Cedar Ridge High School

The joyride that has been the Class of 2023 Cedar Ridge volleyball team is entering its final days.

Regardless of whether the end comes on Tuesday in the second round of the state playoffs against Orange, on November 8 in the 3A State Championship match at Reynolds Coliseum or somewhere in between, there’s no disputing the numbers continue to add up for the most accomplished group of Cedar Ridge athletes in the 20-year history of the school.

On Saturday, Cedar Ridge rolled past Richlands 3-0 in the opening round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Playoffs. The Red Wolves (22-1), the defending 3A State Champions, are the #2 seed in the east region. They advanced to face crosstown rival Orange in the second round on Tuesday night in Red Wolves Gymnasium.

It was the 80th win for Cedar RIdge’s senior class of Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Anaya Carter, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz, Lauren Cecil and Isabelle Sheppard. Lloyd, Lanier, Altieri and Carter all played for the Red Wolves on the varsity as freshman. Young, Benkowitz, Sheppard and Cecil joined the varsity as sophomores (Benkowitz transferred from East Chapel Hill).

The Red Wolves used superior serving to easily take the victory. In the opening set, Young had eight aces and eight digs. Lloyd, who is second in school history for most career aces behind only Altieri, finished with five aces and nine digs, which led the team.

For the third straight game, Altieri was out. The Red Wolves went with freshman Mia Marty as setter in the opening two sets. Marty finished with eight assists, a lower total than usual simply because there weren’t many rallies.

Freshman Claire Hargett led the Red Wolves with five kills. Benkowitz added four while Lanier had three kills and three blocks.

Cedar Ridge has now won 22 consecutive matches and 66 of its last 67 sets. Its only loss of the season came against J.H. Rose, who is the #1 seed in the east region. On Saturday, the Rampants rolled past South Brunswick in the opening round to set up a matchup against C.B. Aycock on Tuesday night.

After winning all six of its state playoff matches last year, Cedar Ridge’s senior class has won nine state playoff matches. Asha Barnes, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2016, was a member of teams that won 13 sate playoff matches during her four years. In her senior year, the Red Wolves hosted the 2015 3A Eastern Regional championship match, which Asheboro captured 3-1.

Altieri holds the school record in assists and aces. She is the only player in Cedar Ridge history with over 200 aces. She also has 1,921 assists.

The remarkable thing about Cedar Ridge’s various record holders is they all were robbed of 10-15 games in the 2020-2021, which was limited to ten games because of the pandemic. The Red Wolves had 24 matches in 2019-2020 and 33 last year. With a standard length regular season, Lloyd could have become the first player in school history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.

Going into Saturday, Lloyd’s listed statistics on MaxPreps was 990 kills and 728 digs. Based on records kept on MaxPreps, the all-time digs record in Cedar Ridge history belongs to Lindsay Thompson, who finished with 745.

When they face Orange on Tuesday, the Red Wolves will go for its 40th consecutive win over a conference opponent. In what may be a good omen for Orange, the Lady Panthers were the last team from the Central Carolina Conference to defeat the Red Wolves. They won 3-2 on October 18, 2019.

Cedar Ridge has won 25 consecutive home matches.

Cedar Ridge volleyball’s famed senior class has claimed its seventh championship, but the Red Wolves’ youth played an instrumental factor in its latest title.

Of course, there were the usual suspects for Cedar Ridge, like Cameron Lloyd, Melissa Benkowitz and Cameron Lanier, all of whom racked up kills in a 3-1 win over Orange in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament Championship match at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Wednesday night. There were also two freshmen, Claire Hargett and Mia Marty, who found themselves in prominent positions in the Red Wolves 39th consecutive win over a conference opponent.

Cedar Ridge extended several of its school records against Orange, but not every streak survived.

Orange won the third set 25-17, ending Cedar Ridge’s streak of 62 consecutive victorious sets. To put that in perspective, Cedar Ridge (21-1) lost the final set of its season opener against J.H. Rose on August 18, then won via sweep in its other 19 regular season matches, plus its first tilt of the postseason against Walter Williams in the CCC Tournament semifinals.

The Red Wolves recovered to comfortably take the fourth set 25-17 to claim its second consecutive CCC Tournament title. It was Cedar Ridge’s seventh straight win over its crosstown rivals.

But after 21 consecutive wins, the Red Wolves did face adversity before they venture into the 3A State Tournament to defend their state championship. They played both games in the conference tournament without leading setter Julie Altieri, the all-time school leader in assists and aces.

So what did head coach Fiona Cunningham tell the team after they lost a set for the first time in over two months?

“Things I don’t want to repeat,” Cunningham said. “Orange did phenomenal that set. That was the team that they knew they could be. And we knew they could be that good and we got to see that. I told my girls that Orange was playing great. I also told them that we needed to play smarter and that we needed not to give away the game.”

Marty, who spent this season on Cedar Ridge’s undefeated junior varsity squad, had 14 assists in only her second varsity game. Without Altieri, the Red Wolves went with a setter-by- committee. Grace Young, usually the Red Wolves libero, started at setter and finished with 12 assists. Junior Graylinn Serge served as libero.

Lloyd, who has surpassed 1,000 kills for her career, finished with 12 kills. Hargett, a regular rotation player during her freshman year, tied her season-high with ten kills, matching the output she had against Walter Williams on September 14.

Orange (18-10) senior Allie Wilkerson had nine kills while her younger sister Ava Wilkerson finished with five kills and five blocks. Senior Caitlin Carden had 20 assists, one ace and one kill.

Ava Wilkerson, a 6-2 freshman, sparked Orange’s 10-0 spurt in the third set with a block on an attack by Cedar Ridge’s Addie Reid. On the next point, Orange senior Erin Jordan-Cornell had another block to put the Lady Panthers ahead 16-11, sending the visiting bench into jubilation and forcing Cunningham to call a timeout.

Ava Wilkerson and Jordan-Cornell each had back-to-back kills to continue the momentum. Junior Ella Wimsatt, who leads the Lady Panthers in kills, spiked home a point for Orange’s 23rd point. The Red Wolves sent the subsequent two attacks into the net, ending its streak of 62 victorious sets.

The two previous sets weren’t nearly as dramatic. In the opening frame, Cedar Ridge quickly pulled away after they jumped out to an 8-3 lead. Senior Cameron Lanier had consecutive aces to put the Red Wolves ahead 15-6. Lanier would spike home set point off an assist from Marty.

Cedar Ridge claimed the second set 25-10. After an attack by senior Anaya Carter, the Red Wolves reeled off ten of the next 13 points. During that spree, Benkowitz had two aces, a kill and a block to put the Red Wolves ahead 17-8. Three kills by Lloyd helped Cedar Ridge finished the set on a 8-1 run.

After dropping the third set, Cedar Ridge started the fourth set scoring nine of the first 12 points. After an opening kill by Reid, Carter had a block and a kill on back-to-back plays. Hargett scored match point off an assist from Young.

Men’s Soccer: Orange 3, Northwood 2: Most likely, it was the Orange men’s soccer team’s final trip to Pittsboro for a conference game against Northwood. And the Panthers made it a trip worth remembering as they continue to march towards the state playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Just days after Emmanuel Mil Cruz scored in the final minute for the game-winning goal against Chapel Hill, Orange scored two goals in the final five minutes to stun Northwood 3-2 at Chargers Soccer Field on Monday night. It was the Panthers’ third straight win.

This time the hero was senior Dylan Silverman. With 1:09 remaining, Silverman took a pass from Bryan Membreno and fire a heatseeking missile from 23 yards away that went over the head of the Chargers goalkeeper and caught the roof of the net, setting off a wild celebration along the Orange sideline. It was Silverman’s first game-winning goal of the season and his second of the year. His previous goal came against Western Alamance on September 7.

Orange (10-8, 6-4 in the Central Carolina Conference) has won four in a row. They are now ranked #19 in the 3A East Region.

With 3:10 remaining, the Panthers evened the game off a corner kick sent in by Mil Cruz. The ball landed at the far post. Tyler Mann, the leading scorer on the team, dug the ball free from a Chargers defender and rolled it over the goal line from point-blank range. It was Mann’s tenth goal of the season and his 25th point.

Orange got the opening goal off a pass from Enzo Bruhns, who took a pass from Mann and sent it across with a side foot shot from 17 yards away. The Panthers completed a season sweep of the Chargers for the first time since the two teams became conference rivals in 2012.

Men’s Cross Country: In the final race before the Central Carolina Conference championship meet, Cedar Ridge’s Roman Morrell won his third race of the season at Red Wolves Cross Country course on October 11. Morrell, in his final cross country race at Cedar Ridge, finished first at 18:34.87 in a tri-meet with Orange and Person.

Red Wolves took the top three spots in the standings. Finishing in second was freshman Ryan Matthews, who crossed the finish line at 18:47.30. In third place was Henry Alexander (18:50.02).

Orange junior Gabriel Schmid finished fourth at 19:03.80. Cedar Ridge’s Edgar Ibarra came in fifth.

The Panthers’ Riley Potter came in sixth, while Don Wheelis was seventh.

Cedar Ridge finished with 19 points. Orange was second with 42 points.

Women’s Cross Country: Cedar Ridge’s Abigail Klaitman earned her first career first-place finish in Cedar Ridge’s meet on October 11 against Orange and Person. Klaitman, a sophomore, finished the 5,000 meter course at 22:40.71.

Red Wolves runners finished in the top four spots to help Cedar Ridge easily take the overall team victory. The Red Wolves finished with 17 points. Orange came in with 50 points while Person had 62.

4After Klaitman, senior Sarah Fenwick finished second at 23:41.02. Red Wolves freshman Payton Decker came in third at 24:29.30. Cedar Ridge sophomore Serena Summers crossed the finish line fourth at 24:56.30. Kaitlyn Horn was seventh at 26:01.96. Selene Galla and Sydney Lund finished ninth and tenth, respectively, for the Red Wolves.

Orange’s top finisher was Kayla Mehl, who came in eighth at 26:19.55. Kassi Scarantino, Sophia Schultz, Grace Pell, Caroline Cathey and Margaret Hales all finished in the top 15 for the Panthers.

The Central Carolina Conference men’s and women’s championship meet will take place on Wednesday at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior setter Julie Altieri. Last week, Altieri helped Cedar Ridge win its third consecutive regular season championship as the Red Wolves defeated Orange 3-0. Altieri holds two school record. She is the all-time assist leader in school history with 1,850 going into the semifinals of the Central Carolina Conference tournament on Tuesday night against Walter Williams. She also has 198 aces, the most in school history. Last season, Altieri was the setter for the 3A State Championship team, the first female team in Cedar Ridge history to win a state championship. She has been a four-year starter and has over a 4.0 grade-point average. Altieri has been a member of six championship teams in her accomplished Cedar Ridge career. In addition to the three regular season championships, she has won a Central Carolina Tournament championship, an Eastern Regional championship and the 3A State Championship. Altieri is looking to continue her career at the college level. Altieri will graduate in June along with her teammates Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz, Anaya Carter, Isabelle Sheppard and Lauren Cecil. 

On October 6, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team defeated Person 6-0 at Red Wolves Stadium. It was another strong game for senior Chris Mendez, who notched his second hat trick of the season against the Rockets. Mendez previously had another hat trick in a 8-0 win over Eastern Guilford on September 1 in Hillsborough. During his three years at the varsity level, Mendez has scored 24 goals for the Red Wolves. He finished out his junior season with a hat trick against Eastern Alamance. Sophomore centerback Solomon Hernandez had a career-high two goals for the Red Wolves. Hernandez brings a stellar defensive presence for Cedar Ridge that will be valuable as he continues his high school career. Hernandez scored his first varsity goal against Eastern Guilford. He was a regular performer last season as a freshman. Cedar Ridge will hold its senior night agains the Durham School of the Arts at Red Wolves Stadium on October 26. 

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team has won its third straight regular season championship. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves defeated Orange 3-0 to finish the regular season 19-1. Remarkably, after losing its season-opener to J.H. Rose, the defending 3A State Championships won all 19 of its subsequent matches and didn’t lose a set. Senior Grace Young, who has committed to play at UNC Asheville, leads Cedar Ridge with 166 digs. Senior Anaya Carter committed to UNC Pembroke last month. Carter has 52 kills this season. Young, Carter, Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Melissa Benkowitz, Lauren Cecil and Isabelle Sheppard have won six championships during their stint at Cedar Ridge. This season alone, Cedar Ridge has defeated the 2021 4A State Champions Green Hope, the 2020 3A State Champions D.H. Conley and the 2017 2A State Champions Carrboro. Cedar Ridge will resume play in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Tuesday. The Red Wolves will face either Walter Williams, Person or Eastern Alamance in the semifinals.