Month: March 2021

It was the perfect team for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team to grab a victory over crosstown rival Orange. In the Hillsborough Derby. The Red Wolves rolled past the Panthers 6-1 at a muddy Red Wolves Stadium on Monday night. Senior Victor Salazar opened the second half with an assist on a goal scored by Issac Anderson only 31 seconds into the second half. Salazar scored the game-winning goal in the first half when he chipped the ball in off a feed from Nicholas Frank in the 38th minute. Salazar scored his second goal off a feed from Isbah Morales. It was the first win for new Cedar Ridge head coach Andrew Berg. The Red Wolves will wrap up the season with two games this week. They will host East Chapel Hill on Wednesday, then face Southern Durham on Thursday.

The Orange women’s basketball team made a living off its high-low combination in its half-court offense throughout the abbreviated season.

So it’s only natural that tandem, which proved to be a difficult matchup for many teams, would wind up on the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Junior point guard Aaliyah Harris and sophomore center Erin Jordan-Cornel were both named to the All-Conference team on Monday morning. Cedar Ridge senior guard Nadia Oswald, who played three varsity seasons, was the only Red Wolf named to the All-Conference team.

Harris, in her third year on the varsity, was the point guard for an Orange team that finished 6-4. Without backcourt mate Mary Moss Wirt, Harris was second on the team with 10.6 points per game. She led the team with 15 3-pointers and was second on the squad with 106 points.

During Orange’s five-game winning streak, Harris scored in double figures every game. She had 16 points and a season-high five assists against Southern Durham on January 22 in a 61-39 victory. In a 57-40 win at Vance County on February 6, Harris tied her season-high with 16 points. The victory led Orange to face Chapel Hill with a trip to the state playoffs on the line.

Jordan-Cornell, fresh off a strong season with the Orange volleyball team, led Orange with 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Despite being a 5-11 center, Jordan-Cornell was also third on the team with 16 assists.

Jordan-Cornell’s best games came against Southern Durham. In Hillsborough on January 22, she had a season-high 19 points and eleven rebounds. In Orange’s season finale at Spartan Gymnasium, Jordan-Cornell finished with 14 points, including a go-ahead basket off a feed from Jarmil Wingate with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter after Orange trailed the entire game.

Jordan-Cornell had five double-doubles, starting with eleven points and ten rebounds on January 15 against Northwood, who would go on to win the Big 8 Championship for the second straight year. She also had 15 points and 14 rebounds against Vance County on February 6. She ended the year with 14 points and 16 rebounds against Southern.

Oswald played in four games before her senior season came to a premature end due to an injury. She had 18 points against Northern Durham on February 9. Oswald was a three-year member of the varsity team and often came up with big shots during Cedar Ridge victories. As a sophomore, Oswald drilled a key 3-pointer as the Red Wolves surprised Orange 44-37, an Orange team that would win 19 games and host a 3A State Playoff game.

Cedar Ridge was honored with the sportsmanship award. With Oswald out and other players busy with practice for other sports, the Red Wolves played several games with only five players. Against Orange, Cedar Ridge only suited up Phoenix Smith, Anjelica Carbajal, Bryn Booker, Cameron Copeland and Cierra Copeland. After the final buzzer sounded, Cedar Ridge principal Dr. Carlos Ramirez applauded the team as the exhausted players came to the bench.

Phoenix Smith was named honorable mention All-Big 8 for the Red Wolves. She played in all eight of the Red Wolves games and led the team in scoring (among players who played more than two games) with 5.3 points per game.

Junior Jarmil Wingate was named honorable mention All-Big 8 for Orange. At 5-foot-2, Wingate was still second on the team with six rebounds per game. Wingate, who broke the school record for 200 meters in her freshman year, was a regular starter at power forward for the Lady Panthers.

Northwood’s Cameron Vernon was named Big 8 Coach of the Year. The Chargers captured the Big 8 Championship for the second year in a row. Northwood finished 11-0 and ends the Big 8 season having won 22 consecutive conference games. The Chargers lost to Asheboro in the 3A Eastern Regional Championship game.

Northern Durham’s Maya Hood was named Big 8 Player of the Year.

Another travesty in a long line of injustices created by the pandemic was that it robbed Cedar Ridge senior guard Luke Pagnanelli of his senior night.

As a sophomore, Pagnanelli endured a 1-23 season. Two years later, the Red Wolves swept crosstown rival Orange and was competitive against Northwood, who were merely go on to play in the 3A State Championship game.

Cedar Ridge was supposed to honor Pagnanelli, James Ragland, Ian Johnson, Samuel Garabee, A.J. Richmond and Grady Ray during a Senior Night game against Southern Durham on February 19. Sadly, that game never came to fruition because the Red Wolves wound up in quarantine for the final week of the season. Its final two games against Southern and Vance County were canceled.

Even with a smaller crowd, the Cedar Ridge seniors deserved their night to go out on after staying dedicated to the program for four years. On Monday, Pagnanelli got some consolation when he was named to the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Orange High junior guard Jerec Thompson and senior forward Jason Franklin were also named to the All-Big 8 team.

Pagnanelli saved his best moments in clutch wins over Orange and Northern Durham. On February 5, Pagnanelli sank two free throws with 1:09 after he stole the ball from Orange in the open court and was fouled in transition. Those were his only free throws of the game and they turned out to be the game-winning points. Pagnanelli finished with 22.

The only thing more clutch than Pagnanelli’s second game against Orange in 2021 may have been his first.

On January 11, Cedar Ridge trailed 49-31 with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter, but stormed back to win 67-66 in overtime, thanks to a 24-7 run to finish regulation. Pagnanelli scored the opening two field goals in overtime and finished with 17 points and five rebounds.

Four days later, it what turned out to be his final home game, Pagnanelli scored 22 points as the Red Wolves held on to defeat Northern Durham 55-52. Pagnanelli shot 7-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

Franklin was a four-year varsity player for the Panthers who played regularly as a freshmen. On February 6, Franklin led Orange with 13 points in a 35-32 overtime win over East Chapel Hill, who captured the Big 8 Conference Championship. Franklin scored on a lay-in with 2:59 remaining in overtime to put Orange ahead for good. Franklin helped Orange battle back from a 29-22 deficit with a 3-pointer late in regulation to give the Panthers the lead.

Franklin opened the season by scoring 20 points each in games against East Chapel Hill, Cedar Ridge and Northwood. He had a season-high 24 points against Vance County on February 6, which was the Panthers’ first win of the season.

Franklin, who also plays on the Orange men’s soccer team, was one of two seniors on the team, along with Kyle Stanley.

Thompson was a reliable sharp shooting guard who was capable of giving Orange big leads early if he was hot. In early February, the Panthers played three games in three days, and built double digit leads in the first half of each of them.

But his best performance came at Vance County.

In a 65-62 victory in Henderson, Thompson scored 16 points in the opening quarter, 23 in the first half and wound up with a career-high 32. He scored 16 of Orange’s first 18 points against the Vipers. Thompson also had 23 points in a 72-58 loss to Chapel Hill on January 20.

Cedar Ridge’s Neco Clark and Ian Johnson were named honorable mention All-Big 8. Clark scored 19 points in the Red Wolves victory over Orange on January 11. Johnson had a season-high 14 points against Orange in the Red Wolves’ victory at Orange.

Orange point guard J.J. Thompson was also named honorable mention. Thompson started the season by scoring a season-high 12 points at East Chapel Hill. As a point guard on a team that usually suited up just eight players, Thompson often played 30 minutes a night, at least.

East Chapel Hill’s Will Tyndall was name the Big 8 Player of the Year.

East Chapel Hill’s Ray Hartsfield, in his 24th season as head coach of the Wildcats, was named Big 8 Coach of the Year. Hartsfield led East Chapel Hill to the Big 8 title after going three consecutive seasons with a losing record.

Northwood, who was among the last teams to make the 3A State Playoffs yet won the Eastern Regional Championship, was honored with the sportsmanship award.

Landon Riley: The Liberty closer earned two saves during the Flames’ weekend sweep of UCF at John Euliano Park in Orlando. On Friday, Riley entered the game in the 9th inning and struck out the final batter to preserve the Flames 2-1 victory. On Sunday, Riley threw one-and-two-thirds-innings of shutout baseball as the Flames won 3-2. He surrendered only one hit and struck out two. Last Tuesday, Riley finished out the Flames 5-1 victory over Radford at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Riley threw one perfect inning. In five games this season, Riley has thrown six shutout innings. He has yielded just four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. The Flames are 6-5 and will travel to face North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday.

Joey Berini: The former Orange High shortstop made his debut for #17 East Carolina during the LeClair Classic in Greenville over the weekend. In ECU’s 13-5 win over Appalachian State on Friday, Berini entered the game as a pinch hitter. On Sunday, Berini was inserted into ECU’s 10-2 win over the Mountaineers. As a pinch hitter, Berini grounded out to the shortstop. ECU is 9-2 and will travel to face Duke at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday.

Bryse Wilson: After earning a win in Game five of the National League Championship Series for the Atlanta Braves last October, Wilson started his first spring training game of the season against Pittsburgh in Bradenton, FL. Wilson threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Pittsburgh won 6-1.

Phil Berger: Last Tuesday, Berger earned his second straight victory for Division III William Peace in a 6-0 win over Averett University at Owen-Fulton Field in Danville, VA. Berger threw six shutout innings. He surrendered seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

On Saturday, Roanoke College defeated William Peace 6-5 in the second game of a doubleheader at Salem Memorial Ballpark in Salem, VA. Berger entered the game in middle relief and threw one-and-one-thirds innings. He surrendered two runs on four hits, sending his record to 2-1. The Pacers are 7-2.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team faced the #1 ranked team in FCS football, James Madison, on Saturday at Rhodes Stadium. The top-ranked Dukes won 20-17. Chnupa was credited with a tackle playing as a backup linebacker. The Phoenix are 1-2.

Joey McMullin: The last Orange men’s basketball player to score 1,000 points made his college debut for Division III Bryn Athyn in Philadelphia. Lancaster Bible defeated Bryn 96-58 in Lancaster, PA. McMullin played nine minutes and scored four points off 2-of-5 shooting from the field. The Lions fell to 0-3.

Mia Davidson: Davidson, starting at catcher, scored the 150th run of her career in the #18 Mississippi State softball team’s victory over Western Kentucky during the Bulldog Invitational on Sunday at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS. The Bulldogs came from four runs down to beat the Hilltoppers 5-4. In the fifth inning, Davidson started the Bulldog comeback with an RBI single and reduced the WKU lead to 4-1. In the 7th, Davidson scored the game-winning run when Fa Leilua hit a walkoff two-run homer. It was the second straight game where Leilua hit a walkoff homer.

Davidson hit .533 in the Bulldog Invitational as Mississippi State won all five games in the event.

On Friday, Mississippi State started the Invitational with an 8-3 win over Ball State. Davidson went 1-for-3 with 2 runs scored. Later in the day, Davidson went 4-for 4 in a 16-0 victory over Alcorn State in five innings. It was the first four-hit game by a Bulldog since Mia Davidson did it herself against Southern Miss in the final game of the 2020 season. Davidson missed hitting for the cycle by a home run.

On Saturday, Mississippi State defeated Western Kentucky 10-0 in five innings and Alcorn State 6-5 in eight innings. Against the Hilltoppers, Mia hit an RBI double in the sixth inning to score Chloe Malau’ulu. She went 1-for-2 with a run scored. In the second game against Alcorn State, Mia went 1-for-5.

In 18 games, Mia is hitting .362 with five home runs and 15 RBIs.

Montana Davidson: Montana Davidson started at third base in all five games for Mississippi State in the Bulldog Invitational. Against Ball State, Montana went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. That included a bases-loaded double in the fourth inning. Montana went 1-for- 2 with two runs scored against Alcorn State.

Against Western Kentucky on Saturday, Montana finished 1-for-3. Through 18 games, Montana is hitting .368 with 21 hits, tied for second on the team.

Tori Dalehite: Dalehite appeared as a pinch hitter in the UNC Greensboro softball team’s 9-0 win over UNC Wilmington at UNCG Softball Stadium on Friday. Dalehite grounded out to first base. In the second game of the doubleheader, which UNC Greensboro won 13-8, Dalehite appeared as a pinch runner. The Spartans completed the sweep of the Seahawks with a 9-3 win on Saturday. UNCG is now 7-4.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team set a school record on Sunday, scoring 51 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Cleveland Community College. In the opening 33-2 win, Andrews registered four hits, including her third home run of the season. She finished 4-for-5 with five RBIs and four runs scored and a double. In the second game, Andrews finished 2-for-5 as the Red Hawks defeated the Yettis 18-0.

On Saturday, #14 Florence-Darlington Community College swept a doubleheader from Catawba Valley CC. In the opening 3-2 loss, Andrews went 1-for-3 with a two-run double in the sixth inning, which was the Red Hawks’ only runs. In the second game, also a 3-2 loss, Andrews finished 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Andrews leads Catawba Valley in three offensive categories. She has a .511 batting average with 24 hits and a team-high 17 RBIs.

Jaden Hurdle: The former Orange High 1st baseman and pitcher continues her first season at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA. On Sunday, Patrick Henry defeated Spartanburg Methodist 18-0. Hurdle went 2-for-3 with an RBI double. She also scored twice. In the second game of the doubleheader, Spartanburg defeated PHCC 8-5. Hurdle finished 1-for-3 with an RBI double and another run scored.

Dylan Boyer: The Queens Men’s Lacrosse team, ranked #8 in Division II, fell to #16 Belmont Abbey 13-8 in Belmont on Friday. Boyer had a shot on goal as the Royals fell to 1-2.

It may not always stand out, but any good offense in football starts with a good snap.

It’s the ignition to any hot car, the prologue to any good book, the backbeat to a flawless band.

Without a good backbeat, the band sounds like Maroon 5. And without a good snap, an offense looks like the New York Jets.

That’s where Orange found itself far too often in the most unique season opener in team history.

In the final game between the two rivals in the Big 8 Conference, Southern Durham defeated Orange 20-0 on Friday night at Auman Stadium. The Spartans (2-0, 2-0 in the Big 8) defeated the Panthers for the second straight time and finished 7-3 against Orange in their eight years as conference rivals.

Southern quarterback Omari Smith, a four-year starter, threw two touchdown passes as the Spartans claimed its eleventh consecutive Big 8 Conference win. Wide receiver Cinsere Clark had five receptions for 82 yards.

Orange, in its season debut, took the Spartans out of its offensive pattern for the meat of the game. But the offense, with only two returning starters, could only muster 65 yards total offense and three first downs (not counting two pass interference penalties against Southern).

The biggest part of the problem stemmed from a practice last week. Orange’s starting center broke his right thumb, which was the hand he uses to snap. Ethan Fortner played on Friday night, but was forced to use his left hand. That led to repeated snaps that went over the head of 6-foot-5 senior quarterback Nigel Slanker.

Orange coach Van Smith inserted two other centers, but Southern’s pass rush kept the Panther offense in second gear. Orange crossed the 50-yard line only twice.

“You have to have consistency,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “We weren’t very consistent and that hurt us quite a bit.”

Southern scored touchdowns on its first two possessions. Smith found Clark for a 37-yard reception to invade the Orange red zone, then Clark caught a touchdown pass two plays later from 15 yards out. Alex Phelps ran in a two-point play on a trick play to put Southern ahead 8-0.

Bad snaps cost Orange 30 yards in field position on its second drive, which forced Slanker to put from his own end zone. After Smith hit Clark on a 22-yard gain on a jailbreak screen, Ariyon Page crossed the goal line off a jet sweep.

From that point forward, the Orange defense largely took Southern out of the game. On its next seven drives, the Spartans were shut out and held to four first downs. Smith completed six of his first seven passes, but completed just two of his next six and was sacked twice.

“I was so proud of the defense,” Smith said. “Last year, we opened against R.J. Reynolds, and they played the opening week while we had a bye. It was the same thing in this game. It’s hard to have a bye and then play a team that’s already had a game. You can’t simulate game speed in practice. You need to iron out little things, like bad snaps.”

Orange’s best chance to score came on its final possession of the first half when Slanker found Elliott Woods for a 33-yard gain. Southern free safety Shawn Chappell saved a touchdown after he tackled Woods at the Southern 7-yard line. After J.J. Torres was wrestled down for a one-yard loss, Orange was hit with a personal foul penalty. The Panthers eventually shanked a 38-yard field goal wide left.

Orange had more opportunities in the third quarter, opening two drives near midfield. They both ended in turnovers.

Orange committed four turnovers, all in the second half.

Smith broke Southern out of its doldrums in the fourth quarter when he hit Jawalace Holmes for a 57-yard gain. Jaybron Harvey, a starting forward for Southern’s basketball team, scored the Spartans’ only touchdown of the second half on a 7-yard pass from Smith.

There was a sense of finality in the postgame, where Southern Coach Darius Robinson and Smith embraced at midfield. It was a moment of respect in a rivalry the had plenty of contentious moments over the past eight years, which is to be expected with two teams full of competitors.

It wasn’t long ago that the Orange-Southern game would determine the Big 8 Conference champion. For six straight years, it did, featuring names like Kendall Hinton, now with the Denver Broncos. Or Payton Wilson, possibly the best linebacker in the ACC. Or Bryse Wilson, who earned a victory in the National League Championship Series last October for the Atlanta Braves. Or Maurice Trowell, Hinton’s favorite target on Southern’s 2013 3-AA State Championship team who went on to play at N.C. State.

Through the 80s and 90s, Southern and Orange fought to become the kings of Orange-Durham County football, only to always get knocked down the hill by Northern Durham, who captured 17 consecutive PAC-6 Conference championships. That domination ended when Southern claimed the state title. Later, Orange won three straight Big 8 titles from 2016-2018, beating Northern each year.

The shared respect between Robinson and Smith, in the culmination of the final conference game between the two rivals, was a reminder that as tense seemed to be between Southern and Orange over the years, it really was a civil war after all.

Civil being the key word.

And they both benefitted.

SOUTHERN 20, ORANGE 0

SOUTHERN 14 0 0 6-20

ORANGE 0 0 0 0-0

SOU-Cinsere Clark 15 pass from Omari Smith (Alex Phelps run)

SOU-Ariyon Paige 5 run (kick failed)

SOU-Jaybron Harvey 7 pass from Smith (run failed)

RUSHING-SOUTHERN 31-79 (Phelps 8-38, Smith 10-22, Takes Brickous 6-14, Kerry Turner 4-14, Paige 1-5 TD, Tayshawn Smith 2-(-14)

ORANGE 23-25 (Elliott Woods 5-39, Nigel Slanker 5-9, Eric Brooks 2-9, J.J. Torres 9-0, Ethan Fortner 2-(-32))

PASSING-SOUTHERN (Smith 13-22 149 2TD)

ORANGE (Slanker 5-19 40 2 INT)

RECEIVING-SOUTHERN (Clark 5-82, Paige 2-8, Brickous 2-6, Romello Mungo 2-2, Jawalace Holmes 1-57, Harvey 1-7 TD)

ORANGE (WOODS 3-30, Brooks 1-7, Torres 1-3)

HENDERSON—One week after his father claimed his 200th win as a lacrosse coach, Chandler Zirkle has his own coaching milestone now.

Zirkle, in his third season, has led the Orange lacrosse team to its first conference championship. It came during the winter, an anomaly for a spring sport. The fact it was the rainiest winter across the Triangle in 37 years only added to the unpredictability, forcing four conference games to be canceled.

On Thursday night, Orange defeated Vance Charter 16-2 to win the Conference 9 Championship at Jaguar Stadium at Vance County Middle School, formerly the home of Northern Vance High School.

It is Orange’s first-ever conference championship in lacrosse. It’s also Orange’s first outright conference championship in any sport since February 2019, when the Panther wrestling team won the Big 8 Championship (Orange’s softball team shared the Big 8 title with Cedar Ridge in May 2019).

Orange (6-1, 4-0) will make the state playoffs for the third straight time under Zirkle. In 2019, the Panthers defeated Northside-Jacksonville for its first postseason victory in four years.

Last year’s team almost certainly would have made the state playoffs, but the season was halted because of the pandemic with Orange sporting a 6-0 record, the best start in school history.

Last week, Zirkle’s father Franklin captured his 200th win at Leesville Road High. Franklin Zirkle, who has served as a college and high school official, captured the 2006 North Carolina Lacrosse Association State Championship at East Chapel Hill, several years before the North Carolina High School Athletic Association sanctioned men’s and women’s lacrosse as a sport.

Orange played its second game in as many days. On Wednesday, they rolled past Northern Durham 14-0 at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough.

Facing Vance Charter for the first time didn’t make for a dramatic matchup. After Orange rolled out to a 12-0 lead by halftime, leading scorer Ryan Merrill played sparingly in the second half. Merrill notched the first goal when he scooped up a ground ball on the thick grass at Jaguar Stadium and tossed it over the shoulder of Knights’ sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Satterwhite.

Merrill, who scored six goals against Cedar Ridge last Wednesday, finished with four goals and an assist. Cy Horner scored the final two goals of the first quarter, including one off a feed from Merrill to send Orange ahead 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Caleb Davis also had a hat trick for the Panthers. Davis assisted on goals from freshman Connor Kruse and Merrill in the second quarter, a frame where Orange added six more goals.

Longstick midfielder Duncan Grant tallied a goal in the first quarter. Kruse added two goals and an assist.

The entire second half was played with a running clock. Tigh Metheny scored on the doorstep off an assist from Joshua Crabtree for the Panthers’ first goal of the third quarter. Jake Wimsatt got a goal off an assist from Metheny.

Joe Cady and Noah Cunnngham scored for Orange in the fourth quarter.

Gavyn Sandlin registered both of Vance Charter’s goals in the fourth quarter.

While Orange’s run to the Conference 9 championship was filled with blowouts, Zirkle has been in the same boat as many other coaches in various sports dealing with defections because of the unusual sports calendar forced by the pandemic. Orange’s top goalkeeper, Ethan Fortner, hasn’t played lacrosse this winter because he’s practing for football. At times, Orange has played Katie Wolter, the younger sister of former Orange goalkeeper Tyson Wolter, between the pipes.

Freshman Kruse and Jace Womble, who played at Stanford Middle School last season, are getting regular minutes.

With the regular season set to expire next Friday, Zirkle spent part of this week arranging non-conference games to prepare his squad for the 3A/2A/1A/ State Tournament. The Panthers will travel to Northwood on Monday, then host perennial power Chapel Hill on Wednesday. There’s a possibility for a game against East Forsyth if everything aligns correctly.

For now, the Panthers can rest knowing that, in two weeks, they will host a state playoff game for the first time since 2016.

The Orange men’s lacrosse team captured its first conference championship in program history on Thursday night. The Panthers dominated Vance Charter 16-1 at Jaguars Stadium in Henderson to finish Conference 9 play 4-0. Orange accomplished winning the league despite losing some of the top players in program history last season, including Wyatt Jones and Caleb Jones. Freshman Connor Kruse, who played at Stanford last season, finished with two goals and an assist. Cy Horner finished with two goals. Because of the rainiest winter since 1984 in the Triangle, Orange has had numerous postponements and cancellations this season. Next week, the Panthers will play two non conference games to prepare for the 3A/2A/1A State Tournament. They will start with Northwood on Monday. Orange will also face Chapel Hill, and possibly East Forsyth if Mother Nature will cooperate.