Cedar Ridge Men’s Tennis

Men’s Tennis: Cedar Ridge 6, Western Alamance 3 With three conference dual matches remaining, the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team is still atop the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-0 record. On Monday, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance in Elon to complete a season sweep of the Warriors.

Cedar Ridge junior Josh Mayhew remained undefeated on the year with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at #1 singles. Mayhew, who became the first Cedar Ridge player to reach the 3A State Championship match last season, is 9-0 this spring. At #1 doubles, Mayhew teamed with sophomore Lev Bearman to win 8-2, which ensured a Red Wolf team victory.

Cedar Ridge won four singles matches to take a 4-2 lead going into doubles action. Sophomore Holden Rachlin defeated Jacob Howell 6-2, 6-2. Rachlin improved to 8-2 in his first season at varsity. At #5, junior Seth Upchurch prevailed 6-4, 6-2 for his fourth singles win of the season. Senior Derrick Stephens earned a 6-4, 6-4 win over Western Alamance’s Evan Gwin.

The Red Wolves’ (7-3 overall, 7-0 in the CCC) match against Northwood, which was rained out on March 24, was in the process of being resumed on Tuesday in Hillsborough before it was interrupted by rain. The Red Wolves also have two matches against Walter Williams still on its slate. One is a regularly scheduled match set for Wednesday in Hillsborough. The other is a make-up trip to Burlington for a date that was rained out on March 16. If the Red Wolves win two of its final three conference matches, they will clinch at least a tie for the conference championship.

Orange 5, Williams 4: The Orange men’s tennis team went into spring break on a four-match winning streak. On March 24, the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs in its most dramatic win of the season. The doubles team of Justin Conover and Porter Pelphrey trailed the #1 team from Williams 7-4, but rallied to win the final five games and captured the match 9-7, which ensured an Orange victory over the Bulldogs.

The Panthers and the Bulldogs split the six singles matches. Orange freshman Cameron Foster had the longest match of the day against Williams’ Nathan Amyot, which went to a third seed. Foster won the tiebreaker, and the match, 11-9 after winning the opening set 6-3. Amyot took the second set 6-1.

Orange junior Tristan Plummer won at #5 singles 6-0, 6-1. At #6 singles, Orange’s Brendan Kassler won when he opponent didn’t finish the match.

Northwood 5, Orange 4: The Chargers, who are currently second in the CCC, held off Orange in Hillsborough on Monday. Three of the singles matches went to tiebreakers, including the opening match where Conover defeated Northwood’s Jio Sumogod 7-5, 7-6 (12-10). It was Conover’s ninth overall win of the season. Orange junior Nathan Pavalonis won in three sets at #4 singles against Mason Erman. Pavalonis won 6-4, 2-6, 10-7.

Orange’s doubles team of Tristan Plummer and Tate Clark won at #2 8-6. Conover teamed with Pelphrey to win at #1 doubles 8-6.

Golf: The fourth Central Carolina Conference men’s golf match of the season was held at the Preserve Golf Course in Pittsboro on Monday. Orange finished fourth in the team standings. Junior Thomas Loch and senior Jacob Thompson, each of whom just finished basketball season for Orange, had identical 44 scores for the Panthers. Josh Roberts and Ryder Lee each carded a 48 for Orange. Brad Marochak and Cooper Zinn also competed for Orange.

Cedar Ridge came in tie for fifth in the team standings, matching Eastern Alamance with 190 team strokes. Ward Mann was the top Red Wolf on the day, finishing with a 46. Rowan Parker carded a 47 for Cedar Ridge, while Bradley Monschein, who qualified for the 3A Central Regional last year, had a 48.

Western Alamance had the top team score.

Two matches have already been held this season at Occoneechee Golf Club in Hillsborough. Loch led Orange in the opening two rounds. He shot a season-best 40 during a match on March 24. Thompson had a 44.

Cedar Ridge 9, Orange 0: With a critical road trip on tap for later today against Williams, the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team has completed its first fourth straight dual win over its crosstown rival.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Red Wolves defeated the Panthers 7-2 at Panther Tennis Courts. Junior Josh Mayhew maintained his undefeated record for the season with a victory at #1 singles 6-1, 6-0. The Red Wolves swept all five singles matches. At #2, Eli Rachlin prevailed 6-2, 6-0 to improve to 5-1 on the season. Lev Bearman won at #3 singles 6-3, 6-1. Bearman is now 5-1 in 2022, as well.

In the only three-set match of the day, Walker Richards-Baker of Cedar Ridge and Orange’s Nathan Pavalonis battled into the third set. Pavalonis took the opening set 6-2. Richards-Baker fought back to win the second set 6-3. In the 10-point tiebreaker to determine the match, Richards-Baker won 10-8.

Holden Rachlin won at #5 singles 6-4, 6-2. At #6 singles, junior Seth Upchurch prevailed 6-2, 6-1.

Orange won two of the three doubles matches. At #1 doubles, Justin Conover and freshman Porter Pelphrey captured the first Panther match of the day 8-4. At #3 doubles, Orange’s Tristan Plummer and freshman Cameron Foster won 8-5. Cedar Ridge’s Richards-Baker and Bearman won the #2 doubles match 8-3.

Cedar Ridge 9, Western Alamance 0: On Monday, the Red Wolves remained undefeated in Central Carolina Conference play after beating Western Alamance at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

Mayhew won at #1 singles 6-0, 6-0 to start the sweep. Eli Rachlin, Richards-Baker, Bearman, Holden Rachlin and Upchurch also collected singles wins.

In doubles, Mayhew teamed with Upchurch for a victory at #1. Holden and Eli Rachlin teamed to win at #2. Richards-Baker and Bearman earned the duke at #3. Cedar Ridge is 5-2 overall, 5-0 in the CCC.

Women’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 5, South Granville 0:

The Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team rolled past South Granville in its season opener in Creedmoor on March 2. In her first varsity game, freshman Fleury Nicholson scored two goals. Another freshman, Sophia Feken, scored her first high school goal, as well. Junior Lillian Dyslin and sophomore Susanna DeMarchi also added goals as the Red Wolves won over the Vikings. Ianna Pfeifer collected an assist. Sophomore Addie Reid, a member of Cedar Ridge 3A State Championship volleyball team, earned the clean sheet in net.

Cedar Ridge 9, Clover Garden School 0: Nicholson and Pfeifer each collected hat tricks as the Red Wolves defeated the Grizzlies in its home opener on March 4. Nicholson had five goals only two games into the season.

DeMarchi added two goals and assisted on three others to come away with seven points on the night. Nicholson also assisted on a goal by Pfeifer. Freshman Celine Galla scored her first varsity goal. Junior midfielder Lillian Dyslin added three assists. Another freshman, Anna Peterson, notched an assist.

Goalkeeper Addie Reid played 52 minutes to pick up the win in net.

Orange 3, Western Alamance 1: The Orange women’s soccer team won its first game in the Central Carolina Conference game at Davis Morton Field. Two freshmen scored for the Lady Panthers. Elliana Sullivan-Gaddy scored her first varsity goal. Cora Bailey, another freshman, added insurance. Junior Sydney Rogers tallied another goal for Orange. Junior Abby Monteith earned the win in net by making ten saves.

Orange 3, Northwood 2: In the first game inside Northwood’s new soccer stadium, the Lady Panthers scored late to pull out the conference win. Sydney Rogers notches two goals for Orange in earning the win. Senior Bella Brown, who was Orange’s leading scorer last season, added another goal. Monteith made five saves for her second win of the season.

A year after become the first Cedar Ridge competitor to play for the 3A State Singles tennis championship, sophomore Josh Mayhew has led the Red Wolves to a solid opening week of the season.

On Monday, the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team defeated Person 8-1 to open the season at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. The Red Wolves captured all six singles matches, with Mayhew winning at #1 singles 6-0, 6-0. At #2 singles, senior Eli Rachlin won 6-0, 6-0. Lev Bearman, Walker Richards-Baker, Holdin Rachlin and Seth Upchurch also claimed singles victories for the Red Wolves.

At #1 doubles, Upchurch teamed with senior Derrick Stephens to win 8-2. Juniors Bowen Wood and Jason Pattison captured the final Red Wolf victory at #2 singles 8-4.

In its first nonconference match of the year on Tuesday, Chapel Hill defeated the Red Wolves 8-1. However, Mayhew did captured the Red Wolves #1 singles match over Chapel Hill’s Ayan Patel 6-2, 6-2. Last year, Chapel Hill’s Dennis Permuov was the only player in the state to beat Mayhew the entire season. Permuov and Mayhew met four times, including once in the 3A State Championship match, as well as the Mideast Regional Final.

On Thursday, the Red Wolves won its first road match of the season went they defeated Northwood 6-1 in Pittsboro. Mayhew defeated Jio Sumogod 6-3, 7-5 in the top singles match. At #2, Eli Rachlin had a thrilling match with Matteus Butler. Rachlin pulled out a three-set win, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (10-4).

Bearman, Richards-Baker and Holden Rachlin all captured singles wins for the Red Wolves. In the only doubles match, Richards-Baker and Bearman prevailed 8-2.

Cedar Ridge hosts Orange on Monday.

Men’s Tennis: Western Alamance 6, Orange 3: The Panthers opened the season with a loss to the Warriors in Hillsborough on Monday. Freshman Cameron Foster, in his first match for Orange, won at #4 singles 6-1, 6-3.

At #5 singles, Tristian Plummer defeated Western’s Jacob Howell 5-7, 6-2, 10-4. Orange sophomore Jackson Panning also extended his match to a 10-point breaker, but Western freshman Evan Gwin won 1-6, 6-4, 10-8.

Orange’s doubles team of Porter Pelphrey and Cameron Foster, both freshmen, earned a win at #2 doubles over Christopher Barringer and Harry Jefferson 8-5.

Williams 8, Orange 1: The Bulldogs, which have now won 21 consecutive conference matches dating back to its days in the Mid-State Conference, rolled past the Panthers in Hillsborough on Wednesday. Sophomore Jackson Panning claimed Orange’s only win at #6 doubles. Panning defeated Res Sharpe 6-4, 6-3.

Orange travels to Riverside for its first nonconfence match of the season on Monday.

The Bulldogs, which have won three consecutive conference championships, travel to Western Alamance on Wednesday for its next match.

Women’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 5, South Granville 0: For the first time since 2018, the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team played a match without its all-time leading scorer, Emerson Talley, who is now at Lenoir-Rhyne. Nonetheless, the Red Wolves easily disposed of South Granville 5-0 in Creedmoor on Wednesday night.

Cedar Ridge will host Clover Garden School tonight (Friday) at 6PM in its home opener at Cedar Ridge Stadium. On Saturday, the Red Wolves face South Brunswick.

After becoming just the second tennis player in the history of Hillsborough high school athletics to reach a state championship match, Cedar Ridge sophomore Josh Mayhew has been named All-Big 8 Conference.

In addition, Cedar Ridge’s Eli Rachlin and Will Ballenger also were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team. Orange’s Justin Conover and Brandon Gwinn were also named first-team All-Big 8.

On May 15, Mayhew defeated Soham Pradhan of Marvin Ridge 6-2, 6-4 to reach the 3A State Tennis final at the Burlington Tennis Center. He became the first Cedar Ridge singles player to become a state finalist. The only other player from the Orange County School District to ever reach a state final was Britton Webb of Orange, who played for the 2A championship in 2005.

This was Mayhew’s first full varsity season. He went 14-4 in singles play. All four of his losses were to 3A State Champion Dennis Perumov of Chapel Hill, who naturally was also the Big 8 Conference Player of the Year. Mayhew finished second in the Mideast Regional, where he defeated Chapel Hill’s Eddy Ferreira 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. Mayhew qualified for the state championships on May 8 with wins over Western Alamance’s Will Geiger and East Chapel Hill’s Rama Varanasi in the opening rounds of the Mideast Regionals. He became the first singles player from Cedar Ridge to qualify for the state tournament since 2014.

Rachlin was the junior co-Captain of the team. He started all matches at #2 singles. Rachlin helped the Red Wolves sweep the season series from crosstown rival Orange. On March 22, Rachlin defeated Orange’s Colin O’Hagerty 6-2, 7-5. Throughout the season, Rachlin teamed with Lev Bearman on #2 doubles. Together, they defeated Northwood’s #2 doubles team 8-7, winning the tiebreaker 7-5 on March 15. It preserved a 5-4 Cedar Ridge victory.

Ballenger had 14 wins this season. He teamed with Mayhew to go 8-2 as the Red Wolves’ top doubles team. Ballenger also played #3 singles for much of the year, including a three-set victory over Carrboro’s Joseph Lee that ended 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (12-10). It helped the Red Wolves defeat the Jaguars 9-0 at Carrboro Tennis Courts.

Orange’s Brandon Gwinn teamed with O’Hagerty to reach the 3A State Doubles Tournament. It was the first time since 2013 that Orange High was represented in a state tennis tournament. On May 8, Gwinn and O’Hagerty defeated Northern Guilford’s Duncan Moore and James Harrington 6-3, 6-4 to reach the 3A Mideast Regional semifinals. Earlier in the day, Gwinn and O’Hagerty knocked off Isai Gutierrez & Francisco Urieta of Harnett Central.

Gwinn, a sophomore, had 12 wins overall in 2021. Despite facing players from perennial powerhouses Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill, Gwinn finished 7-4 in singles play. Gwinn defeated Ballenger 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) on April 14 at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

In his third year as a varsity player, Conover was usually Orange’s #1 singles player. He helped the Panthers to a winning season on the strength of two wins over Northwood. Conover defeated the Chargers’ Jio Sumogod 6-4, 6-4 on March 24. A month later, Conover defeated Sumogod 7-5, 6-4 as Orange defeated Northwood 5-4 in Hillsborough.

Bearman was named Honorable Mention All-Big 8 for Cedar Ridge. O’Hagerty was named honorable mention for Orange.

In addition to tennis, the Big 8 Conference has named its All-Conference teams for men’s golf. Orange’s Josh Frank and Cedar Ridge’s Bradley Monschein made All-Big 8.

Frank, a senior, had a nine-hold average for the year below 42. He qualified for the 3A Mideast Regionals at Keith Hills Golf Club on the campus of Campbell University. On April 13, Frank shot a 79 at Occoneechee Golf Course in Hillsborough, the home of Orange and Cedar Ridge golf.

Monschein was the Red Wolves’ top player throughout the season. In mid-March at Occoneechee Golf Course, Monschein led Cedar Ridge with an 87 over 18 holes, which was tied for fourth among competitors from five different schools. Somewhat remarkably, Monschein didn’t start getting serious about golf until about a year ago. This was his first season on the Cedar Ridge golf team. He’s currently playing for Cedar Ridge’s junior varsity baseball team.

The first Cedar Ridge men’s tennis player to ever reach a state championship match.

Only the second player from Hillsborough to ever play in a state final, and the first in 15 years.

Yet hours after he finished 2nd in the 3A State Tennis Tournament on Saturday at the Burlington Tennis Center, Josh Mayhew mainly discussed the future. When he’s told that no player from a higher classification in Hillsborough history has ever reached a state final, the sophomore flashes a smile, then talks about a summer’s worth of work ahead. It will hardly resemble the desolate months of 2020.

What do you learn at an event where you achieve something unprecedented within your own school and town, but fall short of the state championship? You learn from it. For starters, Mayhew discovered the difference between a runner-up and a state champion.

“I learned there’s some good competition out there,” Mayhew said at A.L. Stanback Middle School on Saturday, where he played in middle school. “It’s going to take a lot to be the best. I gotta work a lot harder. I need to learn to play better behind the baseline and hang in points longer.”

On Saturday, Mayhew defeated Soham Padran of Marvin Ridge 6-2, 6-4 to reach the championship match. In terms of United States Tennis Association rankings, it was an upset. According to the USTA Southern Regional Junior standings, Padran is 260 spots higher than Mayhew.

The only other men’s high school player in Hillsborough history to reach a state championship final was Orange’s Britton Webb in 2005. Cardinal Gibbons’ Will Rollinson defeated Webb 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. It was the first of Rollinson’s three consecutive 2A State Championships.

In Saturday’s championship match, Chapel Hill’s Dennis Perumov defeated Mayhew 6-2, 6-2. It was the fourth time they had met this year and the second time in four days. On Tuesday, Perumov defeated Mayhew in the Mideast Regional Final on the same court.

Outside of his four losses to Perumov, Mayhew went undefeated in his first full season at the varsity level.

Mayhew’s father, Steve, is the Cedar Ridge head coach who formerly played at Orange. Josh’s earliest memories of tennis go back to when he was five years old when he would play in the driveway with his father.

“I came up with ways to make it fun,” Steve said. “It was a good way for the family to have fun. Josh, Cameron (his younger sister who is currently Cedar Ridge’s #1 women’s player) and even Hannah would all play tennis together.”

At seven years old, Josh started playing USTA Tournaments competitively with a red compression balls (which don’t bounce as high as regular balls) on a 36-foot court. By ten, he advanced to a 60-foot court with orange compression balls. Once he got to 12 years old, he played tournament on standards courts with standard gear.

“He aged up,” Steve said. “He has tons of experience. He’s played so much tennis at such a young age. He’s had tons of reps.”

Aside from his father, Mayhew has had help with coach Chris Cloer, a native of Brevard who went on to become an All-American at Florida State. Cloer is now a volunteer assistant with UNC.

“When Chris was an assistant coach at N.C. State, Josh worked with him.” Steve said. “Then when Chris went to UNC, we worked with him in Chapel Hill. He works to make Josh’s swing as efficient as possible.”

Mayhew’s current coach is someone called “Z,” a nickname he’s grown so attached to, neither he nor his father can remember his formal name.

Training can’t prevent cramping, which Mayhew experienced in his second round match against Ben Jones of Clayton on Friday. Late in the second set, Mayhew needed time to recover. He prevailed 7-5, 7-5 to reach the semifinals.

“I had to take a medical timeout,” Mayhew said. “I got ice and stretched. I was good again.”

Now a month away from finishing his sophomore year, Mayhew’s ultimate goal is clear. And obvious.

“I feel like I’ve accomplished something,” Mayhew said. “But I want to accomplish more. I want to be the best in the state next year.”

On Saturday, Cedar Ridge sophomore Josh Mayhew did something only one other man in the history of Hillsborough has done: play in a state tennis tournament final. Mayhew defeated Marvin Ridge’s Soham Pradhan 6-2, 6-4 in the 3A State Semifinals at Burlington Tennis Club. The only other male player to reach a state championship match in Hillsborough history was Orange’s Britton Webb in 2005. The only person to beat Mayhew the entire season was Chapel Hill’s Dennis Permuov, who captured the state championship on Saturday. Aside from that, Mayhew went 14-0 in his first season as a varsity player. Next season, Mayhew will be a junior in a new league. Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill will be 4A teams again, and Mayhew will set his sights on trying to become the first player from Cedar Ridge High to win a state championship in tennis. Mayhew started preparing for his sophomore season during the pandemic with daily workouts in Chapel Hill. Now that the offseason has arrived for him, Mayhew still won’t stop working towards his goal, even though he’s already accomplished something that no other tennis player at Cedar Ridge High has ever done.

After a long day of school, why does someone stay after a two-hour practice to work on their serve for another 90 minutes? So that they accomplish things that no one has done before.

Only a sophomore, that’s what Cedar Ridge sophomore Josh Mayhew has done. He has become the first Red Wolf to advance to the semifinals of the 3A State Men’s Tennis Semifinals.

On Friday, Mayhew defeated Nicholas Clementi of Charlotte Catholic 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round of the 3A State Tennis Tournament at the Burlington Tennis Center. That win alone put Mayhew in a class by himself. He became the first tennis player from Hillsborough to win a match in the 3A State Tournament since 2012, at least.

Then Mayhew really outdid himself. He defeated Clayton’s Ben Jones 7-5, 7-5 to reach the semifinals. On Saturday morning, Mayhew will face Soham Pradhan of Marvin Ridge for a spot in the championship match.

The only player from Hillsborough to ever reach a state tennis championship match was Orange’s Britton Webb in 2005. Will Rollinson of Cardinal Gibbons defeated Webb 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in the 2A Final.

Representatives from the Big 8 Conference comprise half of the 3A State Semifinals. Chapel Hill’s Dennis Perumov will take on Western Guilford’s Josh Gillis in the other semifinal on Saturday morning.

The victory continues a whirlwind week for Mayhew, which started last Saturday. After the 3A Mideast Regional was delayed a day by rain, Mayhew became the first Cedar Ridge player since Zac Mayhew in 2014 to reach the 3A State Tournament. Mayhew defeated Western Alamance’s Will Geiger 6-0, 6-2 in the opening round of the regionals in Burlington, then punched his ticket to the state championships with a 6-0, 6-0 win over East Chapel Hill’s Rama Varanasi.

Rain delayed the regional finals to Tuesday, but Mayhew defeated Chapel Hill’s Eddy Ferreira 6-2, 6-2 to reach the championship match. Perumov, the only player to beat Mayhew this year, won the regional championship 6-2, 6-2.

Mayhew’s run was part of a noteworthy day for Hillsborough tennis. Earlier, the doubles team of Colin O’Hagerty and Brandon Gwinn became the first representatives from Orange High in the 3A State Tennis Tournament since 2013, at least. In the opening round, Rish Reddy and Harrison Williams of Marvin Ridge defeated Gwinn and O’Hagerty 6-2, 6-1.

“I am super proud of Orange High School and Cedar Ridge for advancing to states,” said Cedar Ridge men’s tennis coach Steve Mayhew, who played at Orange High. “Having both schools from Hillsborough and advancing to States was so awesome to see.”

Mayhew, in his first varsity season, is 13-2 in singles play. He helped Cedar Ridge to a 9-4 overall record this season.

“Josh played two outstanding opponents who made you earn every point,” Steve Mayhew said. “Toward the end of the second match against Ben, Josh started cramping in his legs but persevered to win.”

Mayhew has strengthen himself with out-of-state tournaments during the summer in South Carolina and Georgia. While the pandemic ruined any chances of developing at Cedar Ridge during his freshman year, he still worked out with his coach at various facilities around UNC, even though many of the tennis clubs were shut down.

At night, Mayhew’s family gathers at Cedar Ridge tennis courts for games of pickle ball and doubles games. Now, Mayhew is on the cusp of something no Red Wolf has ever done before: play in a state tennis championship match.

“I think all the tournaments that Josh has played in the past helped him be ready both mentally and physically for regionals and today,” Mayhew said. “As his coach I am very proud of Josh but as his Dad, I am extremely happy for him because I know all the hours and sacrifice that he puts into tennis. To see all the hard work pay off is very nice. I like the fact that he is not satisfied and is ready to compete tomorrow.”

For his first Mideast Regional tournament, Cedar Ridge sophomore Josh Mayhew set a goal of beating one of Chapel Hill’s top players.

Mission accomplished.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mayhew defeated Chapel Hill senior Eddy Ferreira 6-2, 6-2 to reach the championship match of the Mideast Regional at the Burlington Tennis Club. In the final, Chapel Hill’s Dennis Perumov defeated Mayhew 6-2, 6-2 for the regional title.

Mayhew had the best singles finish in a regional for any singles player from Hillsborough since 2014. It was the third time this year that Mayhew had faced Perumov, a senior who is 13-0 this year.

Mayhew will be the #2 seed from the Mideast for the 3A NCHSAA State Singles Tournament, which begins Friday morning in Burlington. Mayhew, in his first varsity season, is 11-2. His only losses in singles play have come against Perumov.

Also on Tuesday, Orange’s doubles team of Brandon Gwinn & Colin O’Hagerty lost to East Chapel Hill’s Kabir Grewal & Michael Gannon 6-2, 6-1. Gwinn & O’Hagerty will become the first representatives from Orange in the state tennis championships since 2013 on Friday. They will be the #4 seed in the 3A State Doubles Tournament.

Wrestling: Orange 60, Northwood 9

Though wrestling season falls during the spring this year, that doesn’t mean it will be any different than most others within the Big 8 Conference. Once again, the conference title will come down to Chapel Hill vs. Orange.

On Tuesday night, Orange defeated Northwood 60-9 to improve to 7-0. It was senior night at Panther Gymnasium for grapplers like Kessel Summers, who won his 100th match last week. On Tuesday, Summers pinned Northwood’s Asher Rockriver in 40 seconds at 132 pounds for his 103rd career win.

Senior Hayden Horne pinned Northwood’s Jacob Dunning in 5:41. At heavyweight, Tyler Larkin pinned George Gilson in 1:42.

Matthew Smith Breeden, who has wrestled four years at varsity, scored a major decision over Ian Morrison 10-2. Henry Joubert-Stanzel pinned Ryan Brinker in 1:09. At 195 pounds, Elliot Woods earned another major decision against Hunter Klingel 15-1.

At 120 pounds, Colton Jones pinned Coltrane Northington in 1:19. Jared Hutchins put Orange ahead 12-0 after he pinned Aiden Vigus in 1:14.

Avery Clark won via forfeit at 138. Andrew Hill pinned Northwood’s Nathan Davis in 1:31 at 160 pounds.

Orange will prepare for Tuesday’s match against Chapel Hill when they face Riverside and Hillside in a tri-meet in Durham on Thursday.

Cedar Ridge 36, Eastern Alamance 33; Cedar Ridge 54, Northern Durham 12

Fernando Martinez, James Rosati-Brown and Daina Pritchard maintained their undefeated individual records for 2021 as Cedar Ride swept a tri-match inside Red Wolves Gymnasium on Thursday night.

The Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance 36-33. Kaden Tatro won the deciding match for the Red Wolves after he pinned Aidan Clark in :45 at 170 pounds. Martinez started the dual match with a pin of Caden Parsons in 48 seconds. Martinez would go on to a forfeit victory over Northern Durham to improve to 8-0 with four pins this season.

At 152 pounds, Rosati-Brown pinned Northern Durham’s Khayree Dixon in 1:24. Rosati-Brown, who picked up a forfeit win over Eastern Alamance, is also 8-0. His victory over Dixon was the 63rd of his Cedar Ridge career.

Pritchard pined Cameron Rivera of Eastern Alamance in 6:30. It was Pritchard’s sixth pin of the year. A forfeit win over Northern Durham improved Pritchard’s record to 8-0 this year. Pritchard now has 59 career wins.

Senior Kady Watkins also earned two wins on the night. Watkins pinned Eastern Alamance’s Mason Tanner in 2:49. She earned a forfeit win against Northern. Watkins pinned Southeast Guilford’s Colton Krall for her first win this season last week at Orange High.

At 132 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Mac McGhee pinned Khamani Dixon in 1:46. Gavin Mintz got a forfeit win at 160 pounds for the Red Wolves, as did Wyatt Robinson at 182 pounds.

Cedar Ridge improved to 4-4 and will travel to East Chapel Hill for a tri-meet on Thursday.

BURLINGTON–There had not been a Hillsborough representative in the NCHSAA 3A State Men’s Tennis Championships, singles or doubles tournaments, since 2014.

This year, there will be two.

For such a lofty accomplishments that took years for anyone to accomplish, Cedar Ridge sophomore Josh Mayhew didn’t exactly survive a thriller to clinch a spot in the 3A Mideast Regional Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at the Burlington Tennis Center. Mayhew cruised past East Chapel Hill’s Rama Varanasi 6-0, 6-0 in the second round. Earlier in the day, Mayhew defeated Western Alamance’s Will Geiger 6-0, 6-2 in the opening round.

The four semifinals in the regionals, scattered across four different tournaments in North Carolina, automatically qualify for the 3A State Championships.

Mayhew is the first Cedar Ridge singles player to qualify for the 3A State Singles Tournament since 2014, when Zac Marion faced George Lovitt of Marvin Ridge in the opening round. Lovitt won by default.

Mayhew has made up for lost time after the pandemic prematurely halted his freshman season. In addition to regular practices with his teammates, he often stays afterwards to practice his serve, often with softball and baseball games going on around him. His father, Steve, and sister, Cameron, occasionally play pickle ball at Cedar Ridge Tennis Courts after workouts.

“I’ve been practicing a lot,” Mayhew said. “There’s some good people in this tournament like Dennis Perumov (of Chapel Hill) and Eddy Ferreria of Chapel Hill. That’s my goal for this tournament, to beat them.”

While Mayhew has played offseason events in South Carolina and Georgia, the state tournament will offer a new challenge.

“I think it will be some good competition,” Mayhew said. “I can’t wait to play them.”

Mayhew will face Ferreria in the regional semifinals on Monday. The regional title match will also be held later that afternoon.

While Mayhew won easily, Orange’s doubles team of Colin O’Hagerty and Brandon Gwinn pulled the upset of the tournament. In the second round, the unseeded Panther tandem defeated Northern Guilford’s Duncan Moore and James Harrington 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. Moore and Harrington arrived into the event as the #2 seeded doubles team.

“I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning,” Gwinn said. “We turned out to have the upper hand in the end.”

O’Hagerty and Gwinn are the first representatives, singles or doubles, to reach the 3A State Tournament since Justin Webb became Orange’s coach in 2013.

Gwinn and O’Hagerty didn’t start the season as a doubles team. O’Hagerty teams with Justin Conover, Orange’s top singles player. Webb decided to adjust at midseason.

“I thought Colin and Brandon were a better pairing and it worked out for us,” Webb said. “They went from not being a doubles pairing to being in states. So that’s pretty impressive. They came in very focused and towards the end of the season they started to play some of their best tennis.”

Gwinn and O’Hagerty have their contrasts. Gwinn shows up for matches with a pumpkin logo designed on the bottom his racket and will gladly show it off for anyone who requests it.

“Colin is definitely more of a serious player,” Webb said. “Brandon brings a little more laid back nature. They tend to offset each other.”

In the opening round, Gwinn and O’Hagerty defeated Isai Gutierrez and Francisco Urieta of Harnett Central 6-1, 6-0. On Monday, O’Hagerty and Gwinn will face Kabir Grewal and Michael Gannon of East Chapel Hill in the semifinals.

Orange junior Justin Conover defeated Western Alamance’s Zach Allred 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. It was one of two matches in the opening round to go three sets.

Terry Sanford’s Jordan Miller defeated Conover in the second round with a spot in the state championships on the line.

The Mideast Regionals was a final show of domination for the Big 8 Conference, which will disband next month. Of the eight qualifiers for the state championships, seven were from the Big 8.

The event was originally scheduled for Friday, but was rained out and postponed until Saturday morning.

The 3A State Championships are scheduled to start Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center.