Cedar Ridge High School

Mia Davidson: After being named the Gatorade North Carolina Softball Player of the Year in May, Mia Davidson has hit the ground running in her first weeks playing at Mississippi State. In her first college game (which was the Bulldogs’ season opener against Mississippi Valley State), Davidson caught a perfect game thrown by Holly Ward. Davidson was named the SEC Rookie of the Week on February 12th after hitting .667 on the opening weekend of the season. In the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, Davidson went 8-for-12 with two home runs, two doubles and a walk. She scored a team-leading six times over the first weekend of play with five RBIs. Over this past weekend, Mississippi State went 3-2 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California. The Bulldogs lost the opener to #17 Arizona State 3-1, but rebounded later that night to beat #23 Nebraska 9-0 in five innings. On Friday, MSU defeated #16 Oklahoma State 9-4, a game where Davidson went 2-5 with two runs scored. On Saturday in a 6-4 victory over San Jose State, Davidson hit her fourth home run of the season during a four-run 5th inning. The Bulldogs ended the weekend with a 4-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton, where Davidson went 1-for-3. Overall, Davidson is leading the team with a .469 average, starting all 15 of the Bulldogs’ games. She leads the team with five doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State Baseball team swept Furman over the weekend at Doak Field in Raleigh to improve to 7-1. On Saturday, former Orange catcher Brad Debo went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 9-2 Wolfpack victory. This season, Debo has started seven games, hitting .292 with five RBIs.

Jordan Toney: The former Orange pitcher now plays for UNC-Pembroke. He earned a victory on February 3rd in a 14-3 win over Shepherd. Toney threw five innings, striking out five while scattering four hits and yielding three runs. Toney has also appeared in two other games this season. He got a no-decision against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, tossing three-and-two-thirds innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs, all earned. On Sunday, Toney tossed two innings in relief, yielding four hits and three earned runs as the Braves won 13-11. UNC-Pembroke, which plays in the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference, is 11-1.

Brandon Andrews: A year after leading the Cedar Ridge baseball team to its first winning season since 2010, Andrews is now playing with Nicholls. Last Monday, Andrews made his debut in a 14-7 win over Stony Brooks, throwing two-and-a-third innings in relief. Andrews gave up two hits and an earned run.

Zach Wright: Now a sophomore attacker with the Mars Hill lacrosse team, Wright scored two goals as the Lions defeated Shorter 17-6 on Saturday in Rome, Georgia.

Quinlan Blackmon: Also a former Orange lacrosse star playing with Mars Hill, Blackmon collected three ground balls against Shorter. Blackmon is a Hurdle Mills native who is a long stick midfielder for the Lions.

Bowen Collins: A former Orange High lacrosse star, Bowen Collins is now a junior for Lenoir-Rhyne. He scored his first goal of the season last week in an 11-6 win over Malloy.

Rachel Peel: A former Orange softball star, Peel now plays for Meredith. She has appeared in four games this season, going 0-for-9 at the plate.

This gyms around Hillsborough will be quiet for the rest of this month. That’s a far cry from last year.

Last year, of the four high school teams in Hillsborough, three made it to the state playoffs. The Orange boys advanced to the state quarterfinals behind Connor Crabtree and Logan Vosburg. The Orange girls opened the season with 21 straight wins and earned the Big 8 Regular Season and Tournament Championships, advancing to the the round of 16 in the state 3A playoff before losing to Rockingham County. The Lady Panthers ended the year 26-2.

The Cedar Ridge girls team surprised everyone by advancing to the 2nd round of the 3A state playoffs, beating Cleveland in the opening round. The Red Wolves hosted Corinth Holders in the round of 32, losing 38-34 in overtime.

Fast forward a year. The Orange boys finished 9-16 after a difficult season which saw injuries to its two star guards in the final three weeks, as well as the resignation of two assistant coaches. The Orange girls were forced into a rebuilding season after the loss of seven seniors, including four starters. They finished 11-15 despite advancing to the Big 8 semifinals last week after upsetting Cedar Ridge in the opening round 39-27. Hillside, the eventual Big 8 Tournament champion, ended Orange’s season 65-26.

At 14-11, the Cedar Ridge girls team were the only local squad to make the state playoffs. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves will travel to Greenville to face D.H. Conley in the opening round of the field of 64.

The Vikings (18-9) finished second in the 4A/3A Eastern Carolina Conference, behind only 4A squad South Central. Last week, Conley reached the Eastern Carolina Conference Tournament Championship game, where they lost to South Central 59-43. The Vikings defeated South Central on February 8th 60-55 during a season-long five-game winning streak.

Cedar Ridge arrives to the postseason on a three-game losing streak. When the Red Wolves have scored over 40 points this season, they’re 12-0. In their last win over Northern Durham, junior Madison Wardlow scored 17 points, while Taylin Jean had ten points. The Red Wolves lost reserve guard Logan Woody against Northern after she hit her head on the floor diving for a loose ball. Woody had to be taken off the floor on a stretcher. She hasn’t returned to action since.

Wardlow has been the leading scorer for the Red Wolves this season, averaging 12 points per game. Simpson, a senior, is the main post presence, averaging six points and six rebounds per game.

The Red Wolves have almost certainly played its final home game of the season. Cedar Ridge is the #27 seed for the state playoffs (Conley is a #6 seed). The winner of the game faces the winner of #11 Terry Sanford vs. #22 Northeast Guilford on Thursday night.

One year after Bobby Shriner ended his high school coaching career at the Greensboro Coliseum with Payton Wilson winning the 3-A state championship at 220 pounds, two more Orange High wrestlers will go for their own state titles on Saturday.

For the second year in a row, 3-A Mideast Regional Champion Josiah Ramirez has reached the state championship finals. On Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum, Ramirez defeated Chase Hamlin of Northwest Cabarrus 6-3 in the semifinals. Earlier in the day, Ramirez pinned Chanden Morgan of Kings Mountain in 5:18. Last year, Ramirez advanced to the finals of the 170 state championship, where he lost to J.C. Ciaramella of Marvin Ridge 12-7. Ciaramella handed Ramirez his only loss this season. However, Ciaramella was injured during last week’s Western Regional Tournament and had to forfeit his opening match on Friday.

In his 157th and final match for Orange, Ramirez will face Finley Allen of Terry Sanford, who is 35-3 on the season.

Also at 182 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Colin Davis reached the state semifinals after defeating Topsail’s Noah LaValle 10-3. However, Allen pinned Davis in 1:38. Davis, now 22-5, will go for 3rd place on Saturday. He awaits the winner of Ruther Oxce of Southern Guilford vs. Ben Austin of Piedmont in the consolation semifinals.

Orange senior Braden Homsey, who also claimed a regional championship last weekend at Chapel Hill High, maintained his undefeated record on Friday by beating Kaleb Hendren of Hunter Huss 13-3. In his three matches in the state tournament, Homsey has won by either technical fall or major decision. On Thursday, he started with a 17-2 tech fall over Alexander Choma of West Johnson. In his quarterfinal match on Friday, Homsey defeated James Price of Piedmont 13-4, his second win over Price in less than two weeks. Homsey, now 39-0 this season, will face Tyrie Houghton of Weddington for the state championship. Houghton, who was the runner up for the 182 state championship in 2017 after losing to Northwood’s Hunter Queen 7-6, is 58-0 this season.

A day after winning his opening round match over Zachary Lesnar 4-1, Orange junior Avery Jenkins fell in the state quarterfinals to Paul Searcy of North Henderson 5-4. Searcy improved to 52-0, and eventually advanced to the state final. Jenkins lost his subsequent consolation match to Jashoua King of Northern Guilford 2-0 to end the season 30-11.

Two other Orange grapplers are still alive in the consolation brackets in their respective weight classes. Senior Bailey Hawkins won three matches on Saturday. After losing his opening round bout to Ethan King of Northern Guilford 3-2 in sudden victory, Hawkins pinned Jakob Burkett of Statesboro in 4:50 in his opening consolation match. Hawkins earned a 9-3 decision over Phifer Ozimek of J.H. Rose 9-3. On Saturday, Hawkins will face Jordan McKinney of Northern Cabarrus in the consolation quarterfinals.

At 138 pounds, junior Levi Anderson has won consecutive matches after dropping his opening bout to Brandon Reisen of West Brunswick. Anderson defeated Jonathan Dalton, the Western Regional Champion, 4-2 in his opening consolation match. Anderson followed that victory with a 6-4 decision win over Stephen Barnard of West Henderson. Anderson will take on Nicholas Vasquez, the Eastern Regional Champion, on Saturday morning.

After winning the 3A Mideast Regional Heavyweight Championship last weekend, the wrestling career of Orange’s Daylan Alston ended on Friday with a 3-1 loss to Piedmont’dsd Luis Oropesa on Saturday. On Thursday, Alston dropped his opening round match to Southern Guilford’s John Oxce 7-4. Alston’s 116th and final victory of his Orange career came with a pin of Cleveland’s JaNathan Coward in :37. Alston, who was also an All-Big 8 offensive lineman in football, concludes his Orange career with a record of 116-30.

Colin Davis is one win away from making the 3-A State Wrestling Tournament for the second year in a row. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High, Davis defeated Hsernay Day of Northern Durham in :25. in the quarterfinals, he pinned Collin Va Cleave in :39. On Saturday afternoon, Davis faces Matt Ceparano of Southern Alamance in the semifinals.

Cedar Ridge Senior Colin Davis Talks Advancing to Regional Semifinals

Colin Davis is one win away from making the 3-A State Wrestling Tournament for the second year in a row. On Friday night at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High, Davis defeated Hsernay Day of Northern Durham in :25. in the quarterfinals, he pinned Collin Va Cleave in :39.

Cedar Ridge’s Darius McLeod opened the 3-A Mideast Regionals on Friday night with a goal of advancing to the state championship meet next weekend in Greensboro at 126 pounds. He started by defeating Marcus De La Rosa of Northern Durham 8-4. In the 2nd round, Fred Lewis of Western Harnett added another win to his undefeated season, defeating McLeod 5-0. McLeod can still reach the state tournament with a 3rd place finish. On Saturday morning, McLeod faces Zachary Gierson of Gray’s Creek at Chapel Hill High.

Cedar Ridge Junior Wrestler Darius McLeod Discusses Performance in Mideast Regionals

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A grinding stretch for the Cedar Ridge Boys Basketball team ended on Saturday with a 55-38 loss to Northwood. On Friday, East Chapel Hill defeated the Red Wolves 62-52, the Wildcats’ first Big 8 win of the season. The Red Wolves head into the final week of the regular season with a 4-15 record, 2-8 in the Big 8. Senior Khalil Barnett, who scored ten points against the Wildcats, talked about the grind of playing three times in 72 hours.

Cedar Ridge Senior Guard Khalil Barnett Discusses Loss to East Chapel Hill

A grinding stretch for the Cedar Ridge Boys Basketball team ended on Saturday with a 55-38 loss to Northwood. On Friday, East Chapel Hill defeated the Red Wolves 62-52, the Wildcats’ first Big 8 win of the season. The Red Wolves head into the final week of the regular season with a 4-15 record, 2-8 in the Big 8.

The surprise snowfall in northern Orange County led to yet another snow day at Orange and Cedar Ridge on Tuesday. It also will send the local basketball teams to play a lot of games in a short amount of time.

Cedar Ridge will play three tripleheader in three days, starting Thursday night. The Cedar Ridge Red Wolves game at Northern Durham, set for Tuesday, was moved to Thursday night. Cedar Ridge’s scheduled nonconference game against Sanderson, scheduled for Wednesday, has been canceled.

On Friday night, the Red Wolves will host East Chapel Hill. Then on Saturday, they host Northwood. It stands to be a crucial stretch for the Cedar Ridge girls team, coming off a topsy turvy week where they defeated Chapel Hill and Southern Durham, only to lose to Orange at home. The Red Wolves are 5-3 in the Big 8, tied in the loss column with Chapel Hill. After the loss to Orange, CRHS is two games behind Southern Durham and Hillside for 1st.

Orange will play three doubleheaders in three days. They start with a road game against Northern Durham on Wednesday night. Orange travels to Northwood on Thursday. That game was supposed to be played on Tuesday, but was moved due to the snow. On Friday, the Panthers host Chapel Hill.