Payton Wilson: On Sunday, Wilson officially announced he will not play in the Pop-Tart Bowl for #19 N.C. State against Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando on Thursday. In a statement, Wilson said he would be in attendance for the contest but will rest to prepare for the NFL Draft combine in February. Wilson’s announcement concludes five years at N.C. State which started when he enrolled in January 2018, three months after his last football game at Orange High against Cedar Ridge. In his freshman season in 2019, Wilson led N.C. State in tackles even though he came off the bench in all but one game. He had 14 tackles against North Carolina, which tied the team-high for the season. During the pandemic season of 2020, Wilson was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer. He became the first N.C. State player to lead the ACC in tackles per game since 2000, averaging 10.8. He ranked fourth in FBS in overall tackles. He also led N.C. State with eleven tackles for loss per game. After Wilson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Mississippi State in 2021, Wilson ranked 15th in the ACC in tackles per game. This year may have been the greatest season by any N.C. State defensive player ever. Wilson won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the Best Defensive Player in the country as well as the Dick Butkus Award for the best linebacker. Wilson was also the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He ranked fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 138 tackles and led the ACC with 17.5 tackles for loss. He also notched six sacks, ten pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter helped the Chicago Bears defeat the Arizona Cardinals 27-16 on Christmas Eve at Solider Field. Gill had five punts for an average of 52 yards. His longest was a whopping 76 yards. Two were downed inside the 20-yard line. One went for a touchback. Gill is 24th in the NFL averaging 45.9 yards per punt. He has had 16 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. The Bears are 6-9 and will face the Atlanta Falcons in its final home game of the season on New Year’s Eve.
Grace Young: Young has announced that she is transferring from UNC Asheville after one season with the Bulldogs. As a freshman at UNCA, Young played in 22 matches and 46 sets. She had 52 digs and five aces. Young was the libero for the Cedar Ridge Red Wolves for three seasons. As a junior, she was the defensive specialist for the 2021 3A State Championship team that defeated North Iredell 3-1 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Young has three years of eligibility remaining.
Joey McMullin: After four games with Division III Methodist, McMullin announced he was retiring from basketball. McMullin, who is the last player from Orange High to score 1,000 career points, started two games for the Monarchs. In two seasons with Sandhills Community College, McMullin helped the Flyers to the NJCAAA Division III Tournament twice. In 2021-2022, McMullin was named the Region 10 Player of the Year. He was a two-time All-Region X Player. McMullin started his college career with Division III Bryn Athyn College in Philadelphia, where he left after the 2020-2021 season.
Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament. In an incredible comeback, the Bears roared back from four goals down to tie Florida Tech at Rick Stottler Field in Melbourne, FL on December 3rd. But the Panthers scored the game-winning goal with three minutes left in regulation to win 5-4 in the national quarterfinal. Talley started and played 25 minutes. This season, Talley started in all 23 matches for the Bears. She played 1,433 minutes and had three assists. She had eight shots on goal. Last week, it was announced that Lenior-Rhyne head coach Dean Ward had resigned in order to become the new head coach at Xavier. Ward had been the head coach with the Bears for two seasons.
Braden Homsey: After a successful wrestling career with the Division III Ferrum Panthers, Homsey has started as an assistant coach with Ferrum. Currently, Ferrum is 3-2 after wins over Waynesburg, Emory & Henry and Fairmont State.