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Cedar Ridge freshman J.E. Sandor had a memorable first high school debut at the Orange County Sportsplex on Monday night. Sandor broke the school record in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 57.03 seconds, automatically qualifying for the 3A Central Regionals in February. In the final event of the night, Sandor teamed with Christopher Seawell, Zion Green and Phillip Cauwels to win the 400 yard freestyle relay, finishing at 3:47.10. It was a successful opening night for the Cedar Ridge men’s team, which won all five of its dual meets against Central Conference opponents. The Red Wolves defeated Orange, the defending Central Conference champions. Sandor also finished second in the 100 yard breaststroke, also qualifying for regionals. Walter Williams Liam Miller narrowly beat Sandor to the wall in the breaststroke, winning by .17 of a second. Sandor, Seawell, Cauwels and Jacob Olmstead finished 2nd in the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 1:53.43. Sandor has been swimming from a young age and joins his teammates every weekday morning at the Sportsplex for practice. After a successful start to the season, the Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s swimming teams will return to action on Thursday, December 19 against Western Alamance and Williams at the Burlington YMCA.

Cedar Ridge freshman swimmer J.E. Sandor discusses record setting opening night

Cedar Ridge freshman J.E. Sandor had a memorable first high school debut at the Orange County Sportsplex on Monday night. Sandor broke the school record in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 57.03 seconds, automatically qualifying for the 3A Central Regionals in February.

It’s not even the week before Christmas and the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team has surpassed its win total from all of last year.

Braeden Wilbourn scored 20 points as the Red Wolves defeated Eno River Academy 73-53 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Wednesday night. It was a wire-to-wire win for Cedar Ridge (4-2), who are off to its best start since the 2015-2016 season, which was the last time they made the playoffs.

Cole Creedle led the Bobcats with 12 points. Eno River fell to 8-3 following its first trip ever to Cedar Ridge, which is only eight miles away.

Last week, the Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts at famed Sikes Gymnasium to win back-to-back road games for the first time since 2018.

Despite giving up size in most positions, the Red Wolves swarmed over the ball against the Bobcats. Junior Tripp Beasley sank the only 3-pointer of the first half for Cedar Ridge early as the Red Wolves built a 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Wilbourn scored seven points in the opening frame.

Cedar Ridge junior Tripp Beasley finished with 15 points. Last week, Beasley led Cedar Ridge with 20 points against the Bulldogs.

Cedar Ridge led 30-23 at halftime, but the Bobcats narrowed the led behind early field goals from Jack Kroothoep and Cire McGhee. Eno River’s Ryder Moore was fouled as he fired a rainbow 3-pointer that found its way through the net. He sank the free throw for a 4-point play that cut the Red Wolf lead down to three points.

In the fourth quarter, Cedar Ridge sophomore Jordan Jacobson came alive with four 3-pointers. Jacobson sank three in a row from beyond the arc to pull away. Beasley added another 3-pointer while Kevin Etim had a late lay-in to finish with a career-high ten points.

It was the second game in two nights for Cedar Ridge. They dropped a close loss to Northern Durham on Tuesday.

Women’s basketball: Cedar Ridge 41, Eno River Academy 25: 

The Cedar Ridge women’s team never trailed in beating Eno River in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Freshman Kassidy Tolliver led the Red Wolves with 17 points as Cedar Ridge won for the third time in four games.

Another freshman, Kennedi Fearrington, posted ten points to push the Red Wolves record to 3-3. Eno River, which fell to 4-7, was led by Seno Chan, who finished with eight points.

Cedar Ridge used its size and speed to hold the Bobcats to one field goal in the opening quarter. Tolliver scored eight points early while Elliott Weinfeld opened the game with a 3-pointer. Hailey McLeod and Ellamarie Perel came off the bench to score as the Red Wolves jumped out to an early lead they would not relinquish. Vivienne Matthews got the only points of the first quarter for Eno River.

The Bobcats actually outscored the Red Wolves in the second quarter as Chan got three field goals. Ally Almers and Sadie Olsen also scored for the Bobcats.

Tolliver scored nine points in the second half. Tiana Oxendine knocked down the only 3-pointer of the second half by either team.

Tolliver and Fearrington are producing early for a Cedar Ridge team that lost its top scorer and point guard from last year. Amiyah Ware, who set a county record by scoring 54 points against Western Alamance in 2023, graduated last June and is now playing at Division II North Greenville. Sarah Lowry, who was at Cedar Ridge for her junior year last year, transferred during the summer.

The Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts last Friday for its first road win of the season. Tolliver led Cedar Ridge with 14 points against the Bulldogs while Fearrington added eleven points.

Last year, the Cedar Ridge wrestling team was dominant in its first-ever win over crosstown rival Orange.

On Wednesday night, a veteran and a grappler competing for the first time this season scored pins late in the night to break open a close match and secure the Red Wolves 2nd-ever win over the Panthers.

With Orange leading 30-28, Cedar Ridge sophomore Alejandro Briones pinned Markus Thomas at 144 pounds to put the Red Wolves ahead. Cedar Ridge would score pins in each of the last three matches to defeat the Panthers 52-30 at Panthers Gymnasium on Wednesday night. It was the first time ever that Cedar Ridge won at Orange.

Briones improved to 15-7 with his eighth pinfall win of the season.

In his first match of the season, Cedar Ridge junior Mikey O’Melia pinned Sebastain Guardia in 5:18 to put the Red Wolves ahead 40-30. At 157 pounds, the Red Wolves Ryan Rakouskas earned his team-leading 15th pin of the year by finishing Eben Petrides in 1:00. Rakouskas, who claimed his 100th win of the season last month, is 20-2 on the year.

Cedar Ridge senior Jordin Blue pinned Andrew Pavalonis to end the night in 57 seconds. Cedar Ridge improved to 10-5 overall, 2-1 in the Central Conference.

Orange fell to 3-2, 2-1 in the Central Conference.

None of the 14 matches went the distance and all were decided with bonus points. Cedar Ridge’s Shea Spiller started with a technical fall win over Conner Harward 18-2.

The Panthers, who started five freshman in the Jim King/Orange Invitational last week, surged ahead behind early pins from freshman Jordan Barbee, who defeated Will Meyer in 5:50. It was Barbee’s fourth pin of the season as he improved to 7-4.

Senior Jayden Medley put Orange ahead 12-5 after he pinned Daniel Silva in 51 seconds. Medley, who finished third in the Red Wolf Invitational last month, improved to 10-2 with his third pin.

At heavyweight, Carlos Baldwin pinned Orange’s Eli Clayton in 39 seconds. It was Baldwin’s seventh pin of the year as he won for the 12th time against six losses.

Juan Esparza Jaramillo put Cedar Ridge ahead with a pin of Max Molinar in 3:43. Jaramillo is 14-6. At 113 pounds, Favio Esparza Jaramillo pinned Brady McAdams in 1:02 to put the Red Wolves ahead 23-12.

Orange scored pins in three of the next four matches. At 120 pounds, Logan Scarantino defeated Angel Ramirez in 29 seconds. Cedar Ridge’s Pierce Prescod defeated Renn Van Hoose via technical fall to improve to 22-3, the most wins among the Red Wolves.

With Orange down 28-18, Adrian Sierra put the Panthers closer with a pin over Samuel Olmstead in 1:34. Panthers senior Braden Crawford defeated Graylon Collins at 138 pounds. Crawford is 9-3 after his seventh pin of the season.

There’s making an immediate sensation and there’s what Cedar Ridge freshman J.E. Sandor did on Monday night.

In his first high school meet, Sandor broke the school record in the 100 yard butterfly, immediately qualifying for the Central Regionals at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in February.

In addition, Cedar Ridge women’s relay team of Quinn McCrimmon, Margaret Payton, Natalie Kunz and Sophia Stinnett won the 400 yard freestyle relay. The Red Wolf 200 yard freestyle relay team of Stinnett, McCrimmon, Payton and Hala Zafar came close to breaking the school record in a runner-up finish to Orange. The Lady Panthers’ Ainsley Rasinske, Zoe Jones, Piper White and Reilly Jermyn won the event at 1:44.63.

It completed a big start to the season for the Red Wolf swimming team. Both the men’s and women’s squads won all five of its dual matches against Central Conference opponents, including victories over defending conference champion Orange at the Orange County Sportsplex on Monday. The Red Wolves men’s team won 71-67 over the Panthers. The Cedar Ridge women edged the Lady Panthers 88-79. Cedar Ridge also won over Eastern Alamance, Western Alamance, Southern Alamance and Walter Williams.

Orange senior Luke Roman, the defending 3A 500 yard freestyle state champion, already earned a spot in regionals in his top event last week. On Monday, he finished ahead of Sandor and also took the 200 yard individual medley, qualifying for regionals with a time of 2:05.21. His teammate, senior Nick Baczara, finished second at 2:16.42, also earning a spot in Greensboro.

Cedar Ridge’s Christopher  Seawell won two individual events. He took the 200 yard freestyle at 1:54.60, topping the runner-up by 20 seconds. Seawell also took the 100 yard backstroke at 1:00.92, beating out the 2nd place finisher by 12 seconds.

The Red Wolves’ Phillip Cauwels won the 500 yard freestyle at 5:25.49. Orange’s Ayden Twiddy came in second and earned an automatic spot at regionals at 5:40.65. Cauwels also earned a spot in regionals at 100 yard freestyle at 54.29, finishing second behind Western Alamance’s Eamon Hipps. Orange’s Noah Jones came in 3rd, punching his ticket to Greensboro at 57.50.

In the final event of the night, the Cedar Ridge men’s 400 yard freestyle relay team of Seawell, Sandor, Cauwels and Zion Green finished 1st at 3:47.10, beating the runner-up finisher by 53 seconds.

Orange’s Ayden Twiddy qualified for regionals in the 50 yard freestyle, finishing second at 24.18 seconds. Hipps won the event at 23.29.

Sandor also earned a spot in the 100 yard breaststroke at 1:09.38, finishing second. Walter Williams Liam Miller edged out Sandor for first place by .17 of a second.

Orange’s men’s 200 yard freestyle relay team of Baczara, Noah Jones, Jason Spey and Roman won the 200 yard freestyle relay at 1:37.91.

Stinnett, who won two regional championships last year, won the 100 yard backstroke at 1:05.47. Stinnett also finished second in the 500 yard freestyle at 5:41.26.

McCrimmon, another Cedar Ridge senior, won the 100 yard butterfly at 1:09.28.

Jermyn, in her second high school meet, won the 100 yard breaststroke (1:18.47). She also teamed with Rasinske, Jones and Piper White to win the 200 yard medley relay. The Orange women’s team won dual meets against Western Alamance, Southern Alamance, Western Alamance and Walter Williams.

Piper White swept the 50 and 100 yard freestyle. White, who was a member of two state championship relay teams last year, won the 50 yard freestyle at 25.95, holding off Payton for second place. Both qualified for regionals. White took the 100 yard freestyle at 1:00.79, beating Kunz for second. Cedar Ridge’s Eden Pollard finished third.

Also earning a spot in regionals for the Cedar Ridge women: Kunz in the 200 yard freestyle (3rd at 2:17.25); McCrimmon in the 200 yard individual medley (4th place at 2:31.25); Pollard in the 20o individual medley (5th at 2:39.14); Payton in the 50 yard freestyle (2nd at 27.33); Payton in the 500 yard freestyle (3rd at 6:05.14).

Also earning a spot in regionals for Orange was Jones, who finished second in the 200 yard individual medley and fourth in the 500 yard freestyle (5:57.33); Rasinske, who came in second in the 200 yard freestyle (2:19.79); and Addison Moore, who came in 5th in the 500 yard freestyle and 4th in the 100 yard backstroke.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore men’s basketball guard Jordan Jacobson. The Red Wolves have already surpassed its win total from all of last season. In its season-opener, the Red Wolves defeated Carrboro 54-52 at Red Wolf Gymnasium. Jacobson led Cedar Ridge with 20 points and finished 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Last season, Jacobson played regularly as a freshman. On Wednesday night, Jacobson hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Cedar Ridge pulled away from Eno River Academy 73-53. He scored 16 points, including a dozen in the fourth quarter as the Red Wolves improved to 4-2. In a win over Durham School of the Arts on December 6, Jacobson scored 18 points as the Red Wolves defeated the Bulldogs 80-66. It was the first time since the 2017-2018 season that Cedar Ridge won consecutive road games. On November 26, the Red Wolves defeated Seaforth 80-66 to end a 16-game road losing streak. In the spring, Jacobson plays lacrosse. Last season, Cedar Ridge hosted a state playoff game against West Carteret. Jacobson scored 45 goals in his freshman year for the Red Wolves. He was second on the team with 75 points. During his freshman basketball season, Jacobson averaged 6.9 points per game. Jacobson has already been a vital contributor to a Cedar Ridge team that is looking to return to the state playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Jordan Jacobson

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore men’s basketball guard Jordan Jacobson. The Red Wolves have already surpassed its win total from all of last season. In its season-opener, the Red Wolves defeated Carrboro 54-52 at Red Wolf Gymnasium. Jacobson led Cedar Ridge with 20 points and finished 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

Orange and Chapel Hill remains a deep rivalry in men’s basketball. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 65-58 at Chapel Hill Gymnasium. It was the Panthers first win over Chapel Hill since 2019. Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points, the fourth time in six games he’s led the Panthers in scoring. Junior Kai Wade, who played all 32 minutes, finished with 12 points. Wade sank from huge free throws in the final three minutes after the Tigers whittled a 15-point lead down to five points in the fourth quarter. Wade’s uniform was drenched with sweat at the end of an intense, draining game against a longtime rival. Sophomore Hector Garrido had a career-high 14 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Garrido drained two early shots in the third quarter to push the Panthers out to a 15-point lead which the Tigers couldn’t erase. It was a huge rivalry win for the Panthers, who had lost five straight games to Chapel Hill. Even more impressively, the Panthers won without starting forward Michael Clark, who was sick. Wade led Orange with 32 points in its season-opening win over Voyager Academy. The Panthers will start Central Conference play with a trip to Mebane on Friday night. They will face Eastern Alamance at Tal Jobe Gymnasium in a game you can hear on Hillsboroughsports.com.

Orange basketball’s Xandrell Pennix, Kai Wade & Hector Garrido discusses win at Chapel Hill

Orange and Chapel Hill remains a deep rivalry in men’s basketball. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 65-58 at Chapel Hill Gymnasium. It was the Panthers first win over Chapel Hill since 2019. Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points, the fourth time in six games he’s led the Panthers in scoring.

The Cedar Ridge women’s swimming team had a big start to the season in its season-opening meet at the Orange County Sportsplex on Monday night. Quinn McCrimmon, Margaret Payton, Natalie Kunz and Sophia Stinnett won the 400 yard freestyle relay and automatically qualified for regionals in the final women’s event of the night. Stinnett won two Central Regional championships in 2023 individually in the 500 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke. She finished third in the state in the backstroke. On Monday night, Stinnett qualified for regionals by winning the 100 yard backstroke at 1:05.47. McCrimmon won the 100 yard butterfly, also earning a spot in regionals, at 1:02.41. Kunz, in her first high school meet, finished third in the 200 yard freestyle at 2:17.25. The Cedar Ridge women won all five of its dual meets to open the season, including beating the defending Central Conference champions Orange 88-79. The Red Wolves also defeated Southern Alamance, Walter Williams and Western Alamance to finish the night with four wins. McCrimmon, Stinnett, Payton and Hala Zafar also qualified for regionals in the 200 yard freestyle relay, where they finished second behind Orange’s team. The Cedar Ridge women’s team won the 2023 Central Conference championship under head coach Amanda Jones and is off to a promising start for the 2024-2025 season. Their next meet is slated for Friday against Southern Alamance and Eastern Alamance at New Millennium Fitness in Burlington.

Cedar Ridge’s Sophia Stinnett, Quinn McCrimmon, Margaret Payton & Natalie Kunz talk start to season

The Cedar Ridge women’s swimming team had a big start to the season in its season-opening meet at the Orange County Sportsplex on Monday night. Quinn McCrimmon, Margaret Payton, Natalie Kunz and Sophia Stinnett won the 400 yard freestyle relay and automatically qualified for regionals in the final women’s event of the night.

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CHAPEL HILL–Before the Orange men’s basketball team could start on its mission to repeat as the best team in the Central Conference, they had to prove they were the best team in all of Orange County.

That meant beating Chapel Hill, something they haven’t done since February 8, 2019.

On Tuesday night, a determined, gritty group of Panthers didn’t trail in the second half and handed the Tigers its first loss of the season.

Sophomore Hector Garrido came up with a career-high 14 points to power a 7-0 run to open the second half, building a 15-point deficit the Tigers couldn’t erase as Orange won 65-58. It ended the Panthers five-game losing streak to its longest in-county rival.

Senior Xandrell Pennix added 19 points, including some pressure-packed free throws down the stretch. Chapel Hill coach Rodney Carter, who apparently attended the Dean Smith College of Extending Games Down the Stretch, masterfully cut into the Panthers deficit behind 15 points from senior forward Jason Krieg.

Chapel Hill entered the game 5-0, winning all of its games by double-figures. Their tightest contest had come against Walter Williams last week, a 65-50 win where they led 36-27 at halftime.

“We wanted this one,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt. “To be honest with you, I knew we hadn’t beaten these guys in years. But that really wasn’t a motivating factor. History is exactly what it is–history. Where we are, currently, and where they are. That’s why we needed this win. We need to stack wins against good teams.”

In years past, Chapel Hill would utilize its size to intimidate Orange teams, some of them even more talented that the current squad. In the early minutes on Tuesday night, Garrido and center Jalen Crayton blocked shots against the Tigers’ starting five, sending a loud and clear message that it was game on.

Nonetheless, the Tigers knocked the Panthers back with an early run from Juice McIlwaine, who scored seven points as Chapel Hill built a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. As Orange was mired in some early shooting woes, Garrido carried the way offensively with six points.

Following the first half quarter breaks, Orange’s backcourt of Kai Wade, Freddy Sneed and Pennix took control of the game defensively. None of Chapel Hill’s starters scored in the second quarter, while Wade and Pennix drained 3-pointers. Ethan Ellis’ drained a trey with 3:37 remaining in the first half to give Orange a 21-20 advantage, remarkably one they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the game. After Sneed knocked down two free throws in the final minute, Wade banked in a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Panthers a 32-24 lead going to the locker room.

While Chapel Hill appeared motivated coming out of the locker room, it was Orange who made the shots. Sneed stole the ball on the Tigers’ opening possession, leading to Pennix driving into the paint and dished it off to sophomore center Jalen Crayton who scored a lay-in. Pennix stole the ball on the next Chapel Hill trip, Garrido rebounded a miss and laid it in against a taller Tiger team, leading to an immediate time out.

Crayton finished with nine blocks, a career-high

Wade stripped Chapel Hill guard Niko Davis of the ball following the timeout. Then Wade sent a drive-and-kick pass to Garrido, who buried a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Panthers ahead 39-24.

Krieg almost single-handily kept the Tigers in the game, scoring seven of their nine points in the third quarter. The Tigers narrowed its deficit down to five points behind three-pointers from McIlwaine and Makhai Manning, but Pennix and Wade drained enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Panthers ahead.

Orange will start its Central Conference campaign with a trip to Eastern Alamance on Friday night.

ORANGE 65, CHAPEL HILL 58

ORANGE: Kai Wade 14, Xandrell Pennix 19, Freddy Sneed 9, Jalen Crayton 4, Hector Garrido 14, Robert Smith 2, Ethan Ellis 3

CHAPEL HILL: Niko Davis 7, Wesley Krieg 2, Max Upchurch 7, Juice McIlwaine 12, Jason Krieg 15, Mahkai Manning 10, Sam Zimmerman 5