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.”

The resumption of the Orange-Person series also marked the return of something that has been sorely missing from Panther football this season.

Big plays.

In the first conference game between Orange and Person in 21 years, it was junior running back Ronald Cooper and sophomore Nathan Sorrells that stole the show. Cooper rushed for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns, while Sorrells added 112 yards and two touchdowns as Orange defeated Person 26-14 on Thursday night at Auman Stadium.

It was a quirky game where Orange (2-5, 1-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in the first half, then was shut out in the second half despite two trips inside the Person red zone. The Rockets played without top running back Jerry Oakley, who had amassed 834 yards and six touchdowns before being injured late in last week’s game against Northwood in Roxboro.

Orange’s top rusher, Omarion Lewis, was largely absent. Sorrells and Cooper filled the void as the Panthers registered 328 yards total offense en route to its first-ever Central Carolina Conference win.

Dating back to non conference games from 2013-2018, Orange has beaten the Rockets seven straight times.

“I’m just so impressed with our young men on the team,” said Orange coach Van Smith. “As much as a struggle as the season has been, the expectations coming into the season haven’t quite formulated like we thought they would. But the players, for the most part, haven’t gotten down on each other and they haven’t gotten down on themselves. They haven’t gotten down on the coaching staff. They keep working hard. They speaks to the character of the young men.”

Sorrells, Cooper and wide receiver Wynston Brown triggered a series of explosion plays that had been sorely missing all year. In the first quarter, after linebacker Jake Wimsatt threw down Person running back Daveon Marner for a three-yard loss on the Rockets’ opening drive, Sorrells rushed around right end 59 yards behind the blocks of Brendon Worsham and Acoya Isley and streaked down the near sideline for the first touchdown with 3:44 remaining in the first quarter to complete a one-play drive. That became the theme of the night.

On its next series, Person (2-5, 0-2) opted to go for it on 4th-and-3 from its own 41-yard line late in the first quarter, but Rocket quarterback Cole Garrett was shoved down at the line by Cooper (who plays a wide assortment of positions on defense) and senior Jackson Wood. On the very next play, Cooper took a pitchout from quarterback Jared Weaver and rushed 41 yards for a touchdown, the second of his varsity career.

“Ronald has the speed and the quickness,” Smith said. “I know it has probably been a little frustrating for him, though he hasn’t indicated that, but he’s played defensive back. He’s played safety, he’s moved from inside linebacker to outside linebacker. He’s just bounced around and I know that can be frustrating for a young player. But there are so many things he can do.”

Person struck first to open the second quarter when Garrett scored on a read-pass option up the middle on 4th-and-goal from the 7-yard line.

On the next Orange drive, quarterback Jared Weaver competed his only pass of the night, but it was memorable. On 3rd-and-5, Weaver hit former starting quarterback Wynston Brown on a five-yard slant, which quickly became a 64-yard slant after Brown turned on the afterburners and outran the entire Person secondary. Darius Satterfield’s extra point put Orange ahead 19-7.

Orange senior linebacker Connor Ray pounced on a Person fumble minutes later. That led to Orange’s final touchdown, where Cooper galloped up the line untouched from 11-yards out.

Of course, things are never easy for Orange. Person added just enough drama with eight seconds remaining in the first half when Garrett found freshman Daejon Hodge, a junior varsity callup who was only eligible because this week’s JV game between Orange and Person was canceled, on a 20-yard pass on 1st-and-17. Hodge ran past Elijah Danley into the right pylon of the end zone to reduce Orange’s lead to 26-14 at halftime

That’s the way the scored stayed for the rest of the night, though both teams threatened. Garrett was sacked three times on Person’s opening drive of the second half, by Cooper, Wood and Danley. Orange moved the ball to the Person 6-yard line, and opted to go for it on 4th-and-2, but Weaver’s pass missed Wood in the end zone.

Jake Wimsatt made two strong defensive plays that ended any serious Person threat in the fourth quarter. After the Rockets drove 42 yards near midfield, Wimsatt picked off a Garrett pass and just a got a foot inbounds before fading into the Orange sideline.

In its only sustained series in the fourth quarter, the Rockets moved into the Orange red zone after a 37-yard run by Garrett, where Orange senior safety Elton Dodds made a touchdown saving tackle. By this point, Person had largely run out of running backs with starters Daveon Marner and C.J. Hunt out with injuries. Hodge, the JV callup, became the go-to guy.

On 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Person ran a reverse that wound up in the hands of wide receiver Chad Raglin, who had not touched the ball all night. Wimsatt stayed home along the far sideline and made a tackle for loss to end.

After having the game move to Thursday night due to expected rain on Friday, Orange will get an extra day of rest to prepare for Northwood next Friday in Pittsboro.

ORANGE 26, PERSON 14

PER–0 14 0 0-14

ORA–12 14 0 0-26

ORA–Nathan Sorrells 59 run (run failed)

ORA–Ronald Cooper 41 run (run failed)

PER–Cole Garrett 7 run (Orlando Gonzalez Bello kick)

ORA–Wynston Brown 64 pass from Jared Weaver (Darius Satterfield kick)

ORA–Cooper 11 run (Satterfield kick)

PER–Daejon Hodge 20 pass from Garrett (Gonzalez Bello kick)

RUSHING-PERSON: 45-235 TD (C.J. Hunt 10-67, Garrett 13-64 TD, Hodge 7-46, Daveon Marner 6-34, Kiryce McCain 7-32, Chad Raglin 1-(-2), team 1-(-6))

ORANGE 30-262 4 TD (Cooper 9-141 2 TD, Sorrells 9-112 TD, Omarion Lewis 5-6, Jackson Wood 2-5, Nate Hecht 1-1, Jared Weaver 2-0, Jabari Albright 1-(-1), team 1-(-2)

PASSING: PERSON: (Garrett 1-7 20 TD, INT)

ORANGE: (Weaver 1-6 64 TD, INT)

RECEIVING: PERSON (Hodge 1-24 TD)

ORANGE (Wynston Brown 1-64 TD)

It was a night of explosion plays for Orange in its 26-14 win over Person on Thursday night at Auman Stadium. Junior running back Ronald Cooper and sophomore wingback Nathan Sorrells had dual 100-yard rushing games, with both men setting career highs. Cooper finished with 141 yards and two touchdowns. Sorrells would up with 112 yards and a touchdowns on just nine carries. In the first quarter, Sorrells set the tone with a 59-yard touchdown run, the longest of his varsity career. On Orange’s next drive, Cooper rushed for a 41-yard touchdown, just moments after he and Jackson Wood stopped quarterback Cole Garrett on a 4th-and-3 from Person 41-yard line. In the second quarter, Orange quarterback Jared Weaver hit wide receiver Wynston Brown for a 64-yard touchdown pass. That was the longest play from scrimmage this season for Orange. Cooper would add another touchdown late in the second quarter. Orange finished with 326 yards total offense, its second best output of the season. It was their seventh straight win over Person and Orange’s first in the new Central Carolina Conference.

It was all defense for Orange in the second half of its 26-14 win over Person on Thursday night at Auman Stadium. Senior Jackson Wood has several big stops on Person quarterback Cole Garrett. In the second quarter, senior linebacker Connor Ray jumped on a loose ball, which set up Orange’s final touchdown of the night from junior running back Ronald Cooper. Person threatened several times in the third quarter to narrow Orange’s lead, but junior linebacker Jake Wimsatt came up with two big plays. The first was on an interception in the fourth quarter at the Orange 47-yard line. The second came on Person’s final serious drive after the Rockets had driven to the Orange 4-yard line. On 4th-and-goal, Wimsatt tackled Person wide receiver Chad Raglin on a reverse, which ended the drive and ensured Orange’s first Central Carolina Conference win. It was Orange’s seventh straight victory over Person, and it was the first conference game between the Rockets and the Panthers in 21 years. Orange will look to continue the momentum when they face Northwood in Pittsboro next week.

Allow me to sound old for a moment.

I’m not sure some of the younger people who read this can relate to a world where newspapers covered high school sports in Orange and Durham County extensively. And not just football. If a local athlete did something prominent in wrestling, soccer, basketball or baseball, they would find themselves in bright, bold colors on the front page. Every Saturday was like that on the Durham Herald-Sun.

Usually, on Saturdays, that cover would go to Northern Durham football and with good reason. The Knights were every bit the dynasty locally as the Alabama Crimson Tide are nationally. In 1990, Northern was in the midst of winning its seventh consecutive conference championship. They would win another eleven in a row before the Riverside Pirates ended the dynasty in 2002.

But on one special night in October 1990, Orange football grabbed the elusive Herald-Sun front page. Orange defeated Person in Roxboro and they did it decisively. Scott Satterfield, now the head coach at Louisville, was the Panther quarterback. Damon Scott, who would go on to become an I-AA All-American running back at Appalachian State, scored a touchdown. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a school more unified that week. Dr. Stephen Halkiotis was the principal and, just between you and I, I think he liked by class of 1991. In that group was a future Louisville football coach, a future Durham County District Attorney, a successful car dealership owner, a state championship women’s basketball coach in Georgia, several brave individuals who have served this country during some dire hours. And me.

The pep rally that Friday afternoon was intense, festive and loud. Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat,” had just been released and adopted as a natural anthem for the Panthers (Rhythm Nation was such a good album, it was the soundtrack of practically my entire stay in high school). Dr. H cut a pro wrestling interview over the microphone that would have made Ric Flair proud, or perhaps envious. The entire momentum fed over to Roxboro that Friday against a Person team that had just defeated Northern Durham in famed Durham County Stadium the week prior.

It was Northern’s only conference loss of the 1990s.

So as Person returns to Auman Stadium on Friday night as a conference opponent, those memories have stuck with me this week. It is the Class of 1991’s 30th anniversary. Nowadays, these milestones arrive with bittersweet emotions. As I prepare to do play-by-play for the first Orange-Person conference game in 21 years, I hope some members of my class will be inside Auman Stadium on Friday.

So, we’ve gotten away from what this column is supposed to do, which is to honor the current athletes at Orange and Cedar Ridge. Let’s focus on this week’s honorees for the Magnificent 7.

Spencer Hampton: After winning the 3,200 meters 3A Mideast Regional Championship last June, Hampton started his cross country season with a victory in his first Central Carolina Conference meet of the season. He finished first in a meet that included Cedar Ridge, Northwood, Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance with a time of 17:37.03.

Avery Miller: Had a team-high eleven kills and 23 digs (tied with Sadye Porter for team-high honors) as Orange defeated Williams 3-1 on Tuesday in Burlington. Miller’s eleven kills tied for season-high. She also had eleven kills against Eastern Alamance on September 21. Her 23 digs was a season-high.

Enzo Bruhns: Scored a goal for the Orange men’s soccer team in a 4-2 victory over Eastern Alamance on September 29. Bruhns also had a tying goal against Northwood on September 27 in a game that would up going to overtime. The Chargers prevailed 4-2 in extra time.

Tea Jones: Won her #4 singles match over Cedar Ridge 6-2, 6-3 as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves. Jones later teamed with Jinkie Andrews to win at #3 doubles 8-4.

Chloe Patz: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team became the first team in the Central Carolina Conference to defeat Northwood last week. The Red Wolves prevailed 5-4 in a match where action lingered well into the night, climaxing with the #3 doubles match to determine the entire shooting match. Senior Chloe Patz won at #2 singles 1-6, 6-2 and 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 10-8. On Wednesday, Patz teamed with sophomore Cameron Mayhew to win at #1 doubles against Orange 8-1.

Cameron Lanier: It was another big week for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team, which captured three matches over the course of four days to take command of the Central Carolina Conference race. On Monday, the Red Wolves defeated Jordan 3-1 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Lanier finished with ten kills. It was her eighth double-digit kill game of the season. Cedar Ridge would go on to CCC wins over Northwood and at Orange. Lanier had another double-digit kill game against the Lady Panthers as the Red Wolves completed its first two-game season sweep of its crosstown rival since 2015.

Roman Morrell: The Cedar Ridge men’s cross country participated in its first Central Carolina Conference meet at Northwood High School in Pittsboro last week. Roman Morrell finished fifth for the Red Wolves with a time of 18:00.90. Morrell, a junior, was the highest placer for the Red Wolves.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team captured its second straight conference championship on Tuesday night. Last year, the Red Wolves won the Big 8 Conference title. This year, it’s the Central Carolina Conference title. Cedar Ridge improved to 17-1, 10-0 in the CCC with a 3-0 win over Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves got big games from junior Melissa Benkowitz, an East Chapel Hill transfer who registered 100 kills in Cedar Ridge’s first 14 games. Another valuable newcomer is sophomore Addie Reid at middle blocker. This season, Reid has 16 blocks, which leads the team. On Thursday, Cedar Ridge will travel to Elon to face Western Alamance. The Red Wolves will then participate in a tri-match at Chapel Hill High School on Saturday morning with some of the best teams in the state. For starters, Cedar Ridge will face undefeated Green Hope. Then the Red Wolves will face J.H. Rose, who is 14-1. Rose is ranked #2 in the current 3A East Region RPI standings, only behind Cedar Ridge.