Cedar Ridge Men’s Soccer

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior soccer striker Chris Mendez. On Tuesday night, Mendez scored the 25th gaol of his career as the Red Wolves upset Eastern Alamance 2-0 at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane. This season, Mendez scored eleven goals for the Red Wolves, including a hat trick against Person on October 6. He notched his first goal of the season against South Garner in a 2-1 victory at WakeMed Soccer Park on August 26. On September 1, Mendez scored a hat trick in the Red Wolves’ 8-0 win over Eastern Guilford. In 2021, Mendez led Cedar Ridge with 13 goals. He ended his junior season with his first career hat trick against Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves Stadium. With his Cedar Ridge career over, Mendez plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as play pickup soccer in his spare time. Mendez will graduate from Cedar Ridge in June. 

On October 6, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team defeated Person 6-0 at Red Wolves Stadium. It was another strong game for senior Chris Mendez, who notched his second hat trick of the season against the Rockets. Mendez previously had another hat trick in a 8-0 win over Eastern Guilford on September 1 in Hillsborough. During his three years at the varsity level, Mendez has scored 24 goals for the Red Wolves. He finished out his junior season with a hat trick against Eastern Alamance. Sophomore centerback Solomon Hernandez had a career-high two goals for the Red Wolves. Hernandez brings a stellar defensive presence for Cedar Ridge that will be valuable as he continues his high school career. Hernandez scored his first varsity goal against Eastern Guilford. He was a regular performer last season as a freshman. Cedar Ridge will hold its senior night agains the Durham School of the Arts at Red Wolves Stadium on October 26. 

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.

After leading the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team in scoring, junior striker Chris Mendez has been named to the All-Central Carolina Conference squad.

Mendez was one of four Cedar Ridge players honored. Also voted to the All-Conference team was goalkeeper Benjamin Weaver, senior co-Captain Alex Jackan and wingback Issac Anderson.

Orange placed two players on the All-Conference team: junior midfielder Darius Corbett and Tucker Gaddy. The Panthers were also honored with the league’s Sportsmanship Award.

This season, Mendez led Cedar Ridge with 13 goals and 29 points. On September 15, Mendez scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Orange in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium. Mendez scored Cedar Ridge’s second goal off an assist from Jesus Quirez-Rivera and blasted the ball into the net from eight yards away. In the second half, Mendez notched the brace after he stuck in a rebound after a save by Orange goalkeeper Connor McMurtry.

Mendez ended the season with a hat trick in Cedar Ridge’s 6-0 win over Eastern Alamance on October 26, which put the Red Wolves on the verge of making the state playoffs for the first time since 2016. Cedar Ridge likely was the first team out of the field of 64 when the playoff field was unveiled in October.

Weaver was the starting goalkeeper for all 20 of Cedar Ridge’s games this season. After moving to North Carolina form Pennsylvania, Weaver was inserted into the starting lineup by first year Red Wolves’ head coach Chauncey Brummell. He posted his first clean sheet in a 9-0 win over Clover Garden School on August 25. In the opening tilt against Orange, Weaver kept the Red Wolves in the lead midway through the second half when he blocked a shot by Corbett from the penalty spot after the Panthers had narrowed Cedar Ridge’s lead to 2-1. Weaver posted three more shutouts in the regular season.

Jackan was the senior leader who developed a reputation as a strong defensive midfielder. He had two goals in 2021, including a marker in an 8-1 victory over Person on September 23 in Hillsborough.

Anderson had a season-high two goals against Person in Hillsborough. He was chosen as the player of the game in a rugged game against Williams, where the Bulldogs pulled out a 2-0 win. Anderson also had goals against East Chapel Hill and Clover Garden School.

For Orange, Corbett scored eight goals and one assist. He had a hat trick in Orange’s opening win of the season, a 9-0 victory over Henderson Collegiate at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Corbett also notched a hat trick in a 4-3 loss at Southern Durham on September 24. Corbett scored the final goal with seconds remaining in regulation as Orange defeated Graham 4-1, a game where the Panthers exploded for four goals in the final 16 minutes.

Gaddy, a junior, was a strong defense presence for the Panthers, who finished 7-12-1 overall under head coach Palmer Bowman. Gaddy had an assist in Orange’s 4-1 victory over Eastern Alamance on September 29 in Hillsborough. The Panthers concluded the season with a 9-2 victory over the Eagles in Mebane on October 25.

Western Alamance’s Ian Bacchus was named the Central Carolina Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Baccus scored 22 goals as the Warriors, despite finishing 2nd in the CCC, won the 3A State Championship.

Walter Williams’ Ty Thompson was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Year. Williams’ Jeremy Krist was the CCC Coach of the Year.

It was the second time in three years that a team from Alamance County won the 3A men’s soccer state championship. Williams captured the 2019 crown.

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.

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.

Men’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 6, Eastern Alamance 0: The waiting has started for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team.

The Red Wolves decisively defeated Eastern Alamance 6-0 in its final home game of the season on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Going into the game, the Red Wolves were listed at the top of the “First Four Teams Out” in the latest 3A State Soccer Pairings by HighschoolOT.com. Cedar Ridge did its part to improve its standing on Tuesday.

Cedar Ridge junior forward Chris Mendez scored a hat trick. Mendez ended the year with a team-leading 13 goals.

Freshman Edwin Hernandez-Huerta had two goals and an assist. Hernandez-Huerta had eight goals and an assist.

Another freshman, Melvin Alvarado, scored his first goal for the Red Wolves. Junior Evan Marty assisted on two goals.

The Red Wolves conclude the regular season 7-12-1, 5-5-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. The brackets for the 3A State Soccer Tournament will be released on Saturday.

Orange 9, Eastern Alamance 2: To conclude its season, the Orange men’s soccer team tied a season-high nine goals in a victory over Eastern Alamance on Monday night in Mebane.

Junior Tyler Mann had the first hat trick of his career. Mann doubled his goal output for the season.

In his final game, senior Carter Thompson scored two goals. Thompson, the son of Orange graduates Roger and Cindy Thompson, also had an assist. He wrapped up the year with six goals and two assists.

Juniors Cooper Zinn, Dylan Silverman and Bryan Membreno also had goals for Orange. Freshman Konner Johnson had a goal and an assist.

Senior Jasper Tyll, a co-Captain, had an assist in his Orange farewell. Junior Cayden Cieutat assisted on another goal.

Orange finished the season 7-12-1 overall, 4-7-1 in the CCC.

Women’s Tennis: The Orange women’s tennis team, after winning its first-ever match in the 3A State Dual Team Tennis Tourament, fell in the second round to Cape Fear 5-2 on Tuesday.

Sophomore Erin Sollars had a straight sets win in #6 singles for Orange. Sollars won her match against Wilson Fike last Tuesday in the Lady Panthers’ 5-3 win, which sent them to the round of 16 for the first time in school history.

At #6 singles, Tea Jones won in her final match for Orange. Jones won both of her singles matches in the team playoff.

In terms of wins, this was the most successful Orange season in team history. The Lady Panthers finished 16-5. Orange’s doubles team of Jera Hargrove & Erin Sollars will compete in the 3A State Doubles Championship this Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center. Hargrove & Sollars will face Dabney Osbourne & Emily Mitchum of J.H. Rose in the opening round.

Women’s Golf: Samantha Durham completed in the 3A State Women’s Golf Championships for Orange on Monday and Tuesday at the Foxfire Golf and Resort Club in Pinehurst. Durham became the first Lady Panther golfer to compete in the State Golf Championships since Amanda Hill in 2015.

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.