Month: May 2021

On Saturday, Orange doubles team Colin O’Hagerty and Brandon Gwinn entered the 3A Mideast Regionals unranked. They left the Burlington Tennis Center as the first doubles team from Orange to qualify for the 3A State Championships since 2013, at least. O’Hagerty and Gwinn defeated Northern Guilford’s Duncan Moore & James Harrington 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the regional tournament. They advanced to the semifinals, which is scheduled to start on Monday. Gwinn and O’Hagerty started the day with a victory over Isai Gutierrez and Francisco Urieta of Harnett Central 6-1, 6-0. They’re also the first men’s tennis representatives for the 3A State Tournament since Justin Webb became the head coach of the Panthers eight years ago. Unfortunately, this will be among the last times that Gwinn and O’Hagerty will team together as Gwinn is moving away with his family this summer. On Monday, Gwinn and O’Hagerty will face East Chapel Hill’s Kabir Grewal and Michael Gannon. East Chapel Hill, incidentally, is led by former Orange High and Stanford Middle School Coach Nick Walker.

With this year’s Big 8 Conference baseball race a sprint instead of a marathon, Orange had a pitcher ready to learn on the job just in time for his first start.

In only his second pitching appearance for the Panthers, sophomore Ryan Hench didn’t surrender a hit over four innings to earn his first win as Orange rolled past Northwood 10-1 on Friday night at Panther Field. Hench, Jaren Sikes, Cesar Lozano and David Waitt combined on a one-hitter.

The Panthers (4-0, 4-0 in the Big 8 Conference) remain tied with Northern Durham for first place in the Big 8.

Orange scored at least ten runs for the third straight game (excluding the forfeit victory over Vance County last Friday). Northwood, coming off a dramatic win over Chapel Hill on Tuesday, started Salvador Delgado as pitcher for the second straight game. Orange’s first six batters had base hits, starting with Jackson Berini’s line drive to right field. Connor Funk lined a first-pitch fastball that rolled all the way to the fence, which allowed Berini to score from first.

It was the start of a five-run first inning. After Will Walker laced a single to left, catcher Davis Horton drilled a line drive down the left field line to bring in Funk. Horton finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Through three games, Horton leads the team with ten RBIs.

Hench helped his own cause when he legged out an infield single on a cue shot up the third base line. David Waitt poked a fly ball that floated down fair inches from the right field line to score Walker and led to Delgado being replaced by reliever Nick Lovingood.

Jordan Underwood got on board off an error to score courtesy runner Jacob Jones. Sikes hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, which led to Hench coming in for the fifth run.

Berini, who finished 2-for-2, led off the second inning with a walk. After he stole second, Horton got his second RBI when he looped a single to right field that fell between three Chargers converging on the ball.

In the fourth, Berini lead off with a bouncing single over second base. Funk walked, which led to Horton lining a two-run double to the fence in left field.

Northwood didn’t get its first hit until the fifth inning, after Hench, left the game, when Seth Davis sent a soft line drive to centerfield. Davis took second off a wild pitch. Luke Smith and Lovingood walked, and Andrew Johnson brought in Davis with another free pass.

The Panthers responded with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Sikes led off with a double. Tyler Lloyd sent a hanging fly ball to second base, which was dropped and allowed Sikes to score. Walker knocked in Lloyd with a sacrifice fly.

Orange will travel to Chapel Hill on Tuesday, its first road game of the season. Panther coach Jason Knapp has also scheduled a nonconfernece game against West Stokes next Friday. The contest against the Wildcats will replace a scheduled contest against Southern Durham, which will be a forfeit win for Orange since the Spartans aren’t fielding a team this year.

NORTHERN DURHAM 10, CEDAR RIDGE 9

For the second week in a row, Cedar Ridge nearly came back from a big deficit late.

Northern Durham led Cedar Ridge 10-4 going into the bottom of the sixth inning before the Red Wolves staged another big rally, only to fall short against the undefeated Knights 10-9.

Garrett Ray started the rally with an infield single. B.J. Thornton walked, and Nick Nolan doubled on a line drive. Ray was thrown out at the plate while Thornton advanced to third. Aiden McAllister doubled on a ground ball to centerfield to score Nolan and Thornton.

Cedar Ridge started the seventh inning by loading the bases with no outs. Grady Ray singled to left, while Cristian Macias walked and Tucker Cothran singled to right. Mason Cates’ sacrifice fly to right field brought in Ray.

Marco Velazquez lined a double to centerfield to score Macias and Cothran, but Velasquez was thrown out at third for the second out. Thornton walked. but Norther secured a groundout to second base for the final out.

McAllister finished 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Garrett Ray also went 2-for-4.

Cedar Ridge will travel to East Chapel Hill on Tuesday.

Sophomore Ryan Hench had a notable first start as a pitcher for the Orange Panthers. In four innings, Hench didn’t surrender a hit before he was pulled in the fifth inning. On his way to his first win at Orange, Hench only allowed two baserunners: one reached on an error, the other on a walk to lead off the 4th inning. Neither reached second base. It was an impressive performance for Hench, whose only other appearance on the mound for Orange came last March in relief against Eastern Alamance, just a week before the pandemic canceled the season. Hench’s brother, Cooper, pitched for Orange for three seasons. Cooper Hench is now with N.C. State’s club baseball team. Orange is 4-0 and remains tied with Northern Durham for first place in the Big 8 Conference. Orange will make its first round trip of the season on Tuesday to face Chapel Hill at 7 PM. You can hear that game on Hillsboroughsports.com.

Alongside her designation as the all-time home run hitter in Cedar Ridge history, Takia Nichols has a new accolade.

The 2021 Big 8 Conference Softball Player of the Year.

On Thursday, Nichols was named the league’s top player following a season where she led the Big 8 Conference with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs. Nichols amassed that total despite being walked 17 times.

Overall, Nichols led Cedar Ridge in six offensive categories. She hit .707 with 34 runs scored, 29 hits, and nine doubles. She even had three stolen bases.

“Firstly, I want to thank God for everything because none of it would be possible without Him. I want to thank my mom, my trainers, and my coaches for making me into the player that I am,” Nichols said on Thursday night. “would also like to thank the fans and my teammates for rooting me on in every situation- good or bad. I am super appreciative for all the love and support from everyone!”

In a nutshell, here’s how some teams protected themselves from Nichols’ power. In the Red Wolves season-opener against Northwood on March 17, Nichols led off the third inning with a solo homer to centerfield. In her subsequent four at-bats, she was intentionally walked.

In the rematch on April 9, Nichols was intentionally walked in all three of her plate appearances–despite hitting leadoff. In an instance of poetic justice, Nichols scored all three times in a 14-2 Red Wolves win.

Then there was Cedar Ridge’s unforgettable comeback on April 15 against Orange. The Red Wolves trailed 9-2, only to score seven runs in the seventh inning. With Nichols coming up to bat with Marlee Rakouskas standing at third as the game-winning run, Lady Panthers Coach Johnny Barefoot didn’t dare risk Nichols hitting a potential walkoff homer. She was intentionally walked in her second plate appearance in the 7th inning (Nichols walked earlier in the frame, when Cedar Ridge sent 13 batters to the plate). She was intentionally walked again in the ninth inning.

“Takia exemplifies what hard work is,” said Cedar Ridge softball coach Allen Byrd. “She is never satisfied, always striving to be better. She pushes her teammates to be better. It’s such an honor to be a small piece of her continued growth and progression.”

Nichols was an immediate sensation in her freshman season. Paired alongside power hitters Tori Dalehite, Kymberlie Thacker, and Kara Wagoner, Nichols still led the team with eight home runs. She was third on the team with 36 RBIs, tied with Taylor Ruhl.

Her sophomore season will forever linger in the unknown. In just four games, she hit five home runs. She knocked the ball off Cedar Ridge’s scoreboard against West Johnston in a 21-16 win in the third game of the year. Could she have inched closer to former Orange catcher Mia Davidson’s state record of 53 home runs? The COVID-19 pandemic ensured that question would go unanswered as the season was canceled after four games. She will enter her senior year with 26 career home runs in 42 career games. Davidson hit her 53 home runs in 90 career games.

“She’s amazing,” said junior Ava Lowry, who shares the same side of the infield with Nichols. “We have this bond because we’ve played together since middle school. We know what the other is thinking defensively. We’ll just look at each other and we’ll know where to line up. We know what’s going on with each other without saying anything. I’ve never had a better teammate.”

Normally, Nichols would have roughly 17-20 games to show her talents. Because of the pandemic, that number was paired down to 14 games this year. Still, Nichols saved her best for the final weeks of her junior season, where she hit home runs in each of her final six games.

That included two-home run games against Vance County on April 27, then another two-home run game against Southern Durham in the opening game of a doubleheader last Friday.

Nichols plans to announce her college commitment this summer.

“I am very happy about the way that things turned out for me this year but I can’t ponder on it anymore,” Nichols said. “It’s time to put in more work and it’s time to get better. 2022 is my last year as a Red Wolf and I only want to make the best of it.”

A part of Cedar Ridge’s future, a soon-to-be graduate, and a name commonly seen across Cedar Ridge circles for postseason football awards are this year’s honorees for All-Big 8 Conference first-team for the Red Wolves.

Freshman wide receiver Mitchell Bonner, linebacker/wide receiver Jake Mergenthal and defensive end/guard James Larisa were named first-team All-Big 8 Conference last week.

Center and defensive tackle Michael Nicholson and defensive lineman Javon McKiver were named honorable mention All-Conference.

This season, Bonner started as a freshman for first-year head coach Corey Lea. Running out of a spread offense operated by quarterback Elijah Whitaker, Booner made several big plays throughout the six-game season for the Red Wolves on both sides of the ball. His playmaking ability garnered him the nickname “Mitchell Baller” from teammates and staff.

“Mitchell really stepped up as a freshman,” Lea said. “Led the team in kickoff returns, 2nd in tackles, and 3rd in receiving yards. He is going to be big for us next season.”

Mergenthal has been one of the names most synonymous with Cedar Ridge athletics over the past five years. Jake’s brother, Braxton, played football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse with the Red Wolves. During Braxton’s middle school years, he and Jake lived in Dusseldorf, Germany when their mother got promoted to project manager with Bayer-Crop Science, which develops crop safety products for farmers.

It led them away from Efland and into a whole new world. Braxton Mergenthal now plays college football with Division III Hampton-Sydney in Hampton, VA. In the winter of 2020, Braxton turned down offers from Division II Mars Hill and various Division III schools.

“I really proud of Jake,” Lea said. “He led the team in tackles and was our quarterback on the defensive side of the ball.”

Jake also played wide receiver when Whitaker needed a big option near the sidelines.

Larisa was possibly the most consistent player on Cedar Ridge’s defensive line. A constant threat on the pass rush, Larisa had an impressive outing against Vance County to conclude the season.

“James was a matchup nightmare at defensive end,” Lea said. “His speed really made a difference in making some big plays on defense.”

Cedar Ridge lost its starting quarterback during the first quarter of its season-opener against Northwood. Whitaker, who figured to alternate between running back and wide receiver, was forced to resume duties at quarterback, where he remained for the rest of the six-game season.

Among Whitaker’s most reliable protectors was Nicholson, a sophomore listed as 6-feet tall at 280 pounds.

“He was a rock of consistency along the offensive line,” Lea said. “He’s only going to get better.

McKiver turned into a late bloomer as the season went on, particularly defensively.

“He’s a real presence on the defensive line,” Lea said. “He is working hard to get bigger and stronger. Will be a force to be reckoned with next year.”

Cedar Ridge played its best games at the end of last season. In its season-finale, they led Vance County at halftime before the Vipers charged back and held on for a 20-14 win inside Red Wolves Stadium. Since then, Lea has focused on the future, which will include life in a new conference that includes Eastern Alamance, Western Alamance, Walter Williams and Person, as well as traditional Big 8 rivals Orange and Northwood.

“At the end of the season, we wanted to get better and we did,” Lea said after the Vance County game. “Hopefully, the changing climate of the pandemic will allow us to get back to normalcy in the weight room. To solidly create a culture that you have to do to get better. I’m excited about possibilities simply because we only had five seniors that played this season. Realistically, we were a very talented junior varsity team. But we were asking a lot of guys to take varsity reps straight out of middle school.”

On Tuesday night at Southern Durham High School, Orange senior Kessel Summers became the 48th wrestler in school history to win 100 matches. Competing at 132 pounds Summers won via forfeit over Vance County. Last winter, Summers qualified for the 3A State Championships with a 3rd place finish in the 3A Mideast Regional. In the State Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum, Summers pinned Havelock’s Nate Lucio in 5:52 in the opening round. Summers went on to pin Josh Meyers in the consolation round. It was the second straight year that Summers qualified for the 3A State Championships. Shortly after the season ended, the pandemic struck. For a time, Summers was left wondering if he would be stuck at 96 career wins since there was no guarantee there would be a wrestling season last summer. Though it has started late, Orange wrestling is 6-0 after wins over Southeast Guilford and Cedar Ridge at Orange High Gymnasium on Thursday night. On Tuesday, Summers and his fellow seniors will be honored on Senior Night when Orange hosts Northwood at 6PM. Congratulations to Kessel Summers on his 100th career victory.