Cedar Ridge High School

Our first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week for the 2023-2024 academic year is senior men’s soccer midfielder Iliah Babchenko. Last week, Babchenko scored a goal in Cedar Ridge’s 4-2 win over Eno River Academy at Red Wolves Stadium. It was the first-ever matchup between the two teams. Babchenko also assisted on a goal against the Bobcats. In its first road trip of the season, Cedar Ridge defeated Voyager Academy 4-1 in Durham. Babchenko scored on a penalty kick. The son of Ukrainian parents who immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s, Babchenko has played at the varsity level for four years. He endured the pandemic that curtailed much of his freshman year. Cedar Ridge is 3-0-1, its best start since 2009, at the very least. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves played Northwood to a 1-1 tie. Babchenko nearly made the 3A State Playoffs in his sophomore year, but the Red Wolves were the last team out of the field of 64. This season, Cedar Ridge’s goal is to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Babchenko has been a vocal leader, during training and on the pitch during games, throughout the early stages of this 2023 season.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Iliah Babchenko

No Description

It is now 30 straight home wins for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team. On Monday night, the Red Wolves defeated East Chapel Hill 3-1 on scores of 25-19, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-9. Senior Grayling Serge finished with 15 kills, 12 digs and four aces. Fellow senior Addie Reid had nine kills, nine digs and two blocks as the Red Wolves improved to 2-2. As usual, the Red Wolves are playing a rigorous, unforgiving nonconfernce slate. Last week, Cedar Ridge journeyed to Raleigh to face the defending 4A State Champions, the Millbrook Wildcats. Cedar Ridge led two-sets-to-one before the Wildcats came back to win the match in five sets. On Saturday, Chapel Hill defeated Cedar Ridge 3-0. For a team that lost the most accomplished senior class, in any sport, in school history, the Red Wolves continue to improve with new varsity players like Ellie Woolson and Caroline Park. Against the Wildcats, Cedar Ridge received nine kills from sophomore Claire Hargett, who played as a freshman at the varsity level in 2022. Cedar Ridge will have another stiff nonconference test on Wednesday night when they face Carrboro at Jaguars Gymnasium.  The Red Wolves, who have won three consecutive conference championships, will start its Central Carolina Conference campaign against Person on Tuesday at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Cedar Ridge will travel to Southern Alamance next Thursday.

Cedar Ridge volleyball’s Graylinn Serge and Addie Reid discuss win over East Chapel Hill

No Description

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is off to its best start in 13 years, at least.

On Monday night, the Red Wolves journeyed to Henderson and defeated former conference rival Vance County 3-1. Cedar Ridge is now 3-0 after starting the year with wins over Eno River Academy and Voyager Academy.

Inside Vipers Stadium, sophomore Gael Antunez-Nunez notched his second goal of the season. Last week in a win over Voyager Academy, Antunez-Nunez assisted on two goals in a 4-1 victory over Voyager. Antunez-Nunez also scored in the season-opener against Eno River.

Senior Abazar Babiker added his first goal of the season, while Rudy Fuentes added insurance for the Red Wolves, who claimed its second straight road win. Fuentes had an assist, as did junior Dominic McNerney and sophomore Giovanni Yanez added assists.

Sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made nine saves for his third win of the season. Cedar Ridge will continue its four-game road trip on Wednesday when they face Northwood in Pittsboro. During the summer, the Chargers left the Central Carolina Conference to drop down to 2A to join the Mid-Carolina Conference.

Southern Durham 4, Orange 0: After winning its season opener at Durham School of the Arts on Thursday, Southern Durham defeated Orange in the Panthers home opener on Monday night. The Panthers will travel to recover when they face the Carrboro Jaguars at Jaguar Stadium on Wednesday night.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 5, Riverside 4: In a tight dual match where one doubles tilt decides the whole shooting match, it’s good to have a duo who qualified for the 3A State Tournament last year on your side.

That’s exactly what Orange had against Riverside in Durham last Thursday.

With the dual match all square 4-4, Erin and Shannon Sollars teamed at #1 doubles to defeat Calista Robinson and Jordan Oakley 8-6 to provide Orange a dual match victory in Durham. The Lady Panthers improved to 2-0.

Shannon Sollars, a junior, also won at #2 singles over Oakley 6-2, 6-2.

Senior Makayla Davis won two straight matches on the day for the second time in as many dual matches. Davis captured her singles match over Emma Wilcox 6-4, 6-0. At #2 doubles, Davis teamed with sophomore Molly Kruse over Wilcox and Cynthia Balin 8-4.

Kruse also won two matches. In addition to her doubles win, Kruse won the tightest match of the day against Rachael Ades 5-7, 6-1, 10-3. Kruse has won all four of her matches this year.

Orange returns home today (Tuesday) to face Durham School of the Arts.

Cedar Ridge 8, Voyager Academy 1: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team opened the season last week. In its second match, the Red Wolves defeated Voyager Academy. The Red Wolves won five of the six singles matches.

Senior Cameron Mayhew won at #1 singles over Katelyn Hutson 6-1, 6-3. Junior Ella Caltabiano won at #2 singles over Karli McKenna 6-3, 6-0. Junior Adeline Cummings, another returning player from last year, won 6-0, 6-0 over Grace Garrett. Raven Mowles-Airing won at #4 singles over Fiorella Cedeno 6-4, 6-0. Red Wolves senior Annabeth Lundberg won at #6 singles against Jillian Draughon 6-1, 6-0.

Cedar Ridge captured all three doubles matches. Mayhew and Cummings won at #1 doubles 6-4. Caltabiano and Ballenger won at #2 and Mowles-Airing and Lunbdberg prevailed at #3 doubles.

Cross Country: The Cedar Ridge cross country team started its season at the Early Bird Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. Red Wolves junior Naomi Dyreng finished 10th in the women’s competition among 156 runners. Dyreng came in with a time of 20:58.90. Last year, Dyreng won three Mideast Regional championships in the outdoor track and field championships at Franklinton High School. Dyreng won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Dyreng teamed with Abigail Klaitman, Serena Summers and Eliza Klaitman to win the regional championship in the 4×800 women’s relay.

She was also the top female runner for Cedar Ridge at the 3A State Cross Country championships last November at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team not only started a new season, but a new era on Monday night. The Red Wolves defeated Eno River 3-0 on scores of25-17, 25-13, and 25-18. It was the first game without Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri, Cameron Lanier, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz and Anaya Carter, a core group of players who graduated after winning a state championships and three conference championships. It was also the first game for new head coach Latacha De Oliveira, who replaced Fiona Cunningham earlier this summer. But there’s plenty of experience returning for Cedar Ridge. Senior Graylinn Serge finished with 15 kills, 23 digs and one ace. Another senior, Rachel Alverson, finished with a team-high 34 assists and five digs. Sophomore Claire Hargett, who had playing time during the regular season and state playoffs last year, finished with eight kills, two aces and ten digs. Cedar Ridge has now won 29 consecutive matches at home. They did it on their new home floor, which was installed in July. The Red Wolves will travel to Raleigh tonight to face Millbrook, the defending 4A State Champions, tonight. Then Cedar Ridge will face Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill.   

Cedar Ridge volleyball’s Rachel Alverson and Claire Hargett discuss win over Eno River Academy

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team not only started a new season, but a new era on Monday night. The Red Wolves defeated Eno River 3-0 on scores of25-17, 25-13, and 25-18. It was the first game without Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri, Cameron Lanier, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz and Anaya Carter, a core group of players who graduated after winning a state championships and three conference championships.

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team endured one of the hottest days of the year to win its season-opener on Monday night. Cedar Ridge defeated Eno River Academy 4-2 at Red Wolves Stadium. Senior co-Captain Iliah Babchenko scored the game-winning goal in the first half as Cedar Ridge won its season opener for the first time since 2019. Andy Tarija, Gael Antunez-Nunez and Dominic McNerney also tallied goals for the Red Wolves. Babchenko and Antunez-Nunez also assisted on goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas earned the win. He finished with five saves, including one on a penalty kick. Cedar Ridge went 5-15-2 last season. The Red Wolves haven’t reached the state playoffs since 2017 and are looking to reach the field of 64. Two years ago, during head coach Chauncey Brunmmel’s first season, Cedar Ridge was the last team out of the 2021 state playoffs. Cedar Ridge had to replace leading scorer Chris Mendez from last season, but have a wide array of midfielders that can put the ball in the net. The home game on Monday night was the final game inside Red Wolves Stadium for the next few weeks. Cedar Ridge starts a four-game road trip on Thursday night against Voyager Academy in Durham. The Red Wolves travel to Henderson to face Vance County next Monday.

Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team discusses win over Eno River Academy

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team endured one of the hottest days of the year to win its season-opener on Monday night. Cedar Ridge defeated Eno River Academy 4-2 at Red Wolves Stadium. Senior co-Captain Iliah Babchenko scored the game-winning goal in the first half as Cedar Ridge won its season opener for the first time since 2019.

There was a new coat of paint for Cedar Ridge volleyball in its season opener–literally and figuratively.

For starters, there’s a new hardwood at Cedar Ridge gymnasium. The menacing dark gray that symbolized an angry Red Wolves’ menacing glare is gone. In its place is a traditional interlocking “CR” at center court with fresh coats of burgundy paint and a more traditional shiny, brown hardwood with “The Ridge” spelled out on opposite ends of the floor. It took roughly two weeks to install last month.

Of course, there’s the volleyball team itself. Cedar Ridge’s all-time leader in kills, Cameron Lloyd, has graduated and gone to Buckell University. The schools’ second all-time leader in kills, Cameron Lanier, is practicing 30 minutes up I-40/I-85 at Elon University. The all-time assists and aces dddleader was in the gym on Monday night for the Red Wolves’ season opener against Eno River, but Julie Altieri wasn’t in uniform. Instead, she took in her first game as a Cedar Ridge graduate, standing with the rest of the student section as she prepares to leave for Salisbury University in Maryland by week’s end.

While almost all the Cedar Ridge starters from the past four years have moved on, there’s still plenty of players left behind with lots of experience. Senior outside hitter Graylinn Serge, setter Rachel Aversion and sophomore Claire Hargett all registered plenty of sets during Cedar Ridge’s many blowout wins last year. They’re hardly green and it showed in its first-ever matchup against Eno River.

Serge finished with 15 kills and 23 digs, while Hargett had eight kills and ten digs as the Red Wolves swept the season-opener from the Bobcats 3-0 on scores of 25-17, 25-13 and 25-18. The Red Wolves have now won 29 consecutive games at home and 58 consecutive sets in regular season play.

It was the first win for new Cedar Ridge head coach Latacha De Oliveira, who replaced Fiona Cunningham last month.

With Altieri watching from the sidelines, it was Alverson’s responsibility to fill her considerable shoes as setter. Alverson finished with 34 assists, spreading the ball around to five different attackers who registered 37 kills. Averson also had two aces.

“I thought Rachel did a great job,” De Oliveira said. “She ran a great offense and she connected well with all of her hitters.”

Eno River sophomore C’hannah Lawson opened the game with a block of a Hargett attack and finished with five kills and two blocks. Junior libero Zua Vang came away with 12 digs for the Bobcats.

Leading 9-7, Cedar Ridge ran off eight consecutive points with Aversion serving to take control of the opening set. Serge had back-to-back kills to spark the run. Senior Addie Reid slammed home match point off a feed from Serge to put the Red Wolves up a set.

Eno River’s Natalia Rossi started the second set with four straight Bobcats points, ending with an ace. The Red Wolves responded with an 8-0 run, keyed by four aces from Hargett. After the Bobcats reduced its deficit to 14-10, Cedar Ridge reeled off another eight straight points with Hargett serving again. Senior Ellie Woolson, who finished with seven kills, slammed home a point off an pass from Alverson to increase the Red Wolves advantage to 21-10.

Not everything was different in the season opener. As is custom whenever the Red Wolves lead a match 2-sets-to-nothing, Cedar Ridge public address announcer Jon Franklin plays 1990’s one-hit wonder RedNex’s techno-Bluegrass version of “Cotton Eye Joe” between the second and third sets, which always leads to Cedar Ridge players (and occasionally opponents) dancing at the expense of discussing strategy.

Eno River pushed its lead to 7-3 to begin the third set behind kills from Joss Young and Hannah Smith. This time, Cedar Ridge evened the set with a six straight points, including two finishes by Hargett and another by Reid. The Red Wolves used an 8-1 spurt to take a 16-12 lead behind consecutive kills from Serge and an ace by Natasha Buchler-Fosado.

Another thing that hasn’t changed is Cedar Ridge playing tough nonconference schedules. On Tuesday night (tonight), the Red Wolves will travel to Raleigh to face defending 4A State Champion Millbrook. It’s the second straight year the Red Wolves have played the defending 4A State Champions in Wake County. Last year, Cedar Ridge swept Green Level at Garner High School.

“Love to come out and play some good volleyball tomorrow,” De Oliveira said. “I love the atmosphere here at Cedar Ridge. We have the public address announcer and fans getting into the game. It was a lot of fun. Can’t wait for the future.”

On one of the hottest day of the year with nary a drop to rain to be found, Cedar Ridge’s co-Captain provided the game-winning goal to beat a crosstown neighbor and win the season opener all in one swoop.

Senior Iliah Babchenko broke a 1-all tie in the first half, while freshman Andy Tarija scored in his first varsity game during the second half as the Red Wolves defeated Eno River 4-2 at Cedar Ridge Stadium on Monday night.  The Red Wolves got insurance goals from junior Dominic McNerney and sophomore Gael Antunez-Nunez to win its first season opener since 2019.

The Red Wolves had to replace Chris Mendez, their leading scorer from a 5-15-1 team from 2022. Mendez had eleven goals in 2022 and 34 in a career that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have some offensive threats on our team,” said Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell, who started his third season on Monday night. “Chris was a special player on our team last season, but we definitely have some players on this team that can make up for the scoring.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Erick Galunas earned the win in net for Cedar Ridge. He made five saves, including a stop on a Bobcat penalty kick.

In the weeks leading up to Monday night, Brummell installed a new 3-5-2 formation to bolster his team’s midfielders and test the durability of opposing teams.

“We have very strong midfielders,” Brummell said. “The boys are optimistic about the new formation. We want to test opposing teams. In the second half, we were able to find those pockets and those seams and got the ball through for scoring chances.”

Cedar Ridge will travel to Voyager Academy in Durham on Thursday night.

“We moved the ball around very well,” Brummell said. “We’re dangerous on crossing the ball. We’re dangerous on the counter attack. That’s where we found most of our success.”

Women’s Tennis: Orange 6, Eno River 3: Last year, the Orange women’s tennis team had its greatest season in program history because of depth provided by athletes who also excelled in soccer. Isabel Jones, Katelyn Van Mater and Sydney Rogers all were regular starters on the tennis courts and the pitch (though Rogers was injured her senior year) as Orange won the Central Carolina Conference championship, the first league tennis title in school history.

Van Mater, Rogers and Jones have graduated, but Orange still received depth from another soccer player to win its season opener at Orange Tennis Courts on Monday. Sophomore Molly Kruse won two matches, including a victory at #5 singles, to defeat Eno River in the first-ever matchup between the two schools in women’s tennis.

Kruse, who scored two goals last spring, opened with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at #5 singles over Quinn Parker. Kruse teamed with senior Makayla Davis at #2 doubles to defeat Rebecca Kirby and Ximena Ceja-Reyes 8-2.

Orange’s senior tandem of Erin and Shannon Sollars, who qualified for the 3A State Doubles Tournament last year, were in midseason form to open the year. Erin Sollars captured the win at #1 singles 6-0, 6-1, while Shannon won at #2 singles over Kirby 6-2, 6-1. The Sollars Sisters teamed to win at #1 doubles 8-1, which ensured the first Orange win of the season.

Davis also won two matches on the night. In addition to her doubles victory with Kruse, Davis defeated Betts Roney at #3 singles 6-2. 6-1.

Eno River notched victories from senior Elenaor Finkle, who defeated Ellie Wilson at #4 singles 6-4, 6-1. At #6 singles, Lily Kate Phillipps won via default when her opponent retired.

Parker and Phipps defeated Lindsay Woodell and Aubrey Petrosanu at #3 doubles 8-4.

Orange will return to action with a trip to Durham to face Riverside on Thursday. Eno River will host the Triangle School of Math and Science in Hillsborough on Wednesday afternoon.