Cedar Ridge High School

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior swimmer Sophia Stinnett. Last week at the 3A State Swimming Championships, Stinnett finished third in the state in the 100 yard backstroke. It was her first medal in the State Championships. At the Greensboro Aquatic Center on February 3rd, Stinnett won two Central Regional championships. She claimed the gold medal in the 500 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke. It was the third time that Stinnett qualified for the state championships. Stinnett first reached the state championships as a freshman. In her sophomore season, she finished 6th in the 500 yard freestyle at the state championships. She finished 11th in the state in the 200 yard freestyle. This season, Stinnett won an individual Central Conference championship for the third time in her career. Stinnett captured the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 5:31.96. In 2022 and 2023, Stinnett won the conference title in the 200 yard freestyle. Stinnett was also part of the relay team for Cedar Ridge that won the 400 yard freestyle conference championship. Stinnett, Quinn McCrimmon, Hala Zafar and Sierra Godfrey captured the championship at 1:47.82. High school swimming season is over for Stinnett, but her club season continues this month and into the spring. This is the third time that Stinnett has earned Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Sophia Stinnett

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Hayden Kirk is a three-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge. In November, he officially signed to play football and lacrosse at Averett University, a Division III college in Danville, VA. In his sophomore season, Kirk’s defense helped the Red Wolves win a state playoff game over Western Alamance inside Red Wolves Stadium. He has also been a regular for the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team for the past four years and was honored during Senior Night festivities against Walter Willimas on Tuesday night. He has also volunteered at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for the past four years. When Hayden signed his letter of intent at Cedar Ridge last fall, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood spoke about the contributions that Kirk has made. Kirk has been a wide receiver for the Cedar Ridge football team and plans to play on the gridiron at Averett. He has been a contributor in keeping Friday night lights on at Cedar Ridge after the school didn’t field a varsity football team in 2018 and in 2021. Kirk will conclude basketball season next week, then start preparing for lacrosse under head coach Cole Churchill. The Red Wolves lacrosse season starts on February 27 when they face Northwood, the defending 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional champions, at Red Wolves Stadium.

Cedar Ridge senior Hayden Kirk discusses commitment to Averett University

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It took a lot of waiting, plenty of patience and practices. Everything that the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team has strived for the past four years paid off on its Senior Night.

After winning just seven games over the previous four years, the Cedar Ridge has secured a winning season.

And they will host a conference tournament game next week.

It all was secured on Tuesday night when the Red Wolves defeated Walter Williams 53-38 at Red Wolves Gymnasium to conclude the regular season. The Red Wolves will go into the Central Conference Tournament with a 12-11 mark and will finish in 3rd place in the Central Conference.

In her final regular season game at Red Wolves Gymnasium, senior Amiyah Ware finished with 24 points, five rebounds and seven steals. Junior Sarah Utley added eleven points and four rebounds as the Red Wolves gained a split in the season series against the Bulldogs.

“Amiyah is just a baller,” said Cedar Ridge women’s coach Megan Skouby. “She works hard out there. She draws all the attention. Every team we’ve played, they’ve put up a box-and-one against her. She’s still dropping 20 points a night, which is a pretty big feat if you ask me.”

The inclusion of Utley, a junior who transferred from Burlington Christian Academy over the summer, has led Ware to move to her natural off guard position.

Cedar Ridge actually never trailed against the Bulldogs after they jumped out to a 9-1 lead with Ware scoring all there field goals in the opening quarter. Williams didn’t get its first field goal until Jordan Taylor scored off a pass from Ryleigh Surles with 7:01 remaining in the second quarter, but Cedar Ridge still led 14-5.

“I think this year we’re played much more as a team,” Skouby said. “Everyone has concentrated so much this year on Amiyah, some other people have really stepped up. They’ve all contributed to that.”

Williams opened the second half with four straight 3-point baskets, including one from Surles that tied the game at 26-26. After Ware sank an outside jumper off a pass from Cierra Copeland to put the Red Wolves back in front, Williams’ Scout Winter drained an attempt from downtown to even it back up at 29-29.

Cedar Ridge ended the quarter on a 10-3 run to keep the lead for good. After Utley hit a free throw, Ware scored off a strip and steal. Freshman Kate Finnegan scored off a shot from point-blank range to end the quarter with Cedar Ridge leading 39-32.

Junior Jamee Watson opened the fourth quarter by hitting two three-pointers to open up a 45-36 lead for the.Red Wolves.

Seniors Addie Reid, Cierra Copeland, Cameron Copeland and Jordyan Delph were also honored on Senior Night. Reid, who is going to play volleyball at North Carolina Central, had her former volleyball coach, Fiona Cunningham in attendance.

It was a gratifying win for the Copeland sisters, who played on the varsity basketball team during the pandemic in 2021 when the Red Wolves often had just five players on the team.

“I’m really excited for them,” Skouby said. “They’ve worked hard and come a long way. They’re always there and always pushing their teammates.”

Men’s Basketball: Walter Williams 49, Cedar Ridge 36: 

Despite losing its top two post players early in the fourth quarter, Walter Williams held Cedar Ridge 17-9 in the fourth quarter to beat the Red Wolves on senior night.

The Red Wolves were without Luke Orstad and senior Hayden Kirk, regular rotation players who were both injured.

It was the final home game for Landon Dalehite, Harrison Perel, Tyler Fields, Brian Valentine and Kirk.

Perel led Cedar Ridge with 16 points and eleven rebounds, but the Red Wolves shot just 28% from the field. Williams out rebounded the Red Wolves 49-32. The Bulldogs had 21 offensive rebounds.

Brian Williams paced the Bulldogs with 17 points. Milton Turner had seven points and 12 rebounds for Williams before he fouled out with 6:11 remaining. At that point, Williams led 37-30, but Brian Williams scored six points down the stretch while the Red Wolves couldn’t get traction on offense.

Cedar Ridge will play at Eastern Alamance in the opening round of the Central Conference Tournament in Mebane on Monday night.

Three yeas ago, it would have been hard to fathom the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team finishing with a winning season, much less making the state playoffs. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves sewed up a winning season with a 53-38 win over Walter Williams on Senior Night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Seniors Amiyah Ware, Cameron Copeland, Addie Reid, Cierra Copeland and Jordyan Delph were honored between games of the doubleheader. Once again, it was Ware who provided the fireworks offensively for the Red Wolves. She scored 24 points to lead all scorers. Ware’s name will go down in the record books after she broke the county record with 54 points against Western Alamance last year, breaking the Orange County record that had stood for 45 years. For Reid, it was her final regular season game inside a gym she’s grown very accustomed to over the years. She won two conference championships and a regional title inside Red Wolves Gymnasium in volleyball. On Tuesday night, her former high school coach, Fiona Cunningham, was in attendance. Cunningham is now an assistant at North Carolina Central, where Reid will attend next season. Cameron and Cierra Copeland have stuck through the program from the very beginning of their freshman year, when the pandemic was still present. The Red Wolves had just five players for some games. The Copelands were two of those players who stuck it out through a winless season. Now, they will host a game in the Central Conference Tournament next Monday. Delph is in her first season on the varsity. Cedar Ridge will await to see who they will place for the Central Tournament, which will be Monday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. 

Cedar Ridge women’s basketball seniors Ware, Copeland, Reid, Copeland & Delph talk Senior Night win

Three yeas ago, it would have been hard to fathom the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team finishing with a winning season, much less making the state playoffs. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves sewed up a winning season with a 53-38 win over Walter Williams on Senior Night at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Tori Dalehite: The former Cedar Ridge second baseman started her senior year with the UNC Greensboro softball team with three starts during the Carolina Classic on the campus of the University of South Carolina at Beckham Field in Columbia, S.C. Dalehite started in left field in the season-opener against Virginia on Friday  morning, a 6-5 Cavaliers victory where UVA jumped out to a 6-0 lead. After sitting out an 8-4 loss to #23 South Carolina on Friday afternoon, Dalehite went 2-for-3 against Virginia on Saturday morning. Dalehite scored the opening Spartan run off a bases-loaded walk by Maycin Brown. Virginia won that game 7-2. Later on Saturday afternoon, the Spartans earned its only win of the weekend with a 5-4 victory over Jacksonville State. Dalehite went 2-for-3, again starting in left field. In the finale on Sunday morning, Jacksonville St. scored four runs in the second inning to beat the Spartans 6-3. Dalehite finished 0-for-2,  but scored a run after drawing a walk. UNCG will play a doubleheader against Winthrop in Greensboro on Wednesday.

Takia Nichols: The all-time home run hitter in Cedar Ridge history started her second season at North Carolina Central in the NFCA Leadoff Classic at the Eddie Moore Complex in Clearwater, FL. Nichols got a pinch-hit single in a 7-0 loss to #13 Utah on Saturday night. Nichols went 1-for-2 with a walk, batting cleanup as the designated hitter, in a 4-1 loss to Iowa on Saturday afternoon. She also started against South Alabama and Indiana. The Eagles defeated Central Arkansas 5-4 on Friday afternoon in eight innings.

Mary Moss Wirt: The Elon softball team went 3-1 during the Elon Softball Classic at Hunt Softball Park over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Wirt started at catcher as the Phoenix had a 5-4 walkoff win over Evansville. Wirt scored a run off a walk in a 15-8 loss to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. Wirt drew a walk. She also started as catcher in an 8-7 win over Kent State. Sunday’s game against Appalachian State was canceled due to rain.

Carson Bradsher: In her first college at-bat, Bradsher got a base hit for South Carolina Upstate in its 8-0 win over Towson at Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg, SC on Saturday afternoon. Bradsher, a former Orange shortstop, scored off a Taliyah Thomas in the fourth inning. It came during the Spartan Classic, where South Carolina Upstate went 2-2. On Sunday, the Spartans defeated South Carolina State 7-1. Against the Bulldogs, Bradsher came on as a pinch-runner and scored off a single by Denver Lauer.

Lauren Jackson: After sitting out last weekend’s doubleheader against Lander, Jackson started her sophomore season for the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne Bears last week. Jackson started in a 7-3 win over Columbus State at Cougar Field in Columbus, GA on Friday. Jackson went 1-for-4. On Saturday, Jackson went 0-for-3 in a 6-5 over Tuskegee. The Bears are 6-2.

Jackson Berini: Last week, Berini started all four games for Gaston College, a stretch where the Rhinos went 3-1. Each time, Berini started at second base (he played shortstop at Orange). In an 8-2 win over Fayetteville Technical Community College, all ten runs were scored after the sixth inning. Berini went 0-for-3 with a run scored. On Saturday, Berini drove in two runs in a 9-1 win over Cleveland Community College in eight innings at Sims Legion Park. He had an RBI single in the eighth and finished 1-for-4. The Rhinos swept the doubleheader with an 8-4 win in seven innings. Berini went 1-for-2 with a stolen base. On Sunday, Cleveland defeated Gaston 6-5 in nine innings after trailing 5-1 going into the sixth inning. Berini went 0-for-4. Gaston College is 9-2.

Abby Dease: The Division III Smith College women’s swimming team defeated Holyoke 161-138 in a dual meet in South Hadley, MA on Saturday. Dease finished 3rd in the 1000 yard freestyle, finishing at 11:49.06. smith is 4-6 this season.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior basketball guard Amiyah Ware. In her first year at Cedar Ridge, Ware grabbed the scene unlike any women’s basketball player in Hillsborough since possibly Tere Williams at Orange High in the mid-1990s, putting up scoring numbers never seen in town history. A transfer from The Burlington School, Ware set the county record by scoring 54 points in a game against Western Alamance on January 10, 2023. She broke a record that had stood since 1978. The following month in a win over Durham School of the Arts, Ware scored 51 points in a win at Sikes Gymnasium. She became the first player, regardless of gender, to ever score 50 points in a season in Orange County history. This year, Ware has been the leading scorer for a Cedar Ridge team that’s on track to make the state playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Red Wolves swept the season series from Orange for the first time since 2014. She scored 15 points in a victory over the Lady Panthers. Last month, Ware had a season-high 35 points in an overtime win over the Panthers. In November, Ware signed with Division II North Greenville to play college basketball.. While her career at Cedar Ridge will only be two years, she will leave a legacy in the record books that won’t be forgotten.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Amiyah Ware

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior basketball guard Amiyah Ware. In her first year at Cedar Ridge, Ware grabbed the scene unlike any women’s basketball player in Hillsborough since possibly Tere Williams at Orange High in the mid-1990s, putting up scoring numbers never seen in town history.

Cedar Ridge junior Sophia Stinnett has won three Central Conference championships over the past three years. She wasn’t expecting the same level of success as she went into the Central Regional championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Saturday night. Yet Stinnett came away with her first two regional titles in her career. Stinnett won the 100 yard backstroke regional championship, finishing at 1:01.17. She beat out Alexis Krzyzaniak of Durham School of the Arts, who clocked in at 1:03.42. Stinnett also captured the gold medal in the 500 yard freestyle, finishing the longest event in swimming at 5:15.59. Avery Shopping of Carrboro was the runner-up at 5:22.86. Stinnett won the 500 freestyle in the Central Conference championship last week at the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough, where she finished at 5:31.96. Also on Saturday, Stinnett claimed the silver medal with in the women’s 400 yard freestyle relay. Stinnett swam the anchor leg with Quinn McCrimmon, Hala Zafar and Sierra Godfrey. They finished with a time of 4:08.14, which earned them a spot in the 3A State Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary on Thursday. This will be the third year in a row that Stinnett has participated in the state championship meet. This time, she will go as a two-time Central Regional champion.

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For the first time since 2013, the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team has swept a season series from crosstown rival Orange. On Friday night, the Red Wolves defeated the Panthers 37-32 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night. The Red Wolves trailed 26=17 with 4:58 remaining in the third quarter, but the Red Wolves outscored the Lady Panthers 13-5 in the fourth quarter. Senior Amiyah Ware led the Red Wolves with 15 points, but senior center Addie Reid added eight points and four rebounds. Junior point guard Sarah Utley registered eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Cedar Ridge is looking to make the state playoffs for the first time since 2018, when they went 14-11. This season has been the most successful year for Cedar Ridge women’s basketball since the 2018 campaign, when they won 14 games. After beating Orange on Friday, Cedar Ridge has won eleven and are gunning for more. For Reid, she’s looking forward to the next chapter after an eventful school year. She was named Homecoming Queen last September. In October, she won the Central Conference Tournament championship, beating Orange in four sets. It was her seventh championship in volleyball. Last week, Reid announced she was going to play volleyball at North Carolina Central. Former Cedar Ridge head coach Fiona Cunningham is now an assistant at Central. Cedar Ridge will travel to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night. 

Cedar Ridge women’s basketball’s Addie Reid & Sarah Utley discuss season sweep of Orange

For the first time since 2013, the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team has swept a season series from crosstown rival Orange. On Friday night, the Red Wolves defeated the Panthers 37-32 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night.