Cedar Ridge High School

In case Cedar Ridge’s season-opening win over Eastern Alamance didn’t grab the attention of the rest of the Big 8 conference, consider what the Red Wolves did on Wednesday against Northwood.

The Chargers have four starters returning from a team that 18-6 last season and finished 3rd in the Big 8, including pitcher Hannah Weigle.

And the Red Wolves finished them in five innings.

Senior Rivers Andrews struck out nine while throwing a one-hitter as the Red Wolves polished off the Chargers 11-0 on Wednesday night in Hillsborough in the Big 8 opener. Cedar Ridge (2-0, 1-0 in the Big 8) will travel to Pittsboro to complete the two-game series on Friday night.

In just her second varsity game, Tori Dalehite went 2-for-3 with a RBI triple, scoring twice. Junior Tionna Carter had a two-run single, while sophomore Emma Roby went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Dalehite is off to a 4-for-6 start with three RBIs, a triple and a double.

With only one senior in the starting lineup, the Red Wolves pounded out ten hits in winning its second game of the season. Junior Amy Stutzer went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Andrews finished 2-for-2. Freshman Shill Quade stole two bases.

Andrews faced 17 batters, but only two got on base. Kaylie Lane was hit by a pitch and Taylor Brown singled.

Years of tutelage by his father has paid off for Cedar Ridge cornerback Kevin Wright, who has officially committed to N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Wright started three seasons for the Red Wolves. In 2016, Wright helped the Red Wolves to a winning season while making five interceptions and three pass breakups. He made 45 tackles in his junior season. His preparation for football started with his father, Kevin Wright Sr, who was a tight end at Orange in the early 90s.

Cedar Ridge’s Kevin Wright Officially Commits to N.C. Wesleyan

Years of tutelage by his father has paid off for Cedar Ridge cornerback Kevin Wright, who has officially committed to N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Wright started three seasons for the Red Wolves. In 2016, Wright helped the Red Wolves to a winning season while making five interceptions and three pass breakups.

Mia Davidson: This week’s Mia Davidson update may be the most impressive one yet. Mississippi State won all five games last week against Boston College, Illinois and UMass-Lowell. In those contests, Davidson hit .571 with three home runs, eight RBIs, three doubles and nine runs. Davidson now leads the SEC and is 17th in the country with eight home runs. As a freshman, Davidson leads the Bulldogs in runs (28), hits (33), doubles (8), RBIs (23), total bases (69), batting average (.440), slugging percentage (.920), and on-base percentage (.488). She has started all 24 games as Mississippi State has started 21-3 after going 36-22 last season.

Brad Debo: Now a sophomore catcher at N.C. State, Debo went 6-for-10 in a doubleheader against Boston College. In the opener, Debo went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs, scoring twice as the Wolfpack defeated the Eagles 13-7 to take the series. In the nightcap, Debo hit his first homer of the season as the Eagles salvaged an 11-3 win.  Last week, the Wolfpack went 3-1, taking two of three against the Eagles and grabbing a midweek victory at Campbell (a Tuesday game against UNC Wilmington was canceled). Debo went .352 for the week with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and two doubles. Debo is now hitting .340 (3rd on the team) with 12 RBI and four doubles.

Mackenzie Cates: The Lenoir-Rhyne softball team is now ranked #12 in Division II with a 19-4 record, having won nine in a row. Cates, a senior catcher from Orange, had a tremendous doubleheader against Converse on Saturday, going five-for-6 with two home runs, 9 RBIs, a double and four runs. Last week, the Bears swept doubleheaders against Converse and Davis & Elkins. Cates is hitting .338 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. The Bears start South Atlantic Conference action next weekend against Tusculum.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge lacrosse goalkeeper earned two more wins in net for Division III Greensboro College last week. Tanner made nine saves as the Pride defeated the University of Dallas 14-8 on Saturday in Atlanta. On Friday, Greensboro defeated Hilbert College 7-6 at Pride Field. Tanner made four saves to improve to 6-3 on the season with 79 saves. Tanner is 3rd in the South Atlantic Conference in saves, 4th in Goals Against Average.

Brandon Andrews: The former Cedar Ridge pitcher and centerfielder threw one inning in Nicholls 21-6 win over Sacred Heart. The Colonels had a three-game winning streak on Saturday with a loss to Northwestern State. Nicholls is 4-12, 1-2 in the Southland Conference.

Rachel Peel: Peel, a catcher for Meredith College, appeared in three games last week for the Angels in games against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Aurora and Salem College. Meredith is 10-9, 3-3 is USA Softball’s South Division.

Jordan Toney: Toney threw an inning of scoreless relief in UNC-Pembroke’s 15-5 win over Coker. Toney is a junior for the Braves after transferring from Pfeiffer in 2017.

Bowen Collins: Collins now plays for Lenoir-Rhyne’s men’s lacrosse team. He played in the Bears’ 10-4 win over Belmont Abbey last week. Lenoir-Rhyne is 7-1 after beating Wingate in its South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday. This season, Collins has scored two goals and an assist in four games.

Mia Davidson: The freshman Mississippi State catcher currently leads the Bulldogs in batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage (.803, over 150 points better than Morgan Bell, who is in 2nd place), and on-base percentage. And she has a stolen base. On Saturday during the Bulldog Slamboree, Davidson hit a two-run homer to center in the first inning. The Bulldogs swept the Bulldog Slamboree with wins over Lamar, Mercer and a doubleheader sweep against Sam Houston State. Mississippi State is now 16-3 and ranked #25 in the country.  

Mackenzie Cates: The senior shortstop for the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears softball team, Cates has helped the Bears win 5 straight games, reaching a 15-4 record overall and a #15 ranking in NCAA Division II. On Saturday.in the opener of a doubleheader against Francis Marion, Cates went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Bears won 5-1. Later that day, Lenior-Rhyne completed the sweep as Cates with 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI as the Bears prevailed 8-2. Last Tuesday, Lenior-Rhyne swept another doubleheader against Belmont Abbey in Hickory. The Bears took the opener 8-0, where Cates went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Through 19 games, Cates, a native of Efland, has hit .309 with one home run and 7 RBIs. She also has three doubles and is 2-for-2 on stolen bases.

Brandon Andrews: The first Ceda Ridge centerfielder/pitcher played in two games over the weekend for Nicholls in the Cox Diamond Invitational. Andrew threw two-thirds of an inning, striking out one, in a 6-3 loss to Ohio State. Andrews also pitched in an 11-5 loss to Eastern Michigan. Nicholls is 1-9.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State baseball team is off to a 10-2 start. Catcher Brad Debo, who graduated from Orange in 2016, has started ten games as a catcher, hitting .333 with two doubles and eight RBIs. On Friday, when the Wolfpack defeated Bowling Green, Debo went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI as Wolfpack Coach Elliott Avent won his 800th career game. On Saturday in a 21-4 victory over Campbell, Debo went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Stephen Tanner: A former goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team, Tanner earned the win in net for Greensboro College in a 10-7 victory over Hampton on Saturday. Tanner made five saves in playing 75 minutes. On Friday, Greensboro edged Alma 10-9, where Tanner earned another win by making eight saves. So far this season, Tanner has started eight games. He is 5-3 with a .478 save percentage and a 9.05 goals against average. The Pride is 5-3 overall in the NCAA Division III South Athletic Conference.

Since the Cedar Ridge girls basketball team was the only squad from Hillsborough to make the state playoffs, it would figure that the coach of the Red Wolves would receive a top honor.

Felton Page has been named the Big 8 Co-Coach of the Year. Page received the honor in a three-way tie with Teddy McKoy of Southern Durham and Ovester Grays of Hillside. Despite injuries to guard Madison Wardlow and Logan Woody, Page coached the Red Wolves to its first winning season since 2013-14. They defeated Orange at Jim King Gymnasium en route to a 4th place finish in the Big 8, which led to its second consecutive state playoff birth. The highlight of the season was a 49-43 victory over Southern Durham where Madison Wardlow scored 16 points and Yolanda Simpson scored 13. The Spartans would go on to finish 2nd in the conference behind only archrival Hillside.

Wardlow, a junior, was named to the All-Big 8 team. She was Cedar Ridge’s leading scorer at 12.4 points per game. Her season high came on December 2nd when she scored 20 points in the Red Wolves’ 45-42 victory at Goldsboro. Wardlow had a string of five consecutive games in double figures, and 10 out of 11, at one point during the season. Wardlow started the conference season with consecutive 19 point games against Chapel Hill and Northwood in early December. She also scored 17 in Cedar Ridge’s two vicories over Northern Durham.

Despite suffering an injury to her right foot in early December against Hillside, Orange junior guard Icez Barnett was named to the All-Big 8 team. Barnett averaged 10.8 points per game, second on the team. She had a season-high 22 points and 15 rebounds in a 67-65 loss to Lee County on December 11th, then followed with 20 points and seven rebounds the following night in the conference opening win over East Chapel Hill. After suffering the injury against Hillside on December 15th, Barnett returned to score in double figures in each of Orange’s last seven games, including 15 points in a win over Cedar Ridge in the opening round of the Big 8 Tournament.

Yolanda Simpson and Taylin Jean of Cedar Ridge were named to the Honorable Mention team. Orange’s Lauren Cates and senior Janet Myers were named to the Honorable Mention team for Orange.

After leading the Orange boys basketball team in scoring for the 2017-18 season, Mitch Portman has been named to the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Portman was the leading scorer for Orange against Chapel Hill on January 9th, finishing with 17 points. Portman was sidelined for the heart of the conference season after taking a knee to the head against Hillside on January 23, which placed him in concussion protocol. This was the 2nd year where Portman was a varsity starter.

Cedar Ridge’s Mekai Collins also made the All-Big 8 team. Collins scores 22 points as the Red Wolves defeated Orange on January 26th, its first win over the Panthers in three years. Collins, a sophomore, was the leading scorer on the Red Wolves, averaging 15 points per game. Collins also scored 22 points in Cedar Ridge’s 57-41 victory over Jordan-Matthews on November 17.

Joey McMullin was named to the Honorable Mention list. Terrence Crawford and Khalil Barnett were named to the Honorable Mention list for Cedar Ridge.

Coming off a 17-7 season, the Cedar Ridge Baseball team got strong performances from its senior leaders in taking its season opener.

Senior Chris Cox homered while junior Phil Berger took the win on the mound as the Red Wolves defeated Roxboro Community School 13-3 in six innings on Saturday afternoon in Person County.

Berger, who went 8-2 with three complete games and a 1.73 ERA last season, also went 2-for-2 at the plate. Eric Zehnder, Sailor Ramos, Cooper Lamb and Matthew Kahn each had two hits for the Red Wolves, who defeated RCS for the second straight season.

For Cox, it was the 2nd home run of his career. His swatted a dinger in his sophomore season. Last season, Cox hit .389 with 22 RBIs.

Cedar Ridge continues its season this afternoon when they face Carlisle in Martinsville, Virginia. The Red Wolves home opener is slated for Wednesday, also against Carlisle.

Also on Saturday, Morehead defeated Orange 11-4 in Eden. Morehead lit up Orange pitching for seven runs in the 3rd inning. Orange was held to four hits. Caige Clayton had a two-run double in the 4th inning, the only extra base hit for the Panthers through its first two games.

Orange (0-2) will face Morehead against on Wednesday in Hillsborough. On Saturday, the Panthers travel to Sanford to face Southern Lee.

After a difficult 6-12 season a year ago, the Cedar Ridge softball team served notice in its season opener that past disappointments are exactly that—-in the past.

In her first varsity game, sophomore Tori Dalehite homered while senior pitcher Rivers Andrews threw a three-hitter as the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance 4-1 in Mebane on a brisk Wednesday evening.

It was no small victory for the Red Wolves. Last season, Eastern Alamance captured the Mid-State Conference Regular Season Championship with a 15-1 record. The Eagles reached the 2nd round of the state playoffs, where they fell to J.F. Webb 3-2.

Dalehite’s two-run homer punctuated a four-run fourth inning for Cedar Ridge. Junior Tionna Carter walked to start the frame. Junior Amy Stutzer, who finished 3-for-4, sent Carter to third on a double. Andrews reached on an error,  which scored Carter. Freshman Reagan Ruhl, running for Andrews, scored on the Dalehite home run.

Dalehite’s softball debut was a long time coming. Even before her freshman seasons, she was penciled in for a starting position because of her accomplishments in summer softball. But that entire season was washed away when she suffered a torn ACL playing basketball just weeks into the 2016 season.

Junior Kymberlie Thacker finished 3-for-4.

Andrews threw a complete game three-hitter, striking out 15 and allowing just one walk.

Cedar Ridge will take the rest of the week off and face Western Alamance on Wednesday at the Red Wolves Softball Field.

As quickly as winter sports ended in Hillsborough last week, the spring sports season begins Wednesday with games involving six different teams from Cedar Ridge and Orange.

If there’s no rain.

Unfortunately, after a picturesque 62-degree sunny day on Tuesday, there’s a chance of rain for Wednesday and Thursday. The good news forecasts call for a sunny, if cold, weekend.

* The Cedar Ridge Boys Lacrosse team, fresh off winning the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship last May, will debut at Apex Friendship. The Red Wolves will have to replace their top two scorers from last season in Jack Widman and Sean Tobin. Widman, who had been a member of the varsity team since his sophomore season, scored 59 goals and 33 assists in his senior season. Tobin finished 2017 with 45 goals and 18 assists. The Red Wolves will also have to find a way to replace Carter Danku (21 goals), defenseman Cole Bullard (20 goals) and Kelsey Acome (12 goals). On the bright side, Cedar Ridge returns Nick Bachelder, who is a three-year performer that scored 20 goals and 13 assists last season.

* The Orange Baseball team will face Voyager Academy at 5 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon at Panther Field. After losing pitcher Bryce Wilson (who was an South Atlantic League All-Star in 2016) and catcher Brad Debo (now a sophomore starter with N.C. State), the Panthers went 14-13 last season and became among the most unlikely playoff success stories under veteran head coach Dean Dease. Following a 12-12 regular season, Orange upset South Johnston 4-2 in Four Oaks, then edged Southern Lee 2-1 in the 2nd round of the state playoffs. The Panthers nearly made the state quarterfinals, going into the seventh inning leading West Brunswick 1-0 before the Trojans’ Garrison Gause hit a solo home run to tie the game. It was only the 2nd home run of the season for WBHS, who eventually won the game in eight innings. The Panthers lost top starter Derek Lindaman, but return several players who signed with local schools during the summer. Sophomore Cooper Porter inked a scholarship agreement with N.C. State. Third baseman Caige Clayton  committed to Barton College in Wilson. Second baseman Jason Slaughter agreed to attend Belmont Abbey. The promising part of the postseason for Orange was the pitching of underclassmen like Will White, who ended the season with a complete game playoff win over Southern Lee. The Panthers also have Jaydin Poteat returning, who has been the leadoff hitter and centerfielder the past two seasons. Poteat lead the team in batting average, hits, runs, and at-bats last season. Shortstop Joey Berini, who started as a freshman, returns at shortstop after hitting .274 in 2017.

HillsboroughSports.com will broadcast Orange’s season opener against Voyager Academy live on Wednesday afternoon.

* The Cedar Ridge softball team hosts powerful Eastern Alamance on Wednesday at 6 PM. Taylor Barnes returns as the starting pitcher for the Red Wolves. Junior Kara Wagoner hit .419 last season and led the team with 18 hits. Also returning is junior Taylor Raul, who hit .341 with two home runs and 7 RBIs. Another junior, Tionna Carter, played third base last season. In 2017, Carter hit .400 with 12 RBIs and two home runs.