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This afternoon, Cedar Ridge will host its first state championship match in the women’s tennis team state championships in seven years. It’s tough to imagine a more appealing first round matchup than the one they got.

The Red Wolves, seeded #14, will face crosstown rival Orange this afternoon in the opening round at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

The brackets, released on Monday, mark the first time the tournament has expanded to 64 teams. In previous years, it has been a 32-team tournament.

Cedar Ridge (13-5) earned a home match for the opening round after finishing second to Walter Williams in the Central Carolina Conference.

The winner of Orange-Cedar Ridge will face either Rocky Mount, seeded #3, or South Central, the #30 seed. That match will take place on Monday with the higher seeded team hosting.

The last time the Red Wolves played a state playoff match in Hillsborough, it was when they won the Big 8 Conference championship in 2016. They reached the state quarterfinals after wins over Swansboro and Walter Williams under then-head coach Lennie Corbett.

Orange (13-5) reached the state dual team tournament for the third straight year, a first in school history. Coached by Justin Webb, the Lady Panthers defeated First Flight in the opening round in 2022. In 2021, they defeated Fike in the first round.

Cedar Ridge swept the season series from Orange. On September 5, the Red Wolves defeated Orange 6-3. On September 27, the Red Wolves knocked off the Lady Panthers 6-3 in a match that drew a large crowd that grew somewhat salty as the night went on.

One way or the other, it will be the final home match for Cedar Ridge tennis coach Steve Mayhew, who will step down at the conclusion of this season. As a student, Mayhew played at Orange High and became the coach of the Red Wolves men’s and women’s teams in 2019 after Corbett stepped down.

Mayhew has been around long enough to see both of his children earn Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year honors. His son Josh earned the honor three times. Now, his daughter Cameron has a trophy of her own.

Last week during the Central Carolina Conference championships, Mayhew was named the CCC Player of the Year after a dominant season in singles and doubles play. Mayhew finished undefeated in conference matches as a singles player and registered a 13-2 singles record overall. In doubles play, Mayhew and partner Adeline Cummings went 8-4. They were the only team to defeat Orange’s Erinn and Shannon Sollars this year. On September 5, Mayhew and Cummings defeated the Sollars 8-5. Mayhew and Cummings won the rematch 8-4 on September 27.

Overall, Mayhew has a career-high 21 wins this season as the Red Wolves have had its best season in seven years.

Mayhew will be the top seed from the CCC in this weekend’s Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center.

The Red Wolves will also have a doubles team represented in the Mideast Regionals. Senior Catherine Ballenger and junior Ella Caltabiano qualified after winning two matches at the Burlington Tennis Center last Wednesday. Caltabiano and Ballenger received a bye into the second round, where they defeated Gracie Hartle and Grace Gabrielli of Walter Williams.

Caltabiano and Ballenger have been the #2 doubles team for Cedar Ridge this season. Their only losses in conference play have been against Williams’ team of Lindley Oler and Lauren Turner.

Mayhew’s brother, Josh, became the first Cedar Ridge men’s tennis player to reach the 3A State singles final. Mayhew led the Cedar Ridge men’s team to the 2022 CCC Championship, just the second conference title in men’s tennis in school history. Mayhew reached the Mideast Regional final three times and is the most successful men’s player in school history. He now plays at Belmont-Abbey College.

Following a regular season where they went 13-2, Orange’s most accomplished doubles team in history will try to qualify for the states doubles championship this weekend.

This time, Erinn and Shannon Sollars won’t be the only doubles team from Orange represented in the Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Last Wednesday in the Central Carolina Conference Tennis Tournament, Makayla Davis and Molly Kruse qualified for regionals with two victories.

The CCC Tournament, unlike past conference tournaments that Orange has been a part of, doesn’t crown an individual and doubles champion. The event simply takes the four finishers in singles and doubles and places them in the Mideast Regional, which starts this Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Orange’s Erinn and Shannon Sollars qualified for regionals for the second consecutive year. The top seed in the conference tournament, the Sollars sisters received a bye into the second round. In their only match of the day, the Sollars defeated Brianna Dale and Kensley Gasaway of Western Alamance 6-0, 6-0.

Davis and Kruse, who compiled an 11-1 record in the regular season, won two matches at the conference championships to qualify for the Mideast Regionals. In the opening round, Davis and Kruse defeated Paicey Cameron & Faith Moore of Southern Alamance 6-0, 6-1. In the second match,. Davis & Kruse punched their ticket to the regionals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Reagan Williams and Sarah McLaughlin of Western Alamance.

Davis is a senior who was Orange’s regular #3 singles player this season for a squad that made the 3A State Dual Team Tennis Tournament for the third straight year. Kruse is in her first year as a starter after being a regular contributor for the Orange women’s soccer team last spring.

In 2022, the Sollars sisters reached the 3A State Tournament and defeated Ellie Holtzman and Berkeley Geyer of Hickory in the opening round 6-0, 6-2 and reached the quarterfinals. In 2021, Erinn Sollars and Jera Hargove qualified for the 3A State Championships and defeated Dabney Osborne and Emily Mitchum of J.H. Rose 6-4, 6-2.

Hargrove now plays at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

The 3A State Tournament will be held at the Burlington Tennis Center on October 27 & 28.

Men’s Cross Country: In a possible preview of the 3A State Cross Country Championships next month, Gabriel Schmid finished second overall in the NC Runners Elite Cross Country Invitational at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex.

Out of 17 teams, Orange finished second in the team standings. Croatan, a 3A squad that will likely be a top challenger for the Panthers in the state championships, finished first with 69 points Orange finished second with 78 points.

Schmid came in with a time of 16:02.18. The individual winner was Dawson Reeves of Christ School, a private school of of Arden, at 16:00.16. Alden Cathey of Orange finished 18th at 17:08.38. Orange’s Myler Jerman came in 22nd (17:14.21) while sophomore Lucas Van Mater was 23rd (17:14.86). Peter Musser came in 25th (17:17.50).

Edgar Ibarra of Cedar Ridge was the top Red Wolves runner, finishing 71st at 18:28.92. Nathan Walters, Henry Alexander, Grayson Wisenfeld, Michael O’Melia, Jacob Olmstead, Elie Ndahiriwe and William Neuman also ran for the Red Wolves.

The Central Carolina Conference men’s cross country championships will be held today (Wednesday) in Burlington.

Women’s Cross Country: Cedar Ridge’s Naomi Dyreng was the top female runner from a Hillsborough school at the NC Runners Elite Cross Country championships last Saturday. Dyreng finished 13th overall at 20:08.36. Cedar Ridge junior Abigail Klaitman was 22nd at 20:56.30. The Red Wolves’ Kate Finnegan, a freshman, finished 53rd at 23:44.29. The Red Wolves Anna Peterson was 65th (25:04.98) Out of ten teams in the field, Cedar Ridge finished sixth with 158 points.

North Lincoln finished with the team championship with 41 points. Allie Zealand of Pacers Homeschool finished first overall in the women’s race with a time of 17:48.47.

In possibly the most important men’s soccer match in Cedar Ridge history, Red Wolf sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas wouldn’t let his team lose on Monday night. Galunas made numerous saves that kept Western Alamance without a goal in a scoreless tie at Primm Stadium in Elon. The win gives Cedar Ridge a slight upper-hand in its bid to win its first conference championship ever in men’s soccer. Galunas denied Western Alamance’s Luis Guerrero when he deflected a shot that rolled across the goal line. With 3:35 remaining, a deep throw in for the Red Wolves nearly ended the match in regulation. Konner Johnson sent the ball into the box, where Brian Villanueva-Herrera completed a turn from ten yards and fired, but was turned away by Galunas. The rebound went to Guerrero, who sent a rocket that Galunas somehow blocked to keep things level. Galunas earned his fifth clean sheet of the season. Cedar Ridge needs two more wins to win the CCC championship. They will host Walter Williams on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium.

Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Erik Galunas discusses clean sheet against Western Alamance

In possibly the most important men’s soccer match in Cedar Ridge history, Red Wolf sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas wouldn’t let his team lose on Monday night. Galunas made numerous saves that kept Western Alamance without a goal in a scoreless tie at Primm Stadium in Elon.

It was a special night for Cedar Ridge senior volleyball setter Rachel Alverson. On Monday night, Alverson surpassed 1,000 career assists as the Red Wolves defeated Walter Williams 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Central Carolina Conference tournament. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists to become only the second player in school history with 1,000 assists. Alverson joined her former teammate Julie Altieri, who is now playing at Salisbury University in Maryland. Alverson is in her second year at the varsity level. This season, according to records from MaxPreps.com, Alverson has set the single-season assist record with 721, breaking Altieri’s previous mark of 717 set during the State Championship season of 2021. Alverson is a two-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge. She has also played in women’s soccer with teammate Addie Reid. The Red Wolves have won the two previous CCC Tournaments. On Tuesday night, they will host Person in the CCC Semifinals. Cedar Ridge will likely host a home match in the 3A State Playoffs on Saturday. The pairings will be announced on Friday. Cedar Ridge won both its previous matchups against Person this year.

Cedar Ridge senior Rachel Alverson discusses 1,000 career assists with Jon Franklin

It was a special night for Cedar Ridge senior volleyball setter Rachel Alverson. On Monday night, Alverson surpassed 1,000 career assists as the Red Wolves defeated Walter Williams 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the Central Carolina Conference tournament. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists to become only the second player in school history with 1,000 assists.

ELON–At the end of an intense, chilly night inside Primm Stadium, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team huddled around a corner stick as several Western Alamance players took down the soccer nets along the east end goal post.

As Red Wolves head coach Chauncey Brummell wound down his address, one of the Western players could be overheard, perhaps deliberately, saying to his teammates “I hope we play these guys again in the state playoffs.”

Everyone around the Red Wolf huddle heard it.

At first, there was likely some offense behind it. But when you think about it, it shows a degree of credibility that the Red Wolves have earned this season.

In 2022, the Warriors beat the Red Wolves 2-0 and 2-1 en route to a second place finish in the Central Carolina Conference.

On Monday night, in a battle of two teams tied for the CCC lead, the Warriors simply couldn’t get one past Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas in 100 minutes of action, despite plenty of chances.

In possibly the biggest soccer match in school history, Cedar Ridge came away from Elon with a 0-0 tie against Western Alamance. The Red Wolves and the Warriors remain tied for first place in the CCC with a mark of 7-1-2. Cedar Ridge holds the head-t0-head tiebreaker over the Warriors after beating them 1-0 on September 20 after a goal by Salomon Hernandez. If the Red Wolves defeat Walter Willams on Wednesday and Eastern Alamance next week, they will clinch its first-ever conference title in men’s soccer.

Western Alamance (11-5-3) goalkeeper, sophomore Eamon Hipps, earned his sixth clean sheet of the year.

“It’s a good tie,” said Brummell, who couldn’t disguise a wide smile postgame. “I thought we played really well. These are two of the best teams in the conference. We were both at each other. I thought overall, our performance couldn’t get any better than what I asked for.”

Galunas denied one Warriors opportunity after another in the second half. The best chance by Western Alamance came with 9:47 remaining in regulation when Luis Guerrero dribbled around the left end line with Cedar Ridge’s Marcos Huerta leaning on him. At a tight angle inside the box, Guerrero avoided Galunas and got the ball under his right arm. Galunas nicked it with his finger just enough to where the ball rolled across the dark blue goal line, but not over it. It angled away from the post and went over the end line.

Western’s Jerson Hernandez fired a deflected shot with 6:50 remaining which was immediately captured by Galunas, who immediately launched a counter. Cedar Ridge’s Edber Lopez aimed a shot from 19 yards over the far post.

With 3:35 remaining, a deep throw in for the Red Wolves nearly ended the match in regulation. Konner Johnson sent the ball into the box, where Brian Villanueva-Herrera completed a turn from ten yards and fired, but was turned away by Galunas. The rebound went to Guerrero, who sent a rocket that Galunas somehow blocked to keep things level.

Karma also fell on the side of the Red Wolves in the extra session. Last week against Orange, the Panthers’ Joseph Lopez scored in the opening minute of overtime, which was the game-winner.

In the opening minute of overtime, Lopez sent a great ball to Jonam Juarez, who fired from ten yards away on a near-breakaway, only for Hipps to capture it cold.

With 1:42 remaining in overtime, Johnson’s shot from 19 yards along the right corner of the box bounced off the crossbar. The ball had so much power, it bounced off the metal and landed over the sidelines.

In the final minute, Guerrero had one last chance from ten yards under duress, but it rolled wide of the post.

Coming out of Elon, Cedar Ridge didn’t get everything they wanted, which was a win that would put them one step away from a goal they’ve never achieved. But they gained some satisfaction, mainly because of their sophomore netminder.

“I looked at Erik tonight and I thought ‘Where is MLS? Where is Barcelona?,'” Brummell said. “‘Where is Chelsea?’ Someone give him a contract. That is world class. He’s that keeper. There were shots tonight where I thought, “Oh, crap.” And he just came up big. I think Western thought they had a goal several times. He’s a sophomore, so I’m glad I have him another two years.”

It’s an emotional week for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team.

In all likelihood, it will be the final home games for the senior class that is the last connection to the 2021 3A State Championship squad. There will be a Central Carolina Conference semifinal match on Tuesday against Person inside Red Wolves Gymnasium with an outside chance of hosting the tournament title tilt.

In all likelihood, there will be one, final, state playoff match on Saturday at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Together, Graylinn Serge, Rachel Alverson, Addie Reid, Natasha Buchler-Fosado, Ellie Woolson, Caroline Park, Cecilia Kenan, and Alexandra Hood have been a part of championship teams. Serge, Reid and Buchler-Fosado walked together under the spotlight of Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh for the 3A State Championship match against North Iredell, a memory that still clear in their minds.

They have also witnessed milestones. Cameron Lloyd, now at Bucknell College, recorded 1.062 kills, a school record. In her sophomore year, Lloyd became the first Red Wolf in school history with 500 kills.

Her teammate, Cameron Lanier, joined the 500 kill club in the state championship match against Iredell, though no one noticed at the time with a state title on the line and all. Setter Julie Altieri, another member of the Class of 2023, became the first Cedar Ridge player with 1,000 assists.

Now, Altieri has company.

Rachel Alverson, who has been at the varsity level for two years, reached 1,000 career assists in Cedar Ridge’s 3-0 win over Walter Williams in the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night. The Red Wolves (13-8), the 2nd seed out of the CCC, will host Person on Tuesday night in the semifinals. The Rockets defeated Eastern Alamance 3-1 on Monday in Roxboro.

Alverson, who has 721 assists on the season, appears to have broken the single-season ecord, held by Altieri. In 2022, Altieri is registered with 717 assists, according to MaxPreps.com.

Altieri is now a freshman setter, already starting, for the Division III Salisbury University Seagulls of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference.

The Red Wolves, who have won the previous two CCC Tournaments, never trailed against Williams in securing its fifth straight conference tournament win stretching back to 2021. Sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 12 kills and five digs. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists, five digs and one kill. Reid finished with six kills and one block. Serge had 13 digs and four kills.

Williams ends the year 3-13.

From the time Alverson set up Kayla Stoll for a kill on the opening point, the Red Wolves were never seriously challenged. Serge had an ace while Hargett notched consecutive kills to send the Red Wolves off to a 8-0 lead in the first set. The Red Wolves reeled off nine consecutive points to take a 19-4 lead, which included four aces from Park and three more kills from Reid. Woolson had a block on set point to conclude the frame 25-12, and that was the most competitive frame of the night.

Cedar Ridge scored the first six points of the second set, with Hargett scoring the first three off a block and two kills. The big run of the second set was eight straight points, three of which came off kills by Hargett, who now leads the team with 253 kills. The Red Wolves scored the final seven points of the set, with Kenan racking up an ace on set point to win 25-5.

Woolson had consecutive kills to open the third set. Woolson also had a block to increase the Red Wolves lead to 7-1, leading to a Bulldogs timeout. Hargett registered two aces during a 6-0 run. Hood ended the match with an ace as Cedar Ridge took the third set 25-9.

There will be volleyball action on both ends of Hillsborough on Tuesday night. In addition to Cedar Ridge’s match against Person, top-seeded Orange will host Western Alamance. The Warriors defeated Southern Alamance on Monday to advance to the semifinals.

Throughout the 1990s, an inescapable song was “These are the Days” by 10,000 Maniacs.

You heard it on the Album Oriented Rock Radio stations, the top 40 stations, and eventually the Adult Contemporary stations.

These are the days you’ll remember. And sure enough, these next few weeks could bring unprecedented achievements for several local teams.

On Monday night, Cedar Ridge will compete in merely the biggest soccer game in school history. They travel to Western Alamance with both teams tied for first place in the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-1-1 league record. If the Red Wolves win, they will hold the all important tiebreaker against the Warriors. Cedar Ridge defeated Western Alamance 1-0 on September 20. The Warriors haven’t lost since.

There has never been a men’s soccer conference champion at Orange or Cedar Ridge High Schools.

The Orange volleyball team will enter the Central Carolina Conference tournament #1 in the 3A East Region RPI rankings. That means if Orange can hold on to the top spot, they will have home court advantage for the 3A State Playoffs for the first time in school history. Orange will host either Southern Alamance or Western Alamance in the semifinals of the CCC Tournament on Tuesday. If the Panthers secure a win on Tuesday, they will host the CCC Tournament championship match on Wednesday night.

We’ve completed playing catch up, so here’s the Magnificent 7 for the week of October 1-October 7. These are the seven best performances from last week in no particular order.

1. Ava Wilkerson, Orange, Soph.: As a middle blocker, Wilkerson had a career-best 19 kills in Orange’s 3-0 win over Person in Roxboro. Wilkerson also had one block. Two days later, Wilkerson finished with eight kills, three blocks and an ace in Orange’s 3-1 win over Southern Alamance, which clinched the Lady Panthers first conference championship in volleyball in 18 years.
2. Salomon Hernandez, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: Hernandez notched the first hat trick of his career in Cedar Ridge’s 7-2 win over Southern Alamance on October 4. Hernandez scored the final goal on a penalty kick in the final minute. Hernandez, who trains with Wake FC in Holly Springs during the spring and summer, has six goals this season for a Cedar Ridge team that is bidding for a conference championship.
3. Adeline Cummings, Cedar Ridge, Jr. In the final full week of the women’s tennis regular season, Cummings had five wins for Cedar Ridge. In a 5-4 victory over Durham School of the Arts, Cummings defeated Sadie Miller at #3 singles 6-1, 6-2. Cummings also won her doubles match with partner Cameron Mayhew 6-4. Cummings also won singles matches against Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance.
4. Makayla Davis, Orange, Sr: In Orange’s 7-2 win over Southern Alamance on Senior Night in Hillsborough, Davis had a singles win over Madalyn Corbett at #3 singles 6-0, 6-2. Later that night, Davis teamed with Molly Kruse to defeat Morgan Isley and Morgan Edmunds 8-0. Earlier that week, Davis won her singles match against Person.
5. Abigail Klaitman, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: In a CCC women’s cross country meet at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington, Klaitman finished first in a field of 44 runners. Klaitman finished with a time of 22:23.23, barely holding off her teammate, Naomi Dyreng. The Cedar Ridge women finished third out of six teams.
6. Ryker Stein, Orange, Sr.: Scored a goal to lead the Orange men’s soccer team past Walter Williams at Orange Soccer Field. It is believed to be the first time that Orange has ever defeated the Bulldogs in men’s soccer. Stein is a senior who notched his second marker of the season. Orange is looking to make the state playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history.
7. Addie Reid, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: Just a few weeks after being named Homecoming Queen, Reid led Cedar Ridge with ten kills in its 3-0 win over Eastern Alamance. Reid also had two blocks. Reid is a rare three-sport athlete. She has been the starting goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team. Last year, she played forward in basketball.