Cedar Ridge Men’s Lacrosse

Just days before the corona-versary, there was a reminder of what it was like to live again.

It came at Auman Stadium in the waning moments of the Orange lacrosse team’s thrilling comeback against stingy Chapel Hill, who led 9-4 with 8:54.

In a span of seven minutes and 25 seconds, Orange scored four goals, as many as they had scored in the first three quarters against the Tigers. With Orange in possession on a man advantage, the crowd rose to its feet at Auman Stadium and started to applaud as the Panthers tried to tie the game.

Orange mustered two shots, both of which missed Chapel Hill goalkeeper William Gunderson. The Tigers held on to win 9-8.

Ordinarily, that would have ended the night on a dour note. But not this night.

The Orange crowd, many of whom parents of players who wondered if they would be a season at all, stood and applauded some more. They savored a moment after a desolate, isolated year where moments of true emotion gave way to living in a vacuum.

Coming up tonight, the Orange men’s lacrosse team will look to make another memorable moment when it hosts its first state playoff game since 2017. The Panthers, who clinched the Conference 9 Championship on March 4, will face Terry Sanford in the opening round of the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs.

Since the program started in 2008, Orange has never won a state playoff game at home. There have been two playoff wins on the road, most recently at Northside-Jacksonville in 2019.

Cedar Ridge also made the field of 32. The Red Wolves will travel to face East Chapel Hill, the champions of Conference 10, at Dave Thaden Stadium. The Red Wolves’ regular season ended with a valiant effort in a 7-3 loss to Chapel Hill at Culton-Peerman Stadium on Thursday.

Orange received a #2 seed in the bracket released on Saturday morning. The winner of Orange/Sanford will face either Northwood or Swansboro on Wednesday. Last Monday, Northwood hammered Orange 17-6 in Pittsboro, the Panthers’ most lopsided loss of the season.

That’s what made the Chapel Hill comeback so important for Orange coach Chandler Zirkle, now in his fourth season. After being drubbed by the Chargers, Zirkle wanted to see if his team could stand toe-to-toe against one of the traditional powers in North Carolina lacrosse.

“I know a lot of the Chapel Hill players and they’re a really good team,” Zirkle said. “We have a really young team with nine seniors who are really talented. Then we have a bunch of freshmen and sophomores who didn’t get to play a junior varsity season. They’re really having to play with us right now at a really have level. Just getting back to this point was really good.”

Of interest for Orange against Terry Sanford is who will be goalkeeper? Last week, Zirkle convinced Chase Hawkins to come out of a self-imposed retirement. Hawkins, who earned the win in net against Northside-Jacksonville two years ago, played admirably against Chapel Hill before getting injured in the third quarter. Malachi Bolton had to finish the game.

Cedar Ridge was tied 3-3 with Chapel Hill at halftime on Thursday night. The Red Wolves leading scorer, junior Roman Oguntoyinbo, scored two goals and assisted on a tally by Holden Neal. But Chapel Hill’s 10-man ride proved to be too much for the Red Wolves to overcome in the second half.

Red Wolves goalkeeper Aiden Kehoe kept the Tigers scoreless in the first quarter, even though Chapel Hill dominated possession.

Cedar Ridge received an #11 seed. The winner of East-Cedar Ridge will face either Jacksonville or Vance Charter. Last week, the Red Wolves defeated Vance Charter on its Senior Night, which clinched 2nd place in Conference 9.

Monday’s game against East Chapel Hill will be Cedar Ridge’s first postseason appearance since 2018, when the Red Wolves traveled to J.H. Rose.

“My guys busted their butts out there,” said Red Wolves Coach Patrick Kavanaugh after the Chapel Hill game on Thursday. “Aiden played a heck of a game. That was one of the best defensive performances we’ve had in the last four or five years. We’ve had some pretty good defensive performances, but we were excellent against Chapel Hill. We can be proud of that. We’ve got some skill, but we got worn down. Nothing we saw from them surprised us. They played to their strengths.”

If Thursday was Aiden Kehoe’s final game in a Cedar Ridge lacrosse uniform, he went out on an effort to be proud of. While Chapel Hill defeated the Red Wolves 7-3 at Culton-Peerman Stadium, Kehoe did his part as goalkeeper to keep Cedar Ridge in the game. Despite Chapel Hill holding the ball the entire first quarter, Kehoe kept the Tigers without a goal in the first twelve minutes. The majority of Chapel Hill’s goals came off transition opportunities when Kehoe didn’t have a full defense in front of him. Kehoe started playing lacrosse in fourth grade with the Durham Blues travel team. This season, he was between the pipes as the Red Wolves finished in second place in Conference 9. Kehoe and the rest of the Red Wolves now will wait for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association to release the pairings for the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs, where Cedar Ridge is holding out hope for a wildcard spot.

The Cedar Ridge men’s lacrosse team actually got to play on Monday night, which is news in and of itself. Amid the rainiest North Carolina winter in 37 years, the Red Wolves have played only five games in six weeks. At Durham County Stadium on Monday, Cedar Ridge made quick work of Northern Durham 14-0. Junior Roman Oguntoyinbo finished with a goal and three assists. Oguntoyinbo is the leading scorer for Cedar Ridge and has a history of the game that goes back to his adolescence. Last Wednesday, Oguntoyinbo factored in on all six goals in Cedar Ridge’s game against Orange, scoring three goals and three assists. In the opening minutes against Northern, Oguntoyinbo assisted on goals by James Clayton, Ty Corbin and Harrison Neal. The Red Wolves now have won three of its last four. Barring any more rain, they will be back in action on Thursday at Roxboro Community School.

Marvin Jones: The former Cedar Ridge star captured the high jump championship in this weekend’s Camel City Invite in Winston-Salem. Jones’ jump of 2.10 meters, two inches better than runner-up Tony Jones of Wake Forest. Jones matches his career-best leap. In four indoor events this season, Jones has now won the high jump twice and finished second twice. At the JDL January Kickoff in Winston-Salem, Jones had a jump of 2.06 meters, good enough for 1st place. UNC Pembroke’s Bradley Thompson finished second at 1.96 meters.

Jamar Davis: The 2018 Orange High graduate has started his junior season with the N.C. State track and field team. On January 16, Davis opened the indoor campaign with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the Gamecock Opener at the University of South Carolina. His best jump was 23-feet, 7.25 inches. At the Hokie Invitational at Virginia Tech, Davis finished 6th with a leap of 7.08 meters.

Mia Davidson: As she starts her senior season at Mississippi State, Mia Davidson has been named a 2nd-team All-American by Justin’s World of Softball. A 2019 All-American, Davidson is a lifetime .369 hitter in Starkville. he holds Mississippi State’s career leading for home runs with 52, and slugging percentage at .789. In 2019, Davidson set the school and Southeastern Conference record with 26 home runs on her way to a school-record .882 slugging percentage.

Her junior season was limited to 21 games because of the pandemic. She hit .330 with a .659 slugging percentage.

Montana Davidson: Montana, Mia’s older sister, will return for her senior season with the Bulldogs. Mississippi State starts its season with a doubleheader against Miami (Ohio) on Friday.

Tori Dalehite: The former Big 8 Hitter of the Year will start her freshman season at UNC Greensboro on February 12. The Spartans face North Carolina at the Carolina Classic at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. During the three-day event, UNC-G will also face Louisville and South Carolina.

Grace Andrews: Fate has a funny way of working in college sports. In Grace Andrews’ first softball game at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, she faced Patrick Henry Community College, featuring Andrews’ longtime teammate at Orange, Jaden Hurdle. In fact, Hurdle and Andrews comprised the right side of Orange’s infield when they defeated Piedmont to win the 2017 3A State Championship. So naturally, for Andrews first at-bat for the Red Hawks, the pitcher she faced was Hurdle–in the 8th inning of a tie game. Andrews lifted a sacrifice fly to score Lillie Pennington as the Red Hawks won 4-3 in the opening game of the Catawba Valley Clash in Hickory.

In the second game, Catawba Valley defeated Surry Community Center 7-0. Andrews, playing shortstop, went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a run scored.

On January 30, the Montreat junior varsity defeated Catawba Valley 8-7 in eight innings in the opening day of a doubleheader. Andrews, starting at shortstop again, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

In the second game, Catawba Valley shut out Cleveland Community College 9-0. Andrews went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Through four games, Andrews is hitting .500.

Wyatt Jones: The former Orange High midfielder and starting quarterback quietly made history over the weekend. Jones became the first Orange lacrosse player to play as a member of a Division I college team. The Mercer Bears defeated the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne Bears 17-4 at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia. Jones entered the game as a reserve in the fourth quarter. Jones was named to the All-State team as Orange ended the 2020 campaign ranked #3 before it abruptly ended because of the pandemic. He was also a member of the Carolina Hilltoppers summer travel team coached by Franklin and Chandler Zirkle. On Saturday, Jones will sorta come home when Mercer faces #1 Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham.

Dylan Boyer: During the summer, Boyer signed with Division II Queens University in Charlotte men’s lacrosse. Boyer, who graduated from Orange in June, is slated to start his college career on February 20 when Queens travels to Mount Olive.

Jaylin Jones: A former Orange High midfielder and safety, Jones will start his senior season at Division II Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse on Saturday when the Falcons host Centenary.

Luke Hernandez: A former defenseman at Cedar Ridge, Hernandez will start his junior season with the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team, as well.

Aidan Poole: Last week, the Division III USA South Athletic Conference announced they will have a spring season, despite the pandemic. That means Poole, formerly of Cedar Ridge, will suit up for the Greensboro College Pride. Poole, a sophomore, played in seven games last season for Greensboro. He scored goals against Guilford and Chatham and recorded an assist against Hampton, which turned out to be the season-finale.

This week;s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior lacrosse midfielder Braedon Thompson. For the past four years, Thompson has played lacrosse and football at Cedar Ridge, becoming the third member of the Thompson family to participate in sports at the school. As a freshman, Thompson played for the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship Cedar Ridge lacrosse team, which played for the state championship inside Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Thompson was also a team captain for the football team last fall. His father, Mason, is an assistant coach with the football team. With school currently under hiatus because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Thompson hopes to resume lacrosse season in April. Until then, he will continue to study towards graduation. He plans to attend Western Carolina University this fall to start studying Emergency Management.

Landon Riley: Liberty Baseball ended its year with a 10-7 record. The Flames defeated Kent State 7-2 on March 9 in Lynchburg, VA. Riley earned his second win of the season. He came out of the bullpen to throw two-and-two-thirds innings of shutout baseball. Riley faced eleven batters and scattered two hits and struck out two. It was a short but solid season for Riley. In seven appearances, he had a 2-0 record with four saves and a 1.46 ERA. In 12.1 innings, Riley had 15 strikeouts, allowed only three walks, six hits and two earned runs.

Bowen Collins: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team ended the year ranked #5 in the country. On March 10, the Bears defeated Assumption 17-12 at Moretz Stadium in Hickory. Collins scored a goal with 12:00 remaining in the game. Lenoir-Rhyne also defeated #1 Limestone 18-16 in the Crown Lacrosse Challenge at Hough High School in Cornelius on March 8. Collins scored two goals for the Bears, including a man-up goal in the second quarter to put the Bears ahead 7-4. He scored again with 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Collins ends the year with seven goals and six assists in seven games. Since he is a senior, Collins can take advantage of another year of eligibility that was extended by the NCAA on Friday after the rest of the season was canceled because of the Coronavirus.

Zach Wright: Wright had a goal for Division II Mars Hill in a loss to 19-8 loss to North Greenville on March 11 at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill. Wright scored an unassisted goal with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter. This season, Wright had four goals and two assists in eight games. He is also a senior.

Jaylin Jones: Jones assisted on a goal for Pfeiffer in a 16-8 loss to Guilford at Afmfield Athletic Center in Greensboro. Jones set up Quinn Becraft on a goal that reduced the Falcons’ deficit to 10-5 with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter. Jones, a junior, played in five games this year for Pfeiffer.

Luke Hernandez: The former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf also played for Pfeiffer against Guilford. Hernandez, a sophomore, saw action in Pfeiffer’s last three games, including a 23-6 win over Averett on March 7. Pfeiffer went 2-4 this season.

Tyson Wolter: The former Orange High lacrosse goalkeeper is now at Division III Guilford after transferring from Pfeiffer. On March 11, Wolter faced Pfeiffer after he replaced starter Jack Rogers. Wolter plays 6:36 and made four saves. A freshman, Wolter played in two other games this season for the Quakers.

Aidan Poole: The Division III Greensboro men’s lacrosse team defeated Hampton 15-11 at Pride Field in Greensboro on March 11. Poole, who was an All-Big 8 Conference player at Cedar Ridge, started on defense for the Pride. He assisted on a goal scored by Austin Abourjilie in the third quarter. He also had a ground ball and created a turnover. Greensboro was 4-3.

Kate Burgess: The UNC rowing team finished 3rd in the Clemson Carolina Cup on March 7 at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, SC. Burgess, a freshman who made the rowing team last fall, was on the Varsity 8 team that finished fourth in a five-team race at a time of 7:38.63. Kate Pierce paced the boat that Burgess was rowing, along with Charlotte Melgard, Gabrielle Labrazzi, Juliana Micchia, Hannah Davis, Zoe Sang, Nicole Van Liew and Neeva Wernsman Young. This was the first, and only, race of the spring for UNC’s rowing team.

After the corona virus pandemic cratered the sports scene across the U.S. and around the world, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has taken steps to keep students, staff and coaches safe.

On Thursday afternoon, the NCHSAA mandated that the spring sports season will be suspended starting at 11:59PM on Friday night until Monday, April 6.

Schools may not participate in games, practices, workout or skill development.

“As much as we would like this opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, and their communities, we know that ultimately any decision we make must err on the side of caution,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker in a statement.

Right now, that’s everything that everyone associated with Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools knows about the next three weeks.

Cedar Ridge and Orange’s baseball teams both had games scheduled for Friday, but they were both postponed. Orange was suppose to travel to East Chapel Hill for the second game of its two-game set on Friday afternoon. Orange won the first game on Tuesday night 9-4.

Cedar Ridge was supposed to host Northwood in Hillsborough, but that was also delayed. The Chargers threw a 15-out perfect game from Tyler Johnson to win 15-0 on Tuesday night in Pittsboro.

The only games on the slate for Friday will be lacrosse games. Cedar Ridge will host J.F. Webb in the Red Wolves third game this week. Orange will play its Conference 9 opener against Roxboro Community School in Person County.

The Cedar Ridge lacrosse team dropped a disappointing game to Southern Alamance by one goal in Graham. The Red Wolves fell to Eastern Alamance 14-11 in Hillsborough on Monday after taking a 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Zachary Holmes had four goals for the Red Wolves against the Eagles. James Clayton had a goal and two assists.

On Thursday night, West Johnston softball handed Cedar Ridge its first loss of the season 13-3 in five innings. The Wildcats avenged a loss to the Red Wolves last Friday in Hillsborough, which Cedar Ridge won 21-16. The Wildcats scored nine runs in the fourth inning. Cedar Ridge had a doubleheader scheduled against Chapel Hill for Friday, but that was also postponed.

The Orange softball team also suffered a non-conference loss in its final game before the three-week break. Person defeated the Lady Panthers 12-6 at Panther Softball Field. Orange led 4-1 at the end of the second inning. Freshman Serenity McPherson singled in each of her first two at-bats. Each time, she knocked in classmate Carson Bradsher. In the first, Bradsher reached on a leadoff single and eventually scored to tie the game. Sophomore catcher Lauren Jackson gave Orange the lead with a single to second. McPherson, who stole third during Jackson’s plate appearance, touched the plate off the hit.

Orange added two more in the second. McPherson knocked in Bradsher again. After Maddie Bartlett reached on an error, Emma Puckett hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Bartlett to score.

It was all Person from that point forward. The Rockets scored eleven consecutive runs. Person pitcher Taylor Sullivan, who replaced starter Delaney Glover in the 3rd, threw four-and-two-thirds innings for the win. She gave up two runs, both in the 7th inning, off five hits.

Person’s Emma Bowes went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team rallied past Central Arkansas 6-3 at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS on Wednesday. UCA led 2-0 at the end of three innings, but Davidson sparked a rally with a triple in the bottom of the fourth. She scored off a groundout by Carter Spexarth. In the 5th, Davidson laced a single to left field to score Candace Denis. It was Davidson’s fourth multi-hit game of the year. Mississippi State improves to 13-3. This weekend, the Bulldogs will host the Alex Wilcox memorial Tournament, which will include UAB, Alcorn State and UT Martin.

Brad Debo: The #8 N.C. State baseball team defeated UNC Wilmington 11-0 in Raleigh on Tuesday night. Debo replaced catcher Patrick Bailey in the ninth inning. He didn’t make a plate appearance.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team ended the regular season on Tuesday night. Limestone defeated the Hawks 78-72 at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro. After starting the previous three games, Barnett came off the bench and played four minutes. Barnett played 18 games in the regular season. She averaged 9.4 minutes per game. She scored 39 points and grabbed 44 rebounds. Chowan will travel to Belmont Abbey, ranked #10 in Division II, in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Monday.

Kaylen Campbell: The season of the Division III Trinity Bantams ended in the quarterfinals of the New England Small Conference Athletic Conference on Saturday. Williams College defeated Trinity 65-56 in Williamstown, MA. Campbell played three minutes to end her sophomore season. This season, Campbell played 20 games. She averaged 10.9 minutes per game and 2.6 points per game. Trinity ends the year 16-9.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team played its final home game of the season by rolling past South Carolina Faith A&M 107-33 on Monday night in Raleigh. Cates came off the bench to score four points, grab four rebounds and dish out two assists. The Eagles, who are now 17-7, will travel to Louisburg College on Thursday night to finish the regular season.

Bowen Collins: Belmont Abbey men’s lacrosse team, ranked #6 in Division II, defeated the #16 Lenoir Rhyne Bears 12-7 on Friday at Alumni Field in Belmont. Collins assisted on Lenoir Rhyne’s first goal of the game, which was scored by Eric Dickinson. With that goal, Dickinson became the all-time leading goal scorer in South Atlantic Conference history. Collins had five shots, two on net, and one ground ball. The Bears fall to 2-1.

Zach Wright: The Division II Mars Hill men’s lacrosse team defeated Shorter 8-6 at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill on Wednesday night. Wright, a senior who played at Orange, had two shots. On Saturday, the Lions defeated Emmanuel 15-13. Wright scored a goal for the Lions and had two ground balls. Mars Hill is 3-2.

Aidan Poole: The former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf has started the last three games for the Division III Greensboro College Pride. On Wednesday night, Poole started as a defenseman as Greensboro defeated Ferrum 14-11 in Virgina. Poole also started in Greensboro’s 16-3 win over Oglethorpe University at Pride Field on Saturday. Poole scored his second college goal on February 19 in Guilford’s 16-9 win over the Pride. Last season, Poole played in eleven games for the Pride, but didn’t start in any of them.