Month: December 2019

In his first appearance in the Tiger Holiday Wrestling Classic at Chapel Hill High School, freshman Fernando Martinez is in the quarterfinals at 106 pounds. Martinez defeated Gunnar Hillis of Pinecrest 8-6 on Friday night. Midway through the second period, Hillis led Martinez 6-0, but Fernando got an escape point, then scored a reversal to spark a comeback. Martinez earned a takedown in the third period, then got three points for a near fall and held on for the win. Martinez, who wrestled at Stanback, is now 20-2 this season. He will brace Paul NeNola of New Bern in the quarterfinals on Saturday morning. Earlier this month, Martinez finished fourth in the Jim King/Orange Invitational. Earlier this year, he came in 2nd in the Red Wolves Invitational.

The Cedar Ridge wrestling team is now 7-6 after winning two matches in a quad match at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Red Wolves defeated Jordan Matthews 60-22, and also polished off Bartlett Yancheng 72-12. In a Big 8 Conference meeting, Northwood held off the Red Wolves 45-36. This season, 138-pound wrestler Alex Davis is 11-2 with eight pins. Against the Buccaneers, Davis pinned Jakoby Casselman in 44 seconds. Davis pinned Jordan Matthews Dallas Richardson in 1:23. Last week in the 3rd annual Franklinton Rampage Duals at Franklinton High, Davis claimed five wins. He pinned Dezzie Rhodes of East Wake in 1:47. Against Franklinton, Davis pinned Javares White in only 40 seconds. What makes Davis’ strong start unique is he didn’t even wrestle last season. On Friday afternoon, Davis will compete in his first Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School. 57 teams from four states will compete in the two-day event, which will conclude with the championship rounds on Saturday.

Boys Basketball: The Gravelly Hill Grizzlies completed a sweep of the Stanford Chargers on Thursday night. Gravelly won 33-24 at Chargers Gymnasium. Landon Dalehite, the younger brother of Cedar Ridge 2nd baseman Tori Dalehite, scored 16 points, his career-high. On Tuesday, Gravelly defeated the Chargers 40-31. Dalehite also had 16 points. Earlier this month, Gravelly defeated Northern Middle School 47-37 in Efland. Two days later, the Grizzlies knocked off Phillips 39-18 in Chapel Hill. Now that the Chargers are off for the holidays, they will return to action on January 9 against Southern in Efland.

Girls Basketball: Earlier this week, Stanford defeated Gravelly Hill for its second win of the season. Evelyn George led the Lady Chargers with 13 points. Stanford’s other win this season came against McDougle on December 5 in Hillsborough. Shannon Murphy had nine points for the Chargers in the victory. Phillips defeated Stanford in the season opener in Chapel Hill. The Chargers were led by Dyreshia Farrish, who registered eleven points. On December 10, Culbreth beat Stanford. Karleigh Johnson had eight points for the Chargers. Last week, Smith beat the Chargers. Murphy had 16 points for Stanford, a season-high for any Lady Charger this season. Stanford will resume its season on January 14 against Northern Roxboro in Hillsborough.

Wrestling: The Stanback Bulldogs are undefeated. Stanback started action in the Orange-Person Athletic Conference with a 72-33 victory over the Smith Cyclones. The Bulldogs routed Culbreth 84-24. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs improved to 3-0 with a 72-30 victory over Northern Roxboro in Hillsborough.

Against the Raiders, Pierce Prescod earned a win at 98 pounds via pinfall. At 106 pounds, Zoey Moreno remained undefeated with another pin. At 113, Leo Oguntoyinbo won by pinfall. Kaden Tatro wrestled at 145 pounds and won by pin. Bryan Tedder, competing at 152 pounds, claimed a victory by forfeit.

At 195 pounds, Carlos Vera de Lara won via pinfall.

Stanback has nine wrestlers who are undefeated so far this season. They are: Favio Jarmillo Esparza (78/90 pounds), Pierce Prescod (98), Moreno (106), Edwin Hernandez Huerta (132/138), Kaden Tatro (138/145), Marco Esparza (160/170), Marcos MacNeil (170), Carlos Vera de Lara (195/220), and Kellan McMullen (220/250).

There are four Bulldogs going into winter break with 2-1 records. They include Oguntoyinbo (113), Ryan Rakouskas (120), Tedder (145/152), and Joe O’Meila (182).

Stanback will have a tri-meet against Southern Roxboro and McDougle on January 8. It looks very likely that the Orange-Person Athletic Conference will come down to the January 10 match against Stanford, which has won 19 consecutive OPAC Championships.

On Wednesday, Stanford racked up another OPAC victory, defeating Gravelly Hill 84-24. Josh Merrill was among the Chargers who won their individual matches. Merrill is 4-0 on the season.

Stanford is also 4-0. They will travel to Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill on January 8.

This is the final Middle School Review of 2019. We would like to hear from all sports and all three middle schools in Hillsborough. This week, we reached out to coaches of all teams in winter sports at Stanford, Stanback and Gravelly Hill. The responses were better, but not quite as thorough as we would like.

So in 2020, please contact us with the results of your games. For basketball, we’re looking for the names of all scorers, how many points they scored and any other important statistics. And, of course, the final scores. For wrestling, who won their matches and how. And the final scores, too.

Email all results to hamlin37@hotmail.com.

The Orange Panthers will go into Christmas break with its best start in 14 years.

Not to mention another blowout victory against the defending 3A Eastern Regional Champions.

In its final home game of the decade, senior Machai Holt scored 22 points and grabbed eleven rebounds as the Panthers sprinted past Walter Williams 74-56 on Wednesday night at Panther Gymnasium.

With Orange leading 35-33, Holt triggered a 16-2 run to start the second half. He grabbed two offensive rebounds on the opening possession to set up a Jerec Thompson 3-pointer. After J.J. Thompson hit Jerec for a backdoor lay-in, Holt stole the ball from Williams’ Kenan King and went behind the back for a lay-in to force a Williams time-out.

“Machai can get to the basket with ease,” said Orange Coach Derryl Britt. “I told him to keep doing that. I told him ‘Be that beast. Make them stop you. Take the ball to the rack and take your time and finish.'”

The last time Orange started 7-1, it was the 2005-06 season, when they played in the Mid State Conference and Williams was a conference rival.

Orange never trailed, but Williams tied the game late in the first half at 33 after two free throws from Jamauree Haith, who led the Bulldogs (4-3) with 21 points.

“We needed to tighten up our midcourt defense, which is our mainstay.” Britt said. “They scored six or seven baskets from the paint in the first half, and that can’t happen, especially against a team that’s smaller than us. We properly adjusted to that (in the second half).”

Joey McMullin finished with 15 points, while junior point guard J.J. Thompson had a career-high 12.

After Orange came out firing 3-pointers to open the game, they only hit one from downtown in the second quarter. Even though Orange is best when it’s outside shots are falling, the Panthers aren’t a one-dimensional team for a varsity of reasons.

First, they’re experienced. Second, there’s familiarity. Holt, J.J. Thompson, McMullin, Jerec Thompson and Jason Franklin all attended Pathways Elementary School together.

“Good teams find different ways to win games,” Britt said. “Some nights our goal is to make 15 3-pointers, but some nights that’s not going to happen. Can we still score and get close to our average without getting those three pointers?”

That’s where Orange’s win over Carrboro last Thursday proved beneficial. The Panthers only had six 3-pointers, but rode out a 75-70 win. They came into Wednesday night averaging 79 points per game.

J.J. Thompson, in his first year at the varsity level, isn’t known for his scoring, but Britt feels the junior is the right point guard for his system.

“J.J. and I talk a lot off the court,” Britt said. “J.J. has a clear understanding of what I want offensively and defensively. There were a few times tonight where he didn’t wait for me to make the offensive call. He surveyed the defense, look at the adjustments they made and then he would go to another set. That’s exactly what I want. My nickname for him is ‘Right Play J.J.'”

Orange will start play in the South Granville Holiday Tournament next Thursday. The Panthers will play in the Navy Bracket and face Sanderson in the opening round on Thursday afternoon at 2 o’clock. The winner will face either Middle Creek or Franklinton in the semifinals. Northwood Temple, Granville Central, Green Hope and Wakefield complete the eight-team field.

Orange’s J.J. Thompson is in his first season as a starting guard for the men’s basketball team, and it’s been successful so far. The Panthers are off to its best start in 13 years after beating Williams 74-56. Thompson finished with 12 points against the Bulldogs as Orange won its final game before Christmas. The son of Shayne and Tracy Thompson, who graduated from Orange in 1992, Thompson has been the starting point guard in all seven of Orange’s games thus far. In a 82-32 victory over East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night, Thompson hit two early 3-pointers. Next Thursday, Thompson and the rest of the Panthers will return to action in the South Granville Holiday Tournament. Orange will be in the eight-team Navy Bracket and opens against Sanderson. Thompson will spend the holidays with his family, along with his pet bulldog Duke, whose videos on Facebook make for entertaining fare.

In a Big 8 Conference that appears to be as deep as any time in recent memory, there was little reason to think that Orange’s league opener against East Chapel Hill would be lopsided.

Both matchups between the two teams last year were one-point games, with East winning in overtime on January 5. Orange got revenge three weeks later, 50-49, in Hillsborough.

Both teams returned almost all of its players from last year, so why should this year be any different?

Instead of another nail biter on Tuesday night, Orange fans were treated to the most lopsided Panther win over East Chapel Hill ever.

Joey McMullin scored 19 points while Jason Franklin scored 18. Machai Holt added 15 as the Panthers routed the Wildcats 82-32 at Panther Gymnasium in front of many alumni who journeyed in from various college during winter break to visit the old stomping grounds and witness…well, a stomping.

Former Big 8 Player of the Year Connor Crabtree, ex-Orange defensive end and forward Ryan Sellers and former linebacker Taison Farrington were just a few folks on hand.

From the time Franklin opened the game with a three-pointer, the rout was on. East was without its second-leading scorer Miles Merriweather, who was in a walking boot after suffering an injury against the North Carolina School of Science and Math on Friday. Merriweather, who scored 16 and eleven points against Orange last year, left a void along the glass that Orange was more than eager to take advantage of.

The Panthers, paced by two early 3-pointers from J.J. Thompson, led 26-11 at the end of the first quarter. Orange hit five 3-pointers in the opening stanza, including a pair from Franklin.

There was no led up in the second quarter, even though McMullin scored four points. Franklin finished with 13 points in the first half, while Brooks had eight.

“We’re hitting out shots,” said Holt. “If we’re hitting out shots, we just keep going and going.”

McMullin scored 15 points in the second half, which went quicker than usual. Orange led by 40 points with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter, which triggered a running clock.

After they missed the state playoffs the past two years, the Panthers have had a year to immerse themselves under Coach Derryl Britt’s system. After a 10-15 season last year, Orange looks more comfortable this year.

There’s also familiarity. Holt, McMullen and Franklin have played on the same team since they were in 5th grade.

“That’s when we were trash,” McMullen said. “I was horrible. I couldn’t walk or dribble at the same time. I’ve gotten better since then.”

“That’s true,” Holt chimed in.

Orange will have one more game before Christmas, and its a visit from none other than the defending 3A Eastern Regional Champions. The Williams Bulldogs will come calling to Orange Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

Williams defeated Eastern Alamance 58-49 at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville last March to advance to the 3A State Championship game. Southwest Guilford defeated the Bulldogs 67-60 for the title.

Williams returns only four players from last year’s team, but it does include Kennedy Miles, who was second on the team with 15.2 points per game.

Williams handled Orange 86-63 in Burlington last November.

ORANGE 82, EAST CHAPEL HILL 32

EAST CHAPEL HILL: Will Tyndall 8, Marquez Cotton 5, Eric Lu 5, Martez Cotton 9, Anton Enoch 5.

ORANGE: J.J. Thompson 6, Jerec Thompson 6, Jason Franklin 18, Joey McMullin 19, Machai Holt 15, Kendrell Brooks 10, Tucker Miller 3, Hunter Birch 1, Jared Wood 3.

The Orange men’s basketball team had its most lopsided win over East Chapel Hill ever on Tuesday night. The Panthers defeated the Wildcats 81-31 at Panthers Gymnasium. Machai Holt, who came into the game with consecutive double-doubles against South Granville and Carrboro, finished with 15 points. Joey McMullin scored 15 points, including nine in the 3rd quarter as the Panthers improved to 6-1. Orange will play another home game on Wednesday night, this time against the defending 3A Eastern Regional Champions. The Williams Bulldogs will come to Hillsborough. Coverage starts at 5:30 on Hillsboroughsports.com with the women’s game. The men’s game will follow.