Cedar Ridge Volleyball

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell Fighting Camels of the Football Championship Subdivision suffered its first Big South Conference loss of the season to #11 Kennesaw State, 38-35, at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. Thompson, who wasn’t credited for a tackle last week against North Alabama, made a career-high seven tackles against the Owls. A redshirt sophomore, Thompson had five tackles in a season-opening loss to Troy of the Sun Belt Conference. Campbell is 6-3 overall, 3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. They return to action against Monmouth next Saturday.

Payton Wilson: #4 Clemson defeated N.C. State 55-10 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday night. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, left the game with a sprained left shoulder in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return. Wilson had two tackles up to that point. He emerged from the locker room with his left arm in a sling on the sidelines during the 2nd half. After the game, Wolfpack Coach Dave Doeren said he didn’t know how long Wilson would be out. N.C. State has three games remaining, starting with Louisville next Saturday in Raleigh.

Trenton Gill: Against Clemson, Gill had five punts for an average of 52.2 yards per punt. On a brisk night, his longest was 75 yards. Three of the punts were over 50 yards, two were downed inside the 20-yard line and one was a touchback. Gill also had three kickoffs, one of which was a touchback.

Adam Chnupa: The FCS Elon Phoenix’s hopes making the FCS playoffs took a drastic hit on Saturday after losing 31-17 to Maine at Rhodes Stadium in Elon. Chnupa, redshirt freshman, played special teams for Elon, who falls to 4-6, 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Rodney Brooks: In CIAA action on Saturday, Fayetteville State defeated Livingston 32-0 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks, who suited up for Livingstone, had three tackles, including one for a loss. Brooks is classified as a junior, according to the Livingstone website. The Blue Bears haven’t scored in eight quarters and have lost five straight. They’re 4-5 overall, 1-5 in the CIAA. They conclude the season next week against Johnston C. Smith in Salisbury next week.

Chandler Compton: After four years on the Wofford men’s soccer team, Compton’s college career came to an end on Friday night. The Terriers lost to Mercer 3-0 in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Stone Soccer Stadium in Greenville, S.C. Wofford finished the year 4-13-1. Compton played in two games. He played 17 games in his Wofford career. He scored one goal in 2018 against VMI.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The college career of Lionel Reid-Shaw also ended on Saturday. Division III Johns Hopkins defeated Dickinson 2-0 in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament at Franklin & Marshall University in Lancaster, PA. Reid-Shaw scored his only college goal last week in his final home game against Muhlenberg. Reid-Shaw concludes his career with the Red Devils with 67 games played. He started 45 with one goal and one assist. Dickinson ends the year 10-8.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone Saints women’s soccer team defeated North Greenville University 2-1 in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Saturday at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. Jean started at goalkeeper for the Saints and earned the win after she made three saves. Limestone, who is a #4 seed in the tournament, will face regular season champion Mount Olive on Thursday in the semifinals.

Brittany Daley: The season of the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team ended in the semifinals of the USA South Athletic Conference on Friday. Covenant College defeated Greensboro 3-1 on penalty kicks after the two sides played to a scoreless tie in regulation. Greensboro lost despite outshooting the Scots 22-3 in regulation. As she has done every game this season, Daley started at center back for the Pride. Daley didn’t attempt a penalty during the shootout. Greensboro, which went undefeated in the regular season last year only to lose in the USA South Conference Tournament and were denied a trip to the Division III National Tournament, end the year 13-4-2. Daley, a sophomore, started all 19 games for the Pride.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith volleyball team had its season come to an end in the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday. Maryville defeated Methodist 3-1 in the USA South semifinals at the Grant Center in Danville, VA. Lucas started again for Meredith and finished with 25 assists, eleven digs, and one kill. In the quarterfinals, Meredith defeated William Peace 3-1 at Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Wednesday. Lucas started and had 28 assists, 10 digs and one kill. Meredith ends the year 20-9. Lucas was 2nd on the team this season with 267 assists.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team had an exhibition game against Gardner-Webb last week. The Running Bulldogs won 69-33. Barnett came off the bench and played three minutes. She grabbed one rebound. The Hawks will officially start its season on Friday against North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA.

Lauren Cates: Wake Tech Community College improved to 2-0 on the season with a 117-24 win over Fayetteville Technical Community College at Reid Ross Gymnasium in Fayetteville on Wednesday night. Cates scored 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Cates also had three rebounds, three steals and two assists. On Saturday, the Eagles suffered its first loss of the season to South Carolina-Salkehatchie 58-50. Statistics from that game weren’t immediately available.

Payton Wilson: It was another long day for the N.C. State football team on Saturday. #23 Wake Forest handled the Wolfpack 44-10 at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem. For the first time in his college career, Wilson led the Wolfpack with eleven tackles, including one for a loss. Wilson also had a pass breakup. A redshirt freshman, Wilson is now third on the team with 46 tackles. He’s also tied for third with 4.5 tackles for loss. N.C. State will face #4 Clemson next Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Trenton Gill: The 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate was busy for N.C. State on Saturday. Gill had eight punts averaging 46 yards per boot. Three of the punts went over 50 yards and two were downed inside the 20-yard line. His longest punt was 61 yards. Gill also had three kickoffs, two of which were touchbacks.

Adam Chnupa: Many people know Virginia Tech and UNC played the first college football game ever that ended with dueling two-point conversions in the fifth and sixth overtimes two weeks ago. On Saturday, Adam Chnupa played in the second for the FCS Elon Phoenix. William & Mary defeated Elon 31-29 in five overtimes at Rhode Stadium on the Phoenix’s Homecoming. Chnupa played special teams for Elon. The Phoenix are now 4-5, 3-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association. They host Maine next week.

Keshawn Thompson: The FCS Campbell Camels loss in heartbreaking fashion at North Alabama 25-24 at Braly Stadium in Florence, AL on Saturday. The Lions’ Joe Gurley kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired. Thompson played the game on special teams for the Camels, whose six-game winning streak was snapped. Campbell is still undefeated in the Big South Conference (North Alabama will officially join the Big South in 2020. They’re a provisional FCS program this season after jumping up from Division II). Campbell hosts Kennesaw State next Saturday.

Rodney Brooks: Division II Fayetteville State defeated Livingstone 32-0 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury on Saturday. Brooks made three tackles for the Blue Bears, including one for a loss. Livingston falls to 4-5, 1-5 in the CIAA. They end the season next week against Johnston C. Smith for Senior Day.

Kevin Wright: Division III North Carolina Wesleyan defeated Methodist 48-24 at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. Wright, a 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate, had two tackles for the Battling Bishops. Wesleyan is 4-4, 3-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. They travel to Huntingdon next Saturday.

Taylin Jean: Mount Olive defeated Division II Limestone 2-1 at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. on Saturday in a showdown for first place in Conference Carolinas. Jean started as goalkeeper for the Saints once again and made two saves. Limestone is 8-8, 7-3 in Conference Carolinas . The Trojans wrapped up the Centennial Conference regular season championship with the victory.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team advanced to the USA South Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday. The Pride defeated Huntingdon 2-0 at Pride Field in Greensboro. Daley started her 18th game of the season at center back. Greensboro will face Covenant in the semifinals at Maryville College in Tennessee on Friday.

Lili Henry: The Division III Methodist volleyball team ended its regular season on Saturday in a tri-match at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville. William Peace defeated the Monarchs 3-0 on scores of 25-20, 25-20, and 25-15. Henry had 13 assists, five digs and one ace against the Pacers. Earlier in the day, Greensboro College edged the Monarchs 3-2 on scores of 16-25, 25-22, 11-25, 25-16 and 12-15. Henry led the team with 29 assists, eleven digs and one ace. Methodist concludes the regular season 6-19, 5-11 in the USA South Conference. The Monarchs still play in the USA South Conference tournament with a road trip to William Peace on Tuesday.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The 2016 Orange graduate picked quite a time to score his first career goal for the Division III Dickinson men’s soccer team. In the 65th game of his career, Reid-Shaw scored off a header in the 76th minute for the game-winning goal as the Red Devils defeated Muhlenberg in the final home game of the regular season for Dickinson at Miller Memorial Field in Carlisle, PA on Wednesday night. Reid-Shaw is a senior. The goal secured either a #2 or #3 seed for Dickinson in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament. Dickinson will travel to Johns Hopkins on Saturday.

Kayla Hodges: The 2018 Orange High graduate was named 2nd team All-Colonial Athletic Conference in women’s soccer on Thursday. This season, Hodges started all 17 games for Elon. She scored four goals and tallied two assists. Towards the end of the regular season, Hodges scored goals in consecutive games against William & Mary and Drexel. Hodges, a sophomore, helped Elon go from 3-10-4 in 2018 to 12-5-2 in 2019. On Friday night, the Phoenix defeated Northeastern 2-1 in the opening round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament at Hoftra Soccer Stadium. Hodges started at midfield as Elon advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Elon will face top-seeded Hofstra on Sunday afternoon.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team dropped a tough 1-0 overtime decision to Catawba on Wednesday at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. Hodges, a 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate, started in net for the Saints and made five saves. She is now 8-7 this season. Limestone is 7-2 in Conference Carolinas, two games behind Mount Olive for 1st place. Jean has started every game for the Saints. They return home on Saturday to face Mount Olive.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace University women’s soccer team ended its season on Wednesday. Methodist defeated the Pacers 1-0 at Monarch SoccerPlex in Fayetteville in the opening round of the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament. Rogers started at wingback for the Pacers, who ended the season 7-11-1. It set a new program record for wins in a season. The team also made the USA South Tournament for the first time in team history. Rogers, a sophomore, started all 19 games this season for Peace and moved from midfielder to wingback. Last season, Rogers played 14 games for Peace.

Brittany Daley: The Greensboro College women’s soccer team didn’t play this week. They earned a bye to the quarterfinals of the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament after the Pride finished as the top-seed from the Eastern Division. Greensboro hosts Huntingdon on Saturday afternoon at Pride Field.

Lili Henry: The Division III Methodist volleyball team lost to Guilford College 3-1 at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville. Henry, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2018, led the Monarchs with 23 assists. She also had two aces and six digs. Methodist is 6-17 overall, 5-9 in the USA South Athletic Conference. They will host Greensboro and William Peace in a tri-match on Saturday.

Bailey Lucas: On Friday night, the Meredith volleyball team ended its regular season with a 3-1 win over Salem College at Varsity Gym in Winston-Salem. Lucas had a team-high 28 assists and 18 digs. The Avenging Angels finished the regular season 19-8, 13-3 in the USA South Conference. In a packed Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Wednesday, William Peace defeated Meredith volleyball team 3-1 on scored of 17-25, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-19. Lucas, who graduated from Orange in 2018, played in all four sets for Meredith. She finished with a team-high 23 assists, 12 digs, and two kills. The loss knocked Meredith out of first place in conference play. They will go into the USA South Conference Tournament, which starts Tuesday, as the #2 seed.

Adam Chnupa: On Saturday, the Elon football team came from behind to defeat Rhode Island 38-13 in Meade Stadium in Kingston, RI. Chnupa, a former Cedar Ridge All-Big 8 football and baseball player, played on special teams as the Phoenix won its second straight game. This season, Chnupa has played in four games for Elon, who are now 4-4 overall, 3-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix host William & Mary for Homecoming next Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.

Keshawn Thompson: Among the wild games throughout the country on Saturday was Campbell’s 49-47 triple overtime win over Gardner-Webb at Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs. Thompson, a redshirt sophomore who graduated from Orange in 2017, assisted on two tackles for the Camels. He also had a tackle for loss. Campbell is 6-1, 3-0 in the Big South. They travel to North Alabama next Saturday for a nonconference game.

Rodney Brooks: In the CIAA on Saturday, Winston-Salem State shutout Livingston 21-0 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks entered the game as a safety, made one tackle and assisted on two others. The Blue Bears fell to 4-4, 1-4 in the CIAA. They host Fayetteville State next Saturday.

Kevin Wright: In Rocky Mount, Division III Brevard defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 26-20 at Rocky Mount Stadium. Wright had one solo tackle and assisted on two others as the Battling Bishops fell to 3-4, 2-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Wright has played in four games for Wesleyan this season. The Bishops travel to Methodist next Saturday.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: On senior day for the Division III Dickinson men’s soccer team on Saturday, Reid-Shaw started at centerback as the Red Devils defeated Haverford 2-1 in Carlisle, PA. Reid-Shaw fired a shot on goal as Dickinson improved to 9-6, 5-2 in the Centennial Conference. On Wednesday, Reid-Shaw will play his final home game for Dickinson, who will host Muhlenberg on Wednesday night. Dickinson is in 3rd place in the Centennial Conference, one game in the loss column behind Franklin & Marshall.

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team suffered a tough loss on Thursday. Delaware defeated the Phoenix 2-0 at Grant Stadium in Newark, DE. Hodges, who had goals in three consecutive games coming into the game, started at midfield and fired a shot on net. The Phoenix had only three shots on net in the game. Elon is 11-4-2 overall, 5-2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon is now tied with Delaware for third in the loss column in the CAA.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team defeated Southern Wesleyan University 2-0 at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Saturday. Jean posted her seven shutout of the season. She started and played 52 minutes before being replaced by Paige Renkosik, who was among eight seniors who played their final home game. Jean is 8-6 as the goalkeeper of the Saints this season. Limestone is 7-2 in Conference Carolinas. They’re in 3rd place in the league, two games behind Mount Olive for 1st place.

Brittany Daley: On Senior Day for the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 2-0 at Pride Field on Saturday. Daley started again at centerback. She has started all 17 games for Greensboro. The Pride ended the regular season 12-4-1, 6-1-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference. They will be the top seed for the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament, which starts later this week.

Jordan Rogers: The William Peace women’s soccer team defeated Averett University 3-0 at Campbell Stadium in Danville, VA on Saturday. With the victory, the Pacers set the program record for most wins in a season. Rogers, who graduated from Orange in 2018, started her 18th game of the season for Peace. The Pacers are now 7-10-1, 3-5 in the USA South. The Pacers will also start play in the USA South Conference Tournament this week.

Lili Henry: On Friday night, two former Hillsborough volleyball players squared off against each other again. Lili Henry, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2018, suited up for Division III Methodist against Meredith. The Avenging Angels defeated the Monarchs 3-1 on scores of 21-25, 25-13, 25-22 and 25-7. Henry had 15 assists, one ace, one kill and two digs. Methodist is 6-16, 5-9 in the USA South.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas played all four sets for Meredith against Methodist. She finished with 16 assists and five digs. The Avenging Angels are 16-7 overall, 10-2 in the USA South. Meredith is tied in the loss column with Averett for 1st place in the conference.

Not that it was in question for the past month, but the Cedar Ridge volleyball team is officially headed back to the state playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Meanwhile, Orange will journey across the Triangle for its opening round game.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the 3A State Volleyball brackets on Thursday afternoon.

Orange received a 19-seed and will face Clayton on Saturday at 1 o’clock Saturday afternoon. Clayton (15-10) finished 2nd in the Greater Neuse Conference with a 8-2 record. The Comets lost three matches to the Rams, including in Wednesday’s Greater Neuse Tournament Championship game in three sets.

The winner of Clayton-Orange will face 3rd-seeded Gray’s Creek or 30th-seeded Southeastern Guilford in the 2nd round.

Cedar Ridge earned a 20-seed. The Red Wolves will travel to Fayetteville to face Terry Sanford of the 4A/3A Patriot Athletic Conference on Saturday at 2 o’clock. The Bulldogs finished 19-4, 12-4 in the PAC. Three of its four losses came against PAC Champion Grey’s Creek, who is 24-0.

The winner of Cedar Ridge-Terry Sanford will face 4th-seeded Cleveland or 29th-seeded Northwood next week.

The final MaxPreps ranking of the season was released Wednesday morning. It was the first poll of the year that had Orange ahead of Cedar Ridge, who jumped out to a 6-0 start and virtually guaranteed itself of its first winning season in four years by mid-September.

Orange and Cedar Ridge split the regular season series with two five-set battles. What may have pushed Orange ahead of the Red Wolves at the last minute was consecutive wins over teams that made the state playoffs. Last Friday, the Lady Panthers defeated Roxboro Community School in five sets. RCS wound up making the 1A playoffs as a #20 seed. In its regular season finale on Tuesday, Orange rallied from two sets down to defeat Northern Durham at Poe Gymtorium. The Knights earned a 26-seed in the 3A playoff and will travel to Union Pines on Saturday.

Cedar Ridge, on the other hand, were swept by East Chapel Hill on Senior Night. They concluded the regular season with wins over Vance County and Southern Durham, the only two teams from the Big 8 to miss the state playoffs.

The unveiling of the bracket proved what had been obvious to anyone who paid attention to the local volleyball scene this year: the Big 8 is really deep.

Six of the league’s eight teams made the playoffs. Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill received the top seed and will host Triton in the opening round. The Tigers have reached the final eight in each of the last three seasons, and claimed the Eastern Regional Championship in 2016 and 2017.

Big 8 runner-up East Chapel Hill received a 10-seed and will host South Johnston on Saturday at Wildcat Gymnasium.

Orange’s 16 wins are the most for the team this decade. The Lady Panthers will go for its first state playoff win since 2015, when they reached the Round of 16 with victories over Eden Morehead and Northern Guilford.

In the three years since then, Orange has been eliminated in the opening round each time. Franklinton took out the Panthers last year. Chapel Hill eliminated Orange in 2017 and Cleveland swept them in 2016.

Payton Wilson: On Wednesday, the Football Writers Association of America named Wilson to its Freshman All-American watch list. As mentioned in Sunday’s edition, Wilson is third on N.C. State’s football team with 36 tackles this season. He has three-and-a-half tackles for loss through six games. He’s also tied for second the team with three special teams tackles. Wilson is a 2018 Orange graduate who won the 2017 3A state championship in wrestling at 220 pounds. He was also a midfielder in lacrosse before leaving Orange in January 2018 to enroll early in Raleigh.

Chandler Compton: The 2016 Orange graduate played on senior night for the Wofford men’s soccer team in Spartanburg, SC on Wednesday night. Compton played eight minutes as the Terriers defeated VMI 3-0 at Snyder Field. It was Compton’s first game of the season for the Terriers. Wofford named John Tyson, a former assistant with Charlotte Independence of the United Soccer League, as its new head coach last December. The Terriers are 4-9-1 overall, 2-1-1 in the Southern Conference.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: Division III Gettysburg defeated Dickinson 4-2 at Clark Field in Gettysburg, PA on Sunday night. Reid-Shaw started for Dickinson at center back. The Red Devils are now 8-6, 4-2 in the Centennial Conference. Reid-Shaw has played in 13 games for Dickinson this year and started nine.

Kayla Hodges: Another goal for Hodges as Elon defeated James Madison 3-2 at Rudd Field in Elon on Sunday. Hodges tallied her fourth goal of the season in the 40th minute off a corner kick sent in by Hannah Doherty. Hodges has scored goals in three consecutive games. After a three-win season in 2018, the Phoenix is in the hunt for the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. Elon is tied with UNC Wilmington for second. Hofstra leads the CAA with a 5-0-2 mark with two games remaining in the regular season. Elon travels to Delaware Thursday night.

Taylin Jean: On Sunday, Jean claimed her seventh win of the season in net for the Division II Limestone women’s soccer team. The Saints defeated Emmanuel 3-1 in Stephen Athletic Complex in Franklin Spring, GA. Jean made eight saves for the win. On Wednesday night, Carson-Newman defeated Limestone 2-1, the Saints’ first home loss of the season. Jean started at goalkeeper for Limestone and made three saves. Limestone is 7-6 overall, 6-2 in Conference Carolinas. They fall one game behind Carson-Newman for 1st place in the league.

Brittany Daley: Pfeiffer defeated the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team 1-0 on Wednesday night at Pride Field in Greensboro in a battle for first place in the USA South Athletic Conference. Daley started her 16th game of the season for the Pride. Greensboro’s seven-game undefeated streak came to an end. The Pride are 11-4-1 overall, 5-1-1 in the USA South. They are tied with Pfeiffer in the loss column for first place. The Falcons are 7-1. However, Pfeiffer is ineligible for the USA South Tournament because they have reclassified as a Division III program (they were previously Division II).

Jordan Rogers: Division III Meredith defeated the William Peace women’s soccer team 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Tuesday. Rogers started her 16th game of the year for the Pacers. Peace is 6-10, 2-5 in the USA South.

Lili Henry: Division III Methodist volleyball team swept Pfeiffer in Merner Gym in Misenheimer on Wednesday night. The Monarchs never trailed in winning 25-20, 25-19, and 25-15. Henry popped up 20 assists for the Monarchs. Methodist improves to 5-15, 4-8 in the USA South.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith volleyball team swept North Carolina Wesleyan at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh on Tuesday night. Lucas played in all three sets, finishing with 12 assists, six digs and two aces. Meredith is 16-7 overall, 10-2 in the USA South.

It’s finally feeling like fall.

This year, it also feels like playoff anticipation is alive and well again across Hillsborough after a relatively quiet 2018 at Cedar Ridge. Last academic year, only the Cedar Ridge softball team made the state playoffs among sports that determine their champions through a routine knockout tournament (the Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s cross country teams did qualify for the state championship meet)

This week, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team will officially make the state playoffs for the first time since 2015 when the brackets are unveiled online by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Orange will also be included in the field of 64. Not only that, but the Lady Panthers have a chance to be the winningest volleyball team at Orange this decade with a win over Northern Durham on Tuesday.

This Friday, Olivia Ward will represent Cedar Ridge women’s tennis in the 3A State Championships at the Burlington Tennis Center. Details about Ward qualifying for the state championships are detailed below.

On Monday, the 3A Central Golf Regionals will be held at Greensboro National Golf Club. Orange’s McKenzie Hawks and Sarah Durham will be competing and attempt to qualify for the 3A State Championships. Hawks and Durham will be the only golfers in Hillsborough competing in the regionals. The top three teams automatically qualify for the 3A State Championships with the three best scores. The top 17 individuals not on a qualifying team (which Orange falls into since they’re only taking two players) can also qualify for the state championships.

Here’s this week’s Magnificent 7. As always, we’ll have the announcement of the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week and the Orange Panther of the Week later this week.

Olivia Ward: For the second year in a row, Olivia Ward has qualified for the 3A Women’s Tennis State Championships. In a thrilling match on Friday afternoon at the Burlington Tennis Center, Ward defeated Orange sophomore Jera Hargrove in the 2nd round of the 3A Mideast Regionals. Ward won 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to establish herself as the most established women’s tennis player in school history. Ward started the day with a victory over a player from Terry Sanford 6-0, 6-1. In Ward’s freshman year, Cedar Ridge won the 2016 Big 8 Championship. As a junior, she teamed with Alana Lutz to qualify for the 3A State Championships in doubles, where they lost to the eventual state championship tandem of Natalie Lutz and Madelynn Frye of Kings Mountain. Ward will start play in the State Championships on Friday as the #4 seed from the Mideast. She will face the champion of the Midwest Region in the opening round.

Nicholas Frank: Scored the final goal in regulation as the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team defeated Orange 3-2 in penalty kicks on Monday night. Frank, who notched a brace in the first game between the two teams last month, also scored the game-winning penalty kick as the Red Wolves took another step toward qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time since 2017. Cedar Ridge is 6-10-1 overall, 4-7 in the Big 8 Conference.

Julie Altieri: Yet another week where a freshman Cedar Ridge freshman makes the Magnificent 7. On Thursday, Altieri had 26 assists, five digs, five aces and one block as the Red Wolves swept Vance County in Henderson. Altieri leads the team with 78 aces and 552 assists for the Red Wolves, who are scheduled to conclude its regular season at Southern Durham on Tuesday (though Southern forfeited against Orange on Thursday due to a lack of available players).

Jera Hargrove: Last week’s Orange Panther of the Week won her first match in the Mideast Regionals over the top singles player from Eastern Alamance on Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center in straight sets. It’s the second time in the opening two years of Hargove’s athletic career that she has qualified for regionals. She missed qualifying for states by two games. Hargrove was the #1 singles player for the most successful Orange women’s tennis team this decade. The Lady Panthers finished 11-8.

Kaitlyn Werden: Finished with six kills, three aces, one block, 15 digs and 22 assists in Orange’s five-set thriller at Roxboro Community School on Friday. Werden also had 10 assists and five digs in the loss to Chapel Hill. Combined with Orange’s forfeit win over Southern Durham, the Lady Panthers have won 15 games this season. If they defeat Northern Durham on Tuesday, this Orange team will have more wins than any other Panther volleyball squad this decade.

Machai Holt: Scored two touchdowns in the Orange football team’s 40-30 loss to Vance County on Friday night in Henderson. Holt leads Orange with seven touchdowns. He paced the Panthers with 48 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards against the Vipers. The previous week against Northern Durham, Holt had 111 of Orange’s 144 yards of total offense.

Elliott Sikes: Blasted the game-tying goal for the Orange men’s soccer team in the waning minutes to send the Cedar Ridge game into extra time. Sikes is 2nd on the team with five goals on the season. Orange travels to Chapel Hill on Monday.

It’s finally feeling like fall.

This year, it also feels like playoff anticipation is alive and well again across Hillsborough after a relatively quiet 2018 at Cedar Ridge. Last academic year, only the Cedar Ridge softball team made the state playoffs among sports that determine their champions through a routine knockout tournament (the Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s cross country teams did qualify for the state championship meet)

This week, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team will officially make the state playoffs for the first time since 2015 when the brackets are unveiled online by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Orange will also be included in the field of 64. Not only that, but the Lady Panthers have a chance to be the winningest volleyball team at Orange this decade with a win over Northern Durham on Tuesday.

This Friday, Olivia Ward will represent Cedar Ridge women’s tennis in the 3A State Championships at the Burlington Tennis Center. Details about Ward qualifying for the state championships are detailed below.

On Monday, the 3A Central Golf Regionals will be held at Greensboro National Golf Club. Orange’s McKenzie Hawks and Sarah Durham will be competing and attempt to qualify for the 3A State Championships. Hawks and Durham will be the only golfers in Hillsborough competing in the regionals. The top three teams automatically qualify for the 3A State Championships with the three best scores. The top 17 individuals not on a qualifying team (which Orange falls into since they’re only taking two players) can also qualify for the state championships.

Here’s this week’s Magnificent 7. As always, we’ll have the announcement of the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week and the Orange Panther of the Week later this week.

Olivia Ward: For the second year in a row, Olivia Ward has qualified for the 3A Women’s Tennis State Championships. In a thrilling match on Friday afternoon at the Burlington Tennis Center, Ward defeated Orange sophomore Jera Hargrove in the 2nd round of the 3A Mideast Regionals. Ward won 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to establish herself as the most established women’s tennis player in school history. Ward started the day with a victory over a player from Terry Sanford 6-0, 6-1. In Ward’s freshman year, Cedar Ridge won the 2016 Big 8 Championship. As a junior, she teamed with Alana Lutz to qualify for the 3A State Championships in doubles, where they lost to the eventual state championship tandem of Natalie Lutz and Madelynn Frye of Kings Mountain. Ward will start play in the State Championships on Friday as the #4 seed from the Mideast. She will face the champion of the Midwest Region in the opening round.

Nicholas Frank: Scored the final goal in regulation as the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team defeated Orange 3-2 in penalty kicks on Monday night. Frank, who notched a brace in the first game between the two teams last month, also scored the game-winning penalty kick as the Red Wolves took another step toward qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time since 2017. Cedar Ridge is 6-10-1 overall, 4-7 in the Big 8 Conference.

Julie Altieri: Yet another week where a freshman Cedar Ridge freshman makes the Magnificent 7. On Thursday, Altieri had 26 assists, five digs, five aces and one block as the Red Wolves swept Vance County in Henderson. Altieri leads the team with 78 aces and 552 assists for the Red Wolves, who are scheduled to conclude its regular season at Southern Durham on Tuesday (though Southern forfeited against Orange on Thursday due to a lack of available players).

Jera Hargrove: Last week’s Orange Panther of the Week won her first match in the Mideast Regionals over the top singles player from Eastern Alamance on Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center in straight sets. It’s the second time in the opening two years of Hargove’s athletic career that she has qualified for regionals. She missed qualifying for states by two games. Hargrove was the #1 singles player for the most successful Orange women’s tennis team this decade. The Lady Panthers finished 11-8.

Kaitlyn Werden: Finished with six kills, three aces, one block, 15 digs and 22 assists in Orange’s five-set thriller at Roxboro Community School on Friday. Werden also had 10 assists and five digs in the loss to Chapel Hill. Combined with Orange’s forfeit win over Southern Durham, the Lady Panthers have won 15 games this season. If they defeat Northern Durham on Tuesday, this Orange team will have more wins than any other Panther volleyball squad this decade.

Machai Holt: Scored two touchdowns in the Orange football team’s 40-30 loss to Vance County on Friday night in Henderson. Holt leads Orange with seven touchdowns. He paced the Panthers with 48 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards against the Vipers. The previous week against Northern Durham, Holt had 111 of Orange’s 144 yards of total offense.

Elliott Sikes: Blasted the game-tying goal for the Orange men’s soccer team in the waning minutes to send the Cedar Ridge game into extra time. Sikes is 2nd on the team with five goals on the season. Orange travels to Chapel Hill on Monday.

Colin Guentensberger: On Saturday, #24 Appalachian State defeated Louisiana-Monroe 52-7 at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone. The Mountaineers improved to 6-0, 3-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. It was the first time that former Orange Panther Colin Guentensberger suited up for the Mountaineers. Guentensberger is a freshman walk-on. He didn’t see action on Saturday. Guentensberger was the Hillsboroughsports.com Player of the Year in 2018. He was second on the team with 100 tackles and also had 23 receptions, behind only Zyon Pettiford.

Payton Wilson: On a dismal day for N.C. State, Wilson had a career-high nine tackles for the Wolfpack in a 45-24 loss to Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. Wilson had one-half tackle for loss. He was tied with Louis Acceus for 2nd on the team in tackles. Through seven games, Wilson third on the team with 35 tackles, including three-and-a-half for loss.

Trent Gill: The former Cedar Ridge kicker had six punts for N.C. State against the Eagles. Gill had an average of 45.5 yards. His longest was 62 yards, one of three punts over 50 yards for Gill. Three punts were downed inside the 20. Gill also had three kickoffs that totaled 173 yards. N.C. State will take this week off and travel to Wake Forest on November 2.

Keshawn Thompson: The FCS Campbell Camels defeated Hampton 31-16 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. Thompson returned to action after missing the Presbyterian game on October 5. Thompson assisted on two tackles. After losing the season opener at Troy, Campbell has won five in a row and is 2-0 in the Big South Conference. The Camels travel to Gardner-Webb next Saturday.

Rodney Brooks: Shaw defeated Livingston 27-20 in CIAA action at G. Williams Complex in Raleigh on Saturday. Brooks had three tackles for the Blue Bears. Livingstone falls to 4-3, 2-3 in the CIAA. The Blue Bears will return to Salisbury and take on Winston-Salem State on Saturday.

Kevin Wright: The 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate had five tackle as Division III North Carolina Wesleyan lost to Averett 41-24 at Frank Campbell Stadium in Danville, VA on Saturday. The Battling Bishops are 3-3. They will host Brevard next week in Rocky Mount.

Brittany Daley: Two former Hillsborough products played against each other as Division III Greensboro College defeated William Peace University 3-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Daley, who played at Cedar Ridge, started her 15th game of the season for Greensboro. The Pride sit atop the USA South Conference with a 5-0-1 record. They are 11-3-1 overall.

Jordan Rogers: Rogers started at wingback for Peace against Greensboro. Peace falls to 6-9-1, 2-4 in the USA South.

Lili Henry: The Division III Methodist volleyball team split in their tri-match at North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount on Saturday. The Monarchs defeated Wesleyan in five sets on scores of 14-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-9 and 15-5. Henry had a season-high 25 assists for Methodist. She also had nine digs and one ace as Methodist improved to 4-15, 3-8 in the USA South. Earlier in the day, Averett defeated Methodist 3-1 on scores of 25-17, 18-25, 25-15 and 25-19. Against the Cougars, Henry had 12 assists, one ace and seven digs. Methodist returns home to face Pfeiffer at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville on Tuesday.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith volleyball team won both its matches inside Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh on Saturday. The Avenging Angels swept Pfeiffer 25-9, 25-22 and 25-22. They also defeated Greensboro in five sets on scores of 15-25, 25-20, 25-15, 23-25 and 15-8. Lucas played in both matches for Meredith. Against Greensboro, Lucas had two kills, 18 assists, 13 digs and 3 aces. In the sweep of Pfeiffer, Lucas had one kill, 12 assists and one dig. Meredith is 15-7, 9-2 in the USA South. The Angels travel to North Carolina Wesleyan on Tuesday.

by John Franklin

My middle school baseball coach always told me, “Everyone loves a winner” or “Everyone at the game has a good time when you’re winning”.

Coach, you got that right.

If you came to last Friday night’s varsity football game at Cedar Ridge Stadium, a good time was had by all during the Red Wolves’ 20-19 victory over Chapel Hill – especially when you break a winless drought of 785 days.

I seriously hate talking about myself, but have to explain.

During the game, outside of the normal announcements of plays, yardage, ball spot, penalties, etc. – I have incorporated something that is becoming a new trend. In the vast collection of music files on my laptop, I also have a batch of …. Sound Effects.

What!? Sound effects? Seriously!? – ABSOLUTELY! I’m not playing them all game long, just a few clips here and there for fun, and even some drama. With many of these clips – My inner pro wrestling fan comes out.

To start each game, I go back to circa 1997 when the faction known as the nWo (or New World Order) Wolfpac would come out to the song, “Don’t Turn Your Back on the Wolfpac”.

To the pure football fans, I’m certain you’re thinking I’m turning the game into a circus. But in reality, it’s something I’ve embraced to make the game more fun. The response I got from the Red Wolf faithful is that they’re embracing it too. For example, when Isiah McCambry emphatically charges 15 yards for a first down or Will Berger completes a long pass to a receiver to acquire a first down, or any play that results in a first down, cue up the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and his signature cry of “WHOO!!!”

I procured this simple two-second clip, and it’s caught on. Every time Cedar Ridge tallies a first down, I’ll strike up “Naitch”. The great thing about this, the Red Wolf fans respond with their own rendition of “WHOO!!!!” every time I cue up a trio of Ric Flairs. Then again, it caught on with the opposing fans too. Last season during the JV game and in this year’s varsity game against Chapel Hill, the Tiger fans would mock the Wolf Pack from their section by returning the Ric Flairs in their condescending way.

Afterwards, I’ll play something that they’re not expecting. “Oh YEAH!” I’ve played another legend in “Macho Man” Randy Savage; cartoon legend Daffy Duck with his traditional laugh; and even went to hip-hop legend Flavor Flav and his traditional “Yeah, Boyee!!” For big time rushes, you may even hear another hall of famer in Michael Hegstrand (you know him better as Road Warrior Hawk) in his trademark saying, “What a Rush!”, or the Roadrunner “MEEP MEEP”.

Oddly enough, the Pack will say these same things in response.

For the dramatic effect, I use a clip that makes Jeff Hamlin happy. The AC/DC tenor bell. That’s right, the big BONG you hear at the beginning of “Hell’s Bells” is my go to sound when rallying up the crowd on 3rd and 4th down defensive plays. This is reminiscent of 3rd & 4th down plays at UNC and Appalachian State that uses the same sound.

When a penalty flag appears upon a play, and no one knows who it’s against, I’ll play the familiar “Doink Doink” that’s synonymous with the Law & Order franchise. It definitely gets people’s attention as to who’s moving forward or backwards.

But when the Red Wolves cross into the end zone for a touchdown or conversion, kick a successful field goal, score a safety, or win the game, I’ll sound the horn. This comes from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, whose goal horn is tied into the late Warren Zevon’s hit song, “Werewolves of London”.

Again, I’m not trying to make sporting events into farces, but sporting events were made to be fun. All that I’m trying to do is add to a very fun atmosphere. When growing up in Marion and attending games at McDowell, we didn’t have these effects. Despite very vocal, if not rabid, fans, we would create our own effects and traditions.

Which reminds me. If you’ve come to volleyball matches inside Cedar Ridge Arena, you may have heard some of the aforementioned sounds. The students have also become very extemporaneous in their enthusiasm as it has assisted the Lady Wolves to their best season since 2015. It all started with a Cedar Ridge student shouting “OH YEAH!” (In similarity to the Kool-Aid Man), when an opposing team would serve or receive a serve.

It’s been fun this season on New Grady Brown School Drive, and I’m certain more fun is coming down the road. I for one am glad to come along for the rid