Cedar Ridge Football

Photo courtesy of chicagobears.com

“Are you ready to become a Chicago Bear?” asked Ryan Poles.

Those were the first words that Trenton Gill heard from the Chicago Bears General Manager when he picked up the phone inside his parents’ home in Hillsborough on April 30.

“Yes, sir,” Gill said. “I’m excited to be a Chicago Bear.”

After a one-minute conversation, Gill was officially the 255th overall selection in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was one of four punters selected.

“Everyone got their cameras out in my home when they announced it on television,” Gill said. “They started looking at me, then they looked at the TV. Everyone knows how hard I’ve worked and all about my situation. Just to see them see how it paid off for me was very rewarding. It was a cool experience.”

By the start of May, Gill had already started in rookie mini-camp for a position that’s wide open.

Pat O’Connell, who had been the Bears’ punter for eight seasons, signed a $4 million free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers in March.

Now, Gill is competing to be the man to replace O’Connell, who was selected by the Bears in the sixth-round of the 2014 NFL Draft. In a promising sign, the Bears waived journeyman punter Ryan Winslow on May 17.

As he comes upon the five-year anniversary of his graduation from Cedar Ridge High School, Gill has already accomplished many things that no other Red Wolf has ever done.

He is the first Cedar Ridge football player to ever be selected in the NFL Draft. Though Chicago has struggled in recent years, there’s no other place he would rather be.

“Before the draft, we had a big board of the teams that we wanted to go to,” Gill told Hillsboroughsports.com the day after he was drafted. “We wanted the best opportunity. Chicago was number one the whole time. It fell in my favor they took me in the draft.”

On May 6, Gill signed a four-year contract with the Bears. Three weeks ago, Gill participated in the first of several organized team activities scheduled for this summer during a period of transition for the venerable franchise.

The tumultuous tenure of former head coach Matt Nagy ended in January after the Bears went 6-11 in 2021. It was the culmination of a total overhaul for a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010. Poles was hired on January 25 as the new General Manager. Two days later, former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was named the Bears’ 17th head coach.

In February, Richard Hightower was added to Eberflus’ staff as special teams coordinator. Eberflus has spent the previous five seasons as the special teams coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.

“I really like their special teams coordinator,” Gill said. “We got along really well when we spoke. Their philosophy matches my philosophy with the kicking game. There’s a real big opportunity there. They don’t have a real established starter right now. I think I can go in there right now and be the day 1 starter.”

Gill’s rise to NFL draft boards came after a spectacular redshirt junior season at N.C. State. He left Raleigh as the Wolfpack’s all-time leader in career punting average at 46.3 yards. During the 2020 season, Gill was third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 44.9 yards per punt. He averaged a career-high 54.7 yards on three punts at UNC in 2020 and was named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Gill’s career at N.C. State ended with exhilaration and disappointment. On November 26, Gill’s final home game at Carter-Finley Stadium ended with a raucous comeback as the Wolfpack stunned archrival North Carolina 34-30 after trailing 30-21 with 2:04 remaining. It was the first time the Wolfpack defeated a Mack Brown-coached UNC team since 1992.

“I love to throw that game on and watch it,” Gill said with a chuckle. “It’s always a great ending. I felt like, as a team, we knew we were going to come back and win that game. We did it at Clemson. We knew we were a better team than Carolina. We knew we could finish games and once we started scoring, it was over for them. We were just certain it was going to happen.”

Gill was supposed to conclude his career in the Holiday Bowl against UCLA. Gill and the rest of the Wolfpack traveling team had already journeyed across the country to San Diego, only to learn just hours before kickoff that the game had been canceled because of a COVID breakout among the Bruins’ players.

As he received the phone call from Poles at his home in Hillsborough with his parents, Gill didn’t necessarily reach the end of a lifelong mission. It was just the reward of plenty of sweat spilled along the way, starting as an adolescent on the playgrounds along N.C. 86.

“I’ve never really thought about being an NFL punter,” Gill said. “I’ve always tried to work really hard and let that take me wherever it’s going to take me. I’ve never thought I would make it to this point. It’s a reality now that I am an NFL punter. But I never really was like ‘This is what I have to do.’ I just kind of enjoyed doing it, enjoyed working hard and this is where it took me.”

When Gill was at Cedar Ridge, he was a three-sport athlete. He played two sports simultaneously during the fall, along with men’s tennis in the spring under head coach Lennie Corbett.

When August rolled around, Gill would play for the Red Wolves soccer team under then-head coach Chris Walker. On Friday nights, he would wear the #99 jersey (#11 in his sophomore season) under head coaches Scott Loosemore and Clay Jones to serve as the triple-threat kicker for the football team.

“Everyone was really nice at Cedar Ridge,” Gill said. “They really helped me build me up to where I was when I started at N.C. State. I wouldn’t have been the same player at N.C. State without my upbringing through Cedar Ridge and Hillsborough. At Stanback Middle School and New Hope Elementary. All of those places made me what I am today. And without that, I would be a totally different person.”

In his senior year, Gill led the Red Wolves soccer team with 16 goals, which led to Cedar Ridge making the 3A State Playoffs. He also played on the last Cedar Ridge football team to have a winning season in 2016, beating Northern Vance in the season-finale in Henderson to finish 6-5.

He hasn’t forgotten Hillsborough. During his time at N.C. State, Gill raised $12,000 for new playground equipment for New Hope Elementary School. Unbeknownst to him as a fifth-grader, it was the place where Gill started that has led him to the NFL.

“What I learned at Cedar Ridge, at Stanback and at New Hope will be instilled within me,” Gill said. “I’ll try to keep promoting Cedar Ridge, no matter where I’m at. I’d love to do some fundraising for Cedar Ridge football someday and help them out. That’s the way I started my football career and if I could help out future student-athletes at Cedar Ridge, that would be great.”

Last month, Trenton Gill became the first former Cedar Ridge football player to be named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference.

Now, he will try to be the first Cedar Ridge player to reach the National Football League.

Gill formally announced plans to enter the NFL Draft on Twitter last week. He just completed his redshirt junior season with the Wolfpack and had another season of eligibility remaining.

Gill’s career at N.C. State ended in bizarre fashion. The Wolfpack were slated to face UCLA in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 28. Only five hours before kickoff, the game was canceled because of an excessive amount of positive COVID-19 cases within the Bruins program. N.C. State coach Dave Doeren, still looking none too happy, accepted the Holiday Bowl trophy from event officials the next day.

Two days later, Gill announced his intentions for the NFL Draft.

“Throughout my five years of playing football here at N.C. State, I have grown a tremendous amount,” Gill tweeted. “I appreciate all of the love and support from my family, friends, teammates, coaches, and fans throughout my career. With that, I would like to announce that I am declaring for the NFL Draft and will pursue my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. Thank you Wolfpack Nation!”

This year, Gill led the ACC with a 45-yard per punt average. He entered this season the all-time leader in N.C. State history with a 46.3 yard per punt mark, which was the second-best average among returning punters in the ACC.

It was the second time in his career that Gill led the ACC in yards per punt. As a sophomore in 2019, Gill set a school-record with a 47.6 yards per punt average. The previous mark was set in 1974. He amassed 2,663 punt yards overall, the 11th highest single-season mark in school history. As a sophomore, he was named third-team All-ACC.

This season, Gill had two punts over 60 yards. Against Boston College on October 16, he had a 65-yard punt, a career long. Against Florida State on November 6 in Tallahassee, Gill had a 60-yard punt.

Overall, Gill had 23 punts over fifty yards in 2021. Of his 70 attempts, 31 were downed inside the 20-yard line. In his final game, a wild and memorable win over North Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on November 26, Gill had five punts, two of which were downed inside the 20-yard line. His average of 37 yards was actually his second-lowest of the season. His long agains the Tar Heels was 54 yards.

Gill entered N.C. State after being named All-Big 8 Conference in two different sports at Cedar Ridge. He played soccer under head coach Chris Walker. In football, he was a punter and occasional linebacker under Scott Loosemore.

After redshirting in 2017, Gill played only in the season-finale against East Carolina the following year, a 58-3 Wolfpack blowout that occurred just days after the Pirates fired Scottie Montgomery as head coach. Against ECU, he had three kickoffs.

Gill won the starting punting job in 2019 and never surrendered it. His first game as punter also came against East Carolina on August 31, 2019.

While playing alongside another Hillsborough product, former Orange High linebacker Payton Wilson, Gill has maintained close ties to Hillsborough. In addition to his duties with the Wolfpack, Gill started a fundraiser for new playground equipment at New Hope Elementary School. Last week, Gill announced that he had raised enough money to buy a new slide along with hundreds of new balls.

Last Saturday, there was a special ribbon cutting ceremony that included New Hope Elementary Principal Dr. Meredith Miller.

Photo by Gopack.com

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter was named first-team All-ACC last week following the Wolfpack’s win over North Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium. Gill led the Atlantic Coast Conference in punting average for the second time in his career. He also led the league in punts placed inside the 20-yard line with 31, which is nine more than any other punter in the league. The Wolfpack, which is now ranked #18 in the Associated Press poll, accepted a bid to play in the Holiday Bowl on December 28 in San Diego. The Wolfpack will face UCLA at Petco Park. In the Wolfpack’s 34-30 win over UNC, Gill had five punts for an average of 37 yards. His longest was 54 yards. Two were downed inside the 20-yard line.

Keshawn Thompson: After leading the Campbell football team in tackles this season, Thompson was named to the All-Academic District III team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Thompson, who is a graduate student working towards his MBA, led Campbell with 80 tackles in 2021.

Emerson Talley: The Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team has reached the Final Four of the NCAA Division II Tournament. On Friday, the Bears defeated #18 Flagler 1-1, prevailing on penalty kicks 4-2 to win the Southeast Regional Championship for just the second time in school history. On Sunday, Lenoir-Rhyne advanced to the Final Four winning in penalties 4-3 over Florida Tech at UWF Soccer Complex in Pensacola, FL. It’s the first time ever that the Bears have reached the Final Four. Lenoir-Rhyne, which is now 12-5-5, will face #1 Grand Valley State at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Thursday afternoon.

Braden Homsey: Homsey finished fourth at 197 pounds in the Arms Software Patriot Open at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia on Saturday. Homsey, competing for Division III Ferrum College, faced Division I opposition. Homsey opened with a 5-3 win over Azeem Bell of Rider University. He advanced to the quarterfinals with a Brock Del Signor of the Wolfpack Wrestling Club. The top seed, Cole Urbas of the University of Pennsylvania, defeated Homsey 16-1. Campbell University’s Levi Hopkins defeated Homsey 12-7 in the third place match. Homsey was the only wrestler from Ferrum College to place in the tournament.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team defeated Patrick Henry Community College 95-77 in Pinehurst on Wednesday. McMullin came off the bench to play 14 minutes, where he compiled nine points, all from 3-point range. He was 3-of-4 from downtown and 3-of-9 from the field. He also had four rebounds. On Saturday, the Flyers defeated Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute 75-67 in Pinehurst. McMullin came off the bench to score six points and grab one rebound in 16 minutes. The Flyers, which are ranked #11 in Division III of the National Junior College Athletic Association, are now 7-4. Caldwell Community College came into the game undefeated. On November 23, Spartanburg Methodist defeated Sandhills 103-77. McMullin started for the Flyers and scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds. Sandhills will return to action tonight (Monday) to face the Pfeiffer junior varsity squad.

Kessel Summers: Summers, who won over 100 matches in his Orange wrestling career, started in his second meet at Bluefield University on November 14. In the Averett University Open in Danville, VA, Summers went 2-2, reaching the quarterfinals before losing. On Sunday, the Rams participated in the King University Open in Bristol, TN.

Braden Homsey: The Division III Ferrum Wrestling team went 3-1 during the Star City Duals at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA on Saturday. Former Orange wrestler Braden Homsey won all four of his matches. Ferrum defeated #24 Ozarks 28-19, where Homsey pinned Cruz Partain in 3:40, which ensured a Panther victory. Homsey pinned Porter Trapp of Southern Virginia in 1:01 at 197 pounds. Ferrum defeated Southern Virginia 38-15. The Panthers defeated Apprentice 32-21. Homsey scored a technical fall over Robin Edens 26-8. The only loss on the afternoon for Ferrum came against Roanoke 25-16. Homsey did earn a major decision victory over Collin Milko 14-3. Homsey is 10-0 so far this season for the Panthers.

Trenton Gill: The #25 N.C. State football team rolled past Syracuse 41-17 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. It was actually a defensive struggle for most of the first half before the Wolfpack scored four touchdowns in the final 6:20 of the second quarter. Gill had three punts for an average of 36 yards. The longest was 42 yards. Two of them were downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill had eight kickoffs, only one of which was a touchback. The Wolfpack will face North Carolina on Friday night in the biggest matchup between the two schools in decades. N.C. State is now ranked #24. If State wins and Wake Forest loses to Boston College, then the Wolfpack will go to the ACC Championship game in Charlotte for the first time ever.

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell football team’s season came to an end with a 20-17 overtime loss to Robert Morris on Saturday at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, PA. In the final game of his career, Thompson had an interception in the fourth quarter, which set up the Camels for a chance to win the game on a 27-yard field goal. A facemask penalty pushed the attempt back to 42-yards, which came up wide right. Thompson had two tackles on the afternoon. Campbell ends the season 3-8, 2-5 in the Big South Conference. Thompson led Campbell with 78 tackles this season, including 24 unassisted and 54 assisted. He also had two interceptions.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon Phoenix football team ended the season strong with a 43-28 victory over #25 Rhode Island at Rhodes Stadium. The Phoenix ended the year 6-5, its first winning season since 2018. Chnupa didn’t play in the game, but played in each of Elon’s other ten games this season.

Connor Crabtree: Drake defeated the Richmond men’s basketball team 73-70 at the Drake Knapp Center in Des Moines, IA on Saturday. Crabtree came off the bench to play 13 minutes for the Spiders. He finished scoreless after attempting one 3-pointer. On Tuesday, the Spiders defeated Georgia State 94-78 at the Robins Center. Crabtree scored five points, including a 3-pointer. He also grabbed two rebounds. Richmond is 2-2 and will host Hofstra on Monday in Richmond.

Joey McMullin: Last week, the Sandhills Community College junior varsity team defeated the Methodist University junior varsity squad 107-46 in Fayetteville. McMullin scored 13 points and grabbed three rebounds for the Flyers, who improved its record to 5-2. On Saturday, Richard Bland College defeated Sandhills 82-76. McMullin, who started once again for Sandhills, finished with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists. In eight games thus far with the Flyers, McMullin had started ever game. He is averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 54.5% from the field. In its final game before Thanksgiving, Sandhills will host Spartanburg Methodist on Tuesday in Pinehurst.

“Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl. I got a feelin’.”

That would be the song that Lou Geary would sing during loose moments in his woodshop class at what was then called Stanford Middle School. It was a trademark tune crooned by Pittsburgh fans almost annually as fall gave way to winter and head coach Chuck Noll took a franchise that was once the laughing stock of the National Football League (one playoff team from 1945-1971) and led them to four Super Bowl championships in six seasons.

The names that shaped those championship teams and made the Pittsburgh Steelers a worldwide brand name are synonymous with football. Terry Bradshaw. Joe Greene. Franco Harris. Jack Lambert. John Stallworth. Lynn Swann.

They all captured Geary’s imagination as he played under coach Bud Billiard at Brooke High School in Weilsburg, West Virginia. Just as Noll built the Steelers franchise from the ground up starting in the early 1970s, Geary did the same thing with various athletic programs at Stanford and at Cedar Ridge High School in the subsequent three decades. Like Noll, Geary was a championship coach many times over.

On October 31, Geary passed away in New Bern after a four-year battle with dementia at the age of 63. Funeral services will be held today at Hillsborough United Methodist Church at 3PM.

Donald Lou Geary graduated from Fairmont State University, where he was enshrined in the school’s Hall of Fame in 2020 for football and wrestling. He was a four-year letterman in football with the Falcons, along with a two-year letterman for wrestling. After graduation, he journeyed to Hillsborough with his wife and was hired by Stanford Principal Leonard Mayo as an industrial arts teacher. Geary was the football, wrestling and track & field coach at Stanford from 1987 until 2000. The Chargers became a dominant Wednesday afternoon institution in northern Orange County, often playing games at Auman Stadium and collecting one Orange-Person Athletic Conference championship after another. Geary’s two oldest sons, Mack and Sam, played at Stanford for their father.

“He wanted people to love the game just as much as he did,” said Jake Geary, his youngest son. “He shared that passion with anybody who even had the smallest interest in it. His high school coach, Bud Billiard, was a tremendous influence on him. He was just as passionate as many father was. That’s where my father got his drive from.”

Stanford’s wrestling program was even more dominant. They went years without losing a dual match. Stanford was Orange High’s feeder school, which was part of the reason why Orange won 16 consecutive conference championships and five state championships under head coach Bobby Shriner.

“He loved Stanford,” said Jake, who played at Stanback. “He had a dynasty there. He was with his buddies at Stanford. He didn’t want to leave that until Mack, Sam and I got older and went on to high school.”

After one season as an assistant under former Orange football coach Bill Hynus in 2001, Geary was chosen by Cedar Ridge Athletic Director, Jim Pappas, to become the first head football coach at Cedar Ridge High School. Naturally, he would also be the Red Wolves’ first wrestling coach. In the midst of the summer of 2002, as officials prepared for the opening of Cedar Ridge, Geary and baseball coach Andy Simmons would pick up rocks off the field that would eventually become Cedar Ridge Stadium.

“It was a huge change of pace being at a higher level,” Jake said of his father’s transition to Cedar Ridge. “They started the program from scratch. Over that summer, I was right out there picking up rocks with my dad. One of his former players texted me the other day to remind me about that. He literally had to build that program from scratch.”

Geary took over the Cedar Ridge program in 2002 without any seniors. Within three years, they captured its first football conference championship.

At Cedar Ridge, Geary coached the greatest running back in school history, Devon Moore, who would go on to be a featured back for Appalachian State’s 2006 Division I National Championship team. Moore rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries as Appalachian defeated Massachusetts 28-17 in Chattanooga, TN to win the national championship. Moore rushed for nearly 6,000 yards and 42 touchdowns in his Cedar Ridge career, though Appalachian State and Wofford were the only schools to offer him a Division I scholarship.

In 2006, Cedar Ridge went 10-4 and reached the third round of the 2-AA State Playoffs. After playoff wins over Swansboro and Northwood, the Red Wolves lost to Bunn in the regional semifinals.

“That was one of the highlights of his career,” Jake said. “All those kids that stuck together and reaching the third round of the playoffs was high on his list.”

“He meant so much to this school,” said Simmons, now Cedar Ridge’s Athletic Director. “I came over with him from Orange. Just as incredible person. He touched so many lives in Hillsborough and surrounding places. Sometimes, there are just no words to describe what a person meant to so many. I think Coach Geary is one of those people.”

Jake was the 2010 2A North Carolina High School Athletic Association Shot Put champion at Cedar Ridge. He played football at East Carolina under head coach Ruffin McNeill after being recruited by Skip Holtz, now the head coach at Louisiana Tech. Jake Geary currently teaches at North Carolina Virtual Public Schools after four years at Broad Creek Middle School in Newport.

“He coached me just like he would anyone else on the team,” Jake said. “I always told people that I had to have it tougher because if I didn’t, people would say I was getting playing time just because I was the coach’s son. It was hard but I enjoyed having him as my coach. I didn’t just get it at practice, I got it at home, too.”

Geary left Cedar Ridge in 2010 to coach at Person High School, partly to get closer to a lake house that the family owned near Roxboro. They held annual Super Bowl parties there every winter, including Super Bowl XLIII, where Geary’s Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23.

Even after all the championships he won in Hillsborough, Geary never forgot that the greatest place on earth is home. In 2015, he returned to West Virginia as an assistant coach for East Fairmont High School’s football team, serving with his brother, John, the head coach. The following year, Lou became the head coach for the 2016 season before resigning and returning to North Carolina.

“He wasn’t even looking for a job,” Jake said. “His brother wound up calling him and asked if he wanted to do with him. He jumped all over that and they worked together. It was a young team and they were trying to build something together.”

In recent years, Geary had kept up with Cedar Ridge athletics. Jake says it was a topic of one of their final conversations at a memory care facility in New Bern, where Geary stayed since July.

“Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard from people from West Virginia to North Carolina to Virginia,” Jake said. “Old coaches and teammates that I’ve never met before. All of them said the same thing. He loved the game and he took everybody under their wing and treated them exactly the same. He always had a smile on his face. It was amazing reading how many people he impacted.”

Photo by Averett University

Braden Homsey: Braden Homsey captured the 197-pound championship for Division III Ferrum College during the Averett Cougar Open at the Grant Center in Danville, VA on Saturday. Homsey defeated Jackson Shumate 16-1 in the 2nd round. In the quarterfinals, Homsey grabbed a major decision over Austin Suess of Southwest Virginia 11-2. In the semifinals, Homsey pinned William Headley of Liberty in 2:12. Homsey scored another technical fall in the championship match over William Baldwin of Averett 21-4. In a field of 20 teams, the Panthers finished third with 127 points.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team defeated Hosanna Bible College 99-76 at The Hangar in Pinehurst last Monday. McMullin, who scored over 1,000 points in his Orange High career, scored a career-high 27 points for the Flyers. He shot 12-of-15 from the field, including two 3-pointers. On Wednesday, the Flyers defeated Guilford Technical Community College 106-99 in Greensboro. McMullin, who started, had 17 points and six rebounds. On Saturday, Wake Technical Community College defeated Sandhills 126-109 in Pinehurst. McMullin, who started and played 16 minutes, scored six points. He also added two rebounds and an assist. The Flyers are 4-2, 0-2 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They will play the Methodist University junior varsity squad in Fayetteville on Tuesday.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond Spiders started its men’s basketball season with a a 70-60 victory over North Carolina Central in the Robins Center on Tuesday. Crabtree came off the bench and scored two points, grabbed one rebound and dished out two assists. On Friday, Utah State defeated Richmond 85-74 in the opening game of the Veterans Classic at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, MD. Crabtree had a stickleback basket to put Richmond in the lead 65-63 with 5:38 remaining, but the Aggies went on a 18-3 run to take control of the game. Crabtree scored six points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. Richmond hosts Georgia State on Tuesday night.

Trenton Gill: Former Cedar Ridge All-Conference punter Trenton Gill was named a co-Captain for #21 N.C. State’s game against #13 Wake Forest at Truist Field in Winston-Salem. In the highest-scoring game in 115 all-time matchups, the Demon Deacons defeated the Wolfpack 45-42. Gill had six punts for an average of 45 yards. Two punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. His longest was 52 yards, one of two punts over 50-yards. Gill also had seven kickoffs, six of which were touchbacks. The Wolfpack, who are now ranked #25 by the Associated Press, will host Syracuse at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday.

Keshawn Thompson: For the fifth time this year, Thompson led the Campbell football team in tackles. Thompson had ten tackles in the Camels’ 28-21 loss to Hampton at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. It was Thompson’s senior day. Campbell has lost five in a row and is now 3-7 overall, 2-4 in the Big South Conference. They will wrap up the season at Robert Morris on Saturday.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team defeated Towson 37-14 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, MD on Saturday. It was the Phoenix’s fourth road win of the season. Chnupa played special teams and defense for the Phoenix, who improved to 5-5, 4-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix will wrap up the regular season against #25 Rhode Island at Rhodes Stadium in Elon on Saturday.

Emerson Talley: The Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team received an at-large birth for the Division II NCAA Tournament. The Bears, which includes former Cedar Ridge forward Emerson Talley, will face Catawba in the opening round in Salisbury on Saturday at 6PM. Last week, the Bears lost to Queens 1-0 in double overtime in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Matthews. The Bears will enter the NCAA Tournament 11-5-2 overall.

Kate Burgess: The UNC rowing team finished its first official race of the season at the Rivanna Romp in Charlottesville, VA on Sunday afternoon. Burgess was aboard the 2V8+ boat, which finished 21st at 15:02.00. In the Varsity Four race, Burgess was aboard the 4V4+, which finished 24th at 17:21.8.

Bailey Lucas: Bailey Lucas’ career with the Meredith volleyball team has come to an end. The Avenging Angels were snubbed from the NCAA Division III volleyball tournament despite a 23-8 record and reaching the championship match of the USA South Athletic Conference tournament. This season, Lucas was 2nd on the team with 506 assists. She had 24 aces.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges was named to the first team All-Colonial Athletic Association for the Elon women’s soccer team last week. Hodges, a junior, played in all 17 games and compiled 1,561 minutes for the Phoenix, who finished the season 9-6-2 overall, 4-3-2 in the CAA. Hodges, playing along the backline, helped Elon to six shutouts, second in the CAA. She was tied for the team lead with three goals. One of them came against rival UNC Wilmington to tie the game in the 84th minute.

Emerson Talley: Talley returned to action for Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team against Carson-Newman on Wednesday. The Bears took the win over the Eagles 3-2. Talley checked in late in the game at Mortez Complex in Hickory.

Taylin Jean: Jean earned the victory as goalkeeper for the final win of the season for the Limestone women’s soccer team last Wednesday. Jean posted a clean sheet against Lincoln Memorial in a 2-0 Saints win. She made three saves as Limestone held the Railsplitters to four shots. On Saturday, Limestone played the aforementioned Lenoir-Rhyne Bears in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference tournament at Mortez Sports Complex in Hickory. Jean started as goalkeeper. On paper, at least, it pitted two former Cedar Ridge teammates against each other, though Talley didn’t play for the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne won 2-0. Jean played all 90 minutes and made four saves. Limestone ends the year 10-5-1 with a sixth-place finish in the SAC.

Trenton Gill: Gill was named a co-Captain for the Wolfpack in its 28-14 win over Florida State on Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL. Gill had eight punts and averaged 45.2 yards per boot. His longest was 60 yards. He had another punt that went 53 yards. There were five punts downed inside the 20-yard line. The Wolfpack, ranked #21 in the Associated Press, will face Wake Forest in a huge matchup on Saturday at Truist Field in Winston-Salem.

“Field position is a great friend to a defense,” said N.C. State coach Dave Doeren. “Ninety-yard fields, when you’re a defensive coordinator, are nice to call the game in. Trent’s a weapon. He’s really, really kicking the football well on kickoffs, too. This isn’t a one-time thing. This has been multiple games this year. He’s flipping the field, too. He had a bomb on one of those punts. We’re very fortunate to have the specialist crew that we do right now.”

Keshawn Thompson: James Madison throttled Campbell 51-14 at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, VA on Saturday. Thompson had nine tackles for the Camels, who have lost four straight. Campbell will host Hampton for Senior Day on Saturday.

Adam Chnupa: #10 Villanova routed Elon 35-0 at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday. Chnupa entered the game as a defensive reserve for the Phoenix. Elon falls to 4-5, 3-3 in the CAA. They will travel to Towson on Saturday.

Bailey Lucas: The Meredith College volleyball team reached the championship game of the USA South Conference Tournament. On Saturday, Southern Virginia defeated the Avenging Angels 3-1 for the championship at Knight Arena in Buena Vista, VA. Lucas, in what may have been her final game, led Meredith with 21 assists. She also had ten digs and two aces. In the semifinals on Friday, Meredith defeated Maryville 3-2. Lucas started and again led the Avenging Angels with 24 assists. She also had seven digs and one block. In the quarterfinals, Meredith swept William Peace. Lucas had 18 assists (a team-high) with four digs and two aces. Lucas, a setter for the Meredith College volleyball team, was named to the USA South Athletic Conference All-Sportsmanship team. Meredith will now wait and see if they receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament. The field will be announced later today.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team opened its regular season with a 95-84 victory over Lenoir Community College in Kinston last Wednesday. McMullin started his first official game with the Flyers and scored ten points off 5-of-12 shooting from the field. He also had five rebounds. On Friday, Anne Arundel Community College defeated Sandhills 82-75 in the Flyers’ home opener. McMullin led the Flyers with 20 points off 10-of-19 shooting.

On Saturday, Sandhills defeated Shooting For Greatness Academy 96-72 in Pinehurst. McMullin had 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Braden Homsey: The Division III Ferrum wrestling team started its dual season with a loss to Washington & Lee 35-7 last week. Homsey won the first match of his senior season with a 10-3 decision over Matt Majoy at 197 pounds. On Sunday, Homsey competed in the Southeast Open at Roanoke College in Salem, VA. Homsey dropped both of his matches.

Brittany Daley: As her women’s soccer career winds down at Division III Greensboro College, former Cedar Ridge centerback Brittany Daley was honored by the USA South Conference. Daley was named to the All-Sportsmanship team. In her final game at Greensboro College’s Pride Field, Greensboro defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 1-0 on Sunday. Daley had a chance to score her first career goal for the Pride as she lined up for a penalty, but the kick was knocked away by Battling Bishops’ goalkeeper Alicia Jacobs in the 80th minute. Daley had a career-high three shots in the match. On Tuesday, Mary Baldwin University defeated Greensboro 2-0 in the opening round of the USA South Conference Tournament in Staunton, VA. In her final game, Daley played all 90 minutes. The Pride ends the year 5-10-3 overall, 3-4-2 in the USA South. Daley concludes her Greensboro College career with 55 career games and 52 starts. She was a starter for the Pride when they won the USA South East Division championship last spring.

Kayla Hodges: The former Orange High midfielder was honored on Senior Day by the Elon women’s soccer team last Sunday before its game against Towson at Rudd Field. The Tigers defeated the Phoenix 1-0. Hodges had a shot on goal and finished with two shots. Elon is 6-5-1 overall, 1-2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon will conclude the regular season with a trip to Drexel on Sunday.

Taylin Jean: On Saturday, the Carson-Newman women’s soccer team defeated Limestone 1-0 at McCown Field in Jefferson City, TN. Jean replaced starting Limestone goalkeeper Katie Maher in the the 40th minute. Jean played the final 50 minutes and made one save. Limestone falls to 9-4-1 overall, 5-4-1 in the South Athletic Conference.

Jordan Rogers: Like Daley, Rogers was named to the All-USA South Sportsmanship team for William Peace University. The Pacers ended its season last weekend after a double overtime loss to Salem College. Peace concluded the season 4-7-3 overall, 2-5-2 in the USA South.

Trenton Gill: The N.C. State football team became bowl eligible after beating Louisville 28-13 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. Gill, the Wolfpack’s punter, was busy on a night where the defenses largely dominated. He had six punts for an average of 45.4 yards. His longest was 53 yards, one of two punts over 50 yards. Five of his six punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also had five kickoffs with three touchbacks. The Cardinals were coached by former Orange High quarterback Scott Satterfield.

Keshawn Thompson: Charleston Southern defeated Campbell University 27-14 at Buccaneer Field in Charleston, S.C. on Saturday afternoon. Thompson, coming off 12-tackle game against Kennesaw State, finished with six tackles for the Camels. Campbell is now 3-5 overall, 2-3 in the Big South Conference.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team suffered a disappointing 45-21 loss to #5 James Madison at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, VA on Saturday. Adam Chnupa played special teams and defeated for the Phoenix. Elon drops to 4-4 overall, 3-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They will host Villanova next Saturday at Rhodes Stadium

Bailey Lucas: The Meredith volleyball team build a ten-game winning streak before it was snapped during a quad-match on Saturday afternoon. To start the day, the Avenging Angels defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 3-1 at the Grant Center in Danville, VA. Lucas started and finished with 16 assists, one kill and four digs. The winning streak ended when Averett defeated Meredith on scores of 25-14, 25-15, 19-25 and 25-20. Lucas had 16 assists and 12 digs. Meredith concluded the regular season 21-7 overall, 15-3 in the USA South Conference. On Tuesday, Meredith defeated crosstown rival William Peace 3-1 at the Hermann Athletic Center in Raleigh. Lucas led Meredith with 29 assists and six digs. Meredith will start play in the USA South Tournament on Tuesday with another match against Peace.

Photo by Marc Reidel:

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team honored senior and former Orange star Bailey Lucas during a tri-match at Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Saturday. The Avenging Angels won both matches to extend its winning streak to nine, a season-long. Meredith defeated Pfeiffer 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-15. Lucas started and had a game-high 17 assists along with two digs and one ace. Meredith also swept Greensboro 3-0 on scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-21. Lucas had 19 assists with seven digs and an ace. Meredith also won two matches over Salem last week. On Tuesday, Meredith defeated the Spirits 3-0 on scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-16 at Varsity Gym in Winston-Salem. Lucas led the Angels with 17 assists, one ace and six digs. On Thursday, Meredith swept Salem again in Raleigh. Lucas finished with eleven assists and seven digs. The Angels are 18-6 overall, 12-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team was named the preseason #1 team in Division III of the National Junior College Athletic Association media poll. The Flyers continued to prepare for the upcoming season with a 105-64 win over Blue Light College in a scrimmage in Pinehurst on Wednesday. McMullin lead the Flyers with 14 points. He also tied for the team lead with nine rebounds. Sandhills will start the regular season against Lenoir Community College in Kinston on November 3.

Trenton Gill: Miami defeated #18 N.C. State 31-30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Coral Gables, FL on Saturday night. Gill had six punts for an average of 49.2 yards per boot for the Wolfpack. His longest was 59 yards, one of three punts that went over 50 yards. Three punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Of Gill’s seven kickoffs, six were touchbacks.

Keshawn Thompson: For the third time this year, former Orange High linebacker Keshawn Thompson led Campbell in tackles in a game. Thompson registered 12 tackles, but #11 Kennesaw State routed the Camels 30-7 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson leads Campbell in tackles with 41 on the season. The Camels are 3-4 overall, 2-2 in the Big South Conference. They will travel to Charleston Southern next Saturday. Thompson has started all seven Campbell games.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team defeated New Hampshire 24-10 at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday. Chnupa entered the game as a reserve defensive back and assisted on a tackle. Elon has now won three in a row and is 4-3 overall, 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix will travel to James Madison next Saturday.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges made two more starts for the Elon women’s soccer team in a couple of marathon games last week. On Sunday, Elon defeated Northeastern 2-1 in overtime at Parson Field in Brookline, MA. Hodges played all 93 minutes before Kenney Jones scored the golden goal in overtime. On Thursday, the Phoenix played to a scoreless tie against William & Mary at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, VA. Hodges fired one shot and played all 110 minutes. Elon is 7-5-2, 2-2-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon will host #23 Hofstra on Sunday at Rudd Field.

Emerson Talley: Talley started Lenoir-Rhyne’s game against Newberry at the Smith Road Complex on Saturday. Newberry came away with a 1-0 win in double overtime. Talley played 36 minutes. Last Sunday, Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Tusculum 5-0 at Pioneer Field in Greenville, TN. Talley came off the bench and played 13 minutes. The Bears, in the Division II South Atlantic Conference, are 9-3-2, 7-2-1 in the SAC.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team shut out Tusculum 4-0 at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Wednesday. Former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Taylin Jean entered the game in the second half and preserved the clean sheet for the Saints, making one save. Limestone is 9-3-1, 5-3-1 in the SAC.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie against Mary Baldwin University at Pride Field in Greensboro on Wednesday. Daley played all 110 minutes for the Pride. Greensboro is 4-9-3 overall, 2-4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Daley will be honored on Senior Day on Sunday when Greensboro hosts North Carolina Wesleyan.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team lost in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday. Salem College scored in the final minute of the second overtime to defeat the Pacers 3-2 at Varsity Field in Winston-Salem. Rogers, a former Orange Panthers, started for the Pacers and played all 110 minutes. She fired one shot. On Wednesday, Peace played Pfeiffer to a 1-1 tie in Misenheimer. Once again, Rogers started and played all 110 minutes. Peace is now 4-6-3 overall, 2-4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges was one of the seniors honored by the Elon women’s soccer team before last Sunday’s game against Towson at Rudd Field. Hodges fired two shots, including one on net, but the Tigers defeated Elon 1-0. The Phoenix are 6-5-1 overall, 1-2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They face Northeastern this afternoon at 1PM in Boston.

Taylin Jean: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper returned to action for Division II Limestone on Saturday. The Saints defeated Coker 4-0 at Saints Field in Coker, S.C. Jean entered the game to start the second half and made one save, which was Coker’s only shot of the game. Limestone is 8-2-1, 4-2-1 in the SAC. They will host Tusculum on Wednesday.

Emerson Talley: On Wednesday, Talley played the entire second half as the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team defeated Mars Hill 5-0 at Meares Stadium. Talley fired the first shot in her college career. The Bears are 8-1-1, 6-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. They will face Tusculum in Greenville TN this afternoon at 2 PM.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team defeated William Peace University 3-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. Daley started and played her usual 90 minutes at centerback. The victory ended a six-game winless streak for Greensboro, who won the USA South Athletic Conference Southern Division championship last spring. On Tuesday, Methodist defeated Greensboro 1-0 at Pride Field. Daley started and played the distance. The Pride are 4-9-2 overall, 2-4-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Jordan Rogers: The Greensboro College-William Peace matchup pit a former Cedar Ridge player against a former Orange player. Daley for Greensboro and Rogers for Peace. Rogers started as a wingback for the Pacers in the 3-0 loss and got off one shot. On Tuesday, Peace defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park. Rogers played all 90 minutes. Peace is 4-5-2 overall, 2-3-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Joey McMullin: McMullin, who reached 1,000 points for his Orange High career, played his first game during a scrimmage with the Sandhills Community College Flyers on Wednesday in Pinehurst. Fayetteville Tech defeated Sandhills 84-79. McMullin hit two free throws with 1:24 remaining to tie the game at 76-76. McMullin played 19 minutes and scored nine points off 3-of-4 shooting from the field, including one 3-pointer. Sandhills will play Blue Lights College in a scrimmage on Wednesday.

Trenton Gill: The #22 N.C. State Wolfpack football team defeated Boston College 33-7 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA on Saturday night. Gill was also the holder when Wolfpack placekicker Christopher Dunn kicked an extra point to become the Wolfpack’s all-time leading scorer. On a rainy night, Gill had six punts for a 46-yard averaged. His longest was 65 yards. Four punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. He had two punts exceed 50 yards. The Wolfpack will face Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Coral Gables, FL next Saturday night.

Keshawn Thompson: For the third time this season, the former Orange linebacker led Campbell in tackles. Thompson, who is a graduate student with the Camels, had eleven tackles (including one for a loss) and a pass breakup, but Monmuth defeated Campbell 34-17 in a battle for first place in the Big South Conference at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Campbell will host Kennesaw State next week for Homecoming. The Camels are 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Big South.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith College volleyball team is on a five-match winning streak. On Saturday, the Avenging Angels swept a quad match at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, VA. Meredith defeated Southern Virginia 3-1 on scores of 25-21, 25-21, 17-25 and 25-18. Lucas started for the Angels and had a team-high 23 assists, along with one kill and two digs. Later, Meredith defeated Mary Baldwin 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-9. Once again, Lucas led the team with 13 assists. She also had three digs. On Wednesday, Meredith defeated Methodist 3-0 at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville on scores of 25-16, 25-23 and 25-17. Lucas started once again and had 16 assists, along with two kills and seven digs. Lucas is second on the team with 318 assists. Meredith is now tied for second place in the USA South Athletic Conference South Division with Averett with a 5-2 record. William Peace is in first place at 7-0.