Cedar Ridge Cross Country

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore runner Naomi Dyreng. Last fall, Dyreng won the individual championship of the Central Conference women’s cross country meet at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington. It was a Cedar Ridge finish in the top two. Abigail Klaitman finished second. Dyreng would go on to finish third in the Mideast Regional. For the second year in a row, Dyreng qualified for the 3A State Championships, where she finished 17th. This winter, Dyreng qualified for the 3A State Indoor Track & Field Championships. She finished 7th in the 1,600 meters in the 3A State Championships at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. Dyreng qualified for the state championships when she finished with a time of 5:32.95 in the 1,600 meters at the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear at Dave Thaden Stadium on January 27. Last fall, Dyreng helped the Cedar Ridge women finish 2nd in the Central Conference championship meet. Now, she’s gearing up for the outdoor track and field season, which will begin next week. Last year, Dyreng won three Mideast Regional Championships at Franklinton High School. She won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters championships, as well as a relay championship. She ran in the state championships at North Carolina A&T University inside Truist Field in Greensboro. 

Men’s Soccer: Orange 6, Person 0: For the first time since 2018, the Orange men’s soccer team has posted back-to-back shutouts. On Wednesday night, the Panthers defeated Person 6-0 in Roxboro. Senior Finn Kelly earned his second straight clean sheet. Orange has allowed only one goal over the past three games.

On Monday night, the Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 2-0 in overtime. Kelly had a season-high 15 saves as the Panthers won the second leg of the Hillsborough Derby.

The victory improves Orange’s chances of advancing to the state playoffs. Orange was eliminated in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs last season by J.H. Rose. Since men’s soccer started at Orange in 1988, the Panthers have never made the state playoffs in back-to-back years. As of Thursday night, Orange was up to #24 in the 3A East RPI rankings, a six-notch jump compared to one week ago.

Orange (6-6-2 overall, 5-3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) got the opening goal from Daniel Romero, who scored the insurance goal against Cedar Ridge on Monday. Enzo Bruhns, a senior who assisted on Romero’s goal against the Red Wolves, added his first goal of the season in the first half.

Joseph Lopez, a junior who scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Cedar Ridge, added his third goal of the season. Issac Gallegos, Angel Chavez and Issac Gallegos also scored goals for Orange. Yurem Tapia Mendez had two assists on the night. Senior Ryker Stein, Chavez, and Romero also had assists for the Panthers.

The Panthers now have a three-game winning streak. Last week, the Panthers defeated Walter Williams 2-1 in Hillsborough. It is believed to be Orange’s first-ever win over the Bulldogs in men’s soccer. Stein and Mendez scored goals for Orange. Kelly earned the win in net. He finished with seven saves.

Orange will continue its pursuit of a state playoff birth when they face Eno River Academy at the Soccer.com Complex in Efland at 6PM. It’s the first-ever matchup between the two teams in men’s soccer. It will be Orange’s final regular season nonconference game.

Men’s Cross Country: Orange and Cedar Ridge runners were among hundreds of competitors at the Great American Cross Country Festival at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on October 6.

The men’s Race of Champions had 375 competitors. Orange High’s Gabriel Schmid finished 12th with a time of 15:03.30. Schmid was the highest finisher among competitors from a 3A public school. Athens Drive’s Noah Valyo finished first at 14:42.60.

Orange finished 14th among 44 teams that gathered from across the region. Orange sophomore Myles Jermyn came in 90th (16:15.30), while senior Alden Cathey came in 98th (16:17.50). Another Orange sophomore, Lucas Van Mater, finished 142nd (16:39.30). Nolan Hufner, Peter Musser, Cyrus Neal and Alden Viola also competed and finished for Orange.

Belen Jesuit Preparatory School finished first in the men’s team standings.

Schmid, the defending 3A State Individual Champion, will compete again on Saturday during the NC Runners Elite Cross Country Invitational at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Schmid won the state championship on that course last November. Once again, Redmon Sports Complex will be the site of the North Carolina High School State Athletic Association state cross country championships next month.

Cedar Ridge’s men’s cross country team competed in the Blue Race. Edgar Ibarra had a season-best time of 17:59.40, which was good enough for 72nd. Ryan Matthews finished 80th

Women’s Cross Country: Also at the Great American Cross Country Festival, Cedar Ridge’s women’s team competed in the 1-Girls Blue Race. Naomi Dyreng finished 13th among 298 competitors with a time of 19:48.50. Abigail Klaitman had a season-best time of 20:05.90 and finished 29th overall. Kate Finnegan, Anna Peterson, Samantha Quade and Lillian Barber also had season best times for the Red Wolves.

Dyreng was the top finisher for Cedar Ridge in the 3A State Championships last November.

As a sit down to write on the night of September 11, the natural reflex is to write about my memories of September 11.

Then it dawned on me that it’s been 22 years now and this is a high school website. None of the students who read were alive that. They can’t relate to a country that wasn’t nearly as divided back then as it is now.

At the risk of sounding old (like that’s new), the fact America could be the subject of a foreign attack was unheard of in 2001. I worked at WDNC/WCHL, two radio stations inside Durham Bulls Athletic Park when the attacks happened. When the second plane went into the World Trade Center, my General Manager informed me I would have to go in the control room, interrupt regular programming, look at the video on a monitor airing CNN and describe them to our audience.

It was surreal and I wish I could remember what I said, but I honestly can’t. But here’s what I do remember.

That night, Republicans and Democrats who served in Congress stood together on the White House steps and sang “God Bless America.” After the attacks, the content of people’s character really did matter more than the color of their skin.

For about three weeks.

As another birthday comes up for me later this month, I regret time goes by so quickly. As much damage as the last few years have done on optimism, I hope at some point in my life, America will be that united again.

So, let’s get to what we’re here for. The Magnificent Seven for week three, ranging from August 27-through September 2. The best performances from Orange and Cedar Ridge athletes in no particular order.

1. Gabriel Schmid, Orange, Sr.: The defending 3A State Cross County champion continued a strong start to his final season in Hillsborough. He won the opening meet of the season at Person High on August 30 with a time of 18:39. It was a full 46 second ahead of the nearest competitor. Orange, the two-time defending CCC champions, won the opening meet over Cedar Ridge, Person and Southern Alamance.
2. Naomi Dyreng, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: Dyreng, who won three regional championships at the 3A Mideast Outdoor Track and Field Championships last spring, finished first for the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country meet in a quad-meet against Orange, Person and Southern Alamance. Dyreng finished with a time of 22:35. Her teammate, Abigail Klaitman, came in at 22:50 as the Cedar Ridge women captured the meet in Roxboro.
3. Claire Hargett, Cedar Ridge, Soph.: The Cedar Ridge volleyball team opened its CCC scheduled with win over Person and Cedar Ridge. Hargett had 14 kills, 15 digs and one ace in the Person win. In Graham, Hargett had a dig when the Patriots were serving on set point that ultimately tied the opening set. Hargett would finish with 13 kills and 19 digs as the Red Wolves swept the Patriots inside of a sultry Patriots Gymnasium.
4. Ava Wilkerson, Orange, Soph.: Orange continued its long road swing with wins over Jordan and Western Alamance. Wilkerson had ten kills and five blocks for the Lady Panthers against the Falcons in Durham. She followed with eleven kills, a block and an ace in the sweep of Western Alamance, the Lady Panthers’ CCC opener in Elon.
5. Jonam Juarez, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: Juarez scored the game-winning goal with 3:13 remaining as the Red Wolves men’s soccer team battled back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Seaforth 3-2 in Pittbsoro. Juarez finished with two goals, the first of his varsity career as Cedar Ridge remained undefeated. Giovani Yanez also had a goal for Cedar Ridge.
6. Shannon Sollars, Orange, Jr.: Sollars won three matches for the Orange women’s tennis team against Western Alamance and Walter Williams. Against the Warriors, Sollars defeated Reagan Williams 6-1, 6-4. Later in the night, Sollars teamed with her sister, Erinn, to defeat Amelia Weaver and Williams 8-3. Against Williams, the Sollars sisters defeated Abigail Brown and Lindley Oler 8-5.
7. Catherine Ballenger, Cedar Ridge, Sr. The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team won its opening CCC match with a 8-1 win at Southern Alamance on August 30. Ballenger won her singles match over Ava Lynch 6-0, 6-1. In doubles action, Ballenger teamed with Ella Caltabiano to defeat Paicey Cameron and Madalyn Corbett 8-1. Ballenger has won seven matches overall this year.

Men’s cross country: Orange 17, Cedar Ridge 44, Southern Alamance 55, Person 183: Orange senior Gabriel Schmid started his farewell tour at Orange with a first place finish at a meet in Roxboro.

Schmid, the 2022 3A State Champion in men’s cross country, keyed an Orange victory with a time of 18:39 at Rockets Stadium. Orange, the defending Central Carolina Conference champions, had the top four finishers: Alden Cathy, an All-Conference performer in lacrosse, finished second at 19:25, junior Peter Musser came in third (19:33) while sophomore Myles Jermyn finished fourth (19:36).

Cedar Ridge sophomore Henry Alexander, who finished third in a meet at Eno River Academy on August 23, was the highest placer for the Red Wolves. Alexander finished fifth at 20:27. The Red Wolves’ Ryan Matthews came in sixth at 20;34.

Orange also had the seventh place finisher in Nolan Hufner, a sophomore, at 21:07. Cedar Ridge’s Ender Buchanan came in 10th at 21:52. Red Wolves’ senior Grayson Weisenfeld (11th) and Michael O’Melia (12th) helped Cedar Ridge to a second place team finish. Orange’s Lucas Van Mater came in 13th, while Cedar Ridge’s Eli Auchter finished 15th.

Women’s cross country: Cedar Ridge 15, Person 82: The Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team had the top top five finishers to win its Central Carolina Conference opener at Person High. Naomi Dyreng, who won three regional championships in outdoor track & field last year, was the top finisher for the Red Wolves with a time of 22:35. Junior Abigail Klaitman finished second at 22:50.

On August 23, Klaitman finished first at a dual meet at Eno River Academy. Cedar Ridge’s Serena Summers finished third at 25:35. Kaitlyn Horn (27:02) and Cia Biddix (27:14) rounded out the top five.

Orange’s Kassi Scarantino was the highest-placing runner for the Panthers, finishing sixth at 27:31. Scarantino finished one second ahead of teammate Channing Mahaney.

Cedar Ridge’s Gracie Whitaker (8th) and Rebecca Fullwood (10th) had top-ten finishes for the Red Wolves. Orange’s Mia Blake came in 14th, while Cedar Ridge freshman Samantha Quade finished 15th.

Women’s Tennis: Williams 7, Orange 2: In a match that has huge implications for the Central Carolina Conference championship, the Bulldogs gained revenge against Orange from last year.

The Bulldogs swept all six singles matches to defeat Orange in Hillsborough on Thursday. In 2022, Orange defeated Williams to claim a share of the CCC title, the first tennis championship for the Panthers (men’s or women’s) in team history.

The most competitive match of the day was at #2 singles. Williams junior Jaden Wilson defeated Orange’s Shannon Sollars 6-2, 2-6, 10-5. Sophomore Abigail Brown, Freshman Lindsay Oler, Senior Gracie Hartle, junior Lauren Turner and senior Gracie Gabrielli all claimed singles wins for the Bulldogs.

Orange got their victories in doubles play. The team of Erin and Shannon Sollars won over Brown and Oler 8-5. The Sollars sisters are 5-0 this season. Makayla Davis and Molly Kruse defeated Hartle and Gabrielli 9-8, winning the tiebreaker 7-2.

Orange is 4-2, 1-1 in the CCC.

Cedar Ridge 8, Southern Alamance 1: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team won its conference opener in Graham on Thursday. The Red Wolves won all of the singles matches

Senior Cameron Mayhew won at #1 singles over Paicey Cameron 6-1, 6-1. Junior Ella Caltabiano rolled past Madalyn Corbett 6-1, 6-1. Caltabiano also won at #1 doubles, teaming with Catherine Ballenger to defeat Cameron and Corbett 8-1.

Ballenger won her singles match over Ava Lynch 6-0, 6-1. Cedar Ridge’s Raven Mowles-Airing defeated Morgan Edmunds 7-5, 6-4. Annabeth Lundberg won in straight sets over Cherish Ray 6-0, 6-0.

In doubles play, Cedar Ridge’s Madeline Galindo-Woodring and Terra Proctor defeated Lynch and Ray 8-4.

Cedar Ridge is 2-2, 1-0 in the CCC. They will host Orange on Tuesday at Red Wolves Tennis Courts, the first of three matches in three days. The Red Wolves will host Eno River Academy on Wednesday, then travel to Eastern Alamance on Thursday.

Mayhew, the younger sister of three-time CCC men’s player of the year Josh Mayhew, is 3-1 this year in singles play. Cameron Mayhew qualified for regionals in her freshman and juniors years with the Red Wolves.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore cross country runner Naomi Dyreng. This season, Dyreng was the top qualifier for Cedar Ridge in the 3A State Cross Country Championships, held on November 5 at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Dyreng finished 23rd in the 3A State Championships. Last season, Dyreng played tennis, but opted to focus on cross country this fall. She finished 2nd in the Central Carolina Conference championships at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington on October 19. Dyreng had another runner-up finish during a conference meet on August 31. The Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team narrowly missed qualifying as a team for the state championships by only eight points. At the Mideast Regional championships, Dyreng finished 5th individually. Cedar Ridge finished 5th in the Mideast Region with 152 points, while Eastern Alamance came in fourth with 144. Next season, Dyreng hopes to lead Cedar Ridge to qualify as a team in the state championships. Dyreng is also a member of the Cedar Ridge band, where she plays French horn. Dyreng will focus on track and field season this spring. 

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior cross country runner Roman Morrell. Already this season, Morrell has two first-place finishes. On August 27, Morrell won the Ronald Horton Cross Country Classic at Northwood High School, beating out 19 other competitors. On September 13, Morrell finished first in a twi-meet against Walter Williams and Northwood. It propelled the Red Wolves team to a victory. Morrell are to North Carolina from New Hampshire. Last year, he ran in the 3A State Championships in Kernersville, where he came in 26th. Morrell had a top-10 finish in the 2021 3A Mideast Regionals, where he finished ninth. In addition to cross country, Morrell also competed in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters in outdoor track & field, where he qualified for the Mideast Regionals. Earlier this year, Morrell finished 2nd in the Early Bird Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in a field that included 178 other runners. Last Saturday, Morrell finished 2nd in the 38th annual Greensboro Cross Country Invitational at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden. 

Cross Country: The Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s cross country teams were both victorious in its first tri-meet of the season at Northwood, one of the most storied courses in North Carolina.

In the men’s race, the first six runners to cross the finish line were Red Wolves. Senior Roman Morrell earned his second victory of the season, finishing first with a time of 19:07.89. Freshman Ryan Matthews finished second at 19:25.10. Another Cedar Ridge freshman, Michael O’Melia, finished third at 20:45.24. Sophomore Edgar Ibarra (4th), senior Jacob Miller (5th), and freshman Henry Alexander (6th) paved the way for the Red Wolves to finish first as a team with 15 points. Walter Williams came in second with 45 points while Northwood finished third at 70 points.

Cedar Ridge’s Naomi Dyreng claimed her first-ever win in the women’s race. Dyreng finished first among a field of 31 runners with at time of 22:50.61. Red Wolves sophomore Abigail Klaitman came in second at 23:04.35. As a team, the Red Wolves finished with 25 points. Northwood came in second with 59, Walter Williams had 64 and Western Alamance came in fourth at 89 points.

Cedar Ridge freshman Peyton Decker finished sixth while sophomore Anna Peterson finished seventh. Red Wolves freshman Rebecca Fullwood came in 9th (27:11.79) while senior Sarah Fenwick finished tenth.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 7, Northwood 2: The Orange women’s tennis team remain in second place in the Central Carolina Conference after a victory over Northwood on Tuesday at Orange High Tennis Courts.

Erin Sollars had two wins on the night. She claimed her match at #1 singles 6-2, 6-2. Later in the day, Sollars teamed with her younger sister Erin to win at #1 doubles 8-1. The Lady Panthers’ Makayla Davis and Sydney Rogers also had two wins on the day. Davis won her match at #3 singles 6-2, 6-0. At #2 doubles, Davis teamed with Rogers at #2 doubles for an 8-6 win.

Rogers won her singles match 6-1, 6-0.

Orange’s Madelyn Horn won at #6 singles 6-2, 6-2. At #3 doubles, the Lady Panther tandem of Isabel Jones and Katelyn Van Mater prevailed 8-0.

Orange is now 7-2 overall. They will host Riverside on Wednesday.

Cedar Ridge 5, Eastern Alamance 1: In a match shortened by rain, the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team improved to 5-3 overall with a victory over the Eagles in Hillsborough. Junior Cameron Mayhew, the younger sister of Central Carolina Conference Men’s Player of the Year Josh Mayhew, won at #2 singles 6-0, 6-0. Sophomore Ella Caltabiano won at #3 singles 6-1, 6-0. At #4 singles, Cedar Ridge junior Catherine Ballenger prevailed 6-0, 6-0. Cedar Ridge juniors Annabeth Lundberg and Raven Mowles-Aring both won their matches at #5 and #6 singles, respectively.

Cedar Ridge had a match against Eno River Academy last week. The Red Wolves were winning all of the singles matches before rain came down and forced the match to be canceled.

Men’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 8, Eastern Guilford 0: Chris Mendez earned the second hat trick of his career as the Red Wolves rolled to a victory over the Wildcats on September 1. Evan Marty added two goals for Cedar Ridge, which improved to 2-3-1. Junior Iliah Babchenko, Landon Williams and Soloman Hernandez also scored goals for the Red Wolves. Babchenko added two assists, while Rudy Fuentes, Tristan Loguidice and Mendez added assists.

Erik Galunas, a freshman goalkeeper, had a clean sheet for Cedar Ridge.

After the victory over Eastern Guilford, Cedar Ridge had a 10-0 win over Person in its Central Carolina Conference opener. Tonight, the Red Wolves will travel to crosstown rival Orange for the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby.

Allow me to sound old for a moment.

I’m not sure some of the younger people who read this can relate to a world where newspapers covered high school sports in Orange and Durham County extensively. And not just football. If a local athlete did something prominent in wrestling, soccer, basketball or baseball, they would find themselves in bright, bold colors on the front page. Every Saturday was like that on the Durham Herald-Sun.

Usually, on Saturdays, that cover would go to Northern Durham football and with good reason. The Knights were every bit the dynasty locally as the Alabama Crimson Tide are nationally. In 1990, Northern was in the midst of winning its seventh consecutive conference championship. They would win another eleven in a row before the Riverside Pirates ended the dynasty in 2002.

But on one special night in October 1990, Orange football grabbed the elusive Herald-Sun front page. Orange defeated Person in Roxboro and they did it decisively. Scott Satterfield, now the head coach at Louisville, was the Panther quarterback. Damon Scott, who would go on to become an I-AA All-American running back at Appalachian State, scored a touchdown. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a school more unified that week. Dr. Stephen Halkiotis was the principal and, just between you and I, I think he liked by class of 1991. In that group was a future Louisville football coach, a future Durham County District Attorney, a successful car dealership owner, a state championship women’s basketball coach in Georgia, several brave individuals who have served this country during some dire hours. And me.

The pep rally that Friday afternoon was intense, festive and loud. Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat,” had just been released and adopted as a natural anthem for the Panthers (Rhythm Nation was such a good album, it was the soundtrack of practically my entire stay in high school). Dr. H cut a pro wrestling interview over the microphone that would have made Ric Flair proud, or perhaps envious. The entire momentum fed over to Roxboro that Friday against a Person team that had just defeated Northern Durham in famed Durham County Stadium the week prior.

It was Northern’s only conference loss of the 1990s.

So as Person returns to Auman Stadium on Friday night as a conference opponent, those memories have stuck with me this week. It is the Class of 1991’s 30th anniversary. Nowadays, these milestones arrive with bittersweet emotions. As I prepare to do play-by-play for the first Orange-Person conference game in 21 years, I hope some members of my class will be inside Auman Stadium on Friday.

So, we’ve gotten away from what this column is supposed to do, which is to honor the current athletes at Orange and Cedar Ridge. Let’s focus on this week’s honorees for the Magnificent 7.

Spencer Hampton: After winning the 3,200 meters 3A Mideast Regional Championship last June, Hampton started his cross country season with a victory in his first Central Carolina Conference meet of the season. He finished first in a meet that included Cedar Ridge, Northwood, Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance with a time of 17:37.03.

Avery Miller: Had a team-high eleven kills and 23 digs (tied with Sadye Porter for team-high honors) as Orange defeated Williams 3-1 on Tuesday in Burlington. Miller’s eleven kills tied for season-high. She also had eleven kills against Eastern Alamance on September 21. Her 23 digs was a season-high.

Enzo Bruhns: Scored a goal for the Orange men’s soccer team in a 4-2 victory over Eastern Alamance on September 29. Bruhns also had a tying goal against Northwood on September 27 in a game that would up going to overtime. The Chargers prevailed 4-2 in extra time.

Tea Jones: Won her #4 singles match over Cedar Ridge 6-2, 6-3 as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves. Jones later teamed with Jinkie Andrews to win at #3 doubles 8-4.

Chloe Patz: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team became the first team in the Central Carolina Conference to defeat Northwood last week. The Red Wolves prevailed 5-4 in a match where action lingered well into the night, climaxing with the #3 doubles match to determine the entire shooting match. Senior Chloe Patz won at #2 singles 1-6, 6-2 and 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 10-8. On Wednesday, Patz teamed with sophomore Cameron Mayhew to win at #1 doubles against Orange 8-1.

Cameron Lanier: It was another big week for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team, which captured three matches over the course of four days to take command of the Central Carolina Conference race. On Monday, the Red Wolves defeated Jordan 3-1 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Lanier finished with ten kills. It was her eighth double-digit kill game of the season. Cedar Ridge would go on to CCC wins over Northwood and at Orange. Lanier had another double-digit kill game against the Lady Panthers as the Red Wolves completed its first two-game season sweep of its crosstown rival since 2015.

Roman Morrell: The Cedar Ridge men’s cross country participated in its first Central Carolina Conference meet at Northwood High School in Pittsboro last week. Roman Morrell finished fifth for the Red Wolves with a time of 18:00.90. Morrell, a junior, was the highest placer for the Red Wolves.

The cross country course at Northwood High School is one of the premier sites in the state. It has hosted conference and regional championships.

Only two months after nearly winning a state championship in track & field, Orange’s Spencer Hampton continued a stellar start to the fall season in Pittsboro.

On Monday, Hampton finished first in a Central Carolina Conference meet that also included Cedar Ridge, Northwood, Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance. Hampton had the top time of the day at 17:37.03, pacing a pack of 64 runners.

Hampton’s finished led Orange to come in 2nd in the team standings with 47 points. Northwood, which had four of the top seven runners, finished first with 23 points.

Orange’s Abezu Delvecchia was the only other Panther in the top 10, coming in 9th at 19:00.62.

Cedar Ridge came in fourth in the team standings with 98 points. Junior Roman Morrell came in fourth overall for the Red Wolves with a time of 18:00.90.

On September 10, Hampton finished 2nd in the Friday Night Lights Festival at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville among 238 runners in the men’s invitational race. In June, Hampton led most of the race in the 3,200 meters at the 3A State Track & Field Championships at North Carolina A&T University. He finished 2nd behind Williams

In the Friday Night Lights Festival, Orange’s Gabriel Schmid finished 11th, crossing the finishing line at 16:43.60.

In the Northwood meet, Cyrus Neal came in 11th, while Schmid finished 21. Freshman Aiden Viola, sophomore lien Cathey, seniors Gabriel Jamison and Ethan Horton, Josiah McCoy and Jospeh Bernardo all finished in the top 50 for Orange.

For Cedar Ridge, Grayson Weisenfeld, sophomore Ethan Benner, Ryan Rakouskas, freshman Ryan Capps, junior John Stephenson, freshman Shea Spiller, and senior Mason Meyer all had top-50 finishes.

In the women’s race at Northwood, the top finisher from a local school was Orange junior Sophia Schultz, who crossed the finish line at 24:38.01.

The Cedar Ridge women’s team finished third among six teams. The Red Wolves had four runners finish in the top 20, including junior Sarah Fenwick, who came in 15th. Senior Sarah Tucker, who has competed in cross country and track & field at Cedar Ridge since she was a freshman, came in 17th.

Cedar Ridge’s Caroline Fowlkes, who qualified for the 3A State Track & Field Championships in the pole vault as a freshman, finished 21st.

Freshman Celine Galla came in 22nd, while Serena Summers and Georgia Roney finished 25th and 27th, respectively.

The Orange women’s team came in 5th in the overall standings. Abby Hengsterman, Harper Trost, Maggie Saunders, Avery Hengsterman, and Margaret Hales all had top 40 finishes for the Panthers. Junior Kate Barger also crossed the finish line for Orange.

In the Friday Night Lights Festival, freshman Caroline Cathey was the top Orange finisher on the women’s team with a time of 23:11.00. She finished 123rd out of 210 runners. Kassi Scarantino, Schultz, Saunders, and Hales also ran for Orange in Kernersville.

Cathey’s time in Kernersville was the top time by a female Orange runner so far in the young season.

The Cedar Ridge men’s Ross country team won its season-opening meet at West Point on the Eno. The Red Wolves topped the standings ahead of Northern Durham and Southern Durham. Red Wolves senior Jay Cole won a sprint to the finish line to earn first place overall. He finished with a time of 21:02. Cedar Ridge’s Harrison Park finished third with a time of 21:33. Cole, like all the other competitors, had to get used to running with a mask on during chilly temperatures in late autumn. Usually, cross country season starts in mid-August during the hazy final days of summer. Cole and the rest of the Cedar Ridge men’s cross country team will look ahead to the 3A Mideast Regional meet in January.