Cedar Ridge High School

For the second year in a row, the Cedar Ridge women’s wrestling team crowned a champion at the Red Wolf Invitational.

In fact, they crowned two.

Chloe Pankratz claimed her first individual championship at 138 pounds, pinning all three of her opponents in a round-robin tournament that featured four other competitors.

At 100 pounds, Thalia Paterno defeated top-seeded Eva Serrano of Panther Creek in the semifinals and went on to claim the championship. She scored pins in both of her matches as the Red Wolves finished 4th in the women’s team standings with 54 points. Panther Creek captured the women’s team championship with 141 points.

Pankratz, who didn’t play in the 132-pound tournament last year, pinned Aaliyah McNeill of South Garner in 15 seconds in her opening match. Pankratz defeated Cece Maldonado of Southeast Alamance in 31 seconds. With the championship at stakge, Pankratz pinned Caroline Cook of Seaforth to clinch her first individual championship.

Last year, Cedar Ridge’s Zoey Moreno won the 120-pound title at the Red Wolf Invitational. Moreno pinned Adriana Gruner of Northern Durham in 15 seconds to take the 2023 championship.

The 100 pound championship turned into an all-Hillsborough matchup. After Paterno pinned Serrano, Orange’s Elyse Wilscam pinned Alexus Pementhal of West Rowan in 14 seconds to reach the final. Paterno pinned Wilscam in 1:03 to earn her first individual championship.

Orange’s Ava Lytle finished 3rd at 126 pounds. After Gianna Susser of Garner, the eventual champion, won in the opening round, Lytle Andrea Thornton of Asheboro via pinfall in 1:32. In the consolation final, Lytle pinned Aaliyah Pearson of Southeast Raleigh in 18 seconds.

Pankratz started the season with a runner-up finish in the Atkins Invitational at Atkins Academic and Technology High School in Winston-Salem on November 14. Pankratz scored three pins on her way to the final. She defeated Leora Hein of Oak Hill Academy in 36 seconds. She pinned Ashley Hernandez of Oak Grove in 1:12, then pinned 2nd-seeded Amelia Martino of East Mecklenburg in the semifinals in 5:13. Top-seeded Jadyn Magallanes of West Forsyth claimed the championship.

Paterno also reached the finals of the Atkins Invitational at 100 pounds. In a five-competitor field, Paterno pinned Naria Selomith of West Forsyth in 14 seconds. Victoria Pioquinto of West Forsyth pinned Paterno in 3:36 in the final, though Paterno did have a 5-1 lead with 1:00 remaining in the second period.

Also at the Atkins, Cedar Ridge’s Melissa Avendano won her opening round match at 165 pounds. In the quarterfinals, Avendano defeated Aaliyah Page of East Mecklenburg. Isabelle Clemmons of Atkins Academic won the championship over Janiyah Quidachay of Southeast Alamance in the final.

The Cedar Ridge women’s team has grown to the point that they’re now holding standard dual meets against Central Conference opponents. Last week, the Red Wolves women’s team won its first dual match when they defeated Person 24-12, though all of the matches were forfeits because Cedar Ridge had four wrestlers who were unrivaled in their respective weight classes. Caroline Donjuan, Pankratz, Paterno and Mariana Duqum all claimed victories.

Also in the tri-meet against Person, Cary defeated Cedar Ridge 42-18. Of the three matches that didn’t end in forfeit, Cedar Ridge won two of them. Pankratz defeated Treasure Harvest at 138 pounds via pinfall. At 100 pounds, Paterno pinned Angela Chen.

The Orange women’s team started the season at the Wolverine Challenge at Wakefield High School in Raleigh on November 16. At 100 pounds, Wiscam finished in third place after she pinned Alena McNaughton of Panther Creek in 2:56. In the opening round, Wiscam advanced to the semifinals with a pinfall victory over McNaughton in 3:30.

Orange’s Ava Lytle was the top seed in the 126 pound tournament and finished fourth. Lytle pinned Miracle Lester of Hoke County in the consolation round. In the consolation semifinals, Lytle pinned Vanity Martinez of Currituck County.

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This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior golfer Laci Sykes. While Sykes’ top sport is softball, this summer she decided to pick up golf clubs and try her luck out at the links. Under the instruction of head coach Chris Casey, Sykes reached the 3A Central Regionals. She became the first Cedar Ridge golfer to reach the Central Regionals since Olivia Aitkin in 2022. Even though she had just taken up the sport, Sykes had the top scoring average on the team this season. She shot a 55 on the front nine at Occoneechee Golf Course in Hillsborough. Sykes top sport is softball, where she has played varsity each of the past two seasons. Last year, Sykes started 20 games and hit .290 with 18 hits, six doubles and eight RBIs. She helped the Red Wolves reach the state playoffs. Sykes also started every game in her freshman season in 2023. Across 20 games, she hit .239, scoring 16 runs and lacing eleven hits under head coach Allen Byrd. The women’s golf regionals were held at The Valley Golf Course in Burlington. Now that golf season has ended, Sykes will prepare for the start of softball season in February. The Red Wolves will open the season against Wakefield in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Laci Sykes

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior golfer Laci Sykes. While Sykes’ top sport is softball, this summer she decided to pick up golf clubs and try her luck out at the links. Under the instruction of head coach Chris Casey, Sykes reached the 3A Central Regionals.

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On Monday night, Cedar Ridge softball senior Kimber Shambley formally signed to play at Western Carolina during a ceremony inside Cedar Ridge Library. Among the speakers were Kimber’s father, Kevin, and her mother, Missy. Also in attendance were Cedar Ridge softball coach Allen Byrd and assistant coach Brian Rhew. Shambley has been a varsity co-Captain the past two years. Last spring, she led the team in six offensive categories, including a .449 batting average with eight home runs and 34 RBIs. On Senior night, she hit a walkoff home run to defeat Western Alamance, the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions. Shambley has been a varsity player each of her three seasons at Cedar Ridge. She has a lifetime .418 batting average with nine home runs and 78 RBIs. Playing at Western Carolina has been a dream for Shambley since 2017, when she played in Cullowhee during a camp. In 22 games in her freshman season, Shambley hit .441 with 30 hits and 28 RBIs. She has helped Cedar Ridge reach the state playoffs each of her three seasons. Many of Kimber’s teammates were on hand for the ceremony on Wednesday night, which had a displayed adorned in purple, the colors of the Catamounts. Kimber will start her senior season on February 24 with a game against Wakefield in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge softball senior Kimber Shambley discusses signing with Western Carolina

On Monday night, Cedar Ridge softball senior Kimber Shambley formally signed to play at Western Carolina during a ceremony inside Cedar Ridge Library. Among the speakers were Kimber’s father, Kevin, and her mother, Missy. Also in attendance were Cedar Ridge softball coach Allen Byrd and assistant coach Brian Rhew.

Despite losing seven starters from last year’s Central Conference championship team, Cedar Ridge wrestling is still a force to be reckoned with.

Red Wolf senior Ryan Rakouskas won his 100th career match en route to the 157-pounds championship as Cedar Ridge won the Atkins Invitational at Atkins Academic and Technology High School in Greensboro on Saturday. Rakouskas defeated Brice Baker of Oak Grove High in overtime 14-11 in the championship final.

Rakouskas becomes the eighth Cedar Ridge wrestler to win 100 career matches. He is the fourth grappler in the last three years to win 100 matches. Fernando Martinez, who graduated in 2023 and now wrestles at UNC Pembroke, won 100 matches during his senior year. Last year, Kaden Tatro also joined the 100-win club. Senior Pierce Prescod surpassed 100 wins last winter.

Rakouskas finished 35-13 with 29 pins last season. He opened his first tournament of the 2024-2025 season with a pin over Braxton Bragg of East Mecklenburg. In the quarterfinals, Rakouskas pinned Adam Curry of Asheboro in 1:02. He secured a spot in the championship match with a 10-4 victory over Jack Martin of Mount Airy.

Cedar Ridge finished with 159 points, tops in the 25-team field. Atkins Academic and Technology finished second with 137 points.

“I thought we had a shot to crack the top five,” said Cedar Ridge coach Scott Metcalf. “I’m shocked that we won, honestly. We lost seven starters from last year’s team so it’s hardly imaginable that we could be better this year. But this is a really good group of kids who get along great and work really hard. So it’s entirely feasible if things keep coming together.”

The surprise of the weekend was Will Meyer, who captured the 190-pound championship. Meyer has spent the past three years on junior varsity and appeared in three matches at the varsity level last year. He pinned all four of his opponents in the tournament, including a victory over Matthew Oliver of R.J. Reynolds in the semifinals at 2:41. In the championship match, Meyer pinned Glenn Huskey of Rockingham County in 1:58.

Meyer faced a higher-seeded competitor in each of his four matches. He opened by pinning 7th-seeded Michael King of Reagan High in 3:10.

The Red Wolves had three others reach the finals in their respective weight classes. Jordin Blue won three matches in the 165-pound tournament, pinning Jack Steele of Southeast Guilford in the semifinals. Cooper Ranson of Atkins Academic on the championship over Blue. In the quarterfinals, Blue scored a technical fall over Kolvin Walker of Alexander Central.

At 126 pounds, Prescod reached the championship match. Prescod, the top-seed, defeated Braylen George of Mt. Airy 18-2 to advance via technical fall. In the championship match, Omar Rushing of Mt. Airy held off Prescod 4-3. Prescod took a 1-0 lead into the third period, but Rushing scored the only takedown of the match with 37 seconds remaining in the third period. Prescod got an escape in the final seconds, but couldn’t gain the final point.

Alejandro Briones, the defending Central Conference champion at 144-pounds, reached the final at 150 pounds. Briones, who won both of his matches in the season-opening tri-meet at Uwharrie Charter Academy last Thursday, pinned Daniel Runion of R.J. Reynolds in 1:57 in the semifinals. Briones scored two pins and a tech fall leading up to the championship match. Cole Kenerley of East Mecklenburg pinned Briones in 3:09 to win the title. Briones led 6-1 in the opening minute of the match, but Kenerley scored four near fall points in the final 30 seconds of the opening period.

Favio Jaramillo Esparza finished third at 113-pounds. In the consolation final, he pinned Gavin Cranford of Montgomery Central in 3:49.

In the women’s tournaments, Cedar Ridge’s Thalia Paterno reached the final at 100-pounds. Paterno pinned Naria Selomith of West Forsyth in 14 seconds. Victoria Pioquinto of West Forsyth won the championship via pinfall in 3:36.

At 138 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Chloe Pankratz reached the final, finishing runner-up. In the semifinals, Pankratz pinned the 2nd seed, Amelia Martino of East Mecklenburg in 5:13. Jadyn Magallanes of West Forsyth won the championship.

For the first time since 2021, the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team has won its season opener.

In a tight game on Friday night, the Red Wolves held on to defeat Carrboro 54-52 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Sophomore Jordan Jacobson finished with 20 points while senior Luke Orstad finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

With :5.3 seconds remaining, Or stand missed a freeze throw. Carrrboro’s Sam Kanjorski got free with a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, but Orstad soared across to obstruct the shot, which fell short.

Carrboro (o-1) took a 44-41 lead when Kanjorski knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. Orstad and Jacobson took over offensively for the Red Wolves. Orstand scored off a lay-in on a feed from Jacobson. After Cedar Ridge center Jack Kelsey grabbed a rebound, Jacobson found Orstad for another field goal to put the Red Wolves ahead 45-44. Following another Jaguars miss that was rebounded by Braeden Wilbourn, Jacobson sank a 3-pointer on a basket assisted by Orstad. Following a steal by Kelsey, Orstad knocked down two free throws after being fouled by Noah Simmons.

Carrboro’s Bakari Watkins led all scorers with 28 points.

Cedar Ridge shot 8-of-16 from 3-point range and roared out to a 17-2 lead to start the game. Orstad opened with a 3-pointer, followed by another from Jacobson, which forced a Jaguars timeout only two minutes in. After Watkins scored the opening Carrboro field goal, Orstad knocked down two free throws, followed by another 3-pointer from Jacobson.

Carrboro shot 6-of-9 from the field in the second quarter to cut its deficit down to 30-26 by intermission. Carrboro guard Joe Smith sparked the run with a 3-pointer with 5:44 remaining in the first half. Watkins scored the Jaguars final ten points of the first half, including a running one-hander with four seconds remaining in the first half.

In the third quarter, Kanjorski scored off a lay-in to tie the game at 30-30 with 6:27 remaining. Watkins hit two free throws to give the Jaguars its first lead at 31-30.

ORANGE 55, RIVERSIDE 48: Playing its second game in as many days, the Panthers found a way to prevail in a rhythmless, choppy finale to the Voyager Academy Tip-Off Classic in Durham on Saturday.

Kai Wade drained a 3-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the first half to give Orange a six-point lead and the Panthers maintained the lead for the rest of the game, though the Pirates made a late run behind junior Robert McDonald, who led all scorers with 21 points.

McDonald drained a 3-pointer to cut Orange’s lead to two points with 2:36 remaining in regulation, but the Pirates found themselves in foul trouble late in the game. Wade knocked down pressure free throws, sinking 5-of-6 from the stripe in the final quarter. As Riverside switched to a 3-2 zone, Xandrell Pennix picked up a deflected pass and scored off a lay-in.

Pennix, a senior, paced Orange with 15 points.

The two teams felt each other out during the opening minutes. Riverside led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter as the Panthers were limited to three field goals. Panther senior Michael Clark, who finished with 12 points, scored six in the opening quarter.

Riverside was held to six points in the second quarter as the Panthers took a 23-16 lead to the locker room. Orange created turnovers off its full court press and turned them into layups. Freddny Sneed, who finished with eleven points, slammed home his first dunk of the year to give Orange the lead for good.

Orange put four players in double figures. Wade, coming off a career-high 31 point game against Voyager Academy on Friday night, finished with 13 points.

It was the first game for new Riverside head coach Chris Mayshack, who replaced longtime coach Brian Strickland during the offseason.

Orange will host Mount Zion Academy on Friday night in Hillsborough.

“Most humans are never fully present in the now because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.”–Echkart Tolle 

From the time he stepped into Cedar Ridge, Quinn Finnegan has lived in the moment.

On the mound. In the outfield. Inside the classroom. At the Barn. Even in the bleachers where he’s a regular for Cedar Ridge sports events, including basketball games where his sister Kate played for the varsity her freshman year.

It all paid off on Wednesday night inside Cedar Ridge’s J-wing. Flanked by his mother Maria, his father Tim, Kate and his younger brother Reese, Finnegan formerly signed with Wagner College based out of Staten Island, New York.

It speaks to Finnegan’s character that his signing ceremony packed the J-Wing with parents, well-wishers, administrators and faithful from the Cedar Ridge and Orange baseball communities, two sides that have had its share of contentious moments. On this night, they gathered as one to speak highly of a senior who has overcome obstacles, both abroad and within, and turned it into a Division I opportunity.

Finnegan, a pitcher with Cedar Ridge’s varsity since his freshman year, is a three-time co-Captain. He has been named All-Central Conference three times. A founding member and President of Cedar Ridge’s DECA Club, Finnegan was inducted into the National Honor Society last year, was the Student Class President his freshman year and has a 4.38 grade point average, 31st in his class.

Finnegan, known as “Q” for short, didn’t get a chance to lead as a middle school student because he lost two full athletic years due to the pandemic. By the time he walked into Cedar Ridge head coach Bryson Massey’s office as a freshman in 2020, he knew what his objective would be: to become a Division I college pitcher.

“I knew he could be a captain the first day he stepped inside of Cedar Ridge,” Massey said. “There was no doubt in my mind as a freshman. There was a reason why I put him on varsity. I knew he had it in him. He was a hard worker. He’s the type of guy who embodies what Cedar Ridge baseball is since I’ve been here and what we’re building.”

When Maria Finnegan was pregnant with Quinn, he was due on December 1. He arrived ten days late. That’s why his uniform number is #11.

Tim and Maria, speaking jointly in front of a crowd for the first time since their wedding vows in 2001, discussed their oldest son’s hard work and dedication.

“It’s so easy to just throw those words around,” Maria Finnegan said. “But it’s another thing to literally live it and see hour-by-hour what that looks like.”

For Quinn, there was school daily from 9AM-to-4PM. In the fall and the spring, he would stay after school for practice and games. After practice, there were workouts at the Barn to train from 90 minutes to two hours. He would come home at around 9PM to stretch, shower, ear and go to bed. He would set the alarm for 3AM so he get up to start working out again.

Six days a week.

And that’s just the physical side.

The mental battle Finnegan has endured emboldens the old saying that it’s darkest before the dawn.

Last year, just before the start of his junior season, Finnegan was on the verge of quitting the sport.

“I was really down on myself,” Finnegan said. “I couldn’t do a single thing right in my mind. Nothing was enough for me. I even hated training each day.”

Finnegan credited sessions with sports psychologist Mike Halpern, along with encouragement from Massey and assistant coach Robert Hege, to regain a mindset that would lead to the best season of his career.

When he was in his cradle, Maria and Tim placed little toys to see if a precursor to his young adult life would take shape. There were basketballs, soccer balls and footballs.

Quinn took a liking to a small, green plastic bat, which Tim carried with him to the podium on Wednesday night.

Ryan O’Keefe, who is the public address announcer for Orange baseball, coached Finnegan for the Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association’s Hawks team ages 8-12 team, where the batters faced a pitching machine.

They went 1-18 his first season.

“Somehow, Quinn decided to stay,” O’Keefe said. “Because he was one of the guys who got it. I really believe when you’re good at T-ball, you’ll be good when you’re 16, too. The best kids on my tee ball team are signing to play in college.

O’Keefe required his players to do well academically and asked them to bring their report cards to practice one day. When he was eight, Finnegan attended Montessori School of Durham, which didn’t submit standard letter grades. Finnegan was frantic and asked his mother to intervene. Finnegan asked his teacher to give a letter grade to submit to O’Keefe.

Hege, who has been Finnegan’s travel coach with the Southern Baseball Academy, is as responsible for his physical development as anyone. Behind his house, Hege runs “The Barn,” a gym that started as a carport where plays worked out. Now, it’s a training facility where players from various schools work out.

Finnegan was among the original members of the Barn, starting when he was in the 7th grade. During winter nights, they had to put plastic around the carport to keep the heat inside. When he isn’t at home or at a Cedar Ridge game, his parents correctly assume he’s at the Barn.

“Quinn was one of the OGs at the Barn,” Hege said. “Now, we have about 20 people constantly there.”

Hege talked with several college coaches during Finnegan’s recruitment. When they asked what type of person Quinn was, Hege would tell them a story about Finnegan’s workouts during the COVID-19 lockdown when kids had to stay home from school. Finnegan would show up at the Barn with matchbox cars to give to Hege’s 3-year-old child to break the boredom of the interminable quarantine.

By the time Finnegan turned 16, Hege allowed him to drive from Cedar Ridge practices to the Barn. In between, they would pick up Hege’s youngest son, Shep, from daycare.

Shep and Quinn quickly grew into a first-name relationship. One day, Hege picked up Shep while Quinn was absent.

“Where’s Quinn?” Shep asked his father. “Are we going to his house? Why didn’t he come get me today? You know he’s a better driver than you are.”

Robbie Liner, Orange High’s junior variety men’s basketball coach who coached Finnegan in baseball and basketball, also spoke during the ceremony.

“Everywhere we went, he had a great time,” Liner said.

During one particularly intense basketball game, Finnegan had some choice words for an official as he walked off the floor. It didn’t escape the attention of Liner or Finnegan’s parents. The following day, Quinn emailed a letter of apology to the entire team and their parents.

“That reaffirmed to me that he had parents that were going to keep him on the right path,” Liner said.

Many of Finnegan’s teammates were at Wednesday’s ceremony. So were Landon Dalehite and Mason Cates, both of whom graduated last June and all played with Finnegan for three years.