Cedar Ridge High School

After the corona virus pandemic cratered the sports scene across the U.S. and around the world, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has taken steps to keep students, staff and coaches safe.

On Thursday afternoon, the NCHSAA mandated that the spring sports season will be suspended starting at 11:59PM on Friday night until Monday, April 6.

Schools may not participate in games, practices, workout or skill development.

“As much as we would like this opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, and their communities, we know that ultimately any decision we make must err on the side of caution,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker in a statement.

Right now, that’s everything that everyone associated with Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools knows about the next three weeks.

Cedar Ridge and Orange’s baseball teams both had games scheduled for Friday, but they were both postponed. Orange was suppose to travel to East Chapel Hill for the second game of its two-game set on Friday afternoon. Orange won the first game on Tuesday night 9-4.

Cedar Ridge was supposed to host Northwood in Hillsborough, but that was also delayed. The Chargers threw a 15-out perfect game from Tyler Johnson to win 15-0 on Tuesday night in Pittsboro.

The only games on the slate for Friday will be lacrosse games. Cedar Ridge will host J.F. Webb in the Red Wolves third game this week. Orange will play its Conference 9 opener against Roxboro Community School in Person County.

The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team dropped a disappointing game to Southern Alamance by one goal in Graham. The Red Wolves fell to Eastern Alamance 14-11 in Hillsborough on Monday after taking a 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Zachary Holmes had four goals for the Red Wolves against the Eagles. James Clayton had a goal and two assists.

On Thursday night, West Johnston softball handed Cedar Ridge its first loss of the season 13-3 in five innings. The Wildcats avenged a loss to the Red Wolves last Friday in Hillsborough, which Cedar Ridge won 21-16. The Wildcats scored nine runs in the fourth inning. Cedar Ridge had a doubleheader scheduled against Chapel Hill for Friday, but that was also postponed.

The Orange softball team also suffered a non-conference loss in its final game before the three-week break. Person defeated the Lady Panthers 12-6 at Panther Softball Field. Orange led 4-1 at the end of the second inning. Freshman Serenity McPherson singled in each of her first two at-bats. Each time, she knocked in classmate Carson Bradsher. In the first, Bradsher reached on a leadoff single and eventually scored to tie the game. Sophomore catcher Lauren Jackson gave Orange the lead with a single to second. McPherson, who stole third during Jackson’s plate appearance, touched the plate off the hit.

Orange added two more in the second. McPherson knocked in Bradsher again. After Maddie Bartlett reached on an error, Emma Puckett hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Bartlett to score.

It was all Person from that point forward. The Rockets scored eleven consecutive runs. Person pitcher Taylor Sullivan, who replaced starter Delaney Glover in the 3rd, threw four-and-two-thirds innings for the win. She gave up two runs, both in the 7th inning, off five hits.

Person’s Emma Bowes went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.

Photo by Pam Scism

The power supply for the Cedar Ridge softball team has started on high voltage to begin the 2020 season.

If there was any sign the Red Wolves will contend for its third consecutive Big 8 Conference Championship, it came Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

In its conference opener, the Red Wolves pounded out 15 hits against Northwood in a 20-0 victory. It was Cedar Ridge’s first mercy rule win of the season.

Cedar Ridge sophomore third baseman Takia Nichols hit her fourth homer of the season with a three-run blast to left field in the first inning, bringing in Anaya Carter and Emma Roby. It started a 10-run inning.

Olivia Aitkin, who singled after Nichols’ home run, scored on a wild pitch. After Reagan Ruhl walked, ShiLi Quade singled to third base. With Cailyn Thornton at bat, Aitkin scored on a passed ball. Thornton reached on a grounder that found its way to left field and scored Ruhl to make it 5-0.

Quade scored on a passed ball with Carter at the plate. Carter eventually singled to center to score Thornton. Ava Lowry knocked in Carter with a bloop to center field. Aitkin earned her second hit of the inning with a grounder that popped over second base, who was intentionally walked.

Nichols has homers in each of Cedar Ridge’s three games this season. She had two in the season opener against Cardinal Gibbons. It’s also led to Nichols being intentionally walked more often. After she smashed a two-run homer off the scoreboard in the second inning against West Johnston on Friday, Nichols was intentionally walked four times.

After the leadoff homer against the Chargers, she was walked twice.

Cedar Ridge added ten more runs in the 3rd inning. After Nichols was walked, she scored off a double by Aitkin to centerfield. Aitkin scored off a grounder to center by Rhul, who finished 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Aitkin went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Carter, a freshman, finished 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and two runs scored. Quade, who hit an inside-the-park grand slam against West Johnston, finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Thornton went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Lowry went 2-for-3 with a triple and 3 RBIs.

Away from the impressive offensive numbers was Cedar Ridge’s starting pitcher. Junior Alexandria Matthews earned her first victory at the varsity level, throwing five shutout innings. She scattered only three hits and four walks, striking out two.

It was the first game this year that Aitkin didn’t pitch. Instead, Aitkin played right field.

In its first three games, Cedar Ridge has 52 runs off 45 hits. That total could grow on Thursday when the Red Wolves travel to Chapel Hill for a doubleheader. Each game is slated to be five innings.

Cedar Ridge has now won ten straight Big 8 Conference games. The Red Wolves will host Orange on Tuesday.

Last season, Cedar Ridge and Orange tied for the Big 8 Championship after they split the season series. Each team ran the table agains the rest of the Big 8. Cedar Ridge won a special tiebreaker in Hillsborough 8-3 to receive the top seed from the conference going into the 3A State Tournament.

Every coach will remember his first win and Bryson Massey was no different.

Speaking two days after Cedar Ridge defeated the Burlington School 3-1 at Red Wolves Baseball Field in Hillsborough, Massey picked apart piece-by-piece the vital moments of his first coaching win.

In a year of younger players across the Big 8 Conference, Cedar Ridge sophomore Will Berger went four innings to earn the win as the Red Wolves defeated the Spartans 3-1.

Berger, who started at quarterback last season for the Cedar Ridge football team, is the younger brother of Phillip Berger, who graduated last June with a school-record 22 pitching wins. Phillip now pitches at William Peace University, where he was named the USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Week on February 24.

While Cedar Ridge senior Fransisco Martinez didn’t earn the save, he was one of the heroes of the night. In two out in the fifth inning, Martinez replaced Chris Pearce, who was forced to leave the game because of an injury. Martinez walked into the game with the bases loaded for Burlington, but got the final out to retain the 2-1 lead.

“Francisco took the ball in a big situation for us,” Massey said. “He stepped up as a senior in a close game. He showed his leadership in a big situation for us.”

Sophomore Cristian Macias earned the save with a shutout seventh inning.

After hitting 9th in the season opening loss to Carrboro, Grady Ray was inserted into the leadoff spot on Friday.

“He had some good at-bats against Carrboro in the nine spot,” Massey said. “I thought he had enough good cuts to earn that leadoff position. He looked comfortable in the box against Burlington and I was pleased with that.”

After Massey replaced Mitchell Frazier in September, almost all of the members from the 2018 squad were gone. Two years ago, Cedar Ridge finished 18-6, 11-3 in the Big 8 Conference and reached the second round of the state playoffs. Only Ray and Grant Fox remain from the Cedar Ridge team of 2018.

A new roster and a new coach has given Cedar Ridge baseball a fresh start. That’s despite a disappointing 11-2 loss to Carrboro to open the season on March 4.

“It’s been a breath of fresh air,” Massey said. “The guys are really eager to work. Against Carrboro, we didn’t perform like we wanted to. All the guys knew it. I challenged them on Wednesday at practice and it was probably the best practice we’ve had. We worked hard on the mistakes that cost us. They came out on Friday night and played well as a whole.”

Ray, starting in centerfield, made several big catches on a night of swirling winds and blustery cold.

“He made some big time plays,” Massey said. “Since February, we’ve had some guys grow up a lot. They’ve taken some roles they haven’t been in before. They’re stepping up and earning the spot to play in.”

Ray, Aidan McCallister, B.J. Thornton all started their first varsity games last week.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Northwood on Tuesday night for its Big 8 Conference opener. You can hear the game on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 7.

With eleven home runs in 26 varsity softball games, it’s easy for local softball fans to draw a comparison between Cedar Ridge’s Takia Nichols and former Orange catcher Mia Davidson.

After Friday night, maybe Roy Hobbs would be the most accurate. (Here’s a video of the above reference for younger readers).

In the second inning against West Johnston, Nichols took a leadoff fastball and knocked it off the left field scoreboard at Cedar Ridge softball field. Despite gusts of 25 miles-per-hour, Nichols’ power thrust the ball into the teeth of the wind and off the screen that tallied the opposing team’s runs (above the home team) to tie the game at 7-7.

That was all West Johnston Coach Laura Jefferson needed to see.

Nichols never got another swing the rest of the night, receiving four intentional walks, twice with runners on board.

After two hours and 25 minutes in mid-40 degree temperatures, Cedar Ridge showed poise and plenty of offensive firepower to defeat the Wildcats 21-16 on Friday night. It was a rematch of a first-round state playoff game in May, where the Red Wolves’ won 4-3 in 11 innings off a walkoff single by Tionna Carter.

The Red Wolves amassed 19 hits to improve to 2-0. They opened the season with an 11-7 win over Cardinal Gibbons.

Cedar Ridge built an 18-8 lead off an inside-the-park grand slam by junior centerfielder ShiLi Quade, who laced a riseball to left field as the signature blow in a six-run third inning. Quade score Ava Lowry, Olivia Aitkin, and Reagan Ruhl.

Quade was one of five Red Wolves with three hits. She was joined by Aitkin, Thornton, Lowry and Ruhl. Lowry scored four runs, as did Ruhl and Nichols.

Aitkin, who spent the winter competing in the climate-controlled atmosphere of the Orange County Sportsplex for the Cedar Ridge swimming team, had to brave howling winds standing inside the circle in her first year as a regular starting pitcher. With scattered onlookers bundles under blankets, hand warmers and heavy jackets, Aitkin was left alone to face a West Johnston offense that piled up 24 runs in its season-opening victory over Northern Nash.

“I just try to focus on throwing my pitches like I imagine in my head,” Aitkin said. “Then I just throw it. I play softball year around so I’m used to the cold.”

After giving up an early run, Cedar Ridge scored five runs in the first inning after the opening two batters were retired. Ruhl, who played second base, drilled a double to left field to bring in Ava Lowry and Aitkin. Thornton launched a triple to center to score Rhule and Quade.

After trailing 16-6 going into the fifth inning, West Johnston cut its deficit to 19-16 off five runs in the sixth inning, including a three-run triple by shortstop Kaitlyn Tucker.

In the bottom of the sixth, Quade reached on a bunt single. After advancing to second and third off wild pitches, Rachel Serre scored Quade on a sacrifice fly. Thornton walked and added an insurance run following a double by freshman Anaya Carter.

Cedar Ridge will start its Big 8 Conference slate against Northwood on Tuesday in Pittsboro, then travel to Four Oaks for a rematch with West Johnston on Thursday. The Red Wolves travel to Chapel Hill for a doubleheader on Friday.

“The girls battled tonight,” said Cedar Ridge Coach Allen Byrd. “We got some productivity from the bottom of our lineup tonight, which we didn’t have the other night (against Cardinal Gibbons). They came up and hit the ball. These kids just stuck together and played fundamental softball.”

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech women’s basketball team won the Region X Tournament Championship over Louisburg College 86-59 at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA on Saturday. It is the first championship in program history. Wake Tech, who entered the tournament as the #3 seed, won three games in three days. They opened with a victory over USC-Salkehatchie 88-65 on Thursday. The Eagles knocked off 2nd-seeded Cape Fear Community College 76-57. Cates, a freshman who graduated from Orange in June, will accompany the Eagles to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Tournament starting March 17 at SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron, MI.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team had its season end in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament. On Tuesday, Belmont Abbey defeated the Hawks 87-37 in Belmont. Barnett started for Chowan and played eight minutes. In her freshman season, Barnett played 19 games with four starts. She averaged 9.4 minutes per game and scored 39 points. Barnett averaged 2.4 rebounds per game. Chowan finished 6-21 overall, 6-16 in Conference Carolinas.

Marvin Jones: At the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Landover, MD, Jones earned the bronze medal in the high jump for North Carolina Central. Jones cleared 2.05 meters. North Carolina Central’s men’s team finished eighth with 23 points, its best showing since 2013. Jones concluded the indoor season with three individual championships.

Jamar Davis: At the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships at Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center, Davis finished seventh in the long jump at 7.37 meters. Davis, a sophomore, finished 20th in the triple jump at 13. 39 meters.

Jonathan Hall: At the Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Lexington, VA, former Cedar Ridge star Jonathan Hall had a new personal best in the 60-meter hurdles. Competing for Wofford, Hall finished 7th at 8.51 seconds. Hall earned two points for the Terriers’ team standings.

Bowen Collins: The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team, ranked #17 in Division II, defeated #3 Adelphi 17-16 at Moretz Stadium in Hickory on March 1. It was the second-highest opponent the Bears have ever defeated. Collins assisted on a goal scored by LR’s Toron Eccleston that tied the game 11-11 in the third quarter. The Bears are 4-1.

Zach Wright: The Division II Mars Hill men’s lacrosse team is 3-4. On February 29, Lander defeated the Lions 23-10 inside Van Tyler Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. Wright, a senior who graduated from Orange, scored a goal and had an assist. He finished with three shots, two on goal. On Saturday, Catawba defeated Mars Hill 13-4 in Salisbury.

Aidan Poole: A sophomore for the Division III Greensboro College men’s lacrosse team, the Pride defeated Randolph College 16-5 on Saturday. Poole started on defense for Greensboro and had two ground balls and created one turnover. On Thursday, Greensboro defeated Chatham University 12-5. Once again, Poole started and scored his second goal of the season in the first period off an assist from Patrick Bell. Poole finished with two shots, three ground balls and created one turnover. Greensboro is 4-3 and will host Hampton on Wednesday afternoon at 2.

Luke Hernandez: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team scored 13 goals in the first half to blast Averett University 23-6 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Saturday. It was the Falcons USA South Athletic Conference opener. Hernandez, who graduated from Cedar Ridge last summer, created two turnovers and scooped up two ground balls for Pfeiffer.

Jaylin Jones: Jones, who graduated from Orange in 2018, is also a member of the Pfeiffer lacrosse team as a midfielder. He had a ground ball in the win over Averett. On Wednesday, Southern Virginia defeated Pfeiffer 23-14. Against the Knights, Jones had two ground balls and created one turnover. The Falcons are 2-3 overall.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is softball center fielder Shili Quade. On Friday night, Quade had an inside the park grand slam as the Red Wolves outscored West Johnston 21-16 at Red Wolves Softball Field. Quade reached in all four off her at-bats against the Wildcats and scored three runs as Cedar Ridge improved to 2-0. Shili has been a member of two Big 8 Conference Championship teams in softball and has played on the varsity team since her freshman year. She has also played volleyball for the Red Wolves. Last fall, she helped the Red Wolves reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In the season opener against Cardinal Gibbons on Wednesday, Quade went 1-for-4 with a run scored as the Red Wolves won 11-7. Cedar Ridge will start Big 8 Conference play with a road trip to Northwood on Tuesday.

With wind gusts of 25 miles per hour making it feel in the high-30s, the Cedar Ridge softball team defeated West Johnston 21-16 at Red Wolves Territory on Friday night. Sophomore Olivia Aitkin stood in the middle of the blustery weather and threw 131 pitches for her 2nd win of the season. Aitkin helped her own cause by reaching base four times. She scored three times, including during a five-run first inning. Aitkin scored off a double by Shili Quade. Last year, Aitkin was the backup pitcher for the Red Wolves. Now she’s the first day starter and is 2-0 after picking up a victory over Cardinal Gibbons on Wednesday. Cedar Ridge will start Big 8 Conference play with a road trip to Northwood on Tuesday night in Pittsboro.