. The Panthers are 3-2 after falling to Riverside in Durham on Friday night.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is freshman outside hitter Cameron Lloyd. With her high school career only seven matches old, Lloyd already leads the Red Wolves with 79 kills going into Monday night’s game at Jordan. Lloyd had her career high against the Durham School of the Arts on August 27 in a 3-1 win, where she finished with 18 kills. Last week, she recorded 16 kills as the Red Wolves won its Big 8 Conference opener over Northwood 3-1 in Pittsboro. Lloyd had a busy summer as she prepared for high school. Lloyd, a member of the Chapel Hill Area Volleyball Club, finished 2nd in the Big South Qualifier in Atlanta, the largest indoor junior volleyball tournament in America. Lloyd was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. She registered 34 kills, 15 aces, 47 digs and one block. Cedar Ridge continues its season on Tuesday night with a showdown against three-time defending Big 8 Conference Champion Chapel Hill. 

After winning seven, eight and seven matches over the past three years, respectively, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team has started 2019 red hot.

Entering its Big 8 Conference opener against Northwood, the Red Wolves had to face several tests. First of all, they hadn’t defeated the Chargers since 2015, Cedar Ridge’s glory year when they won the Big 8 Championship with a 14-0 record. Since then, Northwood had won six straight matches against the Red Wolves, dropping only three sets out of a possible 18.

Then there was the weather. Hurricane Dorian was a crisis for the Outer Banks, but it was a grey matter in the Triangle. Despite bringing slightly heavy winds and some rain, it was enough to postpone the Northwood-Cedar Ridge from Thursday to Friday.

Once they got started inside Chargers Gymnasium, the Red Wolves had some jitters. They dropped the first set 25-20. But many of the players that have stood out thus far during Cedar Ridge’s 5-0 start are too young to even know about the Red Wolves’ recent struggles, and they didn’t blink despite an early setback.

Cedar Ridge won the final three sets on scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-20 to win its Big 8 opener and improve to 6-0.

Freshman Cameron Lloyd led Cedar Ridge with 16 kills and 12 digs. Another freshman, Cameron Lanier, had eleven kills. Julie Altieri continued her strong freshman year with six kills, two aces, six digs, one block and 24 assists.

This week will serve as a litmus test to see how far this young team has come in such a short amount of time. They’ll start with a road trip to 4-A Jordan, who swept Orange last month. Then they face three-time defending Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill. On Thursday, the first matchup against crosstown rival Orange, who has beaten the Red Wolves five straight times.

Men’s Soccer: The Orange men’s soccer team had its two-game winning streak come to an end on Friday night. Riverside defeated the Panthers 4-2 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham. Jose Beltran, who had a hat trick against Eastern Alamance earlier this year, and Rohan Kasthuri scored for the Panthers. Orange will look to bounce back when they start its Big 8 Conference schedule at East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night.

Cedar Ridge Cross Country: The Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s cross country teams continued its season on Friday night at the aptly named Friday Night Lights Cross Country Festival at the Ivey Redmond Sports Complex in Kernersville. It was another strong performance by the Red Wolves’ women’s team, which finished 12th among 26 teams. They also finished 2nd among the Big 8 team that participated, behind only Chapel Hill and ahead of East Chapel Hill (who finished 15th). Anne Morrell was the top Red Wolf runner, finishing 65th with a time of 20:59.28. 215 runners participated. Zoe Wade, a sophomore, came in 68th at 21:06.33. Sophomore Ruby Lapham crossed the finish line 75th at 21:12.95. Junior Ariadna Solis came in 78th at 21:16.87.

The Cedar Ridge men’s team finished 27 among 29 teams. Zachary Garus, a junior, was the top Red Wolf finisher with a time of 18:59.80.

The third week of the fall sports season faced interruptions from Hurricane Dorian, which led to a unusually busy Friday night. Here are the best individual performances from Week 3 of the fall sports season, including Cedar Ridge volleyball winning its sixth straight match and an Orange sophomore running back who made an immediate impact in his varsity debut. If any coach has a nomination, please email hamlin37@hotmail.com to get your athlete included (looking at you women’s golf and cross country coaches!)

Cameron Lloyd: The first two-time inductee into the Hall of Awesome, Lloyd statistical line in Cedar Ridge’s 3-1 win over Northwood on Friday night was too much to ignore. Lloyd, a freshman, had 16 kills as the Red Wolves won its Big 8 opener in Pittsboro, beating the Chargers for the first time since 2015. Northwood had beaten Cedar Ridge six straight times. Even though she just started high school, Lloyd has quickly established herself as the Red Wolves top finisher. She has led the Red Wolves in kills in three straight matches and four of its last six.

Erin Jordan-Cornell: In its only game of the week, the Orange volleyball team defeated Roxboro Community School 3-0 in Hillsborough. Jordan-Cornell, a 6-1 freshman, had seven kills, tying for the team lead. Through Orange’s 5-3 start, Jordan-Cornell leads the team with 28 kills and 13 blocks. Orange will open Big 8 Conference play on Tuesday against the newest member of the league, Vance County, in Hillsborough.

Brandon Garcia: The game of the week was Wednesday night in Durham, where Cedar Ridge’s men soccer team had a wild 6-6 draw against the Durham School of the Arts. Garcia, a senior midfielder, notched a hat trick to continue his scoring streak to start the year. In addition to the goal, Garcia assisted on a goal by Dean Allen. Garcia started the year with the game-winning goal in Cedar Ridge’s 1-0 win over Hobbton. He also scored. a goal in a 5-1 victory over Eastern Alamance, and assisted on a marker by Reese Weaver in a 4-2 loss to Carrboro. Garcia has a five-game scoring streak going into Monday night’s tilt against Bartlett Yancey in Yanceyville.

Omarion Lewis: A sophomore running back for the Orange football team, Lewis sat out the season-opener against R.j. Reynolds. He didn’t play in the first half against South Granville, but he certainly jolted life into a lethargic Orange offense in the 2nd half. Lewis ran for 119 yards with a touchdown in his first varsity game. Lewis, who had been slated to play on the junior varsity before Friday, was the first Orange player to rush for 100 yards since Hunter Pettiford ran for 199 yards against Southern Durham on September 28, 2018.

Anne Morrell: The Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team participated in the Friday Night Lights Cross Country Festival at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville on Friday night. In a 26 team field, Cedar Ridge finished 12th. Morrell led the way for the Red Wolves with a time of 20:59.28, good enough for 65th place in a field of 215 runners. Cedar Ridge sophomore Zoe Wade finished right behind Morrell in 68th. Last season, Morrell helped the Red Wolves finished 2nd in the Mideast Regionals and qualified for the state championships. Cedar Ridge returns the bulk of last year’s team and is aiming for big things this fall.

Jera Hargrove: The sophomore, who was the Orange women’s tennis squad’s top singles player last season as a freshman, started the week with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Northwood’s #1 singles player. The Chargers held off the Lady Panthers 5-4. On Wednesday, Hargrove extended Chapel Hill’s top singles player, Lauren Bolzan, to three sets. After dropping the opening set 6-4, Hargrove won the second set 6-4, leading to a 10-point tiebreaker to determine the match. Bolzan captured that 10-8. Hargrove defeated Person’s Kaitlyn Wrenn in straight sets on August 29.

Elliott Sikes: On Tuesday night, the Orange men’s soccer team defeated Hillside 7-1. Elliott Sikes produced two goals and two assists against the Hornets. Orange improved to 3-1 before falling to Riverside on Friday night 4-2.