For the second time this season, Cameron Koehler has been honored as the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week. Earlier this week, Koehler played his final home match as a Red Wolf as the Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team defeated Northern Durham on Tuesday. Koehler has played four different sports in his Cedar Ridge career. He has been a goalkeeper and striker for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team. He was a kicker on the football team. Last year, he went out for swimming and led a relay team that qualified for the Central Regional Championships. In the meantime, Koehler has maintained a fascination with the ocean. He will major in naval architecture in college after spending plenty of time by the North Carolina Coast. Koehler will graduate in June.

In Orange’s doubleheader sweep of Southern Durham on Tuesday night, 1st baseman Dayne Watkins had three RBIs. In the opening game, 10-0 Orange win, Watkins reached on an error to score Cooper Porter, part of a three-run inning. In the 2nd inning, Watkins hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Cooper Hench. In the 2nd game, Watkins roped a hard double off the left field wall during a 13-run 1st inning. Watkins has played regularly at first base this season for Orange, which is 10-4 overall. The Panthers are 8-2 in the Big 8 Conference, tied with Chapel Hill and one game behind East Chapel Hill.

On Tuesday, the Orange baseball team swept a doubleheader from Southern Durham to remain tied for 2nd place in the Big 8 Conference. In the 1st inning of the 2nd game, leadoff batter Joey Berini came up to bat three times. He hit a leadoff single and scored off a three-run homer hit by Cooper Porter. Later in the inning, he laced a two-run double to left field. Berini is Orange’s leading hitter with a .516 average. He is tied for the team lead with 18 hits and leads the team with eight doubles. Orange is scheduled to face Southwest Randolph in Asheboro on Friday night.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore striker Emmy Talley. On March 25, Talley scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win over crosstown rival Orange. It was her second hat trick of the season. On March 28, Talley followed with her 3rd hat trick of the season in a 9-0 win over River Mill Academy. Talley also had two assists in the win over the Jaguars. Talley scored two goals in Cedar Ridge’s 9-0 win over Hillside on March 12. After helping Cedar Ridge win a state playoff game last year over West Carteret, Talley is the leading scorer for the Red Wolves this season. Cedar Ridge will host Orange on Wednesday.

On Thursday night, the Orange softball team maintained its share of 1st place in the Big 8 Conference by sweeping Chapel Hill 9-0 and 12-3. Grace Perry earned the win in the circle in game one, throwing a 2-hit shutout and striking out 10. In the 2nd game, junior Jayden Hurdle earned her first pitching win of the season by striking out nine over five innings. At the plate, Hurdle went 1-for-1 with 2 RBI. In the 2nd game, Rachel Tilley went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI. Orange is now 8-1 in the Big 8 Conference. Earlier this week, the Lady Panthers defeated Northwood 14-1. In that game, Hurdle went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and three runs scored. Tilley finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. Orange will face Southern Durham next week, and is scheduled to travel to Person on Friday. In the interest of full disclosure, it took five takes to start this video because Jeff Hamlin, the writer and producer of this piece, couldn’t remember the names of all the players and hilarity ensued.

The Orange softball team is tied for first place in the Big 8 Conference after a thrilling 6-5 win over Northwood in eight innings. Freshman catcher Lauren Jackson lined an infield single to score Maddie Bartlett for the game-winning run. In the 7th inning, designated hitter Emma Puckett doubled to left field to score Olivia Ruff for the game-tying run. Orange was down to its last out before Puckett’s hit. Jackson finished 4-for-4. Orange is now 5-1 in Big 8 Conference play, even with Cedar Ridge. The Lady Panthers are scheduled to face Northwood on Wednesday in Pittsboro, then take on Chapel Hill in a doubleheader on Thursday.