Photo by Aidan Jensen

The completion of the Orange women’s tennis team’s regular season came to an end in the peaceful, rural quiet of Roxboro on Tuesday afternoon.

But the success of the Lady Panthers has been anything but meek.

After beating Person 7-0 in the regular season finale, the Lady Panthers finished the regular season 15-4. That’s the most amount of wins for the team, according to records that date back to 2009. It’s quite possible that the 15 wins are a school record, according to former head coach Andy Brown. Orange finished third in the Central Carolina Conference with a 7-3 record, which means the Lady Panthers could receive a wildcard spot in the upcoming 3A Dual Team State Playoffs, where 32 teams will comprise the field. Orange has more total victories than anyone in the CCC.

The Central Carolina Conference is guaranteed two automatic playoff spots, which will go to Northwood and Walter Williams. Any available wildcard spots would be based on overall record.

Last week, Orange had its signature win of the season when they defeated co-CCC champion Northwood 5-4 at Orange High Tennis Courts. It was a signature moment for senior Jera Hargrove, who started at #1 singles as a freshman and a sophomore. Last spring, Hargrove focused on track & field while tennis season unfolded during the spring because of the pandemic.

Against the Chargers, Hargrove won her match at #2 singles over Julia Earnshaw 6-4, 6-2. As the entire dual match came down to the doubles long after the sun went down, Hargrove joined sophomore Erin Sollars to defeat Erin Lippers and Ryan Tinervin 8-2. Orange wrapped up the victory when the #3 doubles team of Tea Jones and Shannon Sollars defeated Kendall Leberge and Kaylee Fisher 8-4.

Earlier in the day, Erin and Shannon Sollars won their singles matches at #5 and #6, respectively, to split the six singles matches.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” Webb said on Twitter following the Person win on Tuesday night. “I think it’s been a very exciting season. We had some great additions to the team that has made us stronger. But I also think the girls worked hard every day. They’re improving every day. Some of them had goals to accomplish this year.”

One of them was Jones, a senior who started sparingly last spring. This year, Jones started the season with nine straight victories in singles matches. That included a three-set victory over Cedar Ridge on September 7 at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

Part of what made Orange a better program this season was record participation. There were 23 players who filled Webb’s roster.

“All the girls that we have this year have a lot of confidence,” Webb said. “They believe in themselves. Against Cedar Ridge (on September 7), we had our #2 player lose the first set, come back and win the second set, then won the 10-point break. Tea did the same thing. So we’re winning close matches. That’s something that, in the past, has been a challenge for us. Winning the close matches has made a big difference.”

They also had long nights on the courts. In its CCC opener against Western Alamance in Elon, nightfall descended after a three-hour match that wasn’t decided until Orange’s #3 doubles team of Jinkie Andrews and Erin Sollars won 6-5. Earlier in the night, Andrews won her #3 singles match 5-7, 6-4, 10-6, which was one of two matches that went three sets on the night.

Orange and Cedar Ridge will participate in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament at the Burlington Tennis Center on Friday. The tournament will determine who will make the 3A Mideast Regionals, which will also be held in Burlington later this month.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team completed a perfect 12-0 season in Central Carolina Conference play on Tuesday night. The Red Wolves rolled past Walter Williams 3-0 on scores of 25-10 and 25-17 in the final two sets. It was also senior night. Justice Wilbourne, Phoenix Smith and Ava Lowry were all honored before the game. Wilbourne finished with two kills and a block in the third set. Smith is only getting going with her senior season. She’s been a member of two conference championship volleyball teams at Cedar Ridge. She also is a starting point guard in basketball. Last season, when Cedar Ridge was hampered by injury and illness, they often only suited up only five players, but Smith was out on the floor every game regardless of opponent. She also runs track and field. Lowry is an All-Conference softball player who will play college at North Carolina Wesleyan. Last year, Lowry hit .550 with 22 hits and 23 RBIs. She was a member of Cedar Ridge’s Big 8 Conference Championship team in 2019 as a freshman, where she hit .375. Cedar Ridge will try to finish the regular season with 23 wins when they face Carrboro on Wednesday night in the regular season finale at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Cedar Ridge has already broken the school record for most wins in the regular season, which was previously 20 by the 2015 team.

There’s an old saying that 12 plays decide every football game. With every game that Orange and Cedar Ridge wins, we like to take a look back at the 12 plays that decided the game for a feature we call the Dire Dozen. For this edition, we’ll look at Orange’s win over Person, which was the first time in 21 years they’ve met as conference rivals. The victory was Orange’s first in the Central Carolina Conference.

Play #1. Orange ball, 4th-and-10 from the Person 49-yard line.

This was the opening possession of the game where Orange got a first down off a 14-yard run by Nate Sorrells, which was forbidding. After the drive stalled out at midfield, Panther Punter Darius Satterfield had his best effort of the night with a 44-yarder down to back Person up to its 4-yard line. It forced the Rockets to climb uphill early.

Play #2. Person ball, 3rd-and-4 from the person 46-yard line.

It was a good game for Orange’s linebackers. Jackson Wood finished with 10 tackles, four of them for a loss. Senior Brendon Worsham had eight tackles. Outside linebacker Jake Wimsatt made the first of several big plays on the night when he stopped Person’s Daveon Marner for a three-yard loss after the Rockets had driven 39 yards away from the shadow of its own goalposts.

Play #3. Orange ball, 1st-and-10 from the Orange 41-yard line

This was the first of four consecutive touchdown drives for Orange. Sophomore running back Nate Sorrells had the longest run of his varsity career with a 59-yard touchdown. It would lead to Sorrells’ first career 100-yard game, and he broke the century mark before halftime. Key blocks came from offensive linemen Worsham and Acoya Isley.

Play 4. Person ball, 4th-and-3 from the Person 41-yard line

Person was without its top running back in Jerry Oakley, who had over 880 yards through the first seven games. Oakley was injured at the end of the Northwood game. The Rockets cycled through running backs the whole game, but after Marner was stopped for a 3-yard loss on first down, Person opted to go for it on 4th-and-3 with quarterback Cole Garrett. This season, Garrett has rushed for over 100-yards twice. On this play, linebackers Ronald Cooper and Jackson Wood, along with Kameron Harshaw, plugged the hole and sent Garrett down for no gain.

Play #5. Orange ball, 1st-and-10 from the Person 41-yard line.

Another one-and-done. This time it was junior Ronald Cooper, who had the biggest game of his career. Cooper would take a toss from quarterback Jared Weaver and ran around right end for a 41-yard touchdown, his second score of the season.

SECOND QUARTER

Play #5: Orange ball, 3rd-and-5 from the Orange 36-yard line.

Orange’s lead was narrowed to 12-7 after Garrett scored on a 7-yard touchdown drive in the preceding series to open the second quarter. Midway through the second quarter, this was only the second 3rd down that Orange faced in the game. Jared Weaver found Wynston Brown over the middle. Brown ducked a Person safety and outran everyone else for a 64-yard touchdown pass, the longest play from scrimmage this year for the Panthers.

Play #6: Person ball, 2nd-and-10 from the Person 41-yard line.

With Orange leading 19-7, linebacker Connor Ray came up with the first of two Orange takeaways when he pounced on a loose ball after a botched handoff by the Rockets.

Play #7: Orange ball, 1st-and-10 from the Person 11-yard line.

This was the most methodical touchdown drive of the night for Orange. After Ray’s fumble recovery, Sorrells and Cooper handled the ball for six straight plays. After Sorrells broke into the Person red zone with an eleven-yard gain, Cooper scored the Panthers’ final touchdown of the night with an eleven-yard score.

THIRD QUARTER

Play #8 Person ball, 1st-and-10 from the Person 20-yard line

Person ended the first half with a touchdown when Garrett threw to Daejon Hodge, a junior varsity callup. After having its lead reduced to 26-14, it was important for Orange to come out with a big play defensively. That’s what junior linebacker Jabari Albright did on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. After Satterfield sent the 2nd-half kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, Albright sacked Garrett for an 6-yard loss.

Play #9: Person ball, 1st-and-10 Person 22-yard line.

Orange caught a bad break on the preceding play when Ray intercepted a pass from Garrett, but it was called back because of a roughing the passer play. After Person got the ball back, Cooper made another big play, this time on defense when he sacked Garrett for a 9-yard loss. It was the third time in four snaps that Garrett was sacked.

Play 10: Person ball, 3rd-and-7 from the Person 48-yard line.

Orange had its best game from its pass rush this year. Kameron Harshaw and Jackson Wood pressured Garrett on this play, which led to Jake Wimsatt coming up with the interception.

FOURTH QUARTER

Play 11: Person ball, 4th-and-goal from the Orange 4-yard line

The Rockets got into the Orange red zone trying to cut Orange’s lead to one score. An offside penalty against Orange put the ball at the Panther 6-yard line, but the Rockets committed a key delay of game penalty. It led to a 4th-and-goal from the Orange 4-yard line, where Wimsatt made another big play where he tackled C.J. Hill out of bounds on a reverse. This was the last Person drive of the game.

Play 12: Orange ball, 2nd-and-11 from the Orange 7-yard line.

Cooper finished a big night with a 48 yard run to help the Panther run out the clock and clinch its seventh straight win over the Rockets.

Another Hillsborough Derby is in the books and it was a tight, emotional matchup between Cedar Ridge and Orange on Monday night. The Panthers and the Red Wolves played to a 1-1 tie. Cedar Ridge scored the opening goal when Jorge Salazar headed in a beautiful cross from Evan Sredziesnki in the 51st minute. Orange got the equalizer when the Panthers’ Tyler Mannn was fouled in the box. Orange junior Darius Corbett, who played centerback the whole night, took the penalty and scored his ninth goal of the season. Both teams had their chances in the two 10-minute overtimes. Orange goalkeeper. Connor McMurtry and Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Benjamin Weaver both made big saves to preserve the tie. Cedar Ridge is now 4-0-2 is its last six games against its crosstown rival. On Wednesday, Orange will travel to Person. Cedar Ridge is 6-10-1, 5-3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Red Wolves will host Eastern Alamance on Wednesday at Red Wolves Stadium.

Last Thursday, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team cruised past Western Alamance 3-0 in Elon. The Red Wolves prevailed on scores of 25-16, 25-8 and 25-22. It was Cedar Ridge’s 21st consecutive conference win and put the Red Wolves one win away from completing a perfect Central Carolina Conference campaign. Here are highlights from the game, shot and edited by Sherry Lloyd.

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell Fighting Camels won the inaugural East/West Barbecue Bowl against Gardner-Webb at Spangler Stadium in Shelby on Saturday night. Thompson started at linebacker and recorded three tackles. Afterwards, North Carolina barbecue maven Bob Garner presented the East/West Barbecue Trophy to the Camels, who scored the final two touchdowns of the game to win 42-28. It was Campbell’s second straight victory. The Camels are 3-2, 2-0 in the Big South Conference.

Trenton Gill: While N.C. State did not play this weekend, Gill was named the ACC Specialist of the Week on Monday. It stemmed from his performance against Louisiana Tech last Saturday. Gill had six punts against the Bulldogs for an average of 51.2 yards per punt. Five punts pinned Louisiana Tech inside its own 25-yard line. It’s the first time this year that Gill has been honored as ACC Specialist of the Week.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team claimed its second straight road win on Saturday. The Phoenix defeated Maine 33-23 at Alfond Stadium in Orono, ME. Chnupa played linebacker and made two tackles against the Black Bears. Elon is 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon returns home to host New Hampshire next Saturday.

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team defeated the College of Charleston 2-1 at Rudd Field in Elon on Thursday. Hodges started at midfield and fired a shot on goal. Last Sunday, the Phoenix played Delaware to a 1-1 tie. Hodges played all 110 minutes, which included 30 minutes of extra time. Later today (Sunday), Hodges will be among the seniors honored for Elon when the Phoenix hosts Towson. Elon is 6-4-1 overall, 1-1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Emerson Talley: On Wednesday night, Talley made her first start for the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team. #14 Catawba defeated the Bears 2-0 at Mortez Sports Complex in Hickory. Talley started as a striker and played 14 minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne bounced back to defeat Queens 1-0 on Saturday, a game where Talley didn’t play. The Bears are 7-2-2 overall, 5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team lost to Averett University 1-0 at Campbell Stadium in Danville VA on Saturday. Daley started at centerback for Greensboro and had two shots on goal. On Wednesday, Southern Virginia University defeated the Pride 2-0 in Buena Vista, VA. Once again, Daley played all 90 minutes. This season, Daley has started all of Greensboro’s games. The Pride are now 3-8-2 overall, 1-3-1 in the USA South Conference. Greensboro will host Methodist on Tuesday.

Jordan Rogers: On Wednesday, William Peace University defeated crosstown rival Meredith 3-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. This marked the first time in program history that the Pacers defeated the Avenging Angels. Former Orange midfielder Jordan Rogers started for the Pacers and played all 90 minutes. It was also the first win for William Peace interim coach Ozzy Peralta. Peace improved to 2-4-1 overall, 1-2-1 in the USA South Conference. The Pacers will host North Carolina Wesleyan on Tuesday in Cary.

Bailey Lucas: The Meredith volleyball team swept a tri-match at its home court at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh on Saturday. The Avenging Angels defeated Averett University 3-2 on scores of 25-16, 19-25, 24-26, 25-19 and 15-9. Lucas led Meredith with 26 assists, along with three digs and one kill. Later in the day, Meredith swept North Carolina Wesleyan 3-0 on scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-8. Once again, Lucas led the team with 17 assists. She also had five digs.

On Wednesday, William Peace defeated Meredith 3-2 at Weatherspoon Gymnasium. Meredith won each of the first two sets. The Pacers prevailed 15-25, 16-25, 27-25, 25-22 and 15-8. Lucas came off the bench and finished with 24 assists and seven digs. The Avenging Angels are 12-6 overall, 6-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. The Avenging Angels are in third place in the USA South, one game in the loss column behind Southern Virginia (8-1) and William Peace (7-1).

Their conference winning streak is at 21 games. It’s been nearly two years since they lost a conference match.

Most importantly, Cedar Ridge volleyball has won the 2021 Central Carolina Conference championship.

Regardless, as the regular season enters its final week, one thing you won’t find Cedar Ridge volleyball doing is resting on its laurels. Coach Fiona Cunningham won’t allow it.

As match point was secured against Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night to officially clinch the league title, there was some celebrating by the Red Wolves, but it was emotionally balanced. Many of these Red Wolves have played together for three years. A year after winning the Big 8 Conference championship in a season shortened to eight league games by the pandemic, the Red Wolves aren’t happy with simply reaching the state playoffs.

Last there, there were 32 teams in the postseason. This year, it will be 64 again. It’s a wider postseason world that the Red Wolves will enter in two weeks, but one they’re prepared for.

Yet the CCC championship can’t be overlooked, not only because the Red Wolves are one win away from finishing with a perfect 12-0 league mark, but of the quality opponents they’ve defeated.

The latest RPI rankings from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association show Cedar Ridge ranked #1 in the 3A East Region. Of the top nine teams, four are from the CCC. That includes Northwood at #3, who the Red Wolves swept in Pittsboro on September 2. On September 28, the Red Wolves defeated the Chargers 3-1 to all but sew up the league title.

Person is ranked #4 and Orange is #9. The Red Wolves swept the regular season series against both of those teams, winning 3-0 each time.

“I think I knew it was possible to win the league,” Cunningham said. “We have a lot of strong teams in this conference. That means we’re prepared for what we’re going to see in the tournament.”

Eastern Alamance is #14, who the Red Wolves defeated 3-0 on Tuesday in Red Wolves Gymnasium. Junior outside hitter Cameron Lloyd finished with 17 kills and 13 digs. Setter Julie Altieri, who eclipsed 1,000 assists for her career against Eastern Alamance on September 9 in Mebane, added another 24 assists to her career total. Melissa Benkowitz added another seven kills.

The Red Wolves trailed only once in the whole match, when Eastern Alamance won the opening point of the third set off a kill by Makiya Graves. The Red Wolves immediately erased that with a 6-1 run, which started with a Lloyd kill set up by Altieri.

On Thursday night, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance 25-16, 25-8 and 25-22 in Elon to improve its mark to 18-1 overall, 11-0 in the CCC.

Against league opponents, Cedar Ridge has won 33 sets and lost just three. It opened the season by winning 24 consecutive sets over eight matches.

Yet this team will not stop testing itself as it ventures into the 3A State Playoffs, possibly as the #1 seed. On Saturday, the Red Wolves will play in a tri-match tournament at Chapel Hill High School. They will play four games, all against teams that have already clinched their respective conference championships. They will open against undefeated Green Hope at 9 AM. The Falcons are 11-0 in the Southwest Wake Conference.

Then they face Chapel Hill, a former Big 8 Conference rival that the Red Wolves had a heated scrimmage against in August. The Tigers are 11-0 in the DAC-VII, 17-1 overall.

Most importantly, the Red Wolves will face J.H. Rose at 1PM, who is ranked #2 in the 3A East Region. The game could decide homecourt advantage for the 3A East State Playoffs. Rose’s only loss in the Big East 3A/4A is to D.H. Conley, the defending 3A State Champions who Cedar Ridge has split two meetings with this season. Conley returned to 4A over the summer.

Cedar Ridge will conclude the day against Pinecrest at 2PM. The Patriots, a 4A team from the Sandhills Conference, is 16-1 and has already clinched the league title.

Cunningham, who organized the schedule, would have it no other way.

“I want to make sure that our girls are being pushed,” Cunningham said. “Last year, that was one of our bigger downfalls is when we only had nine games. We didn’t have a nonconference schedule and then we had to play some teams that weren’t like the ones we had to play. We’re trying to solve that before we get to the state playoffs.”