This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior wrestler Alejandro Briones. The Cedar Ridge wrestling team is off to the best start in team history. Briones started the season by winning the 150-pound championship of the Atkins Invitational in Winston-Salem on November 15. Entering the tournament as the #4 seed, Briones pinned Jesrie Womble Yancey of Dudley High 20-11 in the championship match. Since then, Briones has helped the Red Wolves defeat Seaforth, the Hawks first loss against a conference opponent since January 31, 2022. Cedar Ridge also defeated crosstown rival Orange for the third straight year. Briones has won two individual conference championships over the first two years of his career. Last season, he finished 43-11 and won the Central Conference championship at 144 pounds, pinning Orange’s Sebastian Guardia in the title match. So far this year, Briones is 25-2 and has gone undefeated against conference competition. In his freshman season, Briones defeated Mason Tanner of Eastern Alamance 10-9 to take the 2024 Central Conference championship at 144 pounds. He went 26-14 in his freshman year. On Wednesday night, Briones pinned Cary’s Elijah Oneal to secure the Red Wolves first-ever win over the Imps. Cedar Ridge has had five wrestlers since 2023 earn their 100th career win and Briones could very well be the next in line.
