When this countdown series started in November, there was virtually no question that Cedar Ridge volleyball’s upset of Chapel Hill would claim the top spot.

Here’s a larger question: was this Cedar Ridge’s biggest regular season win in any sport since they jumped to 3A in 2014?

I think you can say it is.

Certainly Cedar Ridge women’s tennis Big 8 Conference championship had some big wins in the regular season, including two against Chapel Hill. But the Tigers didn’t even make the playoffs that year.

Cedar Ridge softball has won consecutive softball conference championships in 2018 and 2019. They defeated Eastern Alamance to start the 2018 season, and the Eagles would go on to win the 2019 3A State Championship. But that 2018 team didn’t have Kenna Rae Dark pitching for it. The 2019 team did, and that’s a big difference.

Going into its match against Chapel Hill on September 10, Cedar Ridge volleyball had just suffered its first loss of the season the night before against Jordan in Durham.

The Tigers, with seven seniors, were powered by the finishing skills of Kaya Merkler (who finished with 423 kills this season), Julia Charney (204 kills) and Courtney Zwikker, the daughter of former UNC basketball center Serge Zwikker.

Cedar Ridge was powered by freshmen. Skilled freshmen like Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier. They had led the Red Wolves to a 6-1 start, but could they stay on the same floor against a Chapel Hill team that had played for the 3A Eastern Regional championship the year before? And played for the state title the year before that?

The answer was yes.

A tight first set proved predictive of how the rest of the match would be. No team led by more than four, and Chapel Hill battled back from two different deficits to level the score at 20-all and 22-all before Cedar Ridge took three of the final four points. As a Tiger hit the ball into her half of the net to clinch the first frame for the home team, the first drop of reality seemed to set in on the Cedar Ridge sideline – maybe this really could happen.

Chapel Hill won sets two and three.

As the page turned to the fourth set, the left-side success Merkler and fellow senior outside Julia Charney had in the second and third sets started to dry up, thanks in large part to an improved Cedar Ridge block anchored by freshman Cameron Lanier. But while Lanier’s performance at the net was notable, her effort at the service line bordered on legendary. With set four even at 8 apiece, Lanier head back behind the line and steered her team to a 7-0 run, with five of those points coming from Lanier aces. Chapel Hill finally sided her out and battled back to level the set at 23, but then the other two standout Red Wolf freshmen came through – setter Julie Altieri delivered a setter kill for set point, and outside Cameron Lloyd did the rest by tooling the block to tie the match. 

By the time the fifth set arrived, much of the crowd that remained got to its feet. Chapel Hill held the advantage in the early going, but never led by more than two. The visitors were first to what Seethaler conceded was that pivotal tenth point, but with the Tigers ahead 11-10, Lanier stepped back to the line and delivered two more service aces to flip the script. Chapel Hill coach Ross Fields called a timeout. The teams traded points, as Merkler finished off another back row kill to make it 13-12 Cedar Ridge. From there, the Red Wolves’ gameplan was simple: feed Cameron Lloyd. It had worked all season, it had worked all game, and it worked when it mattered most: Lloyd delivered the game’s final two kills, both set up by Altieri, placing the match-winning point precariously over the net, pinpointing it into the middle of the back row for a 15-12, five-set victory. 

Cedar Ridge would be the only team to beat Chapel Hill the entire season. The Tigers would lose only two sets for the rest of the regular season. From September 17 to October 22, the Tigers didn’t lose a set, a span of 12 matches. On November 9, they defeated West Henderson 3-1 to win the elusive state championship.

Cedar Ridge’s season ended after the first round of the 3A State Playoffs against Terry Sanford. But Red Wolves Coach Anna Seethaler has had to spend part of this winter thinking back to one night in September where her team beat the very best in the state.

And she has to be smiling about the future, as well.

Jamar Davis: The 2018 Orange High graduate has qualified for the long jump in the 2020 ACC Indoor Track & Field championships. On Saturday, Davis had a jump of 23’11” at the Gamecock Opener in Columbia, S.C. He finished 5th. Davis’ teammate, freshman Chris Alexander, won the event with a leap of 25’02.50″. In the triple jump, Davis finished 2nd. He had a leap of 50’03.50″, behind only Marc McCoy of Bethune-Cookman. Davis has also qualified for the ACC Championships in the triple jump. While Payton Wilson has been named to the All-Decade team by the Raleigh News and Observer, Davis’ resume at Orange may have been the most versatile in school history. He qualified for the Penn Relays in track & field, winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Association MVP for the 3A State Championship meet. Davis won four state championships. He also won the leading scorer for the Orange men’s soccer team his senior year, leading them to a victory in the state playoffs. Plus, he was a wrestler for three years, where Orange won three Big 8 Conference and two 3A Eastern Regional Championships. Alternating between 182 and 195 pounds, Davis went 73-28 with 40 pinfall victories.

Marvin Jones:  Former Cedar Ridge star Marvin Jones won the high jump event at the JDL January College Kickoff in Winston-Salem on Saturday. Jones leaped 2.06 meters for North Carolina Central for the victory. It was Central’s first event since winter break. In December, Jones finished 2nd in JDL Kickoff Classic. He has now qualified for the MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Landover, MD starting February 20.

Icez Barnett: On Monday, the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team lost to North Greenville 73-59 inside Hayes Gymnasium in Tigerville, S.C. Barnett came off the bench to score two points and grab five rebounds in eight minutes. She also fouled out. Chowan is now 3-14, 3-10 in Conference Carolinas.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team is on a three-game winning streak and is 12-4 overall. On Friday, the Bantams defeated Wesleyan (Connecticut) 77-58 in Silloway Gymnasium in Hartford, CT. Campbell came off the bench to play 13 minutes and had two points, two assists and one rebound. In a 61-52 victory over Babson on January 14 in Babson Park, MA, Campbell had two points in ten minutes. She added two assists and two rebounds.

Lauren Cates: On Saturday, the Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team defeated USC Salkehatchie 81-63 in Raleigh. Cates started for the Eagles and scored 14 points off 5-of-8 shooting. She was 2-of-4 from 3-point range. On January 15, Wake Tech romped past Brunswick Community College 77-43, its seventh win in eight games. Cates scored ten points. She was 3-of-6 from the field with two 3-pointers. On January 13, Wake Tech defeated Caldwell County College & Technical Institute, Cates scored three points. Wake Tech is 12-4, 7-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They host Spartanburg Methodist on Thursday. The Eagles are tied for 2nd in Region X with Bryant & Stratton. Catawba Valley Community College, who defeated Wake Tech earlier this month, is in first place in the region with a 6-0 record.

After two runner-up finishes over the past two seasons, Orange’s Kessel Summers has claimed his first individual varsity wrestling championship.

Summers pinned Havelock’s Nate Lucio to take the 126-pound championship of the Dash Classic at Fuquay-Varina High School on Saturday afternoon. It was the second straight weekend that Summers defeated Lucio. On January 11 at the Havelock Duals, Summers defeated Lucio 14-5, a major decision which led to the Panthers beating the Rams via criteria 36-35.

Orange finished 4th in the team standings, its best tournament showing of the year. In addition to Summers, Orange’s Brendan Worsham finished 2nd at 182 pounds. Senior heavyweight Juan Navarro placed 3rd. At 195 pounds, Jackson Ollis came in fourth, the first-time he’s ever placed in a tournament.

Cedar Ridge finished tied for 20th with 34 points. Among the six Cedar Ridge wrestlers who participated, Alex Christian was the only one that placed. He tied for fifth in 182 pounds after winning via disqualification over Hillside’s James Blankston in the consolation round. Fuquay-Varina’s Melvin Colon defeated Christian 4-1 in the consolation semifinals. Christian also defeated Harnett Central’s Jose Zambrano 13-7.

Summers finished 2nd in the Quentin Crosby Tournament at Dudley High School in Greensboro on January 4. Last season, Summers finished 3rd in the 3A Mideast Regional at Southeast Guilford High School and qualified for the State Championships at 113 pounds.

Summers now leads the team with 29 wins and 18 pins this season.

For the second time this year in an individual tournament, Summers faced an opponent from Leesville Road in the semifinals. Summers defeated Cole Patterson 9-6. The decision was the only time Summers went the distance in the tournament.

After receiving a bye in the opening round, Summers opened the event by pinning Southern Durham’s Tashaun Smith in 1:15. In the quarterfinals, Summers pinned West Johnston’s Chris McHenry in 3:40.

Worsham, who played junior varsity football last fall, had his best-ever individual showing a week after he defeated Havelock’s Tate Cringan 8-0 in a major decision which led to Orange beating Havelock. After he pinned Southern Durham’s Jordan Rogers in 19 seconds, Worsham faced Cringan again. This time, Worsham pinned him in 1:29 to reach the semifinals, where he pinned Colon in 4:48. Wesley Sharpe of Voyager Academy defeated Worsham for the championship in 4:22.

Worsham finished 4th in the Quentin Crosby Tournament.

Navarro edged Ronald Reagan’s Christia Cohen’s 2-1 to win the consolation final. It’s his best finish of the year. He earned a 7-3 decision over C.J. Shepherd of Enloe to advance to the championship semifinals. Hillside’s Rodney Harris, who captured the heavyweight championship, earned a 14-8 decision over Navarro.

In the consolation semifinals, Navarro pinned Cape Fear’s Chason Bryant in 3:40.

Last season, Harris and Navarro squared off in the Mideast Regionals with a trip to the state championships on the line. In a match that stretched to three overtimes, Harris won 4-3.

Ollis lost his opening match in the championship round, but won consecutive bouts in the consolation bracket. He pinned Apex’s Elijah Gagne-Koudak in 23 seconds. then pinned Pinecrest’s Luca Peck in 1:37 to reach the consolation finals. South View’s Kyle Johnston defeated Ollis for 3rd place.

It will be a busy week for both Orange and Cedar Ridge as the season winds down. Orange, still going for its 17th consecutive Big 8 Conference championship, will host Southern Durham on Wednesday night in Hillsborough. On Saturday, the Panthers will travel to Durham for the Riverside Invitational.

On Thursday, Cedar Ridge will host its senior night in a tri-meet against East Chapel Hill and Vance County.

Orange defeated Chapel Hill 61-59 on Tuesday night at Tiger Gymnasium, its second straight win over the Tigers. Junior forward Kendrell Brooks scored Orange’s final two field goals, including a running one-hander with 5 seconds remaining as the Panthers claimed its eighth victory of the season. Joey McMullin led Orange with 20 points. Brooks and Jerec Thompson added 17 each. Enjoy highlights from the game from Thompsonteamfilms.com

Orange senior Cam White won his 2nd race in the indoor track & field season on Saturday. White won the 200 meters on Saturday in the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear event at Dave Thaden Stadium. Cam was a 2-year starter for the Orange football team, where he played wide receiver and cornerback. After being encouraged for years, White started running track & field two years ago. White will try to qualify for the State Indoor Track & Field Championships next week in Orange’s next meet. Saturday’s meet was Orange’s 2nd of the year. It also included East Chapel Hill, the North Carolina School of Science & Math, Riverside and Northern Durham.

At the turn of the year, the Orange men’s basketball team essentially started over.

Center Machai Holt was dismissed from the team on January 3 after a sensational start to the season. He was Orange’s leading rebounder and was the spark plug behind a 7-1 start, the best stretch of Panther basketball since winning the Big 8 regular season championship in 2016-17.

Holt’s teammates learned of his departure mere hours before a long road trip to Vance County. Many of his classmates had played with Holt since they were in 5th grade and were stunned. That shock carried over to the court, where the Vipers romped to a 31-3 lead and cruised to a 74-57 win.

Without Holt, they were a different team. After a disappointing homestand where the Panthers lost three consecutive games last week, the new version of Orange can say definitively they’re making progress after upsetting Chapel Hill earlier this week.

Though Southern Durham defeated Orange 88-70 on Friday night at Spartan Gymnasium, the Panthers fought all the way against a more talented and experienced group led by former Orange Coach Greg Motley. Spartan senior Ricky Council, who is being recruited by Cincinnati, UNC Greensboro and Elon, scored 28 points to lead the Spartans (10-3, 4-1 in the Big 8 Conference). Ahmad Hamilton added 26, including 14 points in the third quarter.

Unlike losses to Vance County and Northwood, Orange didn’t back down despite a barrage of highlight reel ally-oops and 3-pointers from Southern. Joey McMullin scored 24 points while junior Jason Franklin added 21. It was Franklin’s highest total since he scored 27 against Southern Alamance on December 6 in Graham.

The Spartans hit ten 3-pointers in the first half, yet Orange only trailed 26-20 at the end of the first quarter. McMullin scored nine points in the second quarter to keep things close, but Southern’s T.J. Richardson had 11 of his 15 points in the 2nd to help the Spartans build a 15-point halftime lead.

Orange junior Kyle Stanley had a career-high 12 points, and likely would have had more if it hadn’t collected three fouls by the 6:08 mark of the second quarter. Without Holt and Stanley, the Panthers didn’t have any rim protectors and the Spartans had open season along the offensive glass.

None of which was lost on Orange coach Derryl Britt, who wasn’t discouraged by his team’s performance.

“I was really happy with the effort,” Britt said. “The guys fought. We didn’t stop playing. We knew what we were coming into. Southern’s really athletic, they have one of the best players in the state. And he’s surrounded by some pretty good basketball players. It was good to see our guys fight and execute against a quality basketball team.”

It is Southern’s seventh straight win over Orange. The Panthers last defeated the Spartans on Connor Crabtree’s running-one hander with :05 remaining to win 80-79 on January 27, 2017.

Orange is now halfway through its conference schedule, one that started with a 50-point win over East Chapel Hill. But that was the old Orange team, and glances backward will only lead to steps backward at this point. McMullin, a senior, hasn’t been to the state playoffs since his freshman year when Orange advanced to the state quarterfinals. No one else on the team has sniffed the state playoffs.

They will work the next three weeks trying to get there. Orange enters a week off and won’t take the floor again until they face the same East Chapel Hill team next Friday, one that won’t forget what happened to them before Christmas.

Britt just wants to keep building.

“We know we’re trying to get back to playing a brand of basketball that’s going to work for us,” Britt said. “Some teams are more physical than us, and Southern is one of them. There are some things we could have done better tonight. We will bounce back and we’re so looking forward to next week.”

SOUTHERN DURHAM 88, ORANGE 70

ORANGE: J.J. Thompson 4, Jason Franklin 21, Kyle Stanley 12, Joey McMullin 24, Hunter Birch 2, Tucker Miller 2, Kendrell Brooks 5.

SOUTHERN DURHAM: T.J. Richardson 15, Ricky Council 28, Ahmad Hamilton 26, Xavier Sorenson 10, Jaybron Harvey 2, Alex Phelps 5, Todd Wall 2.