Jeff Hamlin

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.”

In the middle of a gas shortage, West Stokes drove nearly 170 miles round trip in the middle of a gas shortage for a nonconfernece game. Yet they still got their money’s worth.

While Orange didn’t get the result they wanted on Friday night, time will tell if they got what they needed.

West Stokes’ Kaden Fuller earned the win after he threw three innings of relief as the Wildcats scored two runs in the eighth inning to beat Orange 8-6 on Friday night in Hillsborough. Designated hitter Adam Parris drove in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded walk. Orange catcher Davis Horton, who finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, reached second base in the bottom of the eighth to represent the tying run, but Fuller struck out Orange’s next three batters to complete his first varsity win.

It was a night of firsts for both teams. Orange Coach Jason Knapp used six different pitchers, but second baseman Connor Funk established himself from the pack. Funk, who had never pitched in a varsity game, threw two-and-two-thirds innings and struck out six after relieving Jaren Sikes in the sixth. Though he took the loss, Funk was the only Orange hurler to hold the Wildcats scoreless in consecutive innings.

“We know he’s got it in him,” Knapp said. “He’s got an electric arm. He just needs some time on the mound. We tried to give everybody a little bit tonight, but when we got caught in extras, we had to stick with him. He did a great job.”

West Stokes (5-1), a 2A team from the Western Piedmont Conference, has a roster of big bats and powerful arms. Coming into Friday, the Wildcats had hit seven home runs in five games. They added two more on Friday. Their pitching staff, which includes three sophomores, averaged eleven strikeouts per game. They maintained that average against Orange.

Fuller lined an opposite field home run off Orange starter Pierson Kenney to lead off the second inning for the first run of the night. The Panthers responded with three runs in the second inning after West Stokes’ starter Evan Cecile walked the bases loaded. With two out, Panther shortstop Jackson Berini drew a walk to score Jaren Sikes. Funk knocked in Joey Pounds with a grounder that reached left field, then Horton lined a first-pitch fastball over second base which plated Tyler Lloyd and built Orange’s lead to 3-1.

West Stokes tied it right back up when Fuller ripped a triple to right field. Dylan Roscoe, running for catcher Brighton Berthrong, scored. Pounds, making his first start in right field, hit Funk on the relay and Horton tagged out Joshua Jones at the plate. Fuller tied the game 3-3 after Parris hit a two-out bouncer to right field.

Sikes drew a walk in the bottom of the third, stole second, advanced to third on a single by Cesar Lozano and scored off an infield hit by Tyler Lloyd.

Again, Orange didn’t have the lead for long. West Stokes first baseman Bryson Bowman drew a leadoff walk to start the fourth inning and tied the game following a liner up the middle by Berthrong.

Orange got the lead back in the bottom of the frame when Funk drew a one-out walk. After Funk stole second, first baseman Will Walker drilled a double down the left field line to push Orange back ahead 5-4.

Fuller opened the fifth with a walk, and Jacob Smith throttled a 2-1 fastball off the bottom left corner of the Orange scoreboard to give West Stokes a 6-5 lead.

Fuller, who started at second base, replaced Dominic Mickle as pitcher in the sixth. Funk drilled Fuller’s first pitch over the head of centerfielder Jacob Smith for a triple. Horton sent a fly ball to right field that was dropped and allowed Funk to tie the game. With the go-ahead run at second base, Fuller came up with two strikeouts to keep the game tied 5-5.

After Orange went through four pitchers in five innings, Funk held the Wildcats scoreless in the sixth and seventh. Orange had a chance to win in the seventh after David Waitt, who was inserted into the game as a reserve in the fifth, grounded a one-out double to left field. But Fuller struck out Ryan Hench and got Jackson Berini to fly out to shortstop to send the game into extra innings.

While Orange played a back-and-forth game against a team they hadn’t faced since 2009, the Big 8 Conference championship race was extended into next week. At Knights Field, Northern Durham rallied from a 3-0 deficit with five runs in the sixth inning to defeat Chapel Hill. That means the Knights and the Panthers will meet on Tuesday night in Hillsborough for a winner-takes-all battle for the Big 8 Conference championship. Orange (6-1, 6-0 in the Big 8) clinched a share of the title after Northwood defeated Northern Durham (5-1, 5-1) 7-6 on Wednesday. The winner of Tuesday’s game will be the #1 seed from the Big 8 in the state playoffs.

“We scheduled this game because we needed some quality opponents to prepare ourselves for the state playoffs,” Knapp said. “We knew that West Stokes was quality and they were going to bring a good team up here and they did.”

What many would consider a successful start to their high school career is what Fernando Martinez describes as “getting his butt kicked.” Martinez, a sophomore wrestler at Cedar Ridge, went 34-13 in his freshman year while competing at 106 pounds. That included a fourth place finish at the Mideast Regionals in February 2020. Martinez also won the 106-pound tournament at the Buccaneer Cup at Bartlett Yancey High School in January 2020. This year, wrestling mainly at 120-pounds, Martinez is off to a 10-0 start. That included a gutsy win over East Chapel Hill’s Asher Yeo on Thursday, even though Martinez injured his left shoulder midway through the match. Last week, Martinez pinned Orange’s Colton Jones in 4:37, then earned a forfeit win against Southeast Guilford. On Thursday, Martinez picked up another forfeit victory against Vance County to improve his career record to 44-13 midway through his sophomore year. Cedar Ridge won both dual matches to improve to 6-4 on the season. The Red Wolves grapplers will return to action on Tuesday with a tri-meet at Cedar Ridge Gymnasium. They will face Southern Alamance and Chapel Hill.

After finishing with a winning record for the fourth year in a row, three Cedar Ridge softball players were named first-team All-Big 8 Conference.

Third baseman Takia Nichols, the Big 8 Player of the Year, was named to the first-team. So were junior shortstop Ava Lowry and senior catcher ShiLi Quade.

Nichols led Cedar Ridge in nine offensive categories. She had a .707 batting average, scored 34 runs, had 29 hits, belted 13 home runs, registered 38 RBI, nine doubles, was walked 17 times, had a .793 on-base percentage with a 1.926 slugging percentage. Nichols, a junior, will enter her senior season on a six-game home run streak. Nichols started the string at Northern Durham on April 20 with a three-run blast to centerfield. The next day against the Knights, she hit an inside-the-park home run on a windy day at Cedar Ridge Softball Stadium, the 20th dinger of her career. Two days later, she hit another home run against East Chapel Hill, then followed with two home runs in a 8-3 win at Vance County in Henderson. Nichols concluded the season with two home runs in the opening game of a doubleheader against Southern Durham.

Despite playing home games inside a big park, Nichols is the all-time leading home run hitter in Cedar Ridge history, baseball or softball. She has 26 career dingers.

Lowry has built a bond with Nichols since the time they played together in middle school. They share the same side of the infield. Before the season started, Lowry committed to Division III North Carolina Wesleyan. This year, Lowry hit .550 with 25 runs scored, three home runs and 23 RBIs. She was also second on the team with seven doubles. Against East Chapel Hill on March 29, Lowry hit two runs as the Red Wolves defeated the Wildcats 18-5 in five innings at Wildcat Softball Park. She finished 4-for-5 against the Wildcats with six RBIs. On April 9 against Northwood, Lowry hit a three-run inside-the-park home run that ended the game. Lowry scored Quade and Olivia Aitkin to wrap up a 14-2 Red Wolf win. In the third inning of that game, Lowry had an RBI single to score Quade again.

Ironically, Lowry may have had her best game of the season in a loss. Against Orange on April 15, Lowry went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Cedar Ridge trailed from the time they gave up three runs in the first inning, but Lowry never stopped competing. She hit a double in the second inning and scored Cedar Ridge’s first run off a wild pitch. With two outs in the sixth, Lowry drew a walk following a 10-pitch at-bat (she fouled off five balls) to extend the inning, which led to Quade scoring off a wild pitch. Then came the wild seventh inning, where Cedar Ridge trailed 9-2 but scored seven runs to send it to extra innings. In the 7th, Lowry reached off a dropped fly ball and also scored on a wild pitch. In the eighth, Lowry nearly won the game with a triple to right centerfield that missed clearing the fence by a few feet. She settled for a triple, but was stranded there after a groundout to the shortstop.

Quade played on two Big 8 Conference Softball championship teams at Cedar Ridge during her four-year stint on the varsity. After she played centerfield in her abbreviated junior year, Quade shifted to catcher this season to replace Emma Roby, who graduated in 2020. She opened the season by going 4-for-6 against Northwood on March 17 in a wild 17-16 loss to the Chargers in eight innings. For the year, Quade hit .465. She scored 32 runs, which was second only behind Nichols. Quade hit 4-for-5 against East Chapel Hill on March 29, where she had a double and a triple.

While the pandemic may have kept most students at home for most of the academic year, Quade had no problem keeping herself active. In the winter, she was a member of the Big 8 Champion Cedar Ridge volleyball team, which reached the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. When she didn’t play volleyball, she was a photographer for the Cedar Ridge yearbook staff. Quade was a regular at Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s basketball games, shooting pictures at courtside (some of which appeared on Hillsboroughsports.com) right up until softball practice started in February.

Senior second baseman Reagan Ruhl and junior centerfielder Olivia Aitkin were named honorable mention. Ruhl, who also played on the varsity for four years, hit .340 with one home run. She had an inside-the-park home run against Northern Durham on April 21 that reduced Cedar Ridge’s deficit to 15-14.

Aitkin, who started in centerfield, hit .404. She was third on the team with 20 RBIs. In the past, Aitkin has also competed on Cedar Ridge’s swimming team.

Bryse Wilson: On Tuesday morning, Bryse Wilson was recalled by the Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett of Triple-A East. Wilson made his fourth start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays at Truist Park. Wilson worked effectively and threw five shutout innings. In the sixth, Wilson conceded a two-run homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wilson wound up with a no decision. He threw six innings and struck out five. Wilson gave up six hits, two runs and one walk. The Braves bullpen couldn’t hold on to a 3-2 lead and lost 5-3. On Wednesday morning, Wilson was reassigned back to Gwinnett. He could pitch for the Stripers this weekend against the Louisville Bats.

Kayla Hodges: A week after the Elon women’s soccer team’s season came to an end after reaching the NCAA Tournament, Hodges was named the winner of the Robert C. Browne Sportsmanship Award. The award is presented annually to the male and female student athletes who have best displayed exemplary qualities of sportsmanship. “Her strength, leadership and aerial ability has been unwavering this season,” Elon women’s soccer coach Neil Payne said in a statement. “Along with our entire defensive unit, she has shown tremendous resolve, grit and determination all year.” Hodges is a Human Services major who has also worked as a coach for youth soccer. She has also spent numerous hours with community organizations. Hodges participated in the Phoenix Leadership Academy. She helped Elon win its first Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship last month.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team continued its winning ways in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday. The Bulldogs defeated #23 Ole Miss 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals in Tuscaloosa, AL. Davidson drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning to score the first run of the afternoon. In the fifth inning, Davidson doubled to left field. She also tagged two runners out at the plate, including one in the fifth inning that was the subject of a lengthy replay review.

Montana Davidson: Montana started at third base and was in the nine spot in the batting order for Mississippi State. She walked twice. Mississippi State has won eight in a row. They will face top-seeded Florida, ranked #4 in the country, in the quarterfinals on Thursday morning at noon.

Jaden Hurdle: The Patrick Henry Community College softball team captured a best-of-three series against Southeastern Community College on Wednesday. The Patriots won the third and deciding game 3-1 in Martinsville, VA. Hurdle went 0-for-2 and drew a walk in the third game. Patrick Henry won the opening game 4-2 on Tuesday. Hurdle went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning, which proved to be a valuable insurance run. Before Hurdle’s RBI, the Rams had narrowed what was once a 3-0 deficit to 3-2. Southeastern captured game 2 of the series 6-2. Hurdle had an RBI single. She also relieved starting pitcher Brianna Taylor in the circle. Hurdle threw three-and-one-thirds innings and surrendered just two hits and one run. She struck out three. Patrick Henry will start play in the Region X Division II Tournament at Springwood Park in Burlington. The Patriots will face the fifth-seed, Florence-Darlington Tech, Friday morning at 10 o’clock. This will be a two-day, double elimination tournament.

We step back in the time machine for the retro Orange Panther of the Week. We journey back to the week of March 7, where the winner is senior wingback/linebacker Elliott Woods. On March 12, Woods scored Orange’s only touchdown in a 7-6 win over Northern Durham. On that touchdown drive, Woods had a crucial 12-yard catch on a 4th down, which enabled the Panthers to continue the drive. Woods also started on defense and made five tackles. This season, Woods was a co-captain for Van Smith’s Panthers. For the second year in a row, Woods led Orange with 65 tackles. He also had nine tackles for loss, which was second on the team. In 2019, Woods had 87 tackles. Right now, Woods is a part of Orange’s wrestling team, which will face Chapel Hill on Tuesday for the Big 8 Conference championship. After Woods graduates from Orange next month, he will attend N.C. State to focus on majoring in business. Orange will certainly miss Woods’ presence on defense, where he accounted for over 150 tackles, as well as rushing for 731 yards in 18 career varsity games.

In a power pitching display reminiscent of Bryse Wilson’s days at Orange, Panther sophomore Ryan Hench struck out 16 batters as the Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 5-0 at Tiger Field on Tuesday night. It may very well have set a school record for strikeouts in a game. For good measure, Hench drove in Jackson Berini in the seventh inning. Hench, in just his second start for Orange, won despite throwing on only four days rest. He earned the win in Friday’s game against Northwood. Senior center fielder Jaren Sikes scored Orange’s first two runs. Sikes reached on a bunt single in the third inning and scored off a wild pitch. In the fifth, Sikes hit a lead off double and scored off a fielder’s choice from Tyler Lloyd. Sikes slid into home plate safely under the tag of Chapel Hill catcher Trevor Liebe. Orange is 5-0 and has sewed up a spot in the 3A State Playoffs. The Panthers will face West Stokes in a recently scheduled non conference game on Friday in Hillsborough. You can hear that game on Hillsboroughsports.com.