After a busy summer, Cedar Ridge senior Tess Johnson will start her senior year today when the Red Wolves face Eastern Alamance in the first sporting event of the new academic year.
Cedar Ridge Senior Tess Johnson Talks About Her Summer and What’s Ahead
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Summer is over.
Well, not technically, but it is the first week of high school sports season. It starts today with Cedar Ridge girls tennis and boys soccer, and ends with Orange football at Person on Friday, while the Cedar Ridge football squad travels to Carrboro.
You can listen to the Orange-Person game here on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 6:40.
The Orange Boys Soccer team also starts play tonight at Northern Durham.
Cedar Ridge volleyball, the defending Big 8 Champions, also starts its campaign this weekend with the annual East Chapel Hill tournament.
Here’s a look at the week ahead…
Monday
Boys Soccer: Carrboro at Cedar Ridge 6:45 (V) 5:00 (JV) Orange at Northern Durham 6:00 (V) 4:45 (JV)
Girls Tennis: Eastern Alamance at Cedar Ridge 4:45
Tuesday
Boys Soccer: Cedar Ridge at Cardinal Gibbons 7 (V) 5:30 (JV)
Volleyball: Person at Orange 6:30 (V) 5:00 (JV)
Wednesday
Girls Tennis: Durham School of the Arts at Cedar Ridge 4:30
Thursday
Boys Soccer: Cedar Ridge at South Granville 7:00 Varsity only.
Volleyball: High Point Weslyn at Orange 6:30 (V) 5:00 (JV)
Girls Tennis: Riverside at Cedar Ridge 4:30
Friday
Football: Orange at Person 7:00 (6:40 airtime on HillsboroughSports.com); Cedar Ridge at Carrboro 7:00
Volleyball: Cedar Ridge at East Chapel Hill Tournament
Girls Tennis: Voyager Academy at Orange 4:30
Saturday
Volleyball: Cedar Ridge at East Chapel Hill Tournament
As you might have noticed, Hillsborough Sports.com is a website that tries to tackle a lot of areas of Orange High and Cedar Ridge High sports on a daily basis. With the fall sports season starting Monday, we aim to have complete coverage of all sports at both high schools–via the written word or through radio broadcasts.
As with last year, we’re going to broadcast all of Orange High’s football games on the website. We’re also adding Cedar Ridge games, as well. The exact number of Red Wolves games depends on staffing, but we’re planning at least 7, starting with the East Chapel Hill game.
However, one question that frequently came up last season from various people was “How do I listen?”
There are several ways. First, there’s my (Jeff Hamlin) Spreaker channel. Simply go here. While you’re at my Spreaker page, please give it a Like. That way, not only will you support the website, but you will also be emailed whenever a broadcast starts. Thus, the process is made much easier.
Secondly, go to the Hillsborough Sports Facebook page. That’s here. A link is placed every game 20 minutes before airtime. Also, there’s my own Facebook page which can be found here.
Then there’s something new for this year. The Hillsborough Sports You Tube page. Simply type in Jeff Hamlin or Hillsborough Sports on the YouTube search option. All games will be broadcast live on YouTube this year.
Also, all broadcasts can be heard on demand. That means if you went to the game, didn’t hear the broadcast, and heard your son or daughter make a great play, you can go back and listen to it through all of the means listed above.
Of course, life moves fast and so does technology. Other websites and channels have started televising games, something that was once forbidden by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. That hasn’t escaped my attention. I plan to take the website into a direction that will make televising various sports (not just football) live a reality.
It’s going to be a fun year. Stay tuned.
September 20th (TUES) vs. Chapel Hill & Webb HOME 4:30
September 27th (TUES) at Northwood & Webb @ Northwood 4:30
October 1st (SAT) Wendy’s Invitational @McAlpine Greenway Park, Charlotte 9AM
October 4th (TUES) at Northwood & Southern Durham @ Northwood 4:30
October 11th (TUES) vs. Orange, Webb & Southern Durham HOME 4:30
October 19th (WED) Big 8 Conference Championship meet @Chapel Hill High School 4:00
October 29th (SAT) 3A Regionals TBA 10AM
November 5th (SAT) 3A State Championships
August 11th (THUR) at Jordan (scrimmage) 4:00 (V) No JV
August 13th (SAT) at East Chapel Hill (scrimmage) AWAY TBA TBA
August 19-20th (FRI-SAT) at East Chapel Hill Tournament AWAY
August 23rd (TUE) vs. East Chapel Hill HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
August 25th (THU) vs. Bartlett Yancey HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
August 29th (TUE) vs. Carrboro HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 1st (THU) vs. Orange HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 6th (TUE) at Northern Vance AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 8th (THU) vs. Southern Durham HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 12th (MON) at Eastern Alamance AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 13th (TUE) at Chapel Hill AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 15th (THU) at Northwood AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 20th (TUE) vs. Webb HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 27th (TUE) at Orange AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 4th (TUE) at Southern Durham AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 5th (WED) at Carrboro AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 6th (THU) vs. Chapel Hill HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 11th (TUE) vs. Northwood HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 13th (THU) at Webb AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:30 (V)
August 15th vs. Carrboro HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:45 (V)
August 16th at Cardinal Gibbons AWAY 5:30 (JV) 7:00 (V)
August 18th at South Granville AWAY 7:00 (Varsity only)
August 22nd vs. Eastern Alamance HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:45 (V)
August 24th at DSA AWAY 4:45 (JV) 6:15 (V)
August 27th vs. West Johnston in Coaches Classic at Wake Med Soccer Park 3:00
September 7th vs. Orange HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:45 (V)
September 12th at Northern Vance AWAY 5:00 (Varsity only)
September 14th vs. Southern Durham HOME 4:45 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 19th at Chapel Hill AWAY 4:45 (JV) 6:30 (V)
September 21st at Northwood AWAY 5:00 (JV) 6:45 (V)
September 26th vs. Webb HOME 6:00 (Varsity only)
October 3rd at Orange AWAY 4:45 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 5th vs. Northern Vance HOME 6:00 (Varsity only)
October 6th vs. NCSSM AWAY 6:00 (Varsity only)
October 10th at Southern Durham AWAY 4:45 (JV) 6:30 (V)
October 12th vs. Chapel Hill HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:45 (V)
October 17th vs. Northwood HOME 5:00 (JV) 6:45 (V)
October 19th at Webb AWAY 6:00 (Varsity only)
August 10 (WED) Scrimmage vs. Northern Vance, Graham & Granville Central HOME 6:00
August 12 Scrimmage at Granville Central AWAY TBA
August 19 at Carrboro AWAY 7:30
August 26 at Jordan Matthews AWAY 7:30
September 2nd vs. East Chapel Hill HOME 7:30
September 9th vs. Riverside HOME 7:30
September 16th at Cardinal Gibbons AWAY 7:00
September 23rd vs. Chapel Hill HOME 7:00
September 30th OPEN
October 7th at Northwood AWAY 7:00
October 14th vs. Orange HOME 7:00
October 21st at Webb AWAY 7:00
October 28th vs. Southern Durham HOME 7:00
November 4th at Northern Vance AWAY 7:00
The only troubling part about Friday night at Orange High is that both the softball and baseball games can’t be enjoyed separately.
Instead, the Orange-Cedar Ridge baseball rivalry, such as it is, will start at 6 PM. The softball rivalry, which has only added in intensity in recent years, will start at 6:30 at the adajacent softball field just down the hill.
The ingredients are there that makes any sports fan interested. Drama. Finality. A crosstown rivalry. Intensity. Standing room only crowds And a pennant chase sprinkled into both games.
In fairness, the stakes in the Orange-CRHS baseball game drawfs in comparison to the softball matchup. Cedar Ridge baseball’s chances of making the state playoffs are virtually nil, unless they can win next week’s Big 8 tournament. Orange has already captured a share of the Big 8 Championship after winning at CRHS 7-0 on Tuesday, where Bryse Wilson improved to 7-2 after his fourth shutout of the year. If Dean Dease’s Panthers win on senior night, they will claim the top seed for the Big 8 Conference going into the state tournament, regardless of how next week’s conference tournament ends up.
The words “Senior Night” for Orange baseball is fitting since it will be the final regular season game for Wilson, Brad Debo, Cameron Mehl, Austin Sykes, Jamil Jordan, Cole Campanile, Johnny Flynn, Chandler Compton, and Landon Riley. But it will hardly be the final time those ten players will play at Panther Field. It all likelihood, they have two games remaining, minimum.
What can’t be ignored is the effect that Wilson, Debo, etc. have had on the distinguished history of Orange baseball. Since starting as freshman, Wilson and Debo have been a duo like Wilson & Stiller (just without making Zoolander 2), Dre & Ice Cube, Fey & Poehler and Hall & Oates.
They are the flagship players for the winningest four-year class in school history, going 87-14 since 2013.
However, that hasn’t protected Orange from falling victim to upsets this season due to an inconsistent offense and lack of pitching depth. Last week’s 9-8 loss to Oxford Webb in 8 innings kept Chapel Hill’s hopes of gaining a share of the Big 8 regular season championship alive. Orange will enter the final night of the regular season 9-2. The Tigers played its final conference game of the season last week and is in the clubhouse 9-3. If CRHS pulls the upset, there will be a tiebreaker between the Tigers and the Panthers after the game. The winner will get a bye through to the semifinals in next week’s Big 8 Championship, while the 2nd seed faces Southern Durham in the first round.
The stakes in the softball game are much higher after Tuesday night. Cedar Ridge defeated the Panthers 8-2, only the second loss of the season for the Panthers. Cedar Ridge pitcher Rivers Andrews threw a two-hitter, striking out 13.
Members of the Northwood softball team realized how vital the game was. After a victory over Southern Durham, several Chargers stopped by Cedar Ridge to watch the finish of CRHS vs. OHS, knowing full well that if Orange lost, the Chargers would benefit greatly.
Orange and Northwood are now tied for first in the Big 8 at 9-2. Cedar Ridge is 8-3 and will be in a spoiler role on Thursday night. If Orange wins, they will claim a share of the regular season championship. A win over CRHS and a Southern upset over Northwood (the Spartans are winless) would give the Panthers the Big 8 crown outright going into next week’s conference tournament.
