This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior lacrosse attacker Brett Clark. On Friday night, Clark scored the Panthers’ last three goals as Orange defeated Carrboro 11-7 to advance to the round of 16 in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. It ensured Orange’s second straight 20-win season. Clark leads the team with 66 goals and 101 points this season for an Orange team that claimed its fifth consecutive Mid-Carolina Conference championship. This season, Clark has 14 hat tricks. He scored a season-high six goals in Orange’s 18-4 win over Eastern Alamance on April 25 in Hillsborough. He started the year with four hat tricks in Orange’s first five games. In a 9-3 win over Northern Guilford, Clark scored three goals and registered three assists. On March 7, he scored four goals as Orange broke open a tight game against Southern Alamance to defeat the Patriots 12-6 in Graham. In the rematch against the Patriots, he scored five goals as Orange pulled away 12-4. Clark has helped a young Orange team with only six seniors fill the gap left behind after the departure of Connor Kruse, the all-time leading scorer in Orange lacrosse history. Clark returns to action on Tuesday when Orange faces Seaforth in the third round of the state playoffs in Pittsboro.

Orange Panther of the Week: Brett Clark

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior lacrosse attacker Brett Clark. On Friday night, Clark scored the Panthers’ last three goals as Orange defeated Carrboro 11-7 to advance to the round of 16 in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. It ensured Orange’s second straight 20-win season.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior pole vaulter Ender Buchanan. On Friday, Buchanan won the 3A State Championship in the pole vault at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Buchanan cleared 14 feet, beating out Croatan’s Logan Carlson for the championship. Buchanan started as a pole vaulter just two years ago after competing as a distance runner in middle school. At the end of his freshman year, he began working with Coach Thomas Fowlkes, the father of Cedar Ridge’s last state champion in track and field, Carolina Fowlkes. One day while Buchanan was practicing for the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in track & field, he got curious about the workouts that Coach Fowlkes conducted and checked it out. Since then, he has been immersed in pole vaulting. Even before he started as a pole vaulter, he was enamoured with the sport watching the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. In February, Buchanan finished 2nd in the 3A State Indoor Championships at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, his best-ever showing up until Friday. Last week, Buchanan won the Mideast Regional championship at UNC Pembroke by clearing 13-feet. Buchanan is the tenth men’s track and field state champion in Cedar Ridge history and the first since 2013. He is the first man to win a state championship at the 3A level in school history and will probably be the last one since the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is expanding to eight classifications.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Ender Buchanan

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior pole vaulter Ender Buchanan. On Friday, Buchanan won the 3A State Championship in the pole vault at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Buchanan cleared 14 feet, beating out Croatan’s Logan Carlson for the championship.

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The path through the state playoffs looks different for Orange lacrosse this year.

Unlike the past four years, the road to the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional championship game won’t run through Hillsborough. In fact, Orange may very well have just one home game the entire postseason.

The Panthers earned a share of its fifth consecutive conference championship with a 14-3 win over Cedar Ridge last Monday at Auman Stadium. Sophomore Owen Wimsatt scored four goals while junior Brandon Williams had a hat trick.

However, Orange wound up with the #2 seed out of the Mid-Carolina Conference after tying with Seaforth for first place. The two teams split the season series with Seaforth beating Orange on March 15, ending the Panthers 47-game conference regular season winning streak. The Panthers got some revenge with a 10-8 win over the Hawks in Pittsboro on April 15.

There was plenty of deliberation about how a tiebreaker would play out between the Orange and Seaforth coaching staffs, along with officials from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Ultimately, it was determined that the team with the higher RPI would earn the top seed. Seaforth had the higher RPI by two-hundredths-of-a-point, which made all the difference in the world. The Hawks earned the #3 seed in the East Region and will face Havelock on Friday night.

Orange will take on Carrboro at Auman Stadium tonight (Friday).

Cedar Ridge reached the state playoffs and earned a #12 seed. The Red Wolves will journey to Durham to face Voyager Academy, the champions of the Triangle North Conference.

Cedar Ridge (9-9) hasn’t faced Voyager Academy this season.

The Red Wolves earned a playoff spot after winning five of its last seven games. In its final home game of the year against Western Alamance, junior Joshua Hart scored four goals and registered three assists as the Red Wolves won 17-5. Juniors Grant Thole and Marc Reid each added three goals as the Red Wolves swept the season series from the Warriors.

Hart leads the team with 44 goals. Thole has 20 goals and ten assists as the Red Wolves finished the Mid-Carolina portion of its schedule 8-8.

The winner of Cedar Ridge-Voyager will face the winner of Union Pines vs. Northwood. Cedar Ridge’s last win in the state playoffs came against Western Alamance in 2021.

Orange will face Carrboro for the second time this season. On April 21, the Jaguars delivered a test to the Panthers. Carrboro led Orange 5-3 going into the fourth quarter, but the Panthers outscored the Jagaurs 6-1 in the final 12 minutes to emerge with a 9-6 victory.

Junior Brett Clark, Orange’s leading scorer, registered the game-tying goal with 10:07 remaining. Dylan Herndon scored the game-winning goal as the Panthers scored four times in the opening 2:45 of the fourth quarter. Gray Crabtree, Matthew Macneir and Wimsatt also scored late.

Sophomore Jackson Runkle finished with eleven saves, including some clutch plays in the final minutes.

With a win on Friday, Orange would clinch its 2nd lifetime 20-win season. Last year, the Panthers finished 24-3 overall en route to its first Eastern Regional championship in program history.

The Panthers have gone about the season trying to replace Connor Kruse, the greatest player in school history who is now a freshman at Lenoir-Rhyne. Kruse helped the Panthers to four straight outright conference championships, 12 state playoff wins and an appearance in the 3A/2A/1A State Championship game. He scored a school record 242 goals and 532 points.

Clark leads the team with 63 goals and 35 assists. Wimsatt, who was once a longstick midfielder, is second on the squad with 49 goals.

If Orange wins on Friday night, they will likely head to Seaforth for a final matchup with the Hawks on Tuesday. Seaforth will face Havelock on Friday night in Pittsboro.

Photo by Adelyn Alvis 

Last year, the Orange women’s track and field team fell just eight points short of winning the Mideast Regional Championship.

This year, behind strong performances from junior Adelyn Alvis and pole vaulter Caroline Fowlkes, the Lady Panthers earned the elusive crown.

Last Friday at UNC Pembroke, the Lady Panthers finished with 99 points to win the regional championship. E.E. Smith came in second place with 94 points.

Orange’s 4×800 relay team of Kayla Willey, Reilly Jermyn, Ava Bishop and Kinsey Ross won the regional championship with a time of 10:17.74, easily outdistancing Union Pines, which came in at 10:36.87. To make it more impressive, Jermyn, Bishop and Ross are all freshman.

The 3A State Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place inside Truist Stadium at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro on Friday.

Alvis, a three-sport athlete who regularly starts for the Orange women’s tennis team during the fall, won the regional championship in the long jump. Alvis’ top leap of 18-feet, 4-inches paced the field of 30 competitors. Franklinton freshman Telia Fisher was runner-up at 17-feet, 9-inches.

Alvis also qualified for the state championships in the 100 meter hurdle and the 800 meters. Alvis earned a 2nd place finish in the 800 at 2:23.14. Zoe Dorsey of Terry Sanford earned the regional title at 2:20.29.

In the 100 hurdles, Alvis also finished 2nd at 15.75 seconds. Southern Durham’s Samone Arrington finished first at 14.75 seconds.

In February, Alvis finished 4th in the 500 meters at the State Indoor Track Championships inside the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. In the same meet, she came in fifth in the long jump.

Individually, Jermyn finished runner-up in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Jermyn registered a time of 11:38.76 in the 3,200 meters. Georgy Helmers of E.E. Smith won the regional title at 10:46.36. In the 1,600 meters, Jermyn finished at 5:14.45. Helmers of E.E. Smith also finished first in the 1,600 at 4:57.16.

In November, Jermyn finished 10th in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Cross Country championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex. She is the daughter of Duke University cross country coach Kevin Jermyn. Her older brother, Myles, is a member of Orange’s 3A State Championship men’s cross country team.

In her final regional championship meet, Cedar Ridge senior Naomi Dyreng finished 3rd in the 3,200 meters, earning a spot in the state championships for the fourth consecutive season. Dyreng came in at 11:46.22.

Dyreng also came in 3rd in the 1,600 meters at 5:15.34.

Dyreng was the two-time defending 3,200 meter regional champion. She has won three regional championships in her career. In 2023, Dyreng claimed the regional titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at Franklinton High School.

Bishop also earned a spot in the state championships in the 3,200 meters (4th place finish at 12:08.14) and the 1,600 meters (4th place, 5:35.78).

Orange sophomore Clara Fowlkes finished 2nd in the pole vault. Fowlkes earned her first trip to the state championships by clearing nine feet. Elizabeth Surface, a freshman from Durham School of the Arts, edged Fowlkes for the regional title by clearing ten feet. Orange junior Kierstyn Pate tied for third with a successful attempt of eight feet, six inches.

Fowlkes also qualified for the state championships in a running event. In the 4×200 relay, Fowlkes teamed with Asia Whitsett, Kaleeya Fearrington and Gianni Burnette to come in fourth at 1:47.42. Terry Sanford’s relay team finished first at 1:43.28.

Whitsett also individually qualified for the 400 meters. Whitsett, a sophomore, finished 4th at 1:01.43, edging Gianna Hanson of Fayetteville 71st by .34-of-a-second to earn a spot in Greensboro.

Willey narrowly missed reaching the state championships in the 800 meters. She finished in fifth place at 2:32.35. Elizabeth McKinzey of E.E. Smith finished fourth at 2:30.39.

Cedar Ridge’s Ila Diaz finished 7th in the 3,200 meters. Another Red Wolf runner, senior Abigail Klaitman, finished in eighth place (13:28.70).

It may not have looked like a perfect night for Orange women’s soccer, but it sure felt that way.

The rain that fell steadily throughout Monday would have made it a gloomy atmosphere on many occasions, but this was the first home playoff game for Orange women’s soccer in eight years.

The Orange lacrosse team made sure a proper playoff atmosphere was in place. As the rain fell at opening whistle, the players stood in the bleachers and chanted like it was El Classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona playing on a pitch in Hillsborough.

Quite possibly, it was the final home game for a senior class that has taken Orange women’s soccer to places they’ve never reached. For Sullivan Gaddy, she may have saved the best of her accomplished career for last.

Gaddy, Orange’s leading scorer, scored a season-high five goals as the Lady Panthers rolled past Southern Nash 7-0 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. It was Orange’s first home state playoff win since 2015, when they defeated Cleveland in the second round.

The Lady Panthers improved to 12-7 and will travel to Kill Devil Hills to face First Flight, the champions of the Northeastern Coastal Conference, in the second round on Thursday. The Nighthawks defeated West Johnston 5-0 in the opening round on Monday.

Orange, the #13 seed in the East Region, won its first state playoff game since they defeated Cape Fear in the second round of the 2022 State Playoffs. Gaddy, who was a freshman on that night three years ago, scored a goal against the Colts in Fayetteville.

It was Gaddy’s fourth hat trick of the season. She now has 32 goals on the season. Gaddy has scored 52 goals since the start of her junior year.

Gaddy came out of the game with ten minutes remaining to see a freshman, Samantha Gover, score her first playoff goal assisted by Molly Kruse. Gaddy cheered the loudest as Gover achieved the milestone on a soggy field.

“It’s just a full circle,” Gaddy said. “I just stood over there the last few minutes and thought how amazing this was. We deserve everything we did tonight. As for me, I played my heart out on the field and it made it worth it.”

On Monday night, Gaddy notched the game-winning goal in the 19th minute off an assist from her classmate, Cora Bailey. Gaddy added another goal off a feed from Ella McCay to make it 2-0 in the first half.

“It’s so awesome to watch them grow as players,” said Orange head coach Jacki Mignosa, who was coaching the junior varsity team the last time Orange won a home state playoff game. “Every year, we’ve said our goal is to have a home playoff game. This is the first year we’ve done it. To have the playoff win at home is just icing on the cake. It was so awesome the lacrosse players would show up like that.”

McCay would assist on another goal assisted by senior Caroline Cathey. Gaddy completed the hat trick to put the Lady Panthers ahead 4-0. Her fourth goal was assisted by Lucy Mignosa. Fittingly, Bailey found Gaddy for her fifth goal to put the Lady Panthers ahead 6-0.

First Flight is 19-2 with only one loss to a team from the state of North Carolina. Orange will arrive to Kill Devil Hills battle tested. The top two teams in the 3A East Region RPI rankings are Western Alamance and Eastern Alamance, both conference rivals of Orange.

“I think our conference is one of the strongest in the state,” Mignosa said. “It definitely prepares us wherever we go, however far we go.”

FAYETTEVILLE–Terry Sanford defeated Orange in the 2024 3A State Playoffs.

Between that game and Friday night, not much had changed in the Bulldog lineup. Seven players who started last year’s game were back in the lineup against the Panthers in the 2nd round of the 2025 3A State Playoffs.

Orange had two starters back from last year’s Terry Sanford game, neither of whom played the same position they did in 2024. And that was the difference on Friday night.

Terry Sanford’s Ethan Nobles drove in four runs as the Bulldogs cruised past the Panthers 10-0 in five innings. After closing out last year’s win over Orange, Jack Reaves started and threw a complete game, two-hit shutout as the Bulldogs (23-5) advanced to the third round to face West Brunswick in Fayetteville.

Orange ends the year 14-12.

Reaves retired the first eleven Panthers he faced before sophomore Oliver Van Tiem reached on a single to centerfield in the fourth inning. Even that moment of Orange success was fleeting as Reaves promptly picked Van Tiem off first base.

Just like last year, Orange got off to a bad start when the Bulldogs put a pair across in the first inning. Leadoff batter Josh Mozingo scored from first base off a throwing error at shortstop off an infield hit by Gibson Bray to immediately put the Bulldogs ahead. Hunter Hedgerow drove in Bray with a groundout to Kayden Bradsher.

Orange’s only other hit in the game came from catcher D.J. Woods, who threw two Bulldogs runners out trying to steal.

It was the final game for seniors Dominic O’Keefe, Eli Horton and Garrett Sawyer, who went through a roller coaster season where the Panthers couldn’t stay healthy after mid-March. Van Tiem, Orange’s top power pitcher, injured his ankle in the conference opener against Western Alamance and missed a month of action.

Sawyer, Orange’s top power hitter, injured his hamstring against Southern Alamance on April 10 and missed the last nine games.

Hunt 2, Cedar Ridge 0: 

Hunt’s Stone Massey and Seth Evans combined to throw a two-hitter to defeat Cedar Ridge in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on Tuesday. Evans drove in Angel Saldona with a double that one-hopped the left field wall in the first inning.

The Warriors, who finished in a tie with South Johnston and West Johnston in the Quad Counties Conference, added its other run in the third inning. After Saldona drove a single to right field, Will Doll lined a double to the power alley.

Cedar Ridge’s Ian McGuffey was the only Red Wolf of touch third base all night. In the first inning, McGuffey doubled to right field. With Aidan Ryan at the plate, McGuffey went to third on a walk pitch. Massey got a strikeout to end the inning.

John Grove was the only Cedar Ridge batter to get on board to leadoff an inning. It happened in the seventh inning with a single to left field. Evans ended the game with a strikeout.

Cedar Ridge, seeded #16, hosted its first state playoff game since 2018.

It was the final home game for Cedar Ridge senior pitcher Quinn Finnegan, who threw five-plus innings. Earlier this month after senior night against Southern Alamance, Finnegan rounded the bases after a Cedar Ridge victory and put a small sample of dirt inside a tiny bottle he carried for the occasion.

As he ventures to play baseball at Wagner College in New York, Finnegan said he wanted to take a small piece of Cedar Ridge with him everywhere. The only senior on this year’s team, Finnegan was a co-Captain of three Cedar Ridge teams. This year, he helped the Red Wolves win at Orange for the first time since 2012.

Four years ago, Sullivan Gaddy, Caroline Cathey and Cora Bailey were regular players for the first Orange women’s soccer team to reac the third round of the 3A State Playoffs.

Now, they’re seniors. On Monday night, they will play in the first state playoff match hosted by Orange women’s soccer in eight years.

On Friday, the Orange women’s soccer team received a #13 seed for the 3A State Playoffs. They will face #20 Southern Nash from The Big East Conference on Monday night in Hillsborough. The Lady Panthers finished the regular season in third place in the Central Conference with a 7-5 record. In its final home game of the season, Orange defeated Southern Alamance 3-2 off an overtime goal from Gaddy assisted by Cathey.

In 2022, Gaddy led the team with 13 goals as Orange defeated Harnett Central and Cape Fear in the 3A State Playoffs, its best postseason run ever. In the third round, the Lady Panthers were in a tight game at Walter Williams in Burlington before goalkeeper Abby Monteith suffered an injury early in the second half, knocking her out of the game. The Lady Dawgs wound up winning 3-2.

The last time Orange hosted a state playoff game, they lost to Jacksonville 2-0 on May 10, 2017.

This season, Gaddy has led the Lady Panthers with 25 goals with 13 assists. She had three hat tricks, including the win over Southern Alamance on April 30 where her third goal was the game-winner.

Cathey, the younger sister of former Orange lacrosse and cross country runner Alden Cathey, has 15 goals and eight assists. Bailey has scored eight goals, including two in Orange’s win over Person on May 2 in Roxboro.

The winner of Orange-Southern Nash will face the winner of #4 First Flight vs. #29 West Johnston in the second round. Orange hasn’t won a state playoff game since defeating Cape Fear in Fayetteville in 2022. Last year, the Lady Panthers lost to Eastern Alamance in the opening round.

Cedar Ridge, who finished the season with consecutive wins over Voyager Academy and Williams, also earned a spot in the 3A State Playoffs for the second year in a row. The Red Wolves received a #17 seed and travel to Richlands on Monday night. It will be the second straight year that the Wildcats and the Red Wolves have met in the opening round.

Last year, the Red Wolves won a state playoff game for the first time since 2018 when they defeated Richlands 3-1 in Hillsborough. Katie Paulakonis, in her only season with Cedar Ridge, scored two goals Celine Galla added another as the Red Wolves won under first-year head coach Sam Semerzier.

It was also the first time Cedar Ridge hosted a state playoff game since 2018.

This season, Paulakonis didn’t play shortly after she committed to Division I Bellarmine University. Sophomore Kate Finnegan stepped in and led the team with 28 goals this season. Finnegan also has 14 assists and leads the team with 70 points.

This season, Finnegan has four hat tricks. In March, she had three straight games of scoring four goals, starting with Northwood in a 9-6 win on March 3. She also scored four goals against Durham School of the Arts in a 6-2 win on March 6. On March 8, Finnegan had another four goal game in a victory over Southern Nash in Wilson.

Senior Fleury Nicholson, who has been on the varsity for four years, has scored 17 goals this season. In her career, Nicholson has scored 59 goals and 33 assists. As a junior, Nicholson scored 19 goals.

The winner of Cedar Ridge at Richlands will face the winner of #1 Western Alamance vs. #32 Triton, which will take place in Elon. Western Alamance won the Central Conference championship with an overall 18-0-1 record. They went 11-0-1 in conference play with the lone tie against Eastern Alamance.

It will be the second time in less than a week that a team to Cedar Ridge will travel to Richlands. Last Thursday, the Cedar Ridge softball team faced the Wildcats in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior softball first baseman Kimber Shambley. A commitment to Western Carolina University to play softball, Shambley was second on the team with a .452 batting average, playing in all 25 games. She led the team with seven home runs and was tied for second with 27 RBIs. She was also second on the team with 33 hits. one of just three seniors, Shambley was a leader on a. team that finished 17-8, their best record since the 2019 season. Against Walter Williams on April 28, Shambley hit two home runs and drove in four runs in a 19-1 win in Hillsborough. In her final game at Red Wolves Softball Field, Shambley went 2-for-2 with an RBI in Cedar Ridge’s 12-1 win over West Johnston. It was Cedar Ridge’s first state playoff win in six years. Shambley had eleven multi-hit games this year. Against Orange on April 28, Shambley had a 2-run double in Cedar Ridge’s 15-14 win in the Central Conference Tournament semifinals. On April 17, Shambley went 3-for-4 as the Red Wolves edged Orange 5-4, which was head coach Allan Byrd’s 100th career win. Shambley finished her career with 105 RBIs, just four short of Takia Nichols all-time school record. Shambley will start play in Cullowhee next winter after a distinguished career at Cedar Ridge where she helped return the Red Wolves to elite status.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Kimber Shambley

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior softball first baseman Kimber Shambley. A commitment to Western Carolina University to play softball, Shambley was second on the team with a .452 batting average, playing in all 25 games. She led the team with seven home runs and was tied for second with 27 RBIs.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore lacrosse midfielder Owen Wimsatt. The younger brother of former Orange face-off ace Jake Wimsatt, Wimsatt helped the Panthers win its fifth consecutive Mid-Carolina Conference championship this season. He’s second on the team with 49 goals and 69 points. When he played at Orange Middle School, Wimsatt played as a longstick midfielder. Orange Panthers head coach Chandler Zirkle encouraged him to change to a short stick and he’s become one of Orange’s most accomplished scorers. In his varsity debut this season, Wimsatt had a hat trick in an 18-1 win over Southeast Alamance in Hillsborough. That was the first of eleven hat tricks during the regular season. On April 8, Wimsatt scored four goals in a win over Southern Alamance in Hillsborough. On March 7 against the Patriots in Graham, Wimsatt scored a season-high seven points. He had a string of three straight games with hat tricks against Williams, Cedar Ridge and Southern Alamance. Last Monday, he scored four goals as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 4-3 to officially clinch a share of the conference title. He completed the regular season by scoring five points as the Panthers defeated Riverside 8-5 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham. Orange will start play in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs against Carrboro at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough on Friday night.

Orange Panther of the Week: Owen Wimsatt

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore lacrosse midfielder Owen Wimsatt. The younger brother of former Orange face-off ace Jake Wimsatt, Wimsatt helped the Panthers win its fifth consecutive Mid-Carolina Conference championship this season. He’s second on the team with 49 goals and 69 points.