There was more than a cruel irony in Orange’s largest comeback victory since 2015 on Friday night.
It was downright eerie.
On October 20, 2017, Orange bolted out to a 14-0 lead against Northwood after Hunter Pettiford scored on a 35-yard touchdown run. The Panthers didn’t score again in regulation. Ultimately, the game went to overtime. Northwood scored first. Orange followed suit, but usually reliable kicker Francisco McKinley hooked an extra point right and the Chargers stunned the Panthers 21-20 in overtime.
With 7:06 remaining in the third quarter on Friday night, Northwood’s Aaron Ross danced untouched into the end zone to give the Chargers a 24-6 lead. At that point, some Orange fans left the stadium, and why not? Homecoming festivities had ended and it appeared Orange’s state playoff chances were gone, as well. This was a Northwood team that trailed for much of the first half against East Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge, but they were blowing Orange out of their own stadium—on Homecoming. At that moment, the last thing anyone thought was another overtime game was on the horizon, especially when Orange went three-and-out on its next drive.
Elliott Woods had other ideas.
His interception of Northwood quarterback Jack Thompson’s pass sparked 24 unanswered Orange points. In a rally as zany and unpredictable as the team itself, the Panthers pulled off a stunning 31-30 overtime victory over the Chargers at Auman Stadium. Machai Holt scored the game-winning touchdown in the only extra session. Nigel Slanker booted through the extra point, concluding a night reminiscent of Seinfeld’s opposite episode where Slanker missed his previous four extra points after starting 19-of-20 on the year.
On the first play of overtime, Thompson threw to Aaron Ross for a 10-yard touchdown. But kicker Aaron Laros, who looked as reliable as possible earlier, shanked the extra point wide right.
It was Orange’s (3-6, 2-3 in the Big 8 Conference) first overtime win since October 2, 2009, when they defeated South Granville in Pat Moser’s first year as head coach.
It appeared that Laros would be the hero of the night after an incredibly gutsy call by first-year Chargers’ coach Cullen Homolka in the final minute of regulation. With the game tied 24-24, Northwood (4-5, 3-2) faked a punt on 4th-and-3 with 47 second remaining at midfield. Laros dashed to the Orange sideline around right end and earned the first down by the nose of the football.
Thompson completed passes to Jalen McAfee and Ross to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by Laros with 12 seconds left, but the kick was blocked by Orange’s Trey Grizzle to force overtime.
Orange sophomore running back Omarion Lewis scored three touchdowns and finished with 95 yards rushing. It was his highest total since going for 119 yards against South Granville in his first varsity game on September 6.
The Panthers came into the game on a three-game losing streak. In response, Orange coach Van Smith vowed changes to the lineup before Friday night. He wasn’t kidding.
Three regular starters never got off the bench in the first half. During one possession in the second quarter with Orange trailing 10-0, the wide receiver corps consisted of Connor Ray, Jayce Hodges and Jared Weaver, two of whom are junior varsity players who played the previous night in a 27-0 win over Northwood in Pittsboro.
“I never lost hope,” Smith said after trailing 24-6. “I knew what we had coming in later. We started the game with some guys that don’t normally get a lot of playing time. We were relying on them to make plays when they don’t have a lot of experience making plays at the varsity level. Sometimes, young teenage boys make poor decisions. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. Sometimes you have to suffer the consequences of your actions.”
With 5:51 remaining in the third quarter, Woods returned an interception 27 yards. Two plays later, Lewis scored his second touchdown on a 24-yard run.
Orange’s defense held Northwood without a first down on the next five Charger drives. Lewis scored on a 24-yard run on the Panthers’ next possession to draw within 24-18.
Penalties killed potential big plays for both teams late in the third quarter. Laros appeared to have scored on a 63-yard fake punt for a touchdown where he was never touched, but it was called back for a holding penalty. Orange quarterback Wyatt Jones hit Zyon Pettiford on a perfectly executed misdirection pass for 59 yards, but the Panthers were flagged for ineligible man downfield.
Fittingly, it was Holt who sparked the two biggest plays of the fourth quarter. He picked off a Jackson pass and returned it 14 yards. Two plays later, Jones found Holt for a 32-yard touchdown. Slanker had the extra point blocked to keep the game tied 24-24. Orange was 0-for-4 on points after touchdowns during regulation. By that point, Woods replaced regular long snapper Joseph Kiger, who injured his hand in the first half. Even Jones, Slanker’s holder, left the game in the third quarter because of an injury. He later returned.
For the third week in a row, Orange got off to an awful start. Laros kicked a 42-yard field goal to open the scoring with 9:31 left in the first quarter after Orange muffed a punt return. Laros converted the kick from nearly the exact spot on the field where he was later miss with the game on the line.
After Orange missed a field goal on its opening drive, the Chargers moved effortlessly down the field on a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Thompson found Ross for an 11-yard touchdown.
Ross scored on an eight-yard run with 6:32 remaining in the second quarter to push Northwood ahead 17-0. On the play, Chargers running back Dedric Powell injured his left leg and didn’t return. Northwood’s offense didn’t get another first down the rest of the half and largely struggled the rest of the game.
Orange scored on its final drive of the first half. After Jones found Woods on a 26-yard pass on 3rd-and-7, Lewis scored on a 12-yard run to narrow Northwood’s lead to 17-6 going into the locker room.
“My hats off to my young team,” Smith said. “I think we made a lot of strides tonight.”
ORANGE 31, NORTHWOOD 30 OT
NWD—10 7 7 0 6-30
ORA—0 6 12 6 7-31
NWD–Aidan Laros 42 FG
NWD–Aaron Ross 7 pass from Jack Thompson (Laros kick)
NWD–Ross 8 run (Laros kick)
ORA–Omarion Lewis 12 run (kick failed)
NWD-Ross 5 run (Laros kick)
ORA–Lewis 24 run (run failed)
ORA–Lewis 24 run (kick failed)
ORA–Machai Holt 32 pass from Wyatt Jones (kick blocked)
ORA–Holt 10 run (Nigel Slanker kick)
NWS-Ross 10 pass from Thompson (kick failed)
RUSHING:NORTHWOOD 19-8 2 TD (Ross 8-15 2 TD, Dedric Powell 2-13, Laros 1-3, Thompson 8-(minus 23)
ORANGE: 34-122 (Lewis 12-95 3 TD, Holt 8-26 TD, Elliott Woods 8-14, J.J. Torres 2-6, Joe Kiger 1-4, Jones 3-(minus 23).
PASSING: NORTHWOOD (Thompson 32-49 333 yards 2 TD, 3 INT) ORANGE (Jones 9-26 134 yards TD, INT)
RECEIVING: NORTHWOOD: (Jalen MCAfee 10-99, Ross 8-99 2 TD, Jack Spotz 7-77, Chris Lawson 5-49, Powell 2-9)
ORANGE: (Woods 3-52, Joe Kiger 2-43, Holt 2-34, Torres 1-4, Lewis 1-1)