Month: March 2021

For the past five years, the Big 8 Softball Championship has resided in Hillsborough.

In 2016, Orange shared the title with Northwood. In 2017, Orange won the 3A State Championship behind the leadership of Mia Davidson and pitcher Christina Givens. In 2018, Cedar Ridge rode the arm of pitcher Rivers Andrews and league Hitter of the Year Tori Dalehite to the most successful season in school history, ending in the 3rd round of the playoffs. In 2019, Orange and Cedar Ridge shared the crown, but the Red Wolves won the final matchup at Orange to take the top-seed into the playoffs.

Only three games into 2021, nothing has been settled, but one thing is clear.

Orange is the team to beat.

The Lady Panthers started the season against possibly its three biggest challengers to the throne: East Chapel Hill, Cedar Ridge and Northwood.

None of the games went beyond five innings.

On Thursday, Orange (3-0, 3-0 in the Big 8) had its most impressive outing with a 18-0 win over previously undefeated Northwood (2-1, 2-1) at Orange Softball Field. The Lady Panthers scored 12 runs in the second inning to remove any drama. Sophomore Carson Bradsher went 4-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored and three RBIs. Junior Mary Moss Wirt went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer in the fourth inning, ending a day that started with an exclamation point with another for good measure.

Orange’s start isn’t as much a new beginning for new coach Johnny Barefoot as much as it is the resumption of something that started two years ago across the other side of Orange’s campus.

Barefoot was the coach at Stanford Middle School in 2019, when Bradsher, Kelsey Tackett, Caden Robinson, Serenity McPherson, Savannah Wynne, Brianne Foster and Bree Harris all played for the Chargers. The Chargers romped through the Orange-Person Athletic Conference, going undefeated in the regular season and rolling past Culbreth Middle School in the OPAC title game in just three innings.

Barefoot, who was an assistant for Cedar Ridge for ten years, was set for another season to see if the Chargers could repeat. But the pandemic ended everything just one game into the season, and Barefoot thought his coaching days were over.

Or was it?

“The girls I knew at Stanford were already here,” Barefoot said. “I just made a comment one day that if the chance came open that I could come and take these girls and coach them through their high school years, I’d love to do it.”

Two weeks after Barefoot said that to a friend, Henry Horn retired as Orange softball coach. Barefoot was the most obvious replacement and Athletic Director Mike McCauley didn’t think twice.

Barefoot has a style that fits his team. There’s constant movement of baserunners. Bradsher, who had three steals against Cedar Ridge, scored Orange’s opening run against Northwood when she turned a single into a double on a standard grounder to left. She scored with a headfirst dive to the plate after a cue shot to the pitching circle by catcher Lauren Jackson was mishandled by the Northwood infield.

And there’s power. Lots and lots of power. Junior second baseman Mary Moss Wirt has two home runs, including a three-run blast in the first inning against Cedar Ridge, followed by another dinger against Northwood. McPherson homered against East Chapel Hill last week, and Robinson added an inside-the-park home run Thursday.

Most teams are only as good as its pitching, which may be where Orange is well ahead of its league rivals. Junior Gracie Walker earned her second win this season against Northwood. In the season-opener against East Chapel Hill, Walker struck out seven in three innings, and surrendered only two hits in three innings. On Thursday, Walker combined with Robinson and Courtney Watkins on a five-inning no-hitter. Northwood drew a two-out walk in the second inning. It was their only baserunner all day.

Tackett started Orange’s 12-run 2nd inning with a one-out liner to right field. That started a string of six straight Lady Panthers reaching safely. After McPherson was hit by a pitch, Bradsher plated Tackett with a double to the centerfield wall. Robinson cleared the bases with a two-run double that went over the left field’s head. With Jackson at bat, Robinson scored off a wild pitch. Wirt singled to left field and Wynne reached on a fielder’ choice where Bree Harris, running for Jackson, was thrown out at third. Wirt and Wynne each advanced a base on a double steal, leading to Wirt scoring off a bases-loaded walk by Walker. Tackett slapped a two-run single to right field. McPherson doubled to left center to bring in Delaney Shaffer (running for Walker) and Tackett. Bradsher then scored McPherson with a single, which was followed by Robinson’s inside-the-park homer.

Orange will travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday night.

The Orange softball team served notice to the rest of the Big 8 Conference that they are a force to be reckoned with in this abbreviated season. The Panthers put up 12 runs in the second inning to roar past Northwood 18-0 in five innings on Thursday at Orange Softball Park. Sophomore Carson Bradsher jump started the offense, scoring the first run of the game with a head-first slide into the plate after a cue shot by Lauren Jackson was thrown away by Northwood. Bradsher finished 4-for-4 with two doubles, four runs scored and 3 RBIs. Sophomore Kelsey Tackett hit a one-out single to right field, which led to five consecutive Lady Panthers hit. Bradsher and Tackett each had two hits in the 2nd inning, and each scored twice. Orange is 3-0 in the Big 8 and is tied with Northern Durham for 1st place in the loss column. The Lady Panthers travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday night at 6, its only game next week.

It was a thrilling opening win of the season for the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team. On Wednesday afternoon at Red Wolves Stadium, Cedar Ridge held on to defeat Northern Durham 7-6. Senior Emerson Talley scored five goals for the Red Wolves. The last time Cedar Ridge won a game, it was 2019, when the Red Wolves defeated Bartlett Yankees 9-0. On that night, Talley scored seven goals. Northern pulled within one goal with 1:06 remaining, but Cedar Ridge senior Nicole Anderson made two important clearances down the field to run out the clock and ensure the first Red Wolves win of the season. Anderson has played soccer since her elementary school years. When she was a freshman, Cedar Ridge defeated West Carteret 3-0 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Cedar Ridge nearly advanced to the second round, but a last minute goal by D.H. Conley eliminated the Red Wolves. While this Cedar Ridge team is younger, Anderson and Talley hope to lead the Red Wolves to a solid second half of the season. The Red Wolves travel to East Chapel Hill on Monday.

It was a special night for the Orange softball team. The Lady Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 20-0 in five innings at Orange softball field. Orange jumped right on the Red Wolves with six runs in the opening inning, punctuated by a three-run homer from junior second baseman Mary Moss Wirt. Recently, Wirt committed to play softball at Elon University, where her father, Todd, played baseball. In the circle, freshman Caden Robinson earned her first varsity win by throwing two shutout innings. On top of that, Robinson went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles, 3 RBIs and three runs scored. Orange is atop the Big 8 Conference after knocking off the two-time defending Big 8 Champions. Now, Orange will travel to face Vance County on Wednesday before a big home game against powerful Northwood on Thursday in Hillsborough.

Kayla Hodges: Elon Phoenix junior Kayla Hodges was named Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week. Last week, Elon defeated James Madison in overtime 1-0. The Dukes fired 12 shots against Elon, but Hodges and the rest of the backline prevented any of the shots from getting on net. Hodges also had a shot on net in Sunday’s victory at Rudd Field. Elon is 2-1, 1-1 in the CAA. They host South Carolina on Thursday.

Brittany Daley: Division III Greensboro College played to a scoreless tie with Pfeiffer on Saturday at Pride Field in Greensboro. Daley made her 39th career start for the Pride, who are now 3-1-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas posted a double-double in Division III Meredith’s nightcap victory over North Carolina Wesleyan at Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Saturday. Lucas had 24 assists and eleven kills as the Avenging Angels won the second match of a doubleheader 3-0 on scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-20. Meredith also captured the opener 3-0 on scores of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-9. In that match, Lucas started once again and registered nine assists and two digs. Meredith improved to 4-3, 3-2 in the USA South. This season, Lucas has started all seven matches for the Avenging Angels. She leads the team with 161 assists and is third on the squad with 51 digs. Meredith travels to Greensboro on Saturday.

Joey Berini: The #8 East Carolina baseball team lost to #24 North Carolina 8-1 on Tuesday night at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. Berini entered the game in the sixth inning and remained as the shortstop. In his only at-bat, Berini grounded out to second base. The Pirates are now 16-4.

Cooper Porter: Pensacola State defeated Chipola College 8-4 last Thursday. Porter finished 1-for-4 with a run scored. Through nine games with the Pirates, Porter is hitting .167 with one RBI and three stolen bases.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer University men’s lacrosse team defeated Methodist 18-8 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Sunday. It was the Falcons’ fourth straight victory. Jones was credited with a ground ball as Pfeiffer improved to 5-1, 3-0 in the USA South Conference.

Olivia Ward: Ward captured a victory at #3 doubles for the Division III Methodist women’s tennis team on Saturday. Ward, a former All-Big 8 Conference player at Cedar Ridge, teamed with Natalie Collins to defeat Emily Wrenn and Ruth Lechner 8-0 of Sweet Briar in #3 doubles. Sweet Briar wound up winning the match 5-4. It was Ward’s first victory in the college ranks. Earlier in the day, Ward lost in #3 singles to Kate Katany 6-4, 6-3. Methodist is 4-9 overall, 1-0 in the USA South Conference.

Connor Crabtree: Though he hasn’t played since early December, Connor Crabtree will be watching when the University of Richmond competes in the National Invitational Tournament quarterfinals. The Spiders will face Mississippi State on Thursday night. Unfortunately, Crabtree was sidelined for the season with a broken foot before Christmas. In his first season with the Spiders, Crabtree played in four games. On December 22, he scored eight points as the Spiders lost to Hofstra 76-71. Crabtree played a season-high 21 minutes. He also played seven minutes against Loyola-Chicago, whom the Spiders defeated 75-73 on December 18. The Ramblers will face Oregon State on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The East Chapel Hill Wildcats were the deserving winners against Orange in the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals at Auman Stadium.

But that’s only part of the story from Monday night.

There’s the atmosphere that surrounded it. Even with attendance restrictions, there was a strong turnout at Auman Stadium to see if the highest achieving Orange lacrosse team in history could extend their run a few days later. Perhaps even find a way to carry it all the way to this weekend in Raleigh. Listeners from Texas, Florida, and western North Carolina tuned in to Hillsboroughsports.com for the play-by-play call.

There was the mental toughness of an Orange team that fell behind foul goals in the third quarter and refused to concede. It wasn’t a once in a lifetime moment for this Panthers’ team because they expect success, now and later, which is precisely the point. To compete against one of the blue bloods of North Carolina high school lacrosse? Orange has transcended that now. They’re nearly beating them.

That’s where Chandler Zirkle, at the end of his fourth season, has taken Orange lacrosse. On Monday night, it ironically came against the school where his father, Franklin, won two North Carolina Lacrosse Association state championships in 2004 and 2006. Chandler himself played at East and also reached the 2011 State Championship game.

East’s offensive firepower of Alec Levy and Samuel Reece sparked a 6-0 run late in the third quarter to send the Wildcats past Orange 15-12 on Monday night at Auman Stadium. East Captain Alec Levy finished with five goals and two assists, while junior Samuel Reece added four goals and two assists as the Wildcats reached the Eastern Regional Championship game for the second time in four years.

Orange’s Ryan Merrill, in his final game, scored four goals and two assists. Senior Duncan Grant and freshman Connor Kruse also had two goals for Orange, who end the year 8-4.

The Wildcats will travel to Hampstead to face Topsail for the Eastern Regional Championship Wednesday night.

“It’s actually fun going against a team you know is going to coach well,” Zirkle said. “They threw a short stick zone at us early, which I really liked. It’s cool to make those adjustments. They’re a well coached team that deserved to win. They outplayed us tonight.”

With 4:02 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Orange led 11-9 after Ryan Merrill snuck a low shot past East goalkeeper August Walls. With the partisan Orange crowd providing applauding after every goal, for and against, the Panthers appeared to add momentum when goalkeeper Chase Hawkins stopped a shot by Seiji Stanford late in the third quarter.

Then Levy made the play of the game. He intercepted the subsequent outlet pass out of midair, went behind the net, ran out in front as he absorbed two checks and fired the ball into the upper right corner of the net. It was his fifth goal, but it drained Orange of any juice for the remainder the night.

“We went back and made the same dumb mistakes that we shouldn’t make,” Zirkle said. “We’ve tried to fix that in practice, and as a whole, we’ve done a good job in adjusting. But we made too many bad turnovers tonight.”

East sophomore Harrison Yost evened the game just one minute later at 11-11. Nicholas Castro, who scored seven goals against Orange in the first meeting between the two teams on February 10, notched his first goal with under a minute remaining in the third to vault East into the lead at 12-11.

“We made too many mistakes in transition this year,” Zirkle said. “We tried to keep them out of transition tonight and again I think we gave them too many transition goals. That’s where they’re great. You can’t let them have too many 3-on-2 opportunities when they have two All-American attackmen.”

Not even a two-minute illegal stick penalty to start the fourth quarter could stop the Wildcats. East calmly killed it off without allowing an Orange shot. Stanford added two more goals in the fourth quarter, while Castro scored another to boost the Wildcat lead to 15-11.

Orange sophomore Jake Wimsatt dominated at the face-off circle for the first three quarters, which led to lengthy possessions against the transition-minded Wildcats. Orange trailed 7-3 with 9:51 remaining in the first half, but Wimsatt’s low shot past Walls triggered a 5-2 Panther run to finish the first half. After an offside penalty against Stanford, freshman Connor Kruse notched a Man-up goal off an assist from Ryan Merrill to cut East’s lead to 7-6. Levy followed with consecutive goals, but Orange ended the first half with a strike from Merrill with 1:03 remaining. Then Kruse, with only five second left following a restart, found Caleb Davis, who whipped a shot into the net just as the half ended to propel Orange into the locker room with momentum down 9-8.

Kruse tied the game off an assist from Cy Horner to open the third quarter. In the process, East was kept off the scoreboard for over eleven minutes Wimsatt gave Orange the lead off a feed from Merrill with 7:31 remaining, followed by Merrill’s goal before East’s run.

There were no tears for an Orange team that only experienced a fraction of a season that they’re used to. There were memories of past practices and Zirkle’s early days as a head coach where he tried to instill discipline only to turn into unintentional comedy. And lots and lots of pictures.

“We’ve got a cool program,” Zirkle said. “I love having multiple sport athletes, but when you have ten of eleven football players who decided to play lacrosse this year because it’s more fun…I actually pushed kids to play football this year, but they wanted to be part of this. It’s cool to have kids want to be here.”

As he walked out of Auman Stadium for the final time in 2021, Zirkle was smiling. Not just about the season that has ended, but for the future, as well.