Some things never change. Sitting in the stands of the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School on Friday afternoon, I saw South View wrestling coach Cam Spence, an old friend who I got to know 25 years ago at Appalachian State University.
I was a late bloomer when I arrived in Boone, which made me ripe for age jokes. Cam, who was a teenager when I met him, doesn’t lack in that regard. Once, on our way to a football game at Auburn, Cam said “My girlfriend asked me if I was going antique shopping on our way through Atlanta. I told her we were picking Jeff up at noon.”
Naturally, Cam was still making age jokes as we watched the matches unfold on Friday. As old as I may get, I hope I never lose the special feeling I get at this time of year. I still look forward to Christmas. The Christmas music. The Charlie Brown Christmas Special. The holiday basketball tournaments. The Chapel Hill Tiger wrestling invitational.
And lots and lots of giving.
My Spotify playlist shifts to the Vince Guraldi Trio every December and largely stays that way for the entire month. I’m proud to say that after all this time, I’ve never had a case of holiday depression. I know not everyone is as fortunate, so anyone who may feel south of happy right now, my thoughts are with you.
Hopefully, my enthusiasm for the holidays is something else that never changes, just like Cam’s age jokes.
And a very happy holiday to all of you. Here’s the Magnificent 7 for the week of December 3-10.
- Zoey Moreno, Jr., Cedar Ridge wrestling: Moreno made history at the Green Hope Girls Grapple in Cary,. On December 3, Moreno became the first female wrestler in the history of Hillsbrough to win a tournament. Moreno captured the 120-pound championship with pins in all three of her matches. Moreno defeated Ava Lytle of Wakefield in 33 seconds to take the championship.
- Luke Roman, Soph, Orange Swimming: Set the school record in the 200 yard freestyle in the opening event of swimming season at the Orange County Sportsplex. Roman also qualified for regionals in the 100 yard freestyle. He also qualified for regionals in two relay events. Last year, Roman finished eighth in the 3A State Championships in the 200 yard freestyle.
- Amiyah Ware, Jr. Cedar Ridge women’s basketball: Talk about making an instant impact. Ware, in her second game in a Red Wolves uniform, scored 18 points as the Red Wolves defeated Person 58-27 on December 9. It was Cedar Ridge’s first conference win since February 8, 2019. Ware, a transfer from Burlington School, also had a solid game against East Chapel Hill on December 6
- Nikayla Whitted, Sr. Orange women’s basketball: Led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 14 points in a 41-36 win over Carrboro on December 6. Three nights later, Whitted had six points as the Lady Panthers defeated Durham School of the Arts 72-34. Whitted also led Orange in scoring in a win over Riverside on December 2.
- Sam Crawford, Sr. Orange wrestling: Earned three wins during the Orange quad on December 7. On a night where the Panthers were shorthanded, Crawford scored a major decision over Gabriel Waterhouse of Chapel Hill 15-3. He also Justin Hartsell of Cedar Ridge as the Panthers maintained its undefeated record in dual matches.
- Kai Wade, Fr., Orange men’s basketball: Scored 15 points in Orange’s 69-35 win over Durham School of the Arts on December 9. Wade also had eight points, three assists and three steals in the Panthers 76-46 win over Carrboro. Wade is one of three freshmen who have started this year for an Panthers team that has already surpassed its win total from last year.
- Quinn McCrimmon, Jr., Cedar Ridge women’s swimming: McCrimmon qualified for regionals in Cedar Ridge’s opening dual meets of the season. She finished first in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:34.15. She also earned consideration for regionals in the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 1:05.05. The Red Wolves women’s swimming team won its opening dual match over Eastern Alamance.