Month: October 2021

It was a night of explosion plays for Orange in its 26-14 win over Person on Thursday night at Auman Stadium. Junior running back Ronald Cooper and sophomore wingback Nathan Sorrells had dual 100-yard rushing games, with both men setting career highs. Cooper finished with 141 yards and two touchdowns. Sorrells would up with 112 yards and a touchdowns on just nine carries. In the first quarter, Sorrells set the tone with a 59-yard touchdown run, the longest of his varsity career. On Orange’s next drive, Cooper rushed for a 41-yard touchdown, just moments after he and Jackson Wood stopped quarterback Cole Garrett on a 4th-and-3 from Person 41-yard line. In the second quarter, Orange quarterback Jared Weaver hit wide receiver Wynston Brown for a 64-yard touchdown pass. That was the longest play from scrimmage this season for Orange. Cooper would add another touchdown late in the second quarter. Orange finished with 326 yards total offense, its second best output of the season. It was their seventh straight win over Person and Orange’s first in the new Central Carolina Conference.

It was all defense for Orange in the second half of its 26-14 win over Person on Thursday night at Auman Stadium. Senior Jackson Wood has several big stops on Person quarterback Cole Garrett. In the second quarter, senior linebacker Connor Ray jumped on a loose ball, which set up Orange’s final touchdown of the night from junior running back Ronald Cooper. Person threatened several times in the third quarter to narrow Orange’s lead, but junior linebacker Jake Wimsatt came up with two big plays. The first was on an interception in the fourth quarter at the Orange 47-yard line. The second came on Person’s final serious drive after the Rockets had driven to the Orange 4-yard line. On 4th-and-goal, Wimsatt tackled Person wide receiver Chad Raglin on a reverse, which ended the drive and ensured Orange’s first Central Carolina Conference win. It was Orange’s seventh straight victory over Person, and it was the first conference game between the Rockets and the Panthers in 21 years. Orange will look to continue the momentum when they face Northwood in Pittsboro next week.

Allow me to sound old for a moment.

I’m not sure some of the younger people who read this can relate to a world where newspapers covered high school sports in Orange and Durham County extensively. And not just football. If a local athlete did something prominent in wrestling, soccer, basketball or baseball, they would find themselves in bright, bold colors on the front page. Every Saturday was like that on the Durham Herald-Sun.

Usually, on Saturdays, that cover would go to Northern Durham football and with good reason. The Knights were every bit the dynasty locally as the Alabama Crimson Tide are nationally. In 1990, Northern was in the midst of winning its seventh consecutive conference championship. They would win another eleven in a row before the Riverside Pirates ended the dynasty in 2002.

But on one special night in October 1990, Orange football grabbed the elusive Herald-Sun front page. Orange defeated Person in Roxboro and they did it decisively. Scott Satterfield, now the head coach at Louisville, was the Panther quarterback. Damon Scott, who would go on to become an I-AA All-American running back at Appalachian State, scored a touchdown. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a school more unified that week. Dr. Stephen Halkiotis was the principal and, just between you and I, I think he liked by class of 1991. In that group was a future Louisville football coach, a future Durham County District Attorney, a successful car dealership owner, a state championship women’s basketball coach in Georgia, several brave individuals who have served this country during some dire hours. And me.

The pep rally that Friday afternoon was intense, festive and loud. Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat,” had just been released and adopted as a natural anthem for the Panthers (Rhythm Nation was such a good album, it was the soundtrack of practically my entire stay in high school). Dr. H cut a pro wrestling interview over the microphone that would have made Ric Flair proud, or perhaps envious. The entire momentum fed over to Roxboro that Friday against a Person team that had just defeated Northern Durham in famed Durham County Stadium the week prior.

It was Northern’s only conference loss of the 1990s.

So as Person returns to Auman Stadium on Friday night as a conference opponent, those memories have stuck with me this week. It is the Class of 1991’s 30th anniversary. Nowadays, these milestones arrive with bittersweet emotions. As I prepare to do play-by-play for the first Orange-Person conference game in 21 years, I hope some members of my class will be inside Auman Stadium on Friday.

So, we’ve gotten away from what this column is supposed to do, which is to honor the current athletes at Orange and Cedar Ridge. Let’s focus on this week’s honorees for the Magnificent 7.

Spencer Hampton: After winning the 3,200 meters 3A Mideast Regional Championship last June, Hampton started his cross country season with a victory in his first Central Carolina Conference meet of the season. He finished first in a meet that included Cedar Ridge, Northwood, Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance with a time of 17:37.03.

Avery Miller: Had a team-high eleven kills and 23 digs (tied with Sadye Porter for team-high honors) as Orange defeated Williams 3-1 on Tuesday in Burlington. Miller’s eleven kills tied for season-high. She also had eleven kills against Eastern Alamance on September 21. Her 23 digs was a season-high.

Enzo Bruhns: Scored a goal for the Orange men’s soccer team in a 4-2 victory over Eastern Alamance on September 29. Bruhns also had a tying goal against Northwood on September 27 in a game that would up going to overtime. The Chargers prevailed 4-2 in extra time.

Tea Jones: Won her #4 singles match over Cedar Ridge 6-2, 6-3 as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves. Jones later teamed with Jinkie Andrews to win at #3 doubles 8-4.

Chloe Patz: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team became the first team in the Central Carolina Conference to defeat Northwood last week. The Red Wolves prevailed 5-4 in a match where action lingered well into the night, climaxing with the #3 doubles match to determine the entire shooting match. Senior Chloe Patz won at #2 singles 1-6, 6-2 and 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 10-8. On Wednesday, Patz teamed with sophomore Cameron Mayhew to win at #1 doubles against Orange 8-1.

Cameron Lanier: It was another big week for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team, which captured three matches over the course of four days to take command of the Central Carolina Conference race. On Monday, the Red Wolves defeated Jordan 3-1 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Lanier finished with ten kills. It was her eighth double-digit kill game of the season. Cedar Ridge would go on to CCC wins over Northwood and at Orange. Lanier had another double-digit kill game against the Lady Panthers as the Red Wolves completed its first two-game season sweep of its crosstown rival since 2015.

Roman Morrell: The Cedar Ridge men’s cross country participated in its first Central Carolina Conference meet at Northwood High School in Pittsboro last week. Roman Morrell finished fifth for the Red Wolves with a time of 18:00.90. Morrell, a junior, was the highest placer for the Red Wolves.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team captured its second straight conference championship on Tuesday night. Last year, the Red Wolves won the Big 8 Conference title. This year, it’s the Central Carolina Conference title. Cedar Ridge improved to 17-1, 10-0 in the CCC with a 3-0 win over Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves got big games from junior Melissa Benkowitz, an East Chapel Hill transfer who registered 100 kills in Cedar Ridge’s first 14 games. Another valuable newcomer is sophomore Addie Reid at middle blocker. This season, Reid has 16 blocks, which leads the team. On Thursday, Cedar Ridge will travel to Elon to face Western Alamance. The Red Wolves will then participate in a tri-match at Chapel Hill High School on Saturday morning with some of the best teams in the state. For starters, Cedar Ridge will face undefeated Green Hope. Then the Red Wolves will face J.H. Rose, who is 14-1. Rose is ranked #2 in the current 3A East Region RPI standings, only behind Cedar Ridge.

Last Tuesday was a special night for the Cedar Ridge volleyball program. The Red Wolves defeated Northwood 3-1 on scores of 25-27, 25-17, 25-13 and 25-20. With the win, Cedar Ridge improved to 8-0 in the Central Carolina Conference with a 15-1 overall record. Before the match, junior setter Julie Altieri was honored in a pregame ceremony after she recently reached the 1,000 assist plateau in a game against Eastern Alamance. Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Melissa Benkowitz and Anaya Carter all had big kills for the Red Wolves in its win. Following a victory over crosstown rival Orange on Thursday, Cedar Ridge is one win away from winning the Central Carolina Conference championship. They host Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday. Enjoy some of the play-by-play highlights of Tuesday’s win over Northwood as heard live on HillsboroughSports.com. You can also listen back to the Northwood game on the website in its entirety.

Photo from gopack.com

Trenton Gill: #23 N.C. State held on to defeat Louisiana Tech 34-27 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. In a tight game, Gill had a vital role as the Wolfpack punter and he came through big. All but one of Gill’s kickoffs reached the end zone. In six punts, Gill averaged 51.2 yards. His longest punt was 57 yards. Two of them were downed inside the 20-yard line. N.C. State is now 4-1 after winning its final nonconfernece game of the season. The Wolfpack will be off next week and will travel to Boston College on October 16. Last week, Gill was named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to the country’s top student-athlete based on academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. Recently, Gill helped raise $12,000 in funds for new playground equipment for New Hope Elementary School in Hillsborough, which he attended. Gill graduated in May with a degree in biological sciences and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in professional communication.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon Phoenix knocked off #22 Richmond 20-7 at Robins Stadium in Virginia on Saturday. Chnupa, who played football and baseball at Cedar Ridge, played on special teams for Elon. The Phoenix improved to 2-3, 1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Conference. It makes the fifth straight fall season where Elon defeated a ranked opponent. The Phoenix travel to Maine on Saturday.

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell Fighting Camels defeated North Alabama 48-31 in Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama on Saturday night. Thompson had three tackles for Campbell, which won its Big South Conference opener. The Camels are 2-2 and will travel to Gardner-Webb next Saturday for the first-ever North Carolina East/West BBQ Trophy. North Carolina BBQ expert Bob Garner will present the trophy to the winning team.

Bailey Lucas: On Saturday, the Meredith volleyball team swept a tri-match at Hanes Gymnasium in Greensboro. The Avenging Angels started the day with a 3-2 win over Greensboro in USA South Athletic Conference action. Meredith won on scores of 20-25, 26-28, 25-11, 25-21 and 15-10. Lucas started for Meredith as setter. She registered 18 assists, and ten digs. In the final match of the day, Meredith defeated Pfeiffer 3-1 on scores of 23-25, 25-16, 25-15 and 25-19. Lucas played all four sets for the Falcons and had two aces. She also finished with 19 assists and five digs. Meredith is in second place in the USA South East division with a 4-1 league record. They’re tied with William Peace for second, and the Angels defeated the Pacers last month. Meredith will face William Peace at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh on Tuesday.

Emerson Talley: Last week, Talley played in her second game for the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team. The Bears routed Coker 5-1 in Hartsville, South Carolina. Talley came off the bench and played 26 minutes. On Saturday, Lenoir-Rhyne shutout Lincoln Memorial 5-0 at Mortez Complex in Hickory. Talley played 33 minutes in the second half. Lenoir-Rhyne leads the South Atlantic Conference with a 4-0 record. The Bears are 6-1-2 overall and travels to North Georgia on Wednesday.

Brittany Daley: On Friday, the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie against Meredith at Pride Field in Greensboro. Daley started at centerback and played 108 out of 110 minutes. On Tuesday, Salem College defeated Greensboro 1-0 in Winston-Salem. Daley played all 90 minutes. Greensboro is 3-5-2 overall, 1-1-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team had two games last week. On Saturday, Southern Virginia University defeated the Pacers 2-1 at Knight Stadium in Buena Vista, VA. Rogers started for Peace and played all 90 minutes.

For the first time since 2015, the Cedar Ridge volleyball has swept a two-game season series against Orange. On Thursday night, the Red Wolves defeated the Lady Panthers 3-0 on scores of 25-19, 25-8 & 25-21. Cameron Lanier had another game in double-digit kills for Cedar Ridge. Lanier is now over 400 kills for her career. The Red Wolves junior outside hitter Anaya Carter came up with some big finishes in the second set, including finishing off set point off an assist from Julie Altieri. The win over Orange completed a three-win week for the Red Wolves, which started with a victory over Jordan on Monday. The following day, Cedar Ridge defeated Northwood 3-1 to all but sew up the Central Carolina Conference championship. The Red Wolves s are 16-1, 9-0 in the CCC. They will host Eastern Alamance on Tuesday in Hillsborough. If Cedar Ridge wins one more of its three remaining conference games, they will claim a conference championship for the second straight season.