Special Thanks to Tracy Thompson and the Cedar Ridge & Orange cheerleaders for gathering at Gold Park for this photo. We’ll have individual photos of the cheerleaders in the weeks ahead. Also, thanks to the Cedar Ridge and Orange cheerleading coaches!

This first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week for the 2022-20023 academic year is senior volleyball libero Grace Young. Last season, Young was a member of the 3A State Championship volleyball team, the first female sports team in school history to win a state title. In the state championship match against North Iredell, Young scored the point of the match with a diving dig off a Raider attack that bounced off her hand and hugged the near sideline that send the Red Wolves fans into a frenzy at Reynolds Coliseum. A third-year varsity player, Young grew up playing volleyball and softball in the White Cross community. She played alongside many of her current teammates at Cedar Ridge, including Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Anaya Carter. Last year, Young announced her commitment to play in college at UNC Asheville. In addition to playing volleyball, Young started playing high school basketball last year under head coach Megan Skouby, who is also an assistant on the volleyball team. In her three years with Cedar Ridge volleyball, Young has never lost a conference game. She is 22-0 against league opponents with two conference regular season championships, a conference postseason title, an Eastern Regional championship and the state title. 

The state championship captured by the Cedar Ridge volleyball team last fall has led to a new reality for the Red Wolves in 2022. They are no longer the underdog team that took everyone by surprise in 2018 when a group of freshmen defeated defending 3A State Champion Chapel Hill. Instead, they’re now the hunted. If there was ever any question of that, it was answered in the season opener on August 17 when J.H. Rose defeated the Red Wolves 3-1 in Greenville. It was a rematch of last year’s 3A Eastern Regional Championship match that the Red Wolves won in Hillsborough. Since then, Cedar Ridge has gone 3-0, including a win over D.H. Conley in Greenville on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves defeated Carrboro 3-0 at Jaguars Gymnasium on scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17. Senior Julie Altieri, the all-time school leader in assists, had another strong floor game for the Red Wolves. In the third set, senior Melissa Benkowitz had five kills and an ace. So far this season, Cedar Ridge has had just one home game. They’ve had two trips to Greenville, a bus ride to Carrboro. On Saturday, they will journey to Garner to face defending 4A State Champion, Green Level, at Garner High School. Cedar Ridge is 3-1 after wins over Apex Friendship, Carrboro and D.H. Conley. 

There were plenty of near misses for the Orange and Cedar Ridge men’s soccer teams in 2021.

After finishing with its first winning conference record since 2017, Cedar Ridge was the last team left out of the 3A State Playoffs, with Rocky Mount edging out the Red Wolves for the 32nd and final spot in the Eastern Region. It would have been the Red Wolves first state playoff appearance in four years.

Like Cedar Ridge, Orange finished with a 7-12-1 overall record, but lost 4-2 in overtime to Northwood in Pittsboro, a 4-3 defeat against Southern Durham and a 1-1 tie against Cedar Ridge down the home stretch of the regular season.

To start 2022, both Hillsborough teams have had a difficult time putting the ball in the net.

Cedar Ridge opened its season on August 17 against Durham School of the Arts, where the Bulldogs prevailed 1-0. The only goal came off a penalty kick.

On Monday night, the Red Wolves played its home opener against Voyager Academy, which ended in a scoreless tie. It was the first career clean sheet for Red Wolves freshman goalkeeper Erik Galunas in his second career start.

Cedar Ridge returns its leading goal scorer from last season in senior striker Chris Mendez, who scored 13 goals in 2021. Mendez also paced the squad with 29 points.

“What I like about this team is that they have a lot of grit,” said Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell, who started his second season last week. “They’re a close group of kids so I think that with the experience I have with the seniors, they’re just exciting to watch when they can put it all together. Chris just needs to find his confidence. Once he does that, he’ll be fine.”

In addition to Galunas, the Red Wolves have four other freshman on the team: midfielders Luis Garcia-Paez, Alex Bettger, striker Giovani Yaez and wingback Rudy Fuentes.

“Freshmen are stepping up big,” Brummell said. “I’m very pleased with Erik. He’s a very talented goalkeeper. If he continues being as consistent as he is, I think he can lift our team and get us moving in the right direction.”

On Friday afternoon, Cedar Ridge will journey to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to start a span of two games over the span of two days. The Red Wolves will open with South Garner, followed by a contest against Wallace-Rose Hill on Saturday afternoon at 1.

On the other side of town, Orange opened with a 2-0 loss to Riverside at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on August 15. After a scoreless first half, Gustavos Lagos ended the struggle with a goal from 12 yards away with 20:38 remaining. The Pirates added insurance when Reese Compton chipped the ball in from the near post with 12:00 left.

The Panthers had numerous chances to score, including a penalty kick in the opening half that was saved by Riverside goalkeeper John Ballard. With 16:08 remaining, the Panthers nearly evened the game off a corner kick by midfielder Cooper Zinn, which senior Darius Corbett handled from point blank range, but sent the ball off the near post.

“It was a pretty even match,” said Orange coach Palmer Cannon. “You have to give credit to Riverside. They finished their chances and played hard throughout the night. We created chances and we did some good things against a good team. It’s a good starting point, but we should be upset.”

Orange dropped a 3-1 game against Northern Durham at James Armstrong Stadium on August 17. Corbett scored the Panthers’ only goal off a penalty kick in the second half.

The Panthers will face Knightdale on Saturday, followed by a home game against Northern Durham on Wednesday night.

Only six games into the 2022 season, the Orange volleyball team has been through plenty. There was uncertainty about who would coach the team throughout the summer until Kelly Young, who now teaches at Eno River Academy, agreed to return for a 4th season at the helm of the team. Last Thursday, Orange started a span of six matches in five days. On Thursday, Orange defeated Jordan in the season opener 3-0 at Panther Gymnasium on scores of 25-20, 25-17 an 25-16. Ella Wimsatt led the Lady Panthers in kills. The game marked the debut of 6’2” freshman middle blocker Ava Wilkerson and 5’11 freshman outside hitter Aubrey Jordan. Against the Falcons, senior setter Caitlin Carden had three consecutive aces in the second set to put Orange in the lead for the remainder of the frame. Junior Ella Wimsatt led Orange in kills against the Falcons. On Friday, the Lady Panthers started a two-day tournament at East Chapel Hill High School. West Forsyth defeated Orange in four sets. The following day, the Lady Panthers rebounded by sweeping Western Alamance. Southern Alamance defeated Orange in four sets. Later on Saturday, Orange defeated East Chapel Hill in four sets. Orange is 3-3 overall as they prepare to face Roxboro Community School on Friday night in Person County. 

The first Orange Panther of the Week for the 2022-2023 academic year is junior cross country runner Gabiel Schmid. On Saturday, Schmid won the Early Bird Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Apex. Schmid outran 179 other competitors to win the first invitational race of his career with a time of 16:01.37, a full 40 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. As a sophomore, Schmid was a member of the most successful men’s cross country team in Orange history. In 2021, Orange won the 3A Mideast Regional championship. Last spring, Schmid finished 2nd in the 3,200 meters in the 3A State Track & Field Championships at North Carolina A&T University. This summer, Schmid prepared for the upcoming season by training in the mountain terrain in Brevard. Last season, Schmid won two individual cross country dual meets as a sophomore. Now, with some members of Orange’s championship team graduated, Schmid is set to lead the Panthers to new heights as the 2022 season starts in earnest on September 7. The Panthers will face Cedar Ridge in a dual meet in Hillsborough. 

The bad news for the Orange men’s cross country team is some of the runners from the most successful team in squad history graduated two months ago.

The good news is junior Gabriel Schmid is ready to inherit the throne that teammate Spenser Hampton left behind.

On Saturday morning, Schmid ran through rainy conditions at WakeMed Park in Apex to win the Early Bird Challenge, which featured 178 runners from eleven teams. Cedar Ridge’s Roman Morrell, who qualified for the 3A State Championships last year, finished second.

Schmid outpaced the pack on a time of 16:01.37. Morrell came in second at 16:41.82.

Schmid, a junior who finished fourth in the Mideast Regional last October at Northwood High School in Pittsboro, won the first invitational race in his high school career. Last September, he finished eleventh out of a group of 238 runners in the Friday Night Lights Festival at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.

In 2021, Schmid won two dual meets. He finished third in the Central Carolina Conference Championships, which Orange captured as a team. Schmid’s then-freshman teammate, Abezu Delvecchia, earned the conference championship.

Last October, for the first time ever, the Orange men’s cross country team won the 3A Mideast Regional Championship. Hampton led the Panther charge with a second-place individual finish, with Schmid not far behind. Alden Cathey, who would go on to play for Orange’s conference championship lacrosse team, came in 14th. Ethan Horton, who just moved in at American University in Washington, D.C, crossed the finish line 19th. Senior Nick Pell, the Homecoming King who also played football last fall, finished 23rd.

Schmid’s first place finish at the Early Bird Championship followed a stellar track & field season last spring. Schmid, whose mother ran cross country at Brigham Young University, finished second in the 3,200 meters at the 3A State Championships at the Irwin Belk Track inside North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro last May. Schmid earned the silver medal with a time of 9:35.89. Forestview’s Austin Brotemarkle claimed the state title.

It was the second year in a row that an Orange High runner finished second in the 3,200 meters in the state championship. in 2021, Hampton earned the silver medal.

In addition, Schmid teamed with Hampton, Ethan Horton and Nick Pell to finish eighth in the state in the 4×800 meter relay.

To prepare for his junior season, Schmid trained at the Pisgah National Forest in Brevard, where drills included running three-miles uphill at an elevation of 1,500 feet.

“That was super fun,” Schmid said.

He also journeyed to West Virginia for a ragnar race, where each member of a team of eight must run three different routes: one is three miles, another is four-and-a-half miles and the final is six miles. The longer a person runs, the more the elevation increases.

Each race is spaced out with six hours in between. Schmid, who ran the race with Hampton, ran at 7 PM, 1AM and 6 AM.

“It was very tough,” Schmid said.

In October, the Mideast Regionals will be held at WakeMed Park, which Schmid admits wasn’t easy to compete in after rain had fallen last weekend.

“WakeMed is almost like the best course in the U.S., aside from Running Lane,” Schmid said, referring to a course in Huntsville, AL that hosts a national championship every December. “It’s an awesome course and running it alone feels weird.”

It was also a strong start to the season for Morrell, who finished 11th in the regional championships. Morrell, a senior, also had a solid track & field season for the Red Wolves in the spring.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson had a quality start for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Friday night. Wilson allowed just three runs over seven innings. He surrendered only five hits with four strikeouts and zero walks. Wilson left with the game tied 3-3. Pittsburgh got a walkoff single from Michael Chavis to win 5-4. Wilson is now 2-7 with a 5.74 ERA. Since July, Wilson has had a 3.83 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched across eight starts. Wilson also announced on Facebook that his fiancee is expecting their first child in March.

Mia Davidson: In the fourth week of Athletes Unlimited softball, Davidson was briefly in the top ten of the overall individual standings. Last weekend, Davidson suited up for Team McCleney, which went 2-1 for the three-game series. On Saturday, Davidson hit her third home run of the season as Team McCleney routed Team Chidester 20-5 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, IL. Davidson went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. She finished the day with 198 points (40 for the home run, 40 for the double, 8 for a walk, 50 for the win and 60 for winning six innings, which count for 10 points an inning). The two-run homer in the second inning was Davidson’s third professional home run. On Friday, Team McCleney defeated Team Jaquish 3-2. Davidson went 1-for-2 with a walk. She finished with 118 points (50 for the win, 50 for inning points, 10 for a single and 8 for a walk). On Sunday, Team Mulipola defeated Team McCleney 3-0. Davidson went 0-for-1 with two walks and finished with 16 points (8 points for each walk). Going into the final weekend of the season, Davidson is 14th overall in the individual standings with 1,114 points. The overall leader is Dejah Mulipola, who has 1,462 points. On Monday afternoon, Davidson was drafted by Mulipola in the ninth round for this weekend’s final three game series of the year. Davidson is hitting .321 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 12 games. She has been a designated player in each game she’s played.

Trenton Gill: Gill took another big step towards earning the Chicago Bears permanent punting job in its second exhibition game last Thursday night. The Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-11 at Lumen Field. Gill landed four out of eight punts inside the 20-yard line. He finished with a 45.4 yard average on eight punts with one touchback. The Bears are now 2-0 in the preseason and will finish its exhibition slate against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night.

Kayla Hodges: The Virginia Commonwealth women’s soccer team had a heartbreaking loss to start its season. The #23 N.C. State Wolfpack defeated the Rams 2-1 at Dail Soccer Field in Raleigh on Sunday night. Hodges, in her first season with VCU, came off the bench to play eleven minutes. VCU will look to get back on track when they host UNC Wilmington at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, VA on Thursday night.

The fall sports season for college athletics will officially get underway this week. Here are some of the athletes from Hillsborough who will suit up in various sports.

Payton Wilson: Wilson, who is a redshirt junior, was a preseason All-ACC selection at linebacker as N.C. State is picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division. Last season, Wilson was injured in the Wolfpack’s second game of the season against Mississippi State and missed the rest of the year.

Keshawn Thompson: After leading the Campbell Fighting Camels in tackles last season, Thompson is back with the Camels as a graduate student this year. It will be his fifth season with Campbell. The Camels will travel to the Citadel to start the season on September 1.

Braxton Mergenthal: A former Cedar Ridge defensive lineman, along with being a member of the men’s basketball and lacrosse teams, Mergenthal is now in his third season as a defensive lineman at Hampden-Sydney College.

Darius Satterfield: After two years as a punter/kicker at Orange, Satterfield is now a freshman at Division II Elizabeth City State University.

Morgan Paschall: A former Orange High running back and linebacker, Paschall is now a defensive back at Louisburg College.

Lottie Scully: A 2022 Orange High graduate, Scully will play volleyball for the Binghamton Bearcats volleyball team as a freshman this fall.

Emerson Talley: The all-time leading scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history will start her sophomore season for Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University against Lees-McRae on Saturday. In her freshman year, the Bears reached the Final Four of the Division II National Tournament for the first time ever. Lenoir-Rhyne is picked to finish 2nd in the South Atlantic Conference.