Cedar Ridge High School

After the Orange Panthers had its first undefeated regular season in 38 years, a dozen players were honored on the All-Big 8 Conference team on Tuesday.

Cedar Ridge, which finished its first winning season since 2010, had six players make all confernece. That included kicker Trent Gill, who was the only player in Hillsborough to make all conference in two different fall sports. Gill was also honored in soccer.

Orange Linebacker Payton Wilson was named Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson also led Orange with 16 touchdowns (five punt returns, six rushing, four receiving and an interception return). On the same day Wilson received honors from the Big 8 Conference, he received scholarship offers from Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

Orange junior running back Marvante Beasley earned all confernece honors. He rushed for 1,040 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Beasley’s breakthrough performance came against Southern Durham, where he rushed for a career-high 193 yards and two touchdowns.

To no one’s surprise, Orange’s entire starting linebacker corps made all conference. The Panthers defense gave up only 59 points in 13 games this season, holding 10 of its 13 opponents to under 100 yards.

Jordan Farrington, a two year starter, made 74 tackles and 13 sacks. It was his 2nd straight all-conference appearance. Farrington made eleven tackles, two for losses, against Southern Durham.

Devondrez Moore, who started playing basketball this week for Orange, made 18 tackles for loss. Moore, who transferred to Orange for his senior season from Northern Durham, had a fumble return for a touchdown against Chapel Hill.

The Big 8 All Conference team wouldn’t have been complete if all three of Orange’s defensive linemen weren’t on it. Sure enough, Stone Edwards, Ryan Sellers and Noah Rogers all made the squad.

The trio had a season-long competition to see who would end the year with the most sacks. In the end, Sellers captured the crown with 15, while Edwards had 13 and Rogers tallied 11.

In Orange’s final four games, Rogers also played left tackle on an offensive line that was in a constant state of flux from the initial scrimmage against South Granville in mid-August.

Antother stallwart on the Orange defense was safety Keshawn Thompson, who was honored with the WRAL Extra Effort Award in October. Thompson, who has a 4.2 GPA, ended the year with seven pass deflections.

Thompson’s classmate Alex Long made the team, leading the team with 17 pass deflections. Long’s interception return for a touchdown was the game-winning score in the Panthers 14-0 victory over Riverside on September 5th.

Also making all-conference from the Panthers’ offensive line was right tackle Shea Hoffman. The 6-2 senior had several position changes during the course of the year before settling in at tackle and paving the way for the Panthers to rush for 3,037 yards under head coach Pat Moser’s double-wing offense.

There were several players making their debut on the All-Conference teams. Running back Ryan Puckett, who also played linebacker, was named to the squad. Puckett scored two touchdowns against Northern Durham in a 21-13 Orange victory on August 26th. It was Orange’s closest win of the season.

Wide receiver Cody Evans also made all-conference. Evans led Orange with 364 receiving yards on 15 catches. He had a 51-yard touchdown reception in a playoff victory over Wilson Fike.

In addition to Gill for Cedar Ridge, senior running back London Saunders was named to the squad. Saunders led the Red Wolves with 635 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Among other Red Wolves who made the team:

* Linebacker Montae Kee, who led Cedar Ridge in tackles with 88.

* Offensive lineman Austin Holmes.

* Offensive lineman Zach Berry, who was also named to the all-conference team last spring as a goalkeeper in lacrosse.

* Interior lineman Nate Lewis.

Orange quarterback Jackson Schmid and safety Rodney Brooks were named honorable mention. Cedar Ridge cornerback Kevin Wright and linebacker Seth Baldwin were also honorable mention.

A strong year of volleyball in the Big 8 Conference ended with Chapel Hill playing for the 3A State Championship, just a year after Cedar Ridge played for the Eastern Regional Championship.

On Wednesday morning, Orange’s Jordan Lloyd, Macy Hughes and Bailey Lucas were named to the All-Big 8 Conference Squad.

Two mainstays for Cedar Ridge were also named to the All Conference team. Seniors Lindsay Thompson and Meg Anderson were honored by the league.

Lloyd, who committed to Division II Brevard University two weeks ago, led Orange with 146 kills and 302 digs. By her own admission, the highlight of her senior year was on September 27th when Orange defeated Cedar Ridge for the first time since September 5th, 2012. In that victory, Lloyd had eight kills, 25 digs and an assist.

Lloyd, the daughter of Joel and Sherry Lloyd, began playing volleyball in elementary school in her home community of White Cross.

Hughes, the daughter of Dave and Andrea Hughes, finished 2nd on the squad with 135 kills. She was also 2nd on the team with 36 aces. She had a season-high 12 kills against Cedar Ridge in a 3-1 loss on September 1st. On September 13th against Southern Durham, she had six aces.

Lucas, a junior, was 2nd on the team with a ,204 hit percentage. She finished the year with 57 kills, 21 aces, 94 digs, and a team-high 274 assists.

Orange finished 2nd in the Big 8 at 8-4.

For Cedar Ridge, Thompson became the 2nd player to be honored by the Big 8 Conference in as many days for a fall sport. Her sister, Leah, was named to the Big 8 Girls Tennis squad after the Red Wolves captured the conference championship.

Lindsay Thompson, the daughter of Mason and Beth, led the team with 30 aces and 311 digs. Anderson, another senior, was 2nd on the squad with 155 kills. She also had 238 digs.

Making honorable mention for Orange were junior Julia Fish and senior Mileah Shriner. Cedar Ridge’s Kayla Robinette and Alexis Dumain also made honorable mention.

Chapel Hill’s Shea Golden was named Big 8 Player of the Year. Golden led the Tigers through a remarkable run to the 3-A Eastern Regional Championship. CHHS defeated Northern Nash, Cleveland, C.B. Aycock, West Cartaret and Triton en route to the 3-A state championship match at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Cox Mill swept the Tigers for the state crown.

The coach of the year honor was split between three coaches: Chapel Hill’s Lee Fields (in his first season), Northwood’s Steven Thomas and Webb’s Ellis Crews.

A second consecutive Big 8 Individual Conference Championship was more than enough for Cedar Ridge’s Ian Elliott to be named the Big 8 Male Runner of the Year on Wednesday.

Elliott, a senior, earned the honor for the second consecutive year. He finished first in three separate events this year, including the Big 8 Championship at Chapel Hill High School. His time of 16:42.28 edged out Chapel Hill’s Ryan Combs by eight seconds.

On top of that, he ran while the temperature was 89-degrees—in mid October.

“It was a lot grittier this year,” said Elliott, who won the 2015 Big 8 championship at Pittsboro’s Northwood High. “I feel like I’m good running in the heat. We put in a lot of miles during the summer. Although I knew this would feel awful, it’s just running.”

Elliott also set his personal best time of 16:30 at the Adidas XC Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

Through plenty of success during his high school years, Elliott doesn’t see cross country in his immediate future.

“I’m not looking to run competitively in college,” said Elliott. “I’d love to stay in shape and run for a club. Maybe run a “Fun Run 5K.” Maybe take a race every now and then just to see where I’m at. I think after this upcoming track season, I’ll be done with competitive running.”

Two Orange runners earned at-large spots: Andrew Sollars, who had the highest finish for the Panthers in the Big 8 Championships, and Sam Rasinske.

On the girls side, Cedar Ridge’s Elizabeth Zarzar was named to the All-Conference team following a third place finish at the Big 8 Championships. Last month, Zarzar was honored with the WRAL Extra Effort Award.

“I was proud of my run that day, especially because of the heat,” said Zarzar. “I didn’t get my personal record. My time was still a lot better than I thought it was.”

Like Elliott, Zarzar runs indoor and outdoor track. Last spring, she finished 3rd in the Big 8 Conference in the 3200 meters. She also finished 3rd in the region in the same event.

Also making the All-Big 8 Conference from Cedar Ridge was Julie Averette, who finished eighth in the 3A Mideast Regionals with a time of 20:31.

For Orange, Adalyn Fleming made All-Big 8. Flemming, who started basketball season with Orange on Tuesday in a season-opening victory over East Chapel Hill, finished first in Orange’s opening home meet on September 7th against Burlington Williams. After finishing 11th in the Big 8 Championships, she came in 13th at the Mideast Regionals.

Earning At-large sports for Orange in girls cross country was Ava Heffernan.

Cedar Ridge’s senior co-captains Tess Johnson and Leah Thompson, sophomore Kate Millner and freshman Olivia Ward were named to the Big 8 All Conference team on Wednesday.

Orange Coach Andy Brown was honored as Big 8 Coach of the Year. Brown, who hinted at retirement during October’s Big 8 Tournament, led the Panthers to a 6-6 record after the Panthers went 1-12 in 2015.

Johnson, who attended Governor’s School in Raleigh during the summer, was the top singles player for a Cedar Ridge team that captured its first conference championship in school history. She also qualified for regionals for the second consecutive year.

The Red Wolves went 19-2, 12-0 in the Big 8. Johnson and Ward were also the top doubles team, which went 7-4 during the season.

Thompson finished 14-2 as a singles player. She also qualified for the 3A Mideast Regional in doubles with Alana Lutz.

Millner teamed with Senera Sauers to win the Big 8 Doubles Championship at Orange High Tennis Courts. The duo defeated teammates Thompson and Lutz 8-2.

Ward, the daughter of Person High tennis coach Lynn Ward, also qualified for regionals after going 14-4. She played #2 singles as a freshman.

The Orange doubles team of Ashley Tilley and Natalie Darveaux were also named to the All-Big 8 team. Tilley and Darveaux finished fourth in the Big 8 Doubles Tournament and qualified for regionals.

Chapel Hill’s Gabby Kmiec was named the Big 8 Player of the Year. Southern Durham earned the Sportsmanship Award.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is cross country runner Elizabeth Zarzar. The senior finished third in the 3-A Mideast Regional Cross Country meet at Northwood High School last Saturday with a time of 20:05. That followed a third place finish at the Big 8 Conference Championships at Chapel Hill High School. It was a strong meet for the Big 8 Conference, as eight of the top ten runners were from Big 8 schools. Cedar Ridge’s Julie Averette finished 8th. Elizabeth also competes in indoor and outdoor track under Cedar Ridge track coach Larry Faucette. Her personal best in the 800 meters is 2:40.20.

On Saturday afternoon, Elizabeth, Averett and fellow Cedar Ridge Red Wolf Ian Elliott will compete in the 3-A State Championship meet at the Ivey M. Redmond Sports Complex in Kernersville.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week : Elizabeth Zarzar

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The Cedar Ridge Red Wolves boys soccer team will open the 2016 3A State Playoffs in Wendell against Corinth Holders on Saturday.

The winner of the game between the Red Wolves and the Pirates will face either Lee County or J.F. Webb.

Cedar Ridge finished 2nd in the Big 8 Conference behind Chapel Hill. The Red Wolves enter the playoffs 10-5-4. In their final regular season game, Cedar Ridge lost to Heritage High 5-0. That loss ended a two-game winning streak where the Red Wolves defeated J.F. Webb 4-0 and Wake Forest 4-0.

Elmer Trujillo, Rene Castellanos, Jessee Flores and Trent Gill all tallied goals for the Red Wolves against the Warriors. Gill also had an assist. Justin Callemyn, Brandon Garcia and Seth Malie had assists, as well.

Against Wake Forest, Tatha Hso, Castellanos, Jake Brown and Gill all had goals.

Gill led Cedar Ridge with 16 goals and 42 points this season. Hso added 13 goals and four assists.

Corinth Holders finished 9-1 in the Two Rivers Conference and tied Cleveland for the league championship. The Pirates earned the top seed from the Two Rivers with an overall record of 15-5-2.

Corinth Holders goes into the state playoffs on a two-game losing streak after dropping consecutive games to rival Cleveland. On October 26th, the Rams defeated the Pirates 1-0. On Tuesday, the Rams defeated CHHS 1-0 in overtime. Before the consecutive losses to Cleveland, the Pirates were on an 11-game unbeaten streak, going 44 days without a loss.

The Cedar Ridge Girls Tennis team is moving on to the 3A State Quarterfinals after winning its 18th consecutive dual match on Wednesday.

The Red Wolves defeated Burlington Williams 5-3 in the 2nd round of the 3A state playoffs on a brisk Tuesday afternoon at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. Cedar Ridge (19-1) advances to face Cape Fear Valley Conference Co-Champion Terry Sanford on Thursday at 4:0o in Hillsborough.

As usual, the 3-6 singles players carried things for the Red Wolves. Senior Co-Captain Leah Thompson defeated Emily Rothsburg 6-1, 6-1. Serena Sauers put away Hannah Sumnter 6-1, 6-4. Alana Lutz put Cedar Ridge ahead for good with a 6-1, 6-1 win oer Maddie McHugh. Kate Milner put the Red Wolves ahead 4-2 in singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hannah Higgins.

After never having claimed a conference championship in school history, the Red Wolves not only won the Big 8 Conference this year, but swept longtime power Chapel Hill. It was no surprise to head coach Lennie Corbett.
“I expected big things from this team,” said Corbett. “I felt something extra from this squad right from the start of this season. I thought they could win the conference.”

Increased expectations led to an increased workload. During a sultry summer where temperatures were still in the mid-90s in the early evening, Corbett had his team doing extra footwork drills and more running.

“It’s paid off,” said Corbett. “They’ve done everything I’ve asked them to do and they haven’t complained. Our stamina has been better than anyone we’ve faced this year. We had a solid two weeks of 2 hour sessions before our first match with Eastern Alamance.”

The addition of freshman Olivia Ward at #2 singles was another benefit. Freshman usually don’t start until later in their careers. Ward, the daughter of Person High tennis coach Lynn Ward, was ready to contribute immediately.

“That helped tremendously,” said Corbett. “She was ready to play right away. Plus, we had our girls coming back. We got to push down girls who would have been playing singles a little higher. Alana Lutz have moved in to the 5 position and that has made us stronger. It’s worked out really well.”

The doubles team of Thompson and Lutz captured the victory with a 10-3 victory, sending the Red Wolves into the 3rd round of the state playoffs for the first time in school history.

The depth of Cedar Ridge’s singles play continued to pay dividends. 3-through-6 singles, usually comprised of Thompson, Sauers, Hanna Spear and Milner, are now a combined 56-1 this season.

Thompson improved to 15-1 on the season, while Sauers is now undefeated at 16-0. Milner is now 15-0.

Cedar Ridge will face a Terry Sanford team on Thursday that has only lost to Cape Fear Valley Conference rival Union Pines and Pinecrest.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. For the 2nd consecutive year, Cedar Ridge’s Ian Elliott is the Big 8 Conference Cross Country Individual Champion. This year, it was under far different circumstances.

Last year, Elliott ran in mid-70s temperatures at Northwood High in Pittsboro. This year, Elliott completed the course at Chapel Hill High on an unseasonably hot day in 16:43, eight seconds better than Chapel Hill’s Ryan Combs.

This weekend, Elliott will compete in the 3A Mideast Regionals at Northwood High School. His classmate, Elizabeth Zarzar, will run in the Regionlals in the girls meet.

Cedar Ridge’s Ian Elliott Repeats as Big 8 Boys Cross Country Champion

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Cedar Ridge’s Elizabeth Zarzar finished 3rd at the Big 8 Cross Country Championships last week at Chapel Hill High School. On a sultry 88-degree day, Zarzar navigated the course in 19:50, 31 seconds behind conference champion Katherine Dokholyan of Chapel Hill. The Red Wolves had a strong meet, with Julie Averette finishing 9th with a time of 20:48 and Abby Averette coming in 14th with a time of 22:14.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week : Elizabeth Zarzar

Elizabeth finished first in last week’s meet at Cedar Ridge, where the Red Wolves competed against Orange, Southern Durham and Webb. On Wednesday, Elizabeth finished third in the Big 8 Championships.

With Chapel Hill having clinched the Big 8 Boys Soccer Championship, the race is on for the 2nd place, which is more alluring that it sounds.

A potential first-round state playoff home match could be laying in wait for the squad that finishes behind CHHS, and now it’s a three horse race on the final week of the regular season between Cedar Ridge, Southern Durham and Northwood.

After playing to a 1-1 tie against J.F. Webb last week, Cedar Ridge fell to Northwood 5-3 in Hillsborough on Monday night. Tatha Hso scored a hat trick for the Red Wolves, pushing his total to twelve goals on the season. Hso has 27 points, 2nd only to Trent Gill’s 36, who had two assists on Monday. Seth Maile also had an assist for CRHS.

Tied at the half 2-2, the Chargers scored three times in the final 40 minutes. J.R. Godwin notched his own hat trick for Northwood, while Thomas Russell scored two goals.

On Wednesday night, Cedar Ridge ends the regular season with a home match against Webb with plenty on the line. Currently, Southern Durham is in 2nd place in the Big 8 at 6-3-1. They travel to Chapel Hill next week and host Orange. The Red Wolves are 6-3-2. Northwood is 5-3-2 with a home match against Orange on Wednesday and another home game against Northern Vance next week.

The Red Wolves could finish as high as 2nd in a best case scenario. In a worst case, they’ll miss the playoffs.