Month: April 2021

At least Northern Durham can say they were the first team to lead against Orange this season. In a campaign that has quickly turned into a Panther domination, the fact that the Knights gave the Lady Panthers its first dose of adversity for 2021 has to count for something.

But even when early fortunes aren’t going Orange’s way, Johnny Barefoot’s Lady Panthers have proven that they’ll simply create their own luck when the situation warrants it.

When all was said and done Tuesday, Orange still hasn’t had a game go beyond five innings this year. And the Lady Panthers are all alone in first place.

With the Big 8 Championship likely on the line due to the league’s peculiar setup this season, the Orange softball team scored ten unearned runs to defeat Northern 13-3 in five innings at Orange Softball Field on Tuesday night. With the win, the Lady Panthers are one game ahead of Northern with two conference games remaining.

Sophomore centerfielder Serenity McPherson laced a three-run homer over the centerfield wall to cap a five-run 2nd inning for Orange, where the Lady Panthers got all of its offense with two outs. Senior third baseman Emma Puckett, who finished 3-for-3, started the rally with a fly ball to right field that fell between three Northern players.

Orange pitcher Gracie Walker improved to 3-0 on the season with a complete game six-hitter.

Orange and Northern came into the game tied for first place in the Big 8 Conference with identical 4-0 records. It was certainly the biggest game for the Lady Panthers since 2019, when they faced D.H. Conley in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs in Greenville. The kicker is that two years ago, the majority of Orange’s starting lineup was at Stanford Middle School.

“I knew what was at stake, but I kept it quiet from them,’ Barefoot said. “Now that we’ve won this one, we just need to beat Vance County and it will be a done deal.”

Still, the big game dynamic was new for some Lady Panthers. Against a Northern team that started five seniors, the nerves were apparent early. Catcher Abi Walker doubled down the right field line to open the game against Walker, who had to shield her eyes from the fading sun behind home plate to catch the signals from catcher Lauren Jackson. After Northern’s Macy Ellis walked, second baseman Aubrey Clayton connected on a long single that brought in Walker. Ellis later scored on a groundout by Kassidy Smith to push Northern’s lead to 2-0.

It was the first time this year that Orange trailed.

On the very first pitch of Orange’s initial at-bat, McPherson slapped a line drive down the left field line for a triple. Shortstop Carson Bradsher looped a shallow fly to left field that was caught by Northern’s Alana Holland, and McPherson scored on the tag-up.

After Northern’s two runs in the first, the sun had faded into the trees, and Walker allowed only five baserunners the rest of the game. She retired eleven of the next 13 Knights she faced.

It appeared Orange would go quietly in the second after their first two batters were retired. Then Puckett singled, and Walker reached on a dropped ball by a Northern infielder. Designated player Kelsey Tackett hit a fly ball to centerfielder, which was also dropped and led to Puckett coming in to tie the game. Then McPherson delivered the pivotal blow of the night, a three-run blast to centerfield that carried all the way down to the old football practice field, valuting Orange ahead 5-2.

Bradsher lined a 1-1 fastball to right field and flew around the bases, eventually getting caught in a rundown between third and home plate. Bradsher took advantage of a low throw on the subsequent rundown to slide into home plate safely and put Orange ahead 6-2.

Orange added three more runs in the third. Jackson reached on an error. After Savannah Wynne got an infield hit on a bunt, Emma Puckett got aboard off a fly ball to left field, bringing in courtesy runner Delaney Shaffer. Walker sent a ground ball to shortstop, where Ellis made a diving stop for the out, but also scored Wynne. Tackett grounded an RBI single to centerfield to bring Puckett home and push the Lady Panthers lead to 9-2.

After Jackson started the fourth by reaching on another error, junior second baseman Mary Moss Wirt lined a double over the centerfielder’s head to score Shaffer. Puckett stroked a 1-1 fastball to left field for her second RBI, scoring Wynne.

Bradsher scored the game’s final run in the fifth. After she singled up the middle, Caden Robinson lined a comebacker off the left leg of Smith in the circle. The ball ricocheted off Smith’s leg into foul ground along third base, and Bradsher raced around the bases to put Orange ahead 13-3 to complete another run-rule victory. Smith walked off the field without help.

Orange will travel to East Chapel Hill on Wednesday. Since only the first matchups between two teams count in the conference standings, this will be a nonconfernece game. Orange defeated East Chapel Hill 14-1 on March 16 in Hillsborough.

Orange has two more conference games remaining. The first is against Vance County next Tuesday and the other against Southern Durham on a date to be determined.

The postseason honors continue to pour in for Orange and Cedar Ridge men’s lacrosse teams after a season where both teams made the state playoffs.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Lacrosse Coaches Association named its 3A/2A/1A All-Region team. Orange longstick midfielder Duncan Grant and senior attacker Ryan Merrill each made the first-team. For Cedar Ridge, junior attacker Roman Oguntoyinbo and defenseman Dov Bearmann also made first-team.

Last month, Merrill and Oguntoyinbo were named co-Conference 9 Players of the Year. Bearmann was honored as co-Conference 9 Defensive Player of the Year, while Grant was named Conference 9 Player of the Year.

In addition, Orange sophomore Jake Wimsatt and freshman midfielder Connor Kruse were named second team All-Region.

Oguntoyinbo was the leading scorer for Cedar Ridge this season with 26 goals and 32 assists. He had five hat tricks, including a six-goal game in a 13-3 win over Vance Charter School in Hillsborough on March 9. He started the year with four goals and three assists against Walter Williams on January 29 in Burlington. Against Orange on February 24, he factored in on all six of the Red Wolves’ goals, scoring three and assisting on the other three.

Oguntoyinbo also led the team with 44 shots on goal and was second with 34 ground balls.

Bearmann provided steady defense for a Cedar Ridge team that held opponents under five goals in all of its wins this season. Bearmann led the Red Wolves with 46 ground balls and six takeaways. He was also occasionally utilized in the face-off circle by head coach Patrick Kavanaugh.

Cedar Ridge made the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Merrill led Orange with 40 goals and 21 assists. He had eight hat tricks, including two 6-goal games. The first was against Walter Williams on February 4, the other against Cedar Ridge.

Merrill’s junior season was limited to six games because of the pandemic. Overall, he ended his Orange career with 56 career goals and 90 points.

Grant was a steady all-around presence for the Panthers on both ends of the field. He registered 18 goals and 23 points in his senior season. He was second on the team with 68 ground balls and led the squad with 38 takeaways.

Under Coach Chandler Zirkle, Orange had the most successful season in team history. They romped through Conference 9, winning its first league championship with a 4-0 record. In the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs, the Panthers defeated Terry Sanford 17-1 in the opening round. It was the first playoff win for Orange in any sport since May 2019, when the Orange softball team defeated Jacksonville.

Against the Bulldogs, Merrill scored four goals. Grant had six ground balls and four takeaways.

That led to a second round game against Northwood, who throttled Orange 17-6 just nine days prior in Pittsboro Merrill scored three goals and two assists against the Chargers, including the Panthers’ first two markers.

Grant had eight ground balls against the Chargers.

The Panthers reached the State Quarterfinals for the first time in school history, where they face East Chapel Hill. It turned out to be the final game at Orange for Grant and Merrill. Grant had a season-high four points. Merrill scored four goals and three assists against the Wildcats, who defeated the Panthers 15-12 en route to the Eastern Regional Championship.

Just as Merrill and Grant represented Orange’s senior leadership, Wimsatt and Kruse provided a glimpse into the future. Wimsatt was the Panthers’ face-off ace. He won 73% of his draws and led the Panthers with 120 ground balls. Wimsatt also scored five goals in the playoffs and won 20 of 26 face-offs in the East Chapel Hill postseason meeting.

Kruse, who played at Stanford Middle School in 2020, scored the game-winning goal in the playoff win over Northwood. In his first varsity season, Kruse had 24 goals and 17 assists. That included four hat tricks, starting against East Chapel Hill in a 19-14 loss during the regular season on February 10. Kruse also had hat tricks against Northern Durham and Carrboro.

Players from Orange, Cedar Ridge, East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill comprised 11 of the 14 spots on the first team All-Region. East Chapel Hill’s Sam Reece, Nick Castro, and Alec Levy made the first-team. Chapel Hill was represented by defenseman Carter Grubbs, Zack Riepl, and face-off specialist Damien Kerner. Northwood goalkeeper Hunter Klingel, Topsail’s Brayden Velasquez and First Flight’s Nick Gardill rounded out the first team.

The Orange softball team has clinched a tie for the Big 8 Conference championship after beating 13-3 in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. Orange sophomore center fielder Serenity McPherson laced a three-run homer during a five-run second inning, where Orange pulled away. Senior third baseman Emma Puckett went 3-for-3 and started the Lady Panthers’ rally in the second inning with a single to right field. Remarkably, Orange scored all five of its runs in the second inning after two out with the bases empty. This is the second straight time that Puckett has been a member of a conference championship team at Orange. Junior pitcher Gracie Walker improved to 3-0 on the season. She surrendered four hits, but only two of them came after the first inning. Walker struck out four, and also recorded an RBI. Orange is now 5-0 in the Big 8. They will return to action against East Chapel Hill on Wednesday, but that game will not count in the conference standings based on the arrangement by the Big 8 Conference this year. The Lady Panthers will host Vance County next Tuesday. If Orange wins, they will clinch the Big 8 title outright for the first time since 2017.

Cedar Ridge Men’s Tennis: The Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team rolled past Southern Durham 9-0 at Spartans Tennis Courts on Monday. Sophomore Josh Mayhew captured his match at #1 singles 6-0, 6-0 to improve to 4-1 on the season. Mayhew also teamed with senior Will Ballenger at #1 doubles.

Ballenger, Eli Rachlin, Holdin Rachlin, Lev Bearman and Derrick Stephens all claimed singles victories for the Red Wolves.

Last week, Mayhew, a sophomore, defeated East Chapel HIll’s top singles player, Max Winzelberg, 6-1, 7-5. This season, Mayhew is now 4-1 in singles. Mayhew and Ballenger teamed to defeat Chapel Hill’s Alex Whang and Wayne Vanderford 9-7 on March 17. Mayhew’s only loss of the year came against CHHS’ Dennis Perumov. Currently, Mayhew is ranked #33 in the state.

The match against Southern Durham officially completed Cedar Ridge’s Big 8 Conference season. They finished 4-2, though they will play the rest of the Big 8 teams in matches that will not count in the league standings. However, they will count in the overall standings, which could help the Red Wolves clinch a spot as a wildcard in the 3A State Dual Team Tennis Tournament.

Cedar Ridge defeated Orange 7-2 on March 22 at Panther Tennis Courts, which ended a three-match losing streak to the Red Wolves’ crosstown rivals.

Mayhew and Ballenger are 4-1 in doubles play this season and hope to qualify for the regional doubles championships next month.

The 3A Mideast Tennis Regional will be on May 7 at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Cedar Ridge women’s soccer: It’s fair to say that Cedar Ridge midfielder Emerson Talley picked up where she left off.

Last season, Talley scored six goals in a 9-0 win over Bartlett-Yancey in Yanceyville. Five days later, Talley notched the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Northwood in Hillsborough. The Red Wolves were 2-2, but the season ended that night because of the pandemic.

To open 2021, Talley scored six goals in a wild 7-6 win over Northern Durham at Red Wolves Stadium on March 24. Thus far in her senior season, Talley has scored 12 goals. That includes a brace against East Chapel Hill in a thrilling game at Dave Thaden Stadium last Monday. The Wildcats won 3-2 in double overtime. Cedar Ridge’s Ianna Pfifer assisted on one of Talley’s goals against the Wildcats.

In her career, Talley has 12 hat tricks for the Red Wolves, even thought the pandemic has greatly shortened her career. As a freshman, she scored a goal in the opening round of the state playoffs as the Red Wolves defeated West Carteret 3-0. Taylin Jean, who now plays at Limestone College in South Carolina, earned the victory in net for the Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge will look to return to its winning ways when they host Vance County at Red Wolves Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Orange and Cedar Ridge softball: With the quirky way the Big 8 Conference is operating this year in regards to the Big 8 Conference standings, it’s possible the league’s softball championship will be decided tonight at Orange.

As often repeated in other sports, only the first games against conference opponents will count in the league standings (this was the case in men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and men’s tennis). Orange hosts Northern Durham tonight at 6:30 at Orange Softball Field. Both the Lady Panthers and the Knights are 4-0. Orange’s only remaining conference games are against Southern Durham, which has already forfeited games, and Vance County. Orange will play the rest of the league schedule again this month, but they will count only towards the overall record and not the league standings.

Northern rallied to defeat Vance County 7-6 in nine innings on March 23. The Knights scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win and keep its hopes for a Big 8 Championship alive.

If Orange beats Northern, the Panthers will likely clinch the #1 seed from the Big 8 Conference regardless of what happens against Vance County since they will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Knights.

Last week, the Lady Panthers breezed past Chapel Hill 22-0 in its first road game of the year. Freshman Caden Robinson went 2-for-3 with a 3-RBI double. Robinson also earned the win in the circle. She threw one shutout inning with one strikeout. Freshman Mia Leathers served mop-up duty as she completed the final two innings. She struck out four as Orange completed its second straight no-hitter.

This week, Cedar Ridge will host Vance County on Thursday and Northwood on Friday at Red Wolves Softball Stadium.

Hillsboroughsports.com will broadcast the Orange-Northwood game on Tuesday, as well as Cedar Ridge’s game against Vance County on Thursday. Links for both games can be found on the website. They can also be found on our Facebook page and our Twitter account, @Hboroughsports

The Cedar Ridge men’s tennis team defeated Southern Durham 9-0 on Monday afternoon. Red Wolves sophomore Josh Mayhew improved to 4-1 on the season with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at #1 singles. At #3 singles, senior Will Ballenger won his match 6-0, 6-0. Mayhew and Ballenger also teamed to win at #1 doubles. Cedar Ridge is now 4-2 on the year, which includes a 7-2 victory over Orange on March 22. Last week, Mayhew defeated East Chapel Hill’s Max Winzelberg 6-1, 7-5. Mayhew and Ballenger teamed together to defeat Chapel Hill’s top doubles team, Alex Whang and Wayne Vanderford, 9-7 on March 17. As the season continues, they hope to qualify for the Mideast Regionals as well as possibly clinch a wildcard spot for the 3A State Dual Tennis Tournament later this month. Cedar Ridge will travel to Northwood on Wednesday. The Red Wolves defeated the Chargers 5-4 on March 15.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team swept North Alabama in a doubleheader at Hilda B. Anderson Stadium in Florence, AL on Saturday. In the opening game, the Bulldogs trailed 7-1 at the end of five innings, but stormed back to win 9-7 in nine innings. It was Mississippi State’s largest comeback win since 2004. In the third inning, Davidson hit her 61st career home run, tying her with Will Clark on Mississippi State’s career home run list. She’s also now tied for sixth on the Southeastern Conference’s career home run list. In the opener, Davidson went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks. She also drew a key walk that set up a grand slam by Fa Leilua that sparked the comeback. Mississippi State won the second game 9-1 in five innings, where Davidson went 0-for-2 with two walks. Last Wednesday, the Bulldogs edged Southern Miss 2-1 in nine innings. Davidson went 0-for-4 with one walk and one run scored.

Montana Davidson: Against Southern Miss last Wednesday, Montana had an RBI groundout which led to the first Mississippi State run. She finished 0-for-3 with the RBI. Against North Alabama, Montana started both games at third base. In the opener, Montana went 0-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. In the nightcap, Montana finished 1-for-3 and scored off a double by Leilua in the 4th inning. Mississippi State is 18-14 and will travel to Southeastern Louisiana today (Monday).

Jaden Hurdle: The Louisburg College softball team, #4 in the National Junior College Division II rankings, swept Patrick Henry Community College in a doubleheader in Martinsville, VA on Saturday. Hurdle started both games for Patrick Henry and went 0-for-6 combined in both games. Hurdle also started as pitcher in the second game. She threw five-and-one-third innings. She struck out five and conceded three runs and five hits. The Patriots are 8-12 overall, 4-4 in Region X of the NJCAA. Hurdle is hitting .396 over 18 games, which is 4th on the team. She has three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Marvin Jones: Another big week for the former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf. Jones was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week after his performance last weekend at the Raleigh Relays, where he finished 2nd in the high jump. That was the MEAC’s best mark so far this outdoor season. On Saturday, Jones responded by winning the high jump competition at the VertKlasse Meeting in Dick Very Stadium at High Point University. Jones cleared 1.99 meters to take his first championship of the outdoor season for the Eagles. Tanner Henry of Wofford finished second at 1.94 meters.

Phillip Berger: Division III North Carolina Wesleyan baseball swept a three-game series from William Peace over the weekend at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Berger threw five-and-one-thirds innings of middle relief for the Pacers in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday, which the Battling Bishops won 4-0. Berger gave up seven hits, three runs, three walks with three strikeouts. So far this season, Berger is 2-2 with a 3.78 ERA in nine pitching appearance with four starts. Peace is 12-11 overall, 4-4 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Dylan Boyer: Boyer tallied another goal for the Queen’s men’s lacrosse team in a 22-6 win over Lincoln Memorial at Dickson Field in Charlotte on Saturday. Boyer scored on an unassisted goal with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter to put the Royals ahead 8-2. Queens, which is ranked #15 in Division II, improved to 6-3 overall, 6-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. Boyer has played in nine games thus far in his freshman season with one start. He has five goals and four assists with the Royals, who will travel to Limestone on Wednesday.

Olivia Ward: The former Cedar Ridge All-Big 8 tennis player won for Division III Methodist University at the Clayton Tennis Center in Fayetteville on Saturday. Ward defeated Hannah Smith of Southern Virginia in #3 singles 5-7, 6-1 and captured a 10-point tiebreaker 10-3 to take the match. Southern Virginia won the team match 7-2. Later in the day, the Lions defeated Pfeiffer 8-1 in its final home match of the year. Methodist is 5-11 overall, 2-0 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Adam Chnupa: The remaining game of the Elon football team’s season is in question. The Phoenix’s game against James Madison was postponed on Saturday because of COVID-19 protocols at Elon. A decision on rescheduling the contest will be made at a future date. This was supposed to be the regular season finale for Elon, who are 1-5 overall, 0-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Chnupa, a former All-Big 8 Conference linebacker at Cedar Ridge, has played in every game for the Phoenix this year.

Photo by Bernard Thomas

No intricate Xs and Os. No pep talks. No diagnosing hours of game tape.

Orange simply outmanned Cedar Ridge to retain the victory bell at Auman Stadium on Thursday night. One only need look at the Panthers’ rushing personnel, in addition to rushing yards, to understand why Orange continues to have the upper hand against its crosstown rivals on the gridiron.

In its fourth game under the double wing alignment installed by offensive coordinator Marty Scotten after a season-opening loss to Southern Durham, the Panthers had no less than 13 players receive carries against the Red Wolves. Cedar Ridge had two.

Naturally, five different Panthers scored touchdowns in Orange’s 36-6 win on Senior Night. The Panthers scored 21 points off turnovers and piled up 257 rushing yards to improve to 3-2. Senior wingback Elliott Woods, in his final game in Hillsborough, and freshman Nate Sorrells each had 58 yards rushing to pace an Orange attack that completed only one pass.

It was Cedar Ridge’s first trip to Auman Stadium since 2015.

“Coach Scotten said I was going to get the next run, so I’m glad the clock ran out,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “For years, our model has been defense. We want to play really good defense and play good offense and establish ball control. Control the clock and control the pace of the game. That hasn’t changed since we’ve been here.”

Orange didn’t allow a first down until Cedar Ridge’s final drive of the first half. By that point, the Panthers were comfortably ahead 29-0.

The Panthers also had notable senior contributors who made big plays. Cornerback Daniel Champion suffered a separated shoulder in the first quarter against Southern Durham on March 5. Champion didn’t return to practice until this week, where he was allowed to practice only without contact.

He was cleared to play on Thursday night, though he was cautioned that he would endure some pain. Champion wound up making two interceptions, the first two of his career, both in the third quarter.

Champion’s first pick led to another senior night success story. On 4th-and-7 from the Cedar Ridge 13-yard line, backup quarterback Wynston Brown found tight end Will Crabtree, who hauled in the first varsity touchdown of his career. Crabtree, who was on the Homecoming Court during halftime, is a volunteer firefighter with the Cedar Grove Department and plans to become a fireman in Durham after graduating from Appalachian State.

“I think we’re better in some positions than last year,” Smith said. “We have more depth in other positions than last year. We’re a little better off than we were last year.”

Cedar Ridge, which lost its top ball carrier when running back Isaiah McCambry transferred to Walter Williams last fall, received its only touchdown from Aiden Seagroves on its final drive of the game.

Orange’s Elijah Danley made his team-leading third interception of the year on the second play from scrimmage. After Woods converted a 3rd-and-10 with an 11-yard carry, Jackson Wood scored his first varsity touchdown with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Orange’s Nate Hecht and Brandon Worsham sacked Cedar Ridge quarterback Elijah Whitaker for a safety on the next Red Wolves possession. After the free kick, senior Eric Brooks notched his team-leading fourth touchdown of the year with a 4-yard carry. Darius Satterfield’s extra point pushed Orange’s lead to 15-0.

Orange overcame three penalties on its next drive to score again. After Woods ran for nine yards on a 3rd-and-8, J.J. Torres crossed the goal line on a six-yard scamper.

After Woods recovered a fumble with 4:03 remaining in the first half, Brown replaced Jayce Hodges at quarterback. After Hecht started the drive with a 15-yard carry, Brown scored his first varsity touchdown on 4th-and-goal on a 5-yard keeper.

Cedar Ridge quarterback Elijah Whitaker went 10-of-19 for 91 yards.

At the end of an eventful Thursday across the sports landscape, Orange season-ending matchup grew larger in magnitude. Chapel Hill upset Southern Durham, creating a three-way tie for first place in the Big 8 Conference. The Tigers, who didn’t field a football team two years ago, can clinch a share of the conference title with a victory over Orange next week.

It would be the first time since 2008 that Chapel Hill has won a share of a conference title in football.

Cedar Ridge is scheduled to have its senior night game next Friday against Vance County.

ORANGE 36, CEDAR RIDGE 6

CR—0 0 0 6-6

OR–15 14 7 0-36

ORA–Jackson Wood 15 run (kick failed0

ORA–SAFETY, quarterback tackled in end zone

ORA–Eric Brooks 4 run (Darius Satterfield kick)

ORA–J.J. Torres 6 run (Satterfield kick)

ORA–Wynston Brown 5 run (Satterfield kick)

ORA–Will Crabtree 13 pass from Brown (Satterfield kick)

CR–Aiden Seagroves 3 run (kick failed)

RUSHING–CEDAR RIDGE 21-45 (Elijah Whitaker 14-37, Seagroves 7-8 TD)

ORANGE-48-257 (Nate Sorrells 7-58, Elliott Woods 7-58, Torres 7-49, Brown 3-19, Wood 5-18 TD, Ronald Cooper 3-18, Brooks 6-17 TD, Nate Hecht 3-17, Jabari Albright 1-7, Connor Ray 2-1, Zahmir Watkins 2-0, Jayce Hodges 2-(-5).

PASSING-CEDAR RIDGE (Whitaker 10-19 81 3 INT) ORANGE (Brown 1-2 13 TD)

RECEIVING-CEDAR RIDGE (A.J. Richmond 4-26, Desi Raspberry 2-31, Mitchell Bonner 2-16, Johntez Raspberry 2-8.)

ORANGE (Crabtree 1-13 TD)