Month: August 2021

Kayla Hodges: After being a regular starter for the Elon women’s soccer team’s first Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship team last spring, Kayla Hodges scored her first college goal in the Phoenix’s season-opener against George Washington. In the 55th minute, Hodges scored off a corner kick when she chipped one in the net off an assist from Lily Harkes. Hodges, who started as a defensive midfielder, played 84 minutes as the Phoenix won 2-0 at Rudd Field in Elon. On Sunday, UNC Greensboro defeated Elon 1-0 at Rudd Field. Hodges earned another start and fired one shot. She played all 90 minutes. The Phoenix are 1-1 and will travel to Virginia Tech on Thursday. Hodges, a junior, started all ten games last year.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was placed on the Injured List by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16. Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington says the move is mostly about rest from fatigue. At the time he was placed on the Injured List, Wilson had just started against the Milwaukee Brewers in a no decision. Counting his time with the Atlanta Braves, Wilson has thrown 48 and 2/3rds innings and has an 5.55 ERA.

The fall sports season is underway for women’s soccer. It will officially start for football, volleyball and men’s soccer next week. Here are some Cedar Ridge and Orange graduates who will be competing in colleges throughout the country this fall.

Payton Wilson: A second-team All-ACC linebacker with N.C. State last season, Wilson returns for his redshirt sophomore season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders. It kept him sidelines for spring practice. Wilson ranks third among returning ACC players in career tackles. He’s been named to the Butkus Award watch list for the nation’s best linebacker.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter and soccer player is now a redshirt junior at N.C. State. Gill is N.C. State’s career leader in punt average with 46.3 yards–which is tied for the second-best mark among returning ACC punters. Gill’s has 4.997 career punting yards, which is 12 in school history. In 2020, Gill averaged 44.7 yards per punt, the fifth-best single-season mark in school history.

Keshawn Thompson: Thompson is now a graduate student with the FCS Campbell football team. Last year, Campbell played only four games in the fall and sat out the spring. Thompson totaled nine tackles. He started the season opener at Georgia Southern, a game where the Camels lost 28-27 when a two-point attempt in the waning seconds ended with an incomplete pass.

Adam Chnupa: The former Cedar Ridge linebacker returns to Elon’s football team as a redshirt sophomore. The Phoenix played last spring. Chnupa appeared in all six games and finished with six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Elon will open against Wofford at Rhodes Stadium on September 4. It will mark the 20th anniversary of Rhodes Stadium.

Rodney Brooks: The Division II Livingstone Bears of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association didn’t play in 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. Brooks will return as a senior with the Bears. The 2018 Orange graduate had 16 tackles for Livingstone in 2019.

Trey Grizzle: The former Orange linebacker, who graduated in June, has enrolled at Division III Averett University. Averett will face Ferrum College in Virginia on September 4.

Taylin Jean: The 2018 Big 8 Goalkeeper of the Year at Cedar Ridge, Jean starts her junior year at Division II Limestone College. Last season, Jean earned a spot on the South Atlantic Conference Commissioners Honor Roll. She appeared in four games for the Saints between the pipes.

Brittany Daley: A former All-Conference player with the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team, Daley enters her fourth season with the Division III Greensboro College’s women’s soccer team. Last season, Daley earned USA South All-Academic honors with a 3.9 GPA. Daley has played 45 games in her Greensboro career. Last year, she helped the Pride win the USA South East Division Championship, which was the only tournament the Pride was allowed to play in due to the pandemic.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace University women’s soccer team will open against Guilford College on September 1. Rogers, a former Orange star who is now a senior, has started all 37 games she’s played in for the Pacers in her career.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas enters her senior season with the Division III Meredith College volleyball team. Last season, Lucas appeared in 14 matches and had 108 digs. She led the team with 298 assists. The Avenging Angels open the season at Roanoke on September 1.

While many schools welcomed back high school football on Friday night, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team was busy serving notice to the rest of the state.

And they did it in hostile territory at the scene of its only loss from last year–against the defending 3A State Champions.

It wouldn’t be fair to call this a breakthrough victory. Cedar Ridge had one of those in 2019 when they beat defending 3A State Champion Chapel Hill in Hillsborough to open the Big 8 Conference season. Back then, Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier and Julie Altieri were all freshmen.

After reaching the state playoffs in 2019, then winning the Big 8 title last winter, this edition of Red Wolves volleyball has started 2021 with the intention of ending with something bigger.

On Friday night in Greenville, Cedar Ridge defeated D.H. Conley 3-0 on scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-18.

Last January in the same location, Conley defeated Cedar Ridge 3-1 in a gym that was 85% empty as pandemic restrictions were still in place. While the stakes in Friday’s game were nowhere near as big, Cedar Ridge’s win came in a much more imposing atmosphere.

About three rows of students, decked out in Hawaiian shirts and dubbed the “Conley Crazies” by a banner hanging about the bleachers, were positioned directly across from the Red Wolves. They yelled as Cedar Ridge players served, but if it impacted the Red Wolves, they didn’t show it in the slightest.

Instead, Cedar Ridge Coach Fiona Cunningham and the reserves on the bench rejoiced in the silence that followed whenever Lanier or Lloyd slammed down a point against the hardwood floor of the Vikings’ gym.

Lanier finished with a team-high 18 kills, while Lloyd finished with 16.

“Lloyd and Lanier did an awesome job along with a few others hitting the ball,” Cunningham said. “But it was a team effort. Julie Altieri was great serving and so was Lauren Cecil.”

Conley, which won its opening matches against Heritage and Hoggard in three sets, opened with a 4-1 run in an opening set that had seven ties and five lead changes. The difference between January’s loss and Friday’s win for Cedar Ridge was a wider array of finishers and better execution. With the first set even 17-17, East Chapel Hill transfer Melissa Benkowitz stepped up with consecutive aces that spurred a 4-0 Red Wolf run. Sophomore Addie Reid had her only kill of the match, followed by another spike by Lloyd to put Cedar Ridge ahead 20-17.

Conley responded with three consecutive points to even the set at 20-20, but Lloyd slammed home a kill off an assist from Altieri, which started a string of five straight Red Wolf points. After an ace by Young, Lloyd scored set point as Cedar Ridge wrapped up the first frame 25-20.

“We have a strong, confident team,” Cunningham said. “It was a team effort and everyone had a vital role to play. We are not taking anything for granted and play every game to the best of our ability. The coaching staff is working hard to establish a positive and winning program.”

Cedar Ridge didn’t trail in the second set. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind two kills from Lanier and another from Lloyd. After the Vikings reduced its deficit to 9-7, Benkowitz notched a kill to return serve to the Red Wolves, then scored an ace that hugged the inside right line. Lloyd had consecutive finishes to push Cedar Ridge’s lead to 14-8.

Three straight Cedar Ridge returns that wound up in the net reduced its lead to 17-16, but Lanier came up with a strong block to end the run. Lanier registered back-to-back kills to increase Cedar Ridge’s lead to 20-17.

After Conley closed to 22-20, Lloyd teed off on a spike set up by Altieri, which wound up off the hands of a Viking and into the seventh row of bleachers. After Lanier set up another Lloyd kill, Lanier would finish the set with a spike that went off the hands of a blocker and bounced aimlessly off the court to give Cedar Ridge a 25-21 win.

The Red Wolves (3-0), who defeated Riverside in its home opener on Monday, will face Northern Durham at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Monday night. They will travel to perennial 2A power Carrboro on Wednesday.

CREEDMOOR–90 minutes before kickoff for Orange High’s season opener on Friday night, the team retreated to the bus due to an oncoming thunderstorm.

After 75 minutes of unrelenting rain, the Panthers finally emerged from shelter to start warmups against South Granville, but apparently the offense was left behind on the bus.

Playing ten new starters in its second season opener in five months, the Orange offense put up a measly 17 yards total offense on a night where the execution for both teams was as sloppy as the weather. South Granville senior running back Micah Wilkerson, who came into the game with 3,276 career rushing yards, ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings pulled away from Orange 20-2 at Viking Stadium.

It was Wilkerson’s 16th career 100-yard game.

Orange’s anemic offense was eerily reminiscent of its pandemic-induced season-opener against Southern Durham in early March, which featured one misguided shotgun snap after another, leading to zero points and just 46 yards of total offense.

Kickoff was delayed by 30 minutes because of a rainstorm. Barely three minutes into the game, there was a 45-minute lightning delay, leading to an interminable night where spectators dealt with several rainstorms as both offenses struggled to hold onto the ball amidst the wet turf.

“We’re not a big, physically imposing team,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “Look at our roster and our size versus those guys. They’re big and strong. They won this game on the front line on both sides of the ball, hands down.”

The only positive for the Panthers came from its defense. Starting eight seniors, the Panthers held South Granville to two first downs in the opening half. Orange forced two fumbles against Vikings junior quarterback Khawan Bobbitt. The first was created by senior Connor Ray and recovered by Brendon Worsham. Early in the second quarter, junior linebacker Jabari Albright pounced on a loose ball coughed up by Wilkerson.

On Orange’s second play from scrimmage, Viking defensive tackle Divon Dabney pounced on an errant toss to a running back at the Panther 14-yard line. Two plays later, Bobbitt scored on an option keeper from 13-yards, the 24th rushing touchdown of his career. Bobbitt walked into the right corner of the end zone on the 2-point attempt.

Orange’s only drive that gained traction all night came after the lightning delay on its second series. Omarion Lewis, who was out of action last spring, bolted out for a 20-yard gain, which proved to be the Panthers’ longest play from scrimmage. Orange would ultimately drive to the South Granville 28-yard line, but the series stalled after consecutive incomplete passes.

Two plays later, Worsham recovered Bobbitt’s fumble at the South Granville 22-yard line. With a chance to tie the game, Orange instead went relentlessly backwards with consecutive fumbles and two penalties. They wound up punting from midfield.

Late in the first half, Orange’s defense got a big stop from Nate Hecht and Jackson Wood, which led to Worsham returning a punt inside Viking territory. Two plays later, Malachi Batchelor recovered another Orange fumble.

Orange was held to three first downs.

After a quiet half from Wilkerson, he immediately established his presence to start the second half with a 24-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. On a 3rd-and-2, Wilkerson rumbled 35 yards inside the Orange 5-yard line, then dove into the end zone two plays later.

Running the triple option, South Granville established an offensive rhythm in the second half. The Vikings had 20 plays from scrimmage in the third quarter. Orange had three.

The Vikings ended a 16-play, 81-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by Wilkerson early in the fourth quarter.

Orange’s Kameron Harshaw and Connor Ray tackled Wilkerson in the end zone for a safety to prevent the Panthers from getting shut out.

“The speed of Friday night is much faster than Thursday night,” Smith said. “Your first game or two on varsity is a wake-up call. You need to get used to the speed of that level. We didn’t have as many scrimmages as we wanted. Not to make excuses, but some of our guys could have gotten used to what it’s like on Friday night to go against bigger and faster guys. It’s tough for anybody.”

SOUTH GRANVILLE 20, ORANGE 2

SG–Khawan Bobbitt 13 run (Bobbitt run)

SG–Micah Wilkerson 2 run (run failed)

SG–Wilkerson 5 run (kicked failed)

OR-Safety, Wilkerson tackled in end zone.

RUSHING: ORANGE 33-9 (Omarion Lewis 13-39, Nathan Sorrells 5-10, Jake Wimsatt 6-9, Wynston Brown 2-(-6), Ty Weaver 1-(-7), team 6-(-36)

SOUTH GRANVILLE: 44-160 (Wilkerson 23-117 2 TD, Bobbitt 11-37 TD, Traevon White 5-12, Sha’king Allah 3-(-2), Charlie Vestal 2-(-4)

PASSING-ORANGE 2-4 6 yards (Brown 1-3 2 yards, Weaver 1-1 4 yards)

SOUTH GRANVILLE (Bobbitt 1-4 6 yards)

RECEIVING: (ORANGE: Wimsatt 1-4, Sorrells 1-2)

South Granville (Wilkerson 1-6)

The spring football season was an exercise in learning for Orange’s offense.

The team had a total extreme makeover after the first week, when the starting quarterback left the team following a season-opening loss to Southern Durham. Coach Van Smith inserted linebacker Jayce Hodges at quarterback in preparation for a road trip to Northern Durham. That’s despite the fact that Hodges had not played quarterback since his 8th grade year at Stanford Middle School.

Over the subsequent four practices, offensive coordinator Marty Scotten engineered a crash course in the double wing offense. After years operating out of the shotgun, Orange resembled a 1940s service academy team moving at the pace of a chess match.

But it worked. Orange stunned Northern Durham 7-6, beating the Knights for only the fifth time since 1968.

Smith and Scotten used the pandemic-mandated spring season to teach their team how to crawl under the new offense. For 2021, they want to move closer to a sprint.

In a scrimmage against Riverside on Friday night at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough, the Panthers scored two touchdowns. Pacing was more rapid between snaps under starting quarterback Wynston Brown, who was the starter for Orange’s junior varsity squad last spring The Pirates, under the direction of former Cedar Ridge head coach Cory Lea, committed three turnovers and were held to three first downs.

The scrimmage, which didn’t start until 8PM because of excessive heat, was limited to 30 plays for each varsity offense.

With Brown at quarterback, Orange scored first. On the opening drive, sophomore running back Nate Sorrells had a 15-yard run, which set up Brown’s 25-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Brendon Worsham.

“We were trying to go faster,” Smith said. “It’s hard to simulate game speed in practice for both our offense and our defense. So we have a ways to go on that. We hope to get more crisp and pick up the pace as needed. If we can get to where we can go really, really fast, then it’s easier to slow it down when you have to. As opposed to when you go slow all the time, it’s more difficult to pick it up.”

Jared Weaver and Ty Walker played quarterback for Orange in its second and third series, respectively.

On Riverside’s opening drive, Orange had five tackles for loss because of errant snaps by the Pirate offense. Returning starting linebacker Jackson Wood, senior linebacker Connor Ray, nose tackle Nate Hecht, junior linebacker Jabari Albright and Worsham all had tackles for loss. Hecht recorded two more tackles for loss over the subsequent two Pirate drives.

Senior Elijah Danley, who was a long jumper for Orange’s track & field team last spring, had two interceptions, which helped keep the Pirates scoreless during the brief scrimmage.

In a run-oriented offense, returning senior Omarion Lewis could stand to benefit. Lewis, who didn’t play last spring, was Orange’s leading rusher in 2019 with 784 yards and eight touchdowns. On Orange’s second drive, Lewis brought back memories of his sophomore year with a 64-yard touchdown gallop, the longest play from scrimmage all night.

To start his senior year, Lewis will journey back to where it all began–practically by accident. On August 23, 2019, Lewis entered the game in the third quarter after an injury to starter J.J. Torres. Up to that point, the coaching staff had penciled Lewis in for the junior varsity. Those plans changed after Lewis rushed for 127 yards, all in the second half, as the Panthers nearly came back from a 14-0 halftime deficit. The Vikings won 20-15 behind freshman quarterback Khawan Bobbitt, who engineered South Granville’s triple-option attack and scored two touchdowns.

When Orange journeys to Creedmoor on Friday, they will be without linebacker Elliott Woods and defensive tackle Dari’us Watkins, who both graduated in June. Both had played varsity for three years.

Jake Wimsatt, a junior linebacker who was a face-off specialist for Orange’s lacrosse team last spring, was back working out on the gridiron this summer. He will be one of the new faces that Smith hopes can fill the gap.

“We’re a little bit thin at some positions and obviously we have some big shoes to fill,” Smith said. “We’re young at some spots. A lot of guys from last year’s junior varsity team are coming up. It was good to see how they would perform against another varsity team. I was pleased tonight. We have some ingredients to bake the cake. So we’ll see if we can bake the cake.”

When you’re a program that’s built a winning pedigree for the past two years, there’s nothing like the word “new.”

As in “new threats on offense” and “new players who can finish.”

That’s what Cedar Ridge Coach Fiona Cunningham is trying to establish as the Red Wolves prepare for the new Central Carolina Conference.

The newest Red Wolf factored big against her old team in the season opener.

Junior Melissa Benkowitz, an East Chapel Hill transfer, had ten kills and three assists in her first official game for the Red Wolves as Cedar Ridge swept East Chapel Hill 3-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Wildcats Gymnasium. After Cedar Ridge wrapped up the second set, Cunningham rested starters Cameron Lloyd and Cameron Lanier, while junior setter Julie Altieri also had reduced time. That left Benkowitz as the main outside hitter, and she had four kills and two aces in the final set. Benkowitz finished the second set with a kill off an assist from Altieri, followed by an ace to give Cedar Ridge the frame 25-15.

Junior Anaya Carter had a kill off an assist from Altieri on match point to put the third set away for the Red Wolves 25-21.

“It was a team effort today,” Cunningham said. “Every single player got on the court and every single player scored a point or contributed in multiple ways.”

Lloyd finished with six kills.

“Mel was a liber at East Chapel Hill,” Cunningham said. “Over the past year, she grew into some height during club ball and they started using her as an outside hitter. She plays beach (volleyball) and when she plays beach, she hits outside. So we’ve been giving her some time to swing on the pin and see how it works.”

Cedar Ridge (1-0) will return home to face Riverside on Thursday. Then comes a much-anticipated trip to Greenville to face D.H. Conley, the defending 3A State Champions. The Vikings defeated the Red Wolves in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs in January 3-1. Cedar Ridge captured the first set, one of only three sets the Vikings lost in the postseason. They swept Cox Mill in the State Championship match.

ORANGE 3, JORDAN 2

Playing without 2020 Big 8 Player of the Year Lottie Scully and junior All-Conference middle hitter Erin Jordan-Cornell, Orange still found a way to win its season-opener against Jordan in Durham 3-2 on Monday night. The Lady Panthers prevailed on scores of 25-18, 17-25, 25-20, 22-25 and 15-13.

In the absence of Scully, Ella Van Time had 15 kills, six blocks and 15 digs as the Lady Panthers captured its season opener for the fourth time in five years. Junior Allie Wilkerson added eleven kills, one ace, and 15 digs.

Junior Caitlin Carden established herself as the team’s premier setter, registering a whopping 40 assists, along with 16 digs and two aces. Senior Avery Miller, starting her third varsity season, had seven kills and ten digs.

Orange will travel to East Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon at 5.

WOMEN’S TENNIS: ORANGE 3, CARRBORO 1…SUSPENDED

The Orange women’s tennis team started its season against Carrboro at Panther Tennis Courts on Monday afternoon, but the match was suspended because of rain. At the time the match was halted, Orange led 3-1.

Grace Pell grabbed a win for Orange at #2 singles after her opponent had to retire due to injury. At #5 singles, sophomore Erin Sollars earned her first victory at the varsity level. Freshman Shannon Solars won at #6 singles, also her first win for Orange.

Orange women’s tennis coach Justin Webb hopes to continue the match at a later time. The Lady Panthers will return to action against Southern Alamance on Thursday in Hillsborough.

It was just like old times for Cedar Ridge junior Melissa Benkowitz. On Tuesday, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team defeated East Chapel Hill 3-0 at Wildcats Gymnasium in its season-opener. Benkowitz spent the first two years of her high school career with East Chapel Hill before transferring to Cedar Ridge over the summer. Through her first years at the varsity level, Benkowitz was a libero with the Wildcats. Now, she’s transitioning to an outside hitter role as Coach Fiona Cunningham tries to create more finishers in hopes of continuing the Red Wolves winning ways. On Tuesday, Benkowitz had ten kills and three aces as Cameron Lloyd, Cedar Ridge’s leader in kills the past two seasons, took the set off. Cedar Ridge captured its season opener for the fifth year in a row. The Red Wolves will host Riverside on Thursday in its home opener before journeying out to Greenville to face the defending 3A State Champions, D.H. Conley, who defeated the Red Wolves in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs last winter.

Phillip Berger: The season of the Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League ended on August 7 with a 4-2 loss to the Danville Otterbots at Northeast Community Credit Union Park. Berger ended the year 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA, including the first two wins in the history of the franchise. Despite being a middle reliever, Berger led Elizabethton in wins. In 22 innings, Berger had 19 strikeouts and nine walks. The last game that Berger pitched for the River Riders was on July 16 in a 13-10 loss to Pulaski at Calfee Park in Pulaski, VA. In two innings, Berger surrendered two runs off three hits. On July 10 against Johnson City, Berger threw three innings and surrendered two hits and one run with three walks. The Doughboys defeated the River Riders 6-5. The River Riders finished in second place in the Appalachian League’s West Division with a 26-22 record, six-and-a-half games behind the Greenville Flyboys, who captured the league championship with a 9-8 win over the Pulaski River Turtles in Greenville, TN. Berger will start his junior season at Division III William Peace University in Raleigh next week.

Joey Berini: The Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League ended its season on July 30 with a 18-9 loss to the High Point-Thomasville HiToms at Finch Field in Thomasville. In 20 games, Berini hit .290 for the Copperheads with 20 hits and eleven RBIs. In a 9-7 win over the Forest City Owls on July 29, Berini went 2-for-4 and scored Asheboro’s final run off an error. Berini also had a single in the second inning and scored off a double by Will Stewart. On July 24 against the Holly Springs Salamanders, Berini went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Asheboro finished the second half of the season 12-10, five games behind the West Division champion, the Savannah Bananas. Savannah swept both halves of the West Division and captured the Pettit Cup with a 13-3 win over the Morehead City Marlins in game three of the best-of-three Coastal Plain League Championship Series.

Bryse Wilson: On Saturday, Wilson started his third game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. At PNC Park, Wilson got a no-decision in the opening game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. Over four innings, Wilson surrendered four runs on seven hits. Kolten Wong and Tyrone Taylor homered off Wilson. After Wilson left the game, the Pirates exploded for eight runs over the course of the fifth and sixth innings to win 14-4. In Wilson’s second start with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati edged the Pirates 3-2 at the Great American Ball Park. In six innings, Wilson struck out seven with one walk. He gave up six hits and three runs. Wilson is 0-2 with a 4.80 ERA.

Payton Wilson: Entering his redshirt sophomore season at N.C. State, Wilson was named to the Butkus Award watch list. The Butkus Award goes to the nation’s top linebacker. Last season, Wilson was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference. He ranked fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in overall tackles and 13th in tackles per game. Wilson was named ACC Linebacker of the Week three times. Semifinalists for the Butkus Award will be named November 1, with finalists named on November 22. N.C. State starts its season against South Florida on September 2 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The Wolfpack will then journey to Mississippi State on September 11.

Trey Grizzle: Grizzle, who graduated from Orange in June, committed to Averett University, where he will play defensive end. Last season, Grizzle played defense and tight end. He has announced plans to major in biology. Averett is a Division III school out of Danville, VA.

The Orange County School Board has voted not to issue mandatory vaccinations for athletes, band members and other participants in extracurricular activities for the upcoming academic year.

Instead, there will be twice-a-week testing for non-vaccinated students and staff. It was among several measures implemented during an emergency meeting, which was scheduled on Friday.

The final vote came after discussion, where several board members expressed reservations issuing a mandate before it received approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

“I wouldn’t want to unnecessarily create ill will in our community,” said board member Carrie Doyle. “I would rather not mandate it for students.”

Under Agenda item B6, “all students, coaches and employees who directly support athletics, cheerleading, club sports, chorus, marching band, or theater who are eligible for a vaccine must be vaccinated in order to remain eligible to participate effective September 7, 2021 (at least first dose).”

School Board Chairwoman Hillary McKenzie said she didn’t feel comfortable voting for a vaccine mandate under an emergency use authorization.

“Once its approved fully by the FDA, I am comfortable supporting the (superintendent’s) recommendation,” McKenzie said. “But right now, I would prefer to wait for that.”

Superintendent Dr. Monique Felder, who supported the measure, opened the meeting and explained why she introduced it.

“I cannot and will not make any recommendation other than what our medical and health care professionals stated,” Felder said. “They stated the absolute safest way to return to in-person learning and extracurricular activities.”

In the hours leading up to the meeting, there were protesters outside the Orange County Courthouse who angrily denounced a vaccine mandate. They lined South Churton Street with signs reading “My body, my choice” and “Freedom, not Voice.” Since the emergency meeting was announced on Friday, it was a hot-button topic on social media and at Orange High’s football scrimmage against Riverside.

The school system has already mandated face coverings for all students and staff members.

After Felder’s opening statement, Dr. Danny Benjamin of Duke University School of Medicine and Dr. David Weber, Professor Pediatrics from the UNC School of Medicine, explained their positions supporting vaccines.

“We can’t use our secondary mitigation strategy, which is masks, in some sports,” Weber said. “So we need to use vaccines as the best mitigation strategy. Obviously, you can use social distancing in many contact sports. I think mandating vaccination for participation is the best way for protecting both the student, protecting their families and other staff members in the school system.”

The board did approve a list of other measures, which included:

–B1: All OCS employees shall be tested for COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status following procedures established by the NC Department of Health and Human Services contracted vendor.  Exceptions would apply for employees who have been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 within the previous 90 days.

–B2: All OCS employees shall report vaccination status to the school district Human Capital (Resources) Department. 

–B3: All unvaccinated OCS employees must be available for weekly COVID-19 testing from the contracted state vendor.  

–B5: Unless informed otherwise, in the event of a school closure for students, all employees shall be expected to report to their assigned location or take approved leave.   (This provision does not apply to contracted employees or substitutes unless directed to report based on needs of the school or district.)   

The school board meeting coincided with the opening day of the fall sports season.

On the other side of the state, two football games were postponed because of COVID-19 precautions. Morganton Freedom High’s game against Crest in Sheby was postponed because of COVID concerns. Last spring, Freedom was forced to cancel a game against North Caldwell because of the coronavirus.

Also, Brevard’s game at Pisgah was called off. The Hendersonville Times-News reports the Brevard Health Department currently has the Blue Devils’ program on pause, leaving them unable to practice.