Month: May 2021

As classes wound down at Orange High this week, the women’s tennis team continued a winning streak. On Wednesday, the Lady Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 8-1 at Panther Tennis Courts. Junior Jinkie Andrews captured her singles match 6-3, 6-2. Andrews teamed with senior Morgan Gwinn 8-4 to win in #1 doubles. On Thursday, Orange won two dual matches over Vance County. Andrews started at #1 singles against the Vipers and won 8-0. It was her Andrews’ eighth win of the year. Earlier this month, Gwinn’s younger brother, Brandon, went to the 3A State Tournament in doubles play. Gwinn teamed with Colin O’Hagerty after they finished 4th in the Mideast Regionals. This season, Gwinn has started at #1 singles for Orange. On Tuesday, Gwinn and classmates Halle Boroski, Ashley Behringer, Lindsey Jouannet and Emma Williamson will be honored before the resumption of a suspended match against Northwood for Senior Day. After the completion of the earlier match, which was suspended in Pittsboro because of a thunderstorm, Orange will have its regularly scheduled home match against the Chargers. Orange has won four in a row and is 7-3 overall, 6-3 in the Big 8 Conference.

The Orange wrestling team captured the Big 8 Championship on Tuesday night. The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 45-22 at Tiger Gymnasium on Tuesday night to finish 7-0 in the Big 8. Orange senior Hayden Horne had the most exciting match of the night. Competing at 220 pounds, Horne defeated Bryan Ramirez in sudden victory 8-7. Later in the night, Horne pinned Jordan’s Pablo Araujo Cruz in 2:57 to improve to 8-0 on the season. He has two pins. Horne was a starting right tackle for the Orange football team and was named All-Big 8 Conference earlier this month. In a new look double wing offense installed at the beginning of the second week of the season, Horne anchored the offensive line that relied heavily on the run throughout the season. He helped Orange gain 250 rushing yards against Vance County, 270 yards against Cedar Ridge and a season-best 373 yards in the season-finale at Chapel Hill. Horne will graduate next month and attend East Carolina this August. Horne will return to action on Tuesday for the Orange wrestling team in a tri-meet against Bartlett-Yancey and Walter Williams.

The Orange wrestling team will end its stint in the Big 8 Conference the same way it left the 4A PAC-6, the 3A Five County, the 3A Carolina and the 2A/1A Mid State.

As a conference champion.

A year after its string of 16 consecutive conference championships came to an end at the hands of Chapel Hill, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 45-22 at newly renovated Tiger Gymnasium on Tuesday night to win the 2021 Big 8 Championship. With the win, Orange concludes its stay in the Big 8 Conference with a cumulative record of 52-1, dating back to the league’s formation in 2013-2014.

“The coaches are happy for these seniors to close with a conference championship,” said Orange wrestling coach Spenser Poteat, who secured his third conference title as a head coach. “This team has been working really hard and it was good to see that pay off. Our guys wrestled well tonight and were excited to compete.”

Orange (13-0, 7-0 in the Big 8) also defeated Jordan 66-17 in its final match of the tri-meet.

Last year in the regular season finale, Orange led Chapel Hill 30-16 going into the final three matches before the Tigers scored two pins and a major decision to pull off a stunning 32-30 victory to take the conference crown on Orange’s senior night.

“I think after a while you get into a mindset where you expect to win,” Poteat said. “Once we lost last year, it gave us something to work that much harder for.”

On Wednesday, the Panthers won its share of bonus points to reassume its spot on the throne.

With Orange leading 33-16, senior Matthew Smith-Breeden secured Orange’s 17th conference title in the last 18 years with a 9-5 decision over Chapel Hill’s Bao Dinh at 145 pounds.

The most tense bout of the night came at 220, where senior Hayden Horne went to overtime with Bryan Ramirez. In the first sudden victory round, Horne gained an escape point to win 8-7. It vaulted the Panthers into a 15-0 lead after Chapel Hill forfeited at 182 and 195 pounds (which were wins for Brendon Worsham and Elliott Woods). Horne, a starting right tackle in football who will attend East Carolina this fall, improved to 8-0 on the season.

After Chapel Hill won via forfeit at 106 pounds, Orange’s Dillon Heffernan scored his third pin of the season, finishing Jay Huang in 32 seconds.

Orange’s Kessel Summers, who captured his 100th career match earlier this month, defeated Chapel Hill sophomore Porter Brice 8-5 at 138 pounds. Last year, Brice scored the pin in the final match to win the championship for the Tigers. Summers is 13-0. It was the first time this year he’s been extended to a decision victory.

Senior Henry Joubert-Stanzel ended the dual match with a pin of Chapel Hill’s Danny Miranda in 2:26. Joubert-Stanzel, who was a member of two Orange-Person Athletic Conference championship teams at Stanford Middle School, leads the squad with six pins this season. He is 11-0.

“Henry has been working hard,” Poteat said. “He’s been helping out his other teammates. We’ve been doing a good job on focusing on a team instead of being individuals. I think that’s helped out everybody in the long run.”

Orange’s Sam Crawford edged Chapel Hill’s Jeremy Breeze 8-7 at 152 pounds.

Against Jordan, Orange had seven forfeit wins. In contested matches, Horne pinned Pablo Araujo Cruz in 2:57. Summers, who has qualified for the 3A State Championships twice, pinned Riley Daughtry in 1:40. At 138 pounds, Avery Clark pinned Landus Robertson to improve to 10-3. It was Clark’s third pin of the year.

Crawford pinned Jordan’s Marcus Schultz in 5:03.

Since the North Carolina High School Athletic Association isn’t holding a state dual tournament this year, the Panthers will now try to finish the season undefeated. They have six matches remaining this season, starting with a tri-meet against Bartlett-Yancey and Walter Williams on Tuesday.

The 3A Mideast Regional Championships will be held at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville. The Greensboro Coliseum will host the State Championships.

It is the fourth conference championship for Orange athletics this season, joining men’s lacrosse, softball and a co-championship for baseball.

Orange Coach Jason Knapp turned to the basics to end a three-game losing streak.

A game of kickball.

Following a 8-7 loss to East Chapel Hill on Friday, Knapp didn’t have a weekend of leisure. There were a couple of sleepless nights instead, paired along with nine-hour shifts at his Orange baseball diamond that remains in meticulous shape. As he mowed the grass during a sunny Saturday, Knapp pondered ways to shore up his team’s base running flaws that led to some costly outs against Northern Durham and East. So during practice Monday, he took his players back to their days of running across blacktops and playgrounds at various elementary schools.

For the record, the best kickball player on Orange’s team is junior third baseman/designated hitter Cesar Lozano.

Whatever it was that unfolded in practice Monday, a composed and relaxed Orange team turned in its most complete performance of the season in an 7-0 victory over Walkertown on Tuesday night at Panther Field. Senior Will Walker had his best night of the season, going 3-for-3 with a double and 3 RBIs as Orange (7-3) ended a three-game losing streak.

What impressed Knapp more was his pitching staff, who turned in the second shutout of the year. Jordan Underwood, in his first start of the season, earned the win after he threw the opening two innings. Pierson Kenney, in his team-high seventh pitching appearance, had his best outing of the year. Over three scoreless innings, Kenney conceded just one hit and one walk.

“A lot of guys contributed tonight,” Knapp said. “We got it done on the mound. It’s great to see (Jordan) Underwood get a start. Pierson (Kenney) looked real comfortable coming in out of the bullpen. Jaren (Sikes) just continues to get better. That’s how we had it mapped out tonight.”

It was an impressive win over a Walkertown (6-3) team that had not been shutout this season. The Wolfpack, from the 2A Western Piedmont Conference, defeated West Stokes on May 11. Three night later, Stokes edged Orange in Hillsborough.

Underwood got help from his defense early. After Walkertown leadoff batter Luke Tucker was hit on the first pitch of the game, Panther shortstop Jackson Berini triggered a 6-4-3 double play on the next Wolfpack at-bat, as he flipped a grounder to Connor Funk, who threw to Walker on the relay.

Orange’s David Waitt scored Orange’s first run. Waitt got aboard after being hit on the lower leg by a pitch. Catcher Davis Horton extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single to centerfield. After Waitt advanced to third on a wild pitch, Walker lined a first-pitch fastball to left field to bring in Waitt. Jacob Jones, running for Horton, went to third after Ryan Hench was walked. Lozano, taking every inch of the plate allowed, was hit by a pitch to score Jones for a run battered in.

“I love that out of him up there,” Knapp said of Lozano. “He’s just trying to find a way on. He’s really worked hard in practice and really proud of the effort he’s put in.”

Walker drew a two-out walk in the third inning. Hench sent a hard liner to the deepest part of the park in right center, an abyss for fielders. Walker scored all the way from first. It was Hench’s seventh RBI of the year.

Centerfielder Jaren Sikes led off the fourth with a single to centerfield. After stealing second, Berini sent a hard grounder to right for his first hit. It led to Horton lining a double into the abyss to score Berini and Sikes. Horton leads the team with 13 RBIs.

Orange pushed two more across in the seventh inning. Horton drew a walk, following by a stellar bunt single by second baseman Connor Funk down the third-base line. Walker nearly sent a 2-2 slider over the left field fence, but it bounced over for a two-run ground rule double.

It was Underwood’s first win since last season when Orange defeated Eastern Alamance in Mebane.

On the night where seven Orange seniors were honored in pregame ceremonies, the Panthers played its most complete game of the season in a 7-0 win over Walkertown. Will Walker went 3-for-3 with a ground rule double that bounced over the left field wall in the sixth inning. Walker also had 3 RBIs. Jordan Underwood earned his first win of the season. He threw two scoreless innings, ending with a strikeout. Pierson Kenney relieved Underwood and added three scoreless innings. Kenney conceded only one hit and one walk. Tyler Lloyd started in left field and had a single in the fifth inning. Centerfield Jaren Sikes hit a leadoff single in the fourth inning and scored off a two-run double by catcher Davis Horton. Jacob Jones served as the courtesy runner for Horton and scored two runs, in the first and sixth innings. And Will Crabtree came off the bench to pinch-hit in the fourth inning. Crabtree is preparing for an even bigger role in life, to serve as a fireman, which he’s actually done while attending Orange. Crabtree will attend Appalachian State in the fall, along with Sikes. Orange is 7-3 and will face Cedar Ridge on Friday.

We journey back to Thanksgiving for today’s Retro Cedar Ridge Wolf of the Week. Sophomore Cameron Lloyd has quickly racked up honor after honor after just two years at Cedar Ridge. In January, Cedar Ridge captured the Big 8 Conference Championship after they romped through the regular season with an 8-0 record. Lloyd was the team Most Valuable Player and was an All-Big 8 Conference performer. Currently, Lloyd is on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom Watch List. She wasn’t aimed a Class of 2023 Outside Hitter Watch List for PrepVolleyball.com. Lloyd was the USA Volleyball District 1 Most Valuable Player and was named an AAU Junior National All-Star. On this week where Lloyd is being honored, she had 16 kills in a 3-0 victory over Northern Durham at Poe Gymtorium, which was Cedar Ridge’s third win of the year on November 24. The daughter of Joel and Sherry Lloyd of White Cross, Cameron’s older sister Jordan played volleyball at Brevard College. Cameron helped Cedar Ridge defeat Union Pines in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs, and looks to help the Red Wolves return to the top of the new Central Conference this August with new league rivals like Person, Western Alamance and Eastern Alamance. This is the second time that Cameron has been honored as Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week in her career, which means she’s in line to become among the first members of the Hillsboroughsports.com four-timers club.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore B.J. Thornton. Last week, Thornton hit .428 as the Red Wolves defeated Northwood 6-1. It was the first time in school history the Red Wolves swept the season series from the Chargers. In the first inning, Thornton lined a RBI single to centerfield to vault the Red Wolves ahead 3-0. Cedar Ridge won add three more runs in the third inning, and Thornton would score off a single by shortstop Bryce Clark. Last Tuesday against Bethany Community School in Summerfield, Thornton went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. In the sixth inning, Thornton put Cedar RIdge in the lead with a 2-run single to centerfield. Thornton would later score off a base hit from catcher Tucker Cothran. Thornton has played right field and pitched this season for the Red Wolves. He developed his love of baseball at Gravelly Hill Middle School. During his brief freshman year, Thornton started at the varsity level under Cedar Ridge head coach Bryson Massey. Tonight, Cedar Ridge will continue its season against Chapel Hill. On Friday, they host crosstown rival Orange in a Vs. Cancer benefit that will feature memorabilia from current Major League stars being raffled off, as well as items from shops and eateries from throughout Hillsborough.