Cedar Ridge High School

It’s too early to tell if the balance of power in Big 8 Conference softball has changed after the first week of league play, but it’s clear that Cedar Ridge will have a big role in determining who the top team  is.

For the second time in four days, Cedar Ridge whitewashed Northwood on Friday. Kara Wagoner went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Tori Dalehite had a triple as the Red Wolves shutout the Chargers 12-0 at the Chargers Softball Complex in Pittsboro.

Rivers Andrews posted her 2nd consecutive shutout. She struck out ten while allowing just one hit. Through 18 innings so far this season, Andrews has alllowed four hits, one run, two walked and struck out 34.

Cedar Ridge (3-0, 2-0 in the Big 8) pounded out 16 hits against the Chargers. Sophomore Tori Dalehite went 4-for-4 with a triple and 4 RBI. Dalehite has made up for lost time after she sat out her freshman season because of a torn ACL suffered during the 2016-17 basketball campaign. Through three games, Dalehite is 8-for-10 with seven RBI, two triples and a home run in the season opener against Eastern Alamance.

Junior Kara Wagoner went 3-for-4 on Friday with a double and two RBI. Tionna Carter had her multi-hit game of the season, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Cedar Ridge is slated to host Chapel Hill on Tuesday, then travel to CHHS on Friday. CRHS will play at Western Alamance on Wednesday. The Warriors are 3-2 after splitting its opening four Mid-State Conference games,  defeating McMichael and Rockingham County, but losing to Person and Morehead.

On Friday, East Chapel Hill swept Orange in a doubleheader at Panther Softball Field on scores of 6-5 and 9-7. The Wildcats had a huge day from senior pitcher Katie Agatucci, who went 1-for-3 in the opener. In the nightcap, Agatucci went 2–for-3 with 5 RBI, including a home run in the second innng as part of a six-run 2nd inning. Sophomore Ella Pedersen went 2-for-2 with a triple in the 2nd game.

Orange designated hitter Alisha Pettiford hit a home run in each game, but the Lady Panthers fell to 1-3, 0-2 in the Big 8. Orange will travel to Hillside on Tuesday,  then will have consecutive home games against Roxboro Community School on Thursday and Hillside again on Friday.

In what figures to be a deep Big 8 Conference, Orange and Cedar Ridge starting their league campaigns on the wrong foot.

In mid-40 degree temperatures in Pittsboro Wednesday night, defending Big 8 Conference Champion Northwood routed the Red Wolves 19-7.

Things couldn’t have started much better for the Red Wolves. Adam Chunupa led off the game with a solo homer to center field. Cedar Ridge pushed the lead to 2-0 after catcher Connnor Lamb double to center to score Matthew Kahn, who reached on a walk.

From there on, it was total Northwood domination. The Chargers scored seven runs in the second inning, six in the third and six more in the fourth. Northwood (4-2, 1-0 in the Big 8) batted around in three consecutive innings, pounding out 17 hits.

Charger shortstop Michael Posse, a freshman who transferred from Georgia during the summer, hit two doubles in the 2nd inning. He led off the 2nd with a two-bagger, which was followed by a single from Deuce Powell. After Zack Sipe walked to load the bases, David Palermo hit an RBI single to left. Zizzy Newell lined an 0-2 fastball down the left field line to score Powell and Sipe. Second baseman Bryce Davis grounded a seeing-eye single over the middle to bring in Palermo and Newell.

Trailing 13-2 in the fourth, Cedar Ridge did score five runs. Landon Badgeett lined a one-out single to left. After Chnupa reached on a fielder’s choice, Jake DeFranco walked to load the bases. Dante DeFranco followed with a double to the left field fence. Chris Cox followed with a three-run homer to reduce the Northwood lead to 13-7.

Dante DeFranco finished 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI. Badger went 2-for-2, while Lamb went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Cedar Ridge will host Northwood on Friday in Hillsborough.

On Thursday, East Chapel Hill’s Jeb Byerley’s double scored Bryce Jeske and C.J. Di Benedetto in the fifth inning to help East Chapel Hill defeat Orange 7-5 at Panther Field.

Orange (2-3, 0-1 in the Big 8) battled back from a 4-0 deficit to breifly take the lead in the 4th. Collin Guentensberger doubled down the left field line. Jaydin Poateat sent a grounder to shortstop, where Di Benedetto tried to throw out Guentensberger at third, where he was called safe. In the midst of East players arguing the call, Poteat raced over to 2nd. After Joey Berini walked, Jason Slaughter drew a based-loaded walk. After East inserted Brad Rice to pitch, Caige Clayton singled to left field to score Poteat and Berini to give Orange a 5-4 lead, but it didn’t last long.

East’s Ryan McGlinn singled to start the fifth, and Jeske was hit by a pitch while trying to bunt. Di Benedetto walked, leading to Byerley’s two-out double.

Orange starter Will White needed only 15 pitches to get the first five outs, but East scored four runs off five hits in the second inning, all with two outs. Benton Copeland had the game’s first hit on a cue-shot infield single. Rice singled to right to score Copeland. McGlinn followed with a line drive to left to score Harris. Jeske delivered a double to the right center power alley that plated Rice and McGlinn.

East will host Orange to conclude the two-game series on Friday afternoon at 4:30. That game can be heard on HillsboroughSports.com.

In case Cedar Ridge’s season-opening win over Eastern Alamance didn’t grab the attention of the rest of the Big 8 conference, consider what the Red Wolves did on Wednesday against Northwood.

The Chargers have four starters returning from a team that 18-6 last season and finished 3rd in the Big 8, including pitcher Hannah Weigle.

And the Red Wolves finished them in five innings.

Senior Rivers Andrews struck out nine while throwing a one-hitter as the Red Wolves polished off the Chargers 11-0 on Wednesday night in Hillsborough in the Big 8 opener. Cedar Ridge (2-0, 1-0 in the Big 8) will travel to Pittsboro to complete the two-game series on Friday night.

In just her second varsity game, Tori Dalehite went 2-for-3 with a RBI triple, scoring twice. Junior Tionna Carter had a two-run single, while sophomore Emma Roby went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Dalehite is off to a 4-for-6 start with three RBIs, a triple and a double.

With only one senior in the starting lineup, the Red Wolves pounded out ten hits in winning its second game of the season. Junior Amy Stutzer went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Andrews finished 2-for-2. Freshman Shill Quade stole two bases.

Andrews faced 17 batters, but only two got on base. Kaylie Lane was hit by a pitch and Taylor Brown singled.

Years of tutelage by his father has paid off for Cedar Ridge cornerback Kevin Wright, who has officially committed to N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Wright started three seasons for the Red Wolves. In 2016, Wright helped the Red Wolves to a winning season while making five interceptions and three pass breakups. He made 45 tackles in his junior season. His preparation for football started with his father, Kevin Wright Sr, who was a tight end at Orange in the early 90s.

Mia Davidson: This week’s Mia Davidson update may be the most impressive one yet. Mississippi State won all five games last week against Boston College, Illinois and UMass-Lowell. In those contests, Davidson hit .571 with three home runs, eight RBIs, three doubles and nine runs. Davidson now leads the SEC and is 17th in the country with eight home runs. As a freshman, Davidson leads the Bulldogs in runs (28), hits (33), doubles (8), RBIs (23), total bases (69), batting average (.440), slugging percentage (.920), and on-base percentage (.488). She has started all 24 games as Mississippi State has started 21-3 after going 36-22 last season.

Brad Debo: Now a sophomore catcher at N.C. State, Debo went 6-for-10 in a doubleheader against Boston College. In the opener, Debo went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs, scoring twice as the Wolfpack defeated the Eagles 13-7 to take the series. In the nightcap, Debo hit his first homer of the season as the Eagles salvaged an 11-3 win.  Last week, the Wolfpack went 3-1, taking two of three against the Eagles and grabbing a midweek victory at Campbell (a Tuesday game against UNC Wilmington was canceled). Debo went .352 for the week with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and two doubles. Debo is now hitting .340 (3rd on the team) with 12 RBI and four doubles.

Mackenzie Cates: The Lenoir-Rhyne softball team is now ranked #12 in Division II with a 19-4 record, having won nine in a row. Cates, a senior catcher from Orange, had a tremendous doubleheader against Converse on Saturday, going five-for-6 with two home runs, 9 RBIs, a double and four runs. Last week, the Bears swept doubleheaders against Converse and Davis & Elkins. Cates is hitting .338 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. The Bears start South Atlantic Conference action next weekend against Tusculum.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge lacrosse goalkeeper earned two more wins in net for Division III Greensboro College last week. Tanner made nine saves as the Pride defeated the University of Dallas 14-8 on Saturday in Atlanta. On Friday, Greensboro defeated Hilbert College 7-6 at Pride Field. Tanner made four saves to improve to 6-3 on the season with 79 saves. Tanner is 3rd in the South Atlantic Conference in saves, 4th in Goals Against Average.

Brandon Andrews: The former Cedar Ridge pitcher and centerfielder threw one inning in Nicholls 21-6 win over Sacred Heart. The Colonels had a three-game winning streak on Saturday with a loss to Northwestern State. Nicholls is 4-12, 1-2 in the Southland Conference.

Rachel Peel: Peel, a catcher for Meredith College, appeared in three games last week for the Angels in games against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Aurora and Salem College. Meredith is 10-9, 3-3 is USA Softball’s South Division.

Jordan Toney: Toney threw an inning of scoreless relief in UNC-Pembroke’s 15-5 win over Coker. Toney is a junior for the Braves after transferring from Pfeiffer in 2017.

Bowen Collins: Collins now plays for Lenoir-Rhyne’s men’s lacrosse team. He played in the Bears’ 10-4 win over Belmont Abbey last week. Lenoir-Rhyne is 7-1 after beating Wingate in its South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday. This season, Collins has scored two goals and an assist in four games.

Mia Davidson: The freshman Mississippi State catcher currently leads the Bulldogs in batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage (.803, over 150 points better than Morgan Bell, who is in 2nd place), and on-base percentage. And she has a stolen base. On Saturday during the Bulldog Slamboree, Davidson hit a two-run homer to center in the first inning. The Bulldogs swept the Bulldog Slamboree with wins over Lamar, Mercer and a doubleheader sweep against Sam Houston State. Mississippi State is now 16-3 and ranked #25 in the country.  

Mackenzie Cates: The senior shortstop for the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears softball team, Cates has helped the Bears win 5 straight games, reaching a 15-4 record overall and a #15 ranking in NCAA Division II. On Saturday.in the opener of a doubleheader against Francis Marion, Cates went 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Bears won 5-1. Later that day, Lenior-Rhyne completed the sweep as Cates with 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI as the Bears prevailed 8-2. Last Tuesday, Lenior-Rhyne swept another doubleheader against Belmont Abbey in Hickory. The Bears took the opener 8-0, where Cates went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Through 19 games, Cates, a native of Efland, has hit .309 with one home run and 7 RBIs. She also has three doubles and is 2-for-2 on stolen bases.

Brandon Andrews: The first Ceda Ridge centerfielder/pitcher played in two games over the weekend for Nicholls in the Cox Diamond Invitational. Andrew threw two-thirds of an inning, striking out one, in a 6-3 loss to Ohio State. Andrews also pitched in an 11-5 loss to Eastern Michigan. Nicholls is 1-9.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State baseball team is off to a 10-2 start. Catcher Brad Debo, who graduated from Orange in 2016, has started ten games as a catcher, hitting .333 with two doubles and eight RBIs. On Friday, when the Wolfpack defeated Bowling Green, Debo went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI as Wolfpack Coach Elliott Avent won his 800th career game. On Saturday in a 21-4 victory over Campbell, Debo went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Stephen Tanner: A former goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge lacrosse team, Tanner earned the win in net for Greensboro College in a 10-7 victory over Hampton on Saturday. Tanner made five saves in playing 75 minutes. On Friday, Greensboro edged Alma 10-9, where Tanner earned another win by making eight saves. So far this season, Tanner has started eight games. He is 5-3 with a .478 save percentage and a 9.05 goals against average. The Pride is 5-3 overall in the NCAA Division III South Athletic Conference.

Since the Cedar Ridge girls basketball team was the only squad from Hillsborough to make the state playoffs, it would figure that the coach of the Red Wolves would receive a top honor.

Felton Page has been named the Big 8 Co-Coach of the Year. Page received the honor in a three-way tie with Teddy McKoy of Southern Durham and Ovester Grays of Hillside. Despite injuries to guard Madison Wardlow and Logan Woody, Page coached the Red Wolves to its first winning season since 2013-14. They defeated Orange at Jim King Gymnasium en route to a 4th place finish in the Big 8, which led to its second consecutive state playoff birth. The highlight of the season was a 49-43 victory over Southern Durham where Madison Wardlow scored 16 points and Yolanda Simpson scored 13. The Spartans would go on to finish 2nd in the conference behind only archrival Hillside.

Wardlow, a junior, was named to the All-Big 8 team. She was Cedar Ridge’s leading scorer at 12.4 points per game. Her season high came on December 2nd when she scored 20 points in the Red Wolves’ 45-42 victory at Goldsboro. Wardlow had a string of five consecutive games in double figures, and 10 out of 11, at one point during the season. Wardlow started the conference season with consecutive 19 point games against Chapel Hill and Northwood in early December. She also scored 17 in Cedar Ridge’s two vicories over Northern Durham.

Despite suffering an injury to her right foot in early December against Hillside, Orange junior guard Icez Barnett was named to the All-Big 8 team. Barnett averaged 10.8 points per game, second on the team. She had a season-high 22 points and 15 rebounds in a 67-65 loss to Lee County on December 11th, then followed with 20 points and seven rebounds the following night in the conference opening win over East Chapel Hill. After suffering the injury against Hillside on December 15th, Barnett returned to score in double figures in each of Orange’s last seven games, including 15 points in a win over Cedar Ridge in the opening round of the Big 8 Tournament.

Yolanda Simpson and Taylin Jean of Cedar Ridge were named to the Honorable Mention team. Orange’s Lauren Cates and senior Janet Myers were named to the Honorable Mention team for Orange.

After leading the Orange boys basketball team in scoring for the 2017-18 season, Mitch Portman has been named to the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Portman was the leading scorer for Orange against Chapel Hill on January 9th, finishing with 17 points. Portman was sidelined for the heart of the conference season after taking a knee to the head against Hillside on January 23, which placed him in concussion protocol. This was the 2nd year where Portman was a varsity starter.

Cedar Ridge’s Mekai Collins also made the All-Big 8 team. Collins scores 22 points as the Red Wolves defeated Orange on January 26th, its first win over the Panthers in three years. Collins, a sophomore, was the leading scorer on the Red Wolves, averaging 15 points per game. Collins also scored 22 points in Cedar Ridge’s 57-41 victory over Jordan-Matthews on November 17.

Joey McMullin was named to the Honorable Mention list. Terrence Crawford and Khalil Barnett were named to the Honorable Mention list for Cedar Ridge.