Cedar Ridge High School

Payton Wilson: There’s a famous scene in the 1989 film “Lethal Weapon 2” where detective Martin Riggs, portrayed by Mel Gibson, dislocates his shoulder in order to escape a straight jacket and win side bets in the police office. If case you don’t date that far back in the Lethal Weapon canon:

In a more discreet way, former Orange High linebacker Payton Wilson did the same thing against Georgia Tech on December 5 in Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Except Wilson dislocated both of his shoulders in the first half. Despite playing a season-low 53 snaps, Wilson made eleven tackles as the Wolfpack defeated the Yellow Jackets 23-13 to finish the regular season 8-3. Wilson was named ACC Linebacker of the Week for the fourth time this season.

This season, Wilson leads N.C. State with 108 tackles. He also leads the team in tackles for loss (11.5) and interceptions (two). This week, the All-ACC team will be announced and Wilson is expected to make the first-team as a redshirt sophomore.

Wilson had a season-high 19 tackles on October 17 against Duke. He has had double-digit tackles in seven of N.C. State’s eleven games (Wilson didn’t play against Virginia Tech on September 26.) He recorded at least ten tackles in each of State’s final five games.

Trenton Gill: The redshirt junior who played football and soccer at Cedar Ridge has been N.C. State’s punter for the second straight season. Gill was named second-team preseason All-ACC by Athlon. This season, Gill had 49 punts for a 44.8 yard average. His longest was 62 yards against North Carolina on October 24. He also had a 60-yard punt in a win against Pittsburgh on October 3 at Heinz Field. Gill had 15 punts travel 50 yards or longer. He had 17 downed inside the 20-yard line.

As placekicker, Gill had 64 kickoffs. Only one went out of bounds. N.C. State is expected to accept a bowl bid later this week after winning seven ACC games this season, the most conference wins in school history. The Wolfpack also closed the season with four straight wins for the first time since 2008.

Keyshawn Thompson: With many teams in the Football Championship Subdivision waiting until the spring to play a full-fledged regular season because of the pandemic, Campbell University played four games this fall, racking up plenty of mileage along the way. The Camels went 0-4 against Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Wake Forest. Thompson, a redshirt junior, earned his first career start against Coastal Carolina. Against the Chanticleers, he had a career-high four tackles. He also had 2 tackles, including one-half tackle for loss, against Georgia Southern. He finished the year with nine tackles.

Campbell coach Mike Minter said the Camels would not play in the spring. The Camels next game will be September 4 against Liberty in Lynchburg, VA.

Colin Guentensberger: A redshirt freshman walk-on for the Appalachian State football team, Guentensberger has not played in a game this season for the Mountaineers. Appalachian completed its regular season with a 34-26 victory at Georgia Southern on Saturday night. After finishing 8-3, Appalachian accepted a bid to the inaugural Myrtle Beach Bowl on Sunday night. The Mountaineers will face North Texas at Brooks Field on December 21. Appalachian has won four straight bowl games.

Connor Crabtree: Crabtree made his debut for the Richmond Spiders on Sunday. The former Orange Panther, who transferred to Richmond after spending his freshman year at Tulane, played one minute in an 87-71 loss to #11 West Virginia on Sunday in at the WVU Coliseum. Crabtree hit a three-pointer, his only shot from the field. He finished with five points and two rebounds. Crabtree, a redshirt sophomore, missed Richmond’s first four games as he recovered from two hip surgeries earlier this year. To open the year, Richmond upset #10 Kentucky 76-64 on November 29 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.

Trying to play high school sports in the midst of a pandemic has been a struggle between routine and uncertainty. In the midst of the most unusual volleyball season ever, Cedar Ridge has shown unwavering stability.

The Red Wolves have every excuse otherwise available. They’re under a new head coach, its fourth since 2015. They play only two seniors in a Big 8 Conference that includes perennial power Chapel Hill, the defending 3A State Champions. There have been games postponed with less than 24 hours notice.

Now at the midway point of an abbreviated 14-game regular season, Cedar Ridge is atop the Big 8 Conference at 7-0. This season, only two teams from the Big 8 will make the 3A state playoffs. With seven matches remaining, Cedar Ridge has opened up a two-game lead over a league that became more logjammed over the past week.

Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill and Orange are all tied for second place in the loss column. Orange, which entered the week 4-0, suffered consecutive 3-0 losses to East Chapel Hill and Northwood on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

While the absence of crowds may make road games less imposing compared to an ordinary year, Cedar Ridge has still mounted a 4-0 record away from Red Wolves Gymnasium. While fans won’t be allowed into Cedar Ridge, the Red Wolves will start a four-game homestead on Tuesday against crosstown rival Orange.

Most impressively, Cedar Ridge has registered sweeps in five of its six wins (Southern Durham forfeited). The most recent came on Thursday night against Northwood, where the Red Wolves prevailed on scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 25-18.

The only set Cedar Ridge has dropped this season came against East Chapel Hill on December 1.

As was the case in 2019, it has been sophomores who have paved the way to Cedar Ridge’s best start since 2015: Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier.

Lloyd has been the centerpiece of Cedar Ridge’s finishing attack. She leads the team with 54 kills, including a season-high 19 against East Chapel Hill. She’s also is second on the team with 46 digs.

Setting up Lloyd for many of those kills is Altieri, who leads the team with 103 assists. Altieri, whose brothers Andrew and Eddie played basketball at Cedar Ridge, also leads the team with 18 aces.

Lanier has 42 kills and and a team-high ten blocks. Last season, as a freshman, Lanier had 193 kills, second only to Lloyd.

As with most successful teams, it’s only as good as its seniors. Libero Marlee Rakouskas has a team-high 54 digs and 91 serves received. Rakouskas’ classmate, Layne Foster, was named the Player of the Match against Chapel Hill on November 24. Foster has 14 kills, six assists and 41 digs so far.

As Cedar Ridge students have learned remotely since the pandemic started it March, it’s been impossible to build a sense of school spirit. Nonetheless, the volleyball team is on pace to earn Cedar Ridge’s first conference championship since the 2019 softball team. Last year, with the spring sports season canceled, Cedar Ridge only made the state playoffs in one sport: volleyball, where the Red Wolves lost to Terry Sanford in the opening round.

On Tuesday, Cedar Ridge will host Orange, a perfect matchup at the worst possible time. With it’s arguable that the two best volleyball teams in the Big 8 are both in Hillsborough, it goes without saying that this would be the most anticipated Orange-Cedar Ridge matchup in years if fans were allowed into Red Wolves Gymnasium. But reality has stepped in, once again, intruding our lives in ways that were unimaginable one year ago.

While Cedar Ridge isn’t a sure thing yet to win the Big 8, or even make the state playoffs, one thing is certain. This road to the conference championship runs through Cedar Ridge’s backyard this year.

Since mid-March, every student athlete, parent, and spectator in North Carolina has had to wait. 

Up until a few weeks ago when I announced both the ACC Men’s & Women’s Soccer Championshipin Cary, I had not announced a game since the East Chapel Hill – Cedar Ridge basketball games on February 10. 

In that time frame and within my work in prisons, I aspire to avoid COVID-19 on a daily basis. I’m scanned, questioned, masked, searched, gloved, and in the process, overworked due to short staffing. My fiancée Sarah worked in a nearby emergency room and now to a surgical center, but has endured the same. Together, we’ve been trying to plan a wedding. To watch every plan get ripped and reformulated thanks to the powers that be limiting us and our guests, it has absolutely destroyed us.But the wedding is still on and come December 12, 2020 – we will be man and wife (God Willing).

Because of the ever-changing politics of a virus that NO ONE (medical or political) has been able to figure out, we still live in a complete state of chaos in navigating the slough known as Coronavirus.While prevention might be worth a pound of cure, all of this prevention has prevented a return to normalcy, even in the form of high school athletics.

I am probably going to get excoriated for saying all of this, but I don’t care.

It boils down to this. Let the kids play. To those who want to watch them play, let them come. And for all in attendance, let them have a good time.

Currently, Orange and Cedar Ridge are only allowing players, coaches, media, and officials to be present at sporting events. In essence, the only “fans” at volleyball would be the junior varsity or varsity teams not playing. As Cedar Ridge’s PA announcer, I have been forbidden to come to just play music. No announcing, no national anthem, no house music, NOTHING. 

At other places, it’s different. When Cedar Ridge defeated Chapel Hill at Smith Middle School, our Hillsboroughsports.com leader Jeff Hamlin, was removed and escorted from the building. The press pass that he assumed he was to be given, was instead, given to HighSchoolOT freelancers. PerChapel Hill’s AD, Jeff was literally put out into the cold.

I’ve been informed that it could be as soon as January for basketball season before any spectators are allowed to return to high school sporting events in Hillsborough. However, with all scientific data reporting negative trends, that likelihood seems unlikely. In reality, the concept of spectators at a Hillsborough high school sporting event might be a kick-the-can situation. Once the situation comes to the forefront, it’s punted down the road in hopes it improves with time.

The funny thing is with this virus is that no one knows for certain if they have it unless they are tested. Some have active symptoms, many are asymptomatic carriers. Some could be battling seasonal allergies that mirror COVID symptoms or many just don’t have it.

In simplest terms –

If you are running a temperature of more than 99 degrees, STAY HOME.

If you are sick or are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, STAY HOME.

If you are awaiting the results of a COVID test (regardless of symptom status), STAY HOME.

If you are none of the above, you should be allowed to play in the games or watch the games. 

Imagine that you are a senior at Cedar Ridge or Orange and throughout the offseason, the idea of playing in your senior campaign was an absolute uncertainty. Even if you did get to play, would there be people to play for? Would you have a senior night to where your career would be celebrated by family and friends? As of right now, it appears that both are highly doubtful.

When I played scholastic sports, nothing brought me satisfaction knowing that my parents were in attendance from the stands. But as of now in Hillsborough, parents are disallowed to watch their children play in person. It’s a shame to be a parent and spend scores of dollars in the funding ofcamps, clinics, equipment, and other items – all to be told that you can’t watch your kids play or should live stream their games from home. If you are a parent and are abiding by the aforementioned rules, you should be allowed to come and watch.

If you’ve been watching any NCAA sporting events, you’ll see a smattering of people watching from the stands. They are families with a sprinkling of select season-ticket holders chosen from the schools’ respective ticket lotteries. All entering fans are screened with temperature checks, spread out to ensure social distancing, and must wear face coverings at all times. Players are also spreadout on the benches for social distancing. Each player is assigned their own towels and water bottle to prevent viral transmission.

If it works for the collegians, I’m quite certain it will work for high school teams and their respective athletic departments.

In addition, I can’t imagine how much the athletic departments are even in good financial shape. As reported on December 2nd by HighSchoolOT, the Wake County School Board unanimously approved to allocate $835,000 to help fund high school and middle school athletics. The same report also mentioned that families would be permitted to attend. 

Imagine the small school districts that might have a singular high school. There’s no telling how much funds has depleted from their accounts as a result of not allowing any fans to attend. Then again, these same districts don’t have the funding capability as Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, or any other highly populated school district. I’m not going to speculate for Orange County, but when funds are non-existent and debts, equipment, and officials must be paid – with insufficient funds – all parties (regardless of location) are in a potential state of want.

In closing, we all want to return to a place in a pre-COVID time, whatever that may be. But to deny student-athletes the ability to play and their parents (or fans) to watch is unfathomable. While we are all doing our part to mitigate this virus, there must be some exceptions for student-athletes to play, families to watch, and for all to enjoy one of the many returns to normalcy in high school athletics.

Orange and Cedar Ridge may be shifting its conference roots away from the Triangle and closer to Alamance County.

Under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s realignment draft released on Thursday morning, Cedar Ridge and Orange would join a new 7-team conference in the fall of 2021. It largely breaks up the current Big 8 Conference, which the two Hillsborough high schools have been a part of since the 2013-2014 academic year.

The only other member of the Big 8 that’s currently slated for the new conference (listed as Conference 25, a more traditional name will follow) is Northwood. As of right now, they’re slated to be joined by Eastern Alamance, Carrboro, Walter Williams and Western Alamance.

The changes go into effect at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

The NCHSAA released its final realignment plan on December 4, which largely spelled the beginning of the end of the Big 8 Conference since it was established in 2013. Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill, and Northern Durham will return to the 4A classification. Chapel Hill hasn’t been a 4A team since 2009.

The theme of this year’s conference realignment was split conferences. Of the 61 new conferences across North Carolina, 33 are split leagues that combine teams from two difference classifications.

Conference 25 was one of the exceptions. All seven members will be 3A teams.

The new conferences are not final. Next month, schools can appeal for changes.

If there are no alterations, this will mark the end of the Orange-Southern Durham in-conference rivalry. It was the marquee matchup in local football circles from 2013-2018. In the seven years of the conference’s existence, Orange and Southern Durham won the Big 8 Football Championship six times (Northern Durham captured it in 2018).

Southern Durham is slated to move to Conference 18, a 3A/2A league that includes Person, Durham School of the Arts, Granville Central, South Granville, J.F. Webb and Bartlett Yancey.

Vance County, which joined the Big 8 in 2019, will shift to Conference 17, comprised of Franklinton, Northern Nash, Rocky Mount, Southern Nash, Bunn, Louisburg and Nash Central.

With the pandemic impacting schools economically, the NCHSAA attempted to make conference’s road trips shorter. That’s why the inclusion of Eastern Alamance into Conference 25 was only natural, since it’s only 21 miles from Hillsborough. For years, the Orange football team has faced Eastern Alamance in football during August scrimmages, but not in the regular season.

As far as game action, Orange hasn’t played Eastern Alamance since the 2012 3A State Playoffs. The two school met regularly in football during the 80s and early 90s (current Louisville coach Scott Satterfield tore his ACL playing quarterback for Orange against Eastern Alamance during the 1989 season opener in Mebane). Eastern Alamance officials have always cited playing other county rivals as the reason why a regular series against Orange was eschewed.

Eastern Alamance captured the 2019 3A State Softball Championship, beating Cedar Ridge in the 3rd round.

If Conference 25 stays intact, Orange would have the highest Average Daily Membership in the new league. Currently, Orange’s ADM is 1,306.

During its entire stint in the Big 8 Conference, Cedar Ridge had the lowest Average Daily Membership in the league. That would no longer be the case in Conference 25. Cedar Ridge’s current ADM is 1076. Carrboro, which has been a 2A team since it started in 2007, has an ADM of 876.

Northwood’s ADM, which was 1,433 in the 2019-2020 academic year, is now listed as 899.

Williams, which won the 3A State Championship in men’s soccer in 2019, has an ADM of 1,177. Western Alamance’s ADM is 1,155, while Eastern Alamance is 1,234.

Cedar Ridge and Carrboro were league rivals when they competed in the 2A/1A Carolina 12 Conference, as well as the Mid-State Conference when Carrboro formally opened in 2007-2008.

The Red Wolves have been a 3A team since 2013-14.

This will be the first time that Orange has not a league rival from Durham since they were in the Carolina Conference in 2013. It will be the first time Orange and Chapel Hill haven’t been in the same league since 2008-2009.

As freshmen in 2019, Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier didn’t flinch when they faced Chapel Hill, the three-time defending Big 8 Champions, in the conference opener.

The Red Wolves won 3-2 in Hillsborough. Chapel Hill didn’t lose again. They claimed the 3A State Championship with a 27-1 record.

So why would the Red Wolves be intimidated on Thursday night?

A year wiser and more mature, Cedar Ridge throttled the Tigers 3-0 on scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-12 at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill.

In front of a crowd limited to junior varsity players from both teams due to the pandemic, the Red Wolves dominated the defending 3A state champions to improve to 2-0 in the Big 8 Conference. Cedar Ridge started its season with a 3-0 win over Northwood on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

It was the second win for new Cedar Ridge coach Fiona Cunningham, a former Chapel Hill assistant who faced her former team for the first time.

“It was a long of fun,” Cunningham said. “It’s always great to come out with a win. It was also fun to just feel that sense of volleyball community again. Players getting to see players again that they know. It brings a sense of normalcy.”

During a year where nothing has been normal, Cedar Ridge’s players have spent the year adjusting to a new routine. While most sports skidded to a halt around the world during the summer, the club volleyball season carried on, albeit to a lesser degree. Some of the Cedar Ridge players were teammates on the beach volleyball court, which allowed them to get used to playing with masks.

“I think we’ve all adapted to it pretty well,” said Altieri. “We’ve had a few struggles, but we’re working as a team to get through it and to get to know each other better.”

There’s no time for slack. Because of the pandemic, a regular season that ordinarily is 23-25 games has been riddled down to 14. It will be exclusively conference games for Cedar Ridge.

There also will be no wildcard in the playoffs. Only the top two teams for the Big 8 will see the postseason, which makes Cedar Ridge’s strong opening week all the more important.

After an 18-6 campaign in 2019 under former head coach Anna Seethaler that ended with an opening round playoff loss to Terry Sanford, the Red Wolves lost four seniors. Lloyd, Altieri and Lanier all played over 75 sets last season as freshmen.

On top of that, together they’ve now handed Chapel Hill its last two losses. The Tigers have gone 81-15 since 2017 with two regional championships and our Big 8 titles.

While it would be easy to attach a slogan like “a statement win” or “a changing of the guard” to Cedar Ridge sweeping the defending state champions, Cunningham has her own phrase.

A grain of salt.

“That’s how we’re taking it,” Cunningham said. “We know that Chapel Hill is a great team. But we also know that this year, more than any, will be anybody’s game when it comes to the playoffs. Teams are going to be rapidly changing this season.”

After Thursday night’s win, Cunningham received a congratulatory text from a Chapel Hill assistant about the Red Wolves’ performance. It’s a win over Chapel Hill in volleyball. Ordinarily, that would be something that speaks volumes.

For Cedar Ridge, it will—until Monday, at least. That’s when they host crosstown rival Orange, who defeated the Red Wolves at Cedar Ridge Gymnasium last year.

Cunningham will be new to the Hillsborough rivalry, but she knows what to expect. On Friday morning, she finished up practice with a word to her team about the first matchup with the Lady Panthers.

“We want to make sure that emotionally, it’s a stable game,” Cunningham said. “That’s what we’ve been talking about since the start of the season–not having big ups and downs. Coming off the Chapel Hill win, we don’t want our girls to start to get complacent.”

Orange will start its season on Friday night against East Chapel Hill inside Wildcats Gymnasium. The two teams split the season series in 2019.

Usually, November is around the time that volleyball season ends in North Carolina. But this is 2020, when nothing is normal. Thus, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team started its season on Thursday night in front of a audience comprised solely of junior varsity players, staff and one media member at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves won 3-0 over Northwood. However, sophomore Julie Altieri has been active during the pandemic. She has played beach volleyball with her club team. Altieri started as a freshman in 2019, when the Red Wolves went 18-6 and finished tied for 3rd in the Big 8 Conference with a 10-4 record. Altieri led the Red Wolves in assists on Tuesday night. The third member of her family to play sports at Cedar Ridge, Altieri will look to defeat defending 3A State Champion Chapel Hill on Thursday night at Smith Middle School. Last season, Altieri led the Red Wolves with 80 assists and also registered 178 digs, which was third on the team.

There was finally a sense of normalcy on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. The Cedar Ridge volleyball team became the first squad to return to action since the pandemic started in March. The Red Wolves started its 14-game regular season with a 3-0 win over Northwood. Senior libero Marlee Rakouskas started under new head coach Fiona Cunningham as the Red Wolves won on scores of 25-22, 25-14, 25-23. Rakouskas was named the player of the match. Despite the pandemic, Rakouskas has remained busy on the volleyball court this summer with her club team. Last season, Cedar Ridge finished 3rd in the Big 8 Conference and was the only team to defeat Chapel Hill, who went on to win the 3A State Championship. On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge will travel to face Chapel Hill. The match will be held at Smith Middle School, but fans won’t be permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Rodcast is back! Our guest is New York Times Bestselling author Jeff Pearlman, the author of the new book “Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.” Jeff spent three years on this project, and just as he was finishing work, Kobe Bryant tragically died in January. In this interview, Jeff discusses what Kobe’s relationship with Shaquille O’Neal, how Phil Jackson handled the big egos to win three consecutive championships from 2001-2003, and how Shaquille related to his teammates. If you’re an NBA fan or a fan of books about complicated relationships among people in the public eye, you’ll want to check out “Three Ring Circus.”

On this edition of the Rodcast, we’re joined by trainer Elton Faulk. Elton runs www.gamma-fitness.com. After graduating from Jordan High School, he joined the Army and was stricken by a respiratory illness that left him barely able to walk. He fought back from adversity to become a kickboxer and start his own gym, which is located at the old location of North Duke Mall. Elton joined us to discuss own he’s operating a gym during COVID-19, as well as trying to stay healthy himself during a pandemic. Plus, plans to return to the kickboxing ring and his own graphic novel. Learn more about Elton here: https://www.thumbtack.com/nc/durham/personal-trainers/elton-e-faulk/service/196977197755942082

On this edition of the Rodcast, we’re joined by new Cedar Ridge football coach Cory Lea. Cory has been successful wherever he’s gone in coaching circles. At Northern Vance, he led them to a winning season in his second year. At Riverside, Lea coached the Pirates to the 2018 Triangle 8 Championship. It was only the second conference title for Riverside in school history. Cory was a walk-on at UNC during Mack Brown’s first stint in Chapel Hill, and is now focused on leading Cedar Ridge to the top of the Big 8 Conference.