Month: January 2022

The Orange men’s swimming team completed an undefeated regular season in dual matches last Friday night at the Orange County Sportsplex. In its final regular season dual meet, the Orange men’s team defeated Northwood, Walter Williams and Carrboro. Impressively, the Orange men’s team, coached by Ron Geib, has several freshmen who have already qualified for the 3A Central Regionals. Among them is Luke Roman, who qualified for regionals in the 500 yard freestyle, the 200 yard individual medley and 50 yard freestyle. Junior Evan Phillips has qualified for regionals in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard breaststroke, an event where Phillips finished first in Orange’s season-opening dual meet on November 22. Together, Roman, Phillips, Nick Baczara and Alexander Andre qualified for the 400 yard freestyle relay in November with a time of 3:38.21. On January 29, the Orange men’s and women’s swimming teams will compete in the Central Carolina Conference championships at Orange County Sportsplex.

Photo by Sandhills Community College Athletic Department

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team has won four in a row. On Saturday, the Flyers defeated Oxford College of Emory University 93-78 in Oxford, GA. McMullin scored 19 points, including 12 in the first half, as the Flyers improved to 4-0 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. McMullin shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, as the Flyers pushed out to a 41-29 halftime lead. McMullin and Darryl McCaster each had 19 points to lead the Flyers. McMullin added three rebounds and an assist. On January 12, the Flyers defeated Central Carolina Community College in Pinehurst. McMullin had four points, one rebound, one assist and one block. Last weekend, the Flyers swept a two-game weekend series against Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge, VA. On Friday, the Flyers defeated the Roadrunners 107-62. McMullin scored 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field in 15 minutes. He also grabbed one rebound. The following day, Sandhills defeated Lancaster 100-55. McMullin led all Flyers with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. He played 18 minutes. McMullin also led the team with nine rebounds. On January 4, USC Salkehatchie defeated Sandhills 104-91 in Walterboro, SC. McMullin scored 14 points in 20 minutes. He shot 7-of-15 from the field. He also had six rebounds and two assists. On New Year’s Day, Davidson-Davie Community College downed the Flyers 95-56 at Brinkley Gymnasium. McMullin had five points in ten minutes. McMullin, a freshman, is averaging 13.1 points per game over 20 games. Sandhills is 14-6 overall, 4-0 in Region X. McMullin is the last Orange player to score 1,000 points for his career. He accomplished that feat in his senior season during the 2019-2020 campaign.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond Spiders men’s basketball team faced possibly the hottest team in the country on Friday night. The Davidson Wildcats won its 13th consecutive game after a 87-84 victory over the Spiders at the Robins Center. Crabtree came off the bench for Richmond to play three minutes. He knocked down his only shot from the field and finished with two points. On January 5, the Spiders defeated Massachusetts 80-72. Crabtree played eleven minutes against the Minutemen and scored five points. He shot 2-for-2 from the field, including his only 3-point attempt. Richmond scored 50 points in the first half, shooting 65% from the field. It was the most points in a half by the Spiders since March 2020. Richmond opened 2022 with a 76-69 loss to St. Louis at Chaifets Arena. Crabtree played seven minutes and scored two points and grabbed a rebound. Richmond’s game against George Mason, scheduled for January 11 in the Robins Center, was postponed due to COVID issues within the Patriots program. Richmond is 10-7 overall, 1-3 in the Atlantic 10. They will travel to Fordham on Tuesday. Crabtree started his college career with Tulane before transferring.

Braden Homsey: The Division III Ferrum Panthers wrestling team ended 2021 in the the Citrus Invitational in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Homsey, seeded #2 at 197 pounds, went to the finals. In the semifinals, Homsey edged Chance Lapier of Castleton University, who was seeded #3, 4-3 to advance to the finals. in the championship match, top-seeded Bentley Schwanbeck-Ost of Augsburg University defeated Homsey 10-4 for the championship. After receiving a bye in the opening round, Homsey defeated Sean Gillespie of Liberty University 14-1. In the quarterfinals, Homsey scored a technical fall over Tyler Raway of Augsburg 16-0 in 4:40. Ferrum placed 8th out of 12 teams in the tournament. Homsey placed the highest of any of the other Panther wrestlers.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior wrestler Elijah Acosta. Last week, Acosta won the Quentin Crosby Tournament in the 220-pound weight division at Dudley High School in Greensboro. It was his third individual championship this year, Acosta’s first as a varsity starter for Orange. On December 18, Acosta won the Eastern Alamance Invitational in Mebane, scoring three pins in all of his matches to win the championship. Acosta’s first varsity tournament came on December 4 in the Jim King/Orange Invitational. In the championship match, Acosta defeated Northwood’s Jake Dunning 12-5 for his first title. On December 22, Acosta finished third at the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School. This season, Acosta is 24-2 with 16 pins. Against Northwood on January 6, Acosta won his match via a 7-3 decision, which sewed up a victory along with a share of the Central Carolina Conference championship for Orange. Winning this award comes full circle for Acosta. His father, Mike, wrestled for Coach Bobby Shriner in the 1990s. Now, Elijah is wrestling for Orange head coach Spenser Poteat.

In the midst of exam break, the Cedar Ridge wrestling team finished up its Central Carolina Conference regular season schedule with its highest league finish since jumping to 3A in 2012.

Behind pins from freshman Lee Oguntoyinbo and Shea Spiller, the Red Wolves defeated Williams 45-27 on Wednesday at Red Wolves Arena. It was the final CCC match of the season for Cedar Ridge, who ensured a 3rd place finish with a 4-2 record.

Oguntoyinbo, competing at 132 pounds, pinned Xiomara Hernandez-Morales in 1:25. Oguntoyinbo improved to 17-9 with ten pins on the season. It was one of only five matches the entire evening that were contested. The other eleven were forfeits, including a double forfeit at 106 pounds.

At 152 pounds, Shea Spiller pinned Alex Solari in 3:30. It was Spiller’s fifth win of the season.

Edward Hernandez-Huerta, wrestling at 160 pounds, outlasted Jackson Goforth 13-10. Hernandesz-Huerta also has five wins this season.

Cedar Ridge junior Fernando Martinez earned a forfeit victory at 120 pounds, his 82nd career win. This season, Martinez is 27-7 with ten pins. Martinez is on track to become the first Cedar Ridge wrestler to record 100 career wins since Colin Davis, who graduated in 2018.

Jaylen Williams (113), Ryan Rakouskas (138), Justin Hartsell (145) and James Este Wittinger (182) also claimed forfeit wins for Cedar Ridge. The Red Wolves have an overall record of 14-14 on the season.

This weekend, Cedar Ridge will journey to Montgomery Central High School in Troy, NC for the Montgomery Duals. The Red Wolves will compete against Trinity, Thomasville, Richmond County and West Wilkes. Last week, Trinity faced off against the Red Wolves during a twi-match that also included Western Alamance. The Bulldogs defeated the Red Wolves 65-9.

Cedar Ridge put themselves in position to finish 3rd in the Central Carolina Conference with a 60-24 victory over Western Alamance at Red Wolves Arena on January 5.

Against the Warriors, Oguntoyinbo pinned Connor Soliz at 132 pounds. Spiller earned another pinfall win at 160 pounds over Kaine Bryant.

At 170 pounds, sophomore Kaden Tatro pinned Chaz May. Tatro currently leads the team with 29 wins on the season against only eight losses. Tatro, who also started on Cedar Ridge’s men’s lacrosse team last season, also leads the team with 22 pins.

James Este Wittinger earned a victory by disqualification over Dylan Teague at 182 pounds. At 195 pounds, Joe O’Melia pinned the Warriors’ Logan Barnes. O’Melia has 17 wins this season, eleven via pinfall.

At heavyweight, Louis Tedder pinned David Day. Tedder has 12 wins this season with seven pins.

Pierce Prescod (113), Martinez (120), Rakouskas (138), and Hartsell (152) all had forfeit wins for the Red Wolves against the Warriors.

While the Williams match was the final conference match of the season for Cedar Ridge, the Red Wolves will have another home meet. On Wednesday, the Red Wolves will face Dan River High School out of Ringgold, VA. On Janaury 22, the Red Wolves will compete in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament meet.

The 3A Mideast Regionals will be held at Union Pines High School in Cameron. Last season, Daina Pritchard of Cedar Ridge qualified for the 3A State Championships.

After the Orange women’s basketball team finished undefeated in the Eastern Guilford Holiday Basketball Showcase, two seniors and a freshman were selected as outstanding performers in the event.

Point guard Aaliyah Harris, forward Jarmil Wingate and freshman guard Evelyn George were honored for their performances. The trio was selected by participating coaches in the event, which included six teams. Orange and their Central Carolina Conference rival Walter Williams were the only teams to emerge from the three-day event undefeated in Gibsonville.

Harris averaged 18.6 points over the three-day event. George came off the bench to finish in double figures in all three games, averaging 11.3 points per game.

The only day where Orange received a serious challenge came against Reidsville on December 27, where the Lady Panthers pulled away 71-45. Harris led all scorers with 22 points against the Rams. In the second half, the Lady Panthers built a 42-26 lead with 4:50 remaining, only to have the Rams roar back to make it a 44-40 game following a 3-pointer by Gracious Walker. Orange calmly finished the game on a 27-5 run, which included eight points from Harris in the fourth quarter.

Wingate had a season-high six assists. She also added seven rebounds and three steals.

George came off the bench and added three key field goals for the Lady Panthers. Her older sister, senior Samantha George, added 13 points.

The following night, Orange played the last of six games on the day with a 67-30 victory over Eastern Guilford. It was another strong game for Harris, who scored 20 points to lead all scorers. Wingate, who is listed at 5’4″, has been pressed into duties as a center at times this season because of injuries to juniors Erin Jordan-Cornell and Katelyn Van Mater. Against Eastern Guilford, Wingate tied her season high with eleven rebounds. She also had seven points, four steals and three assists.

Evelyn George, who basically became a sixth lady for Orange in the final games of 2021, had another strong fourth quarter against Eastern Guilford. George scored eleven points, all in the second half. Samantha George added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Eastern Guilford was led by Taylor Branch, who scored 12 points. Branch fouled out in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats’ offense had no other answers. They scored only five points in the fourth quarter.

The following morning Orange defeated Northeast Guilford 52-27 to complete three wins in three days. It was also Orange coach B.J. Condron’s 100th career win.

Orange put three players in double figures. Harris and Evelyn George each had 13 points to lead all scorers. It was the first time in George’s career that she led Orange in scoring.

Wingate played a vital role on defense in limiting Northeast Guilford to just four field goals in the first half as Orange took a 34-12 lead to the locker room at halftime. Wingate added four points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Samantha George scored ten points against Northeast Guilford. George has scored in double figures in six straight games and nine out of 12 this season for the Lady Panthers.

This was the first time that Orange played at Eastern Guilford for its holiday tournament. In recent years, the Lady Panthers have played in the Eastern Alamance Holiday Hoops Tournament or the Granville Central Holiday Invitational, where they finished 2nd in 2018-2019.

Orange is currently 9-3, 1-2 in the Central Carolina Conference. They’re set to resume its season against Cedar Ridge next Thursday inside Orange Gymnasium.

To show how deep the Central Carolina Conference is, Orange is currently #19 among 3A East teams in the MaxPreps rankings. Three CCC teams are ranked ahead of the Lady Panthers. Northwood, who defeated Orange in Pittsboro on December 4, is #3. Williams, who knocked off Orange 74-50 in Hillsborough on December 17, is #8. Eastern Alamance is #12.

Last month, Trenton Gill became the first former Cedar Ridge football player to be named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference.

Now, he will try to be the first Cedar Ridge player to reach the National Football League.

Gill formally announced plans to enter the NFL Draft on Twitter last week. He just completed his redshirt junior season with the Wolfpack and had another season of eligibility remaining.

Gill’s career at N.C. State ended in bizarre fashion. The Wolfpack were slated to face UCLA in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 28. Only five hours before kickoff, the game was canceled because of an excessive amount of positive COVID-19 cases within the Bruins program. N.C. State coach Dave Doeren, still looking none too happy, accepted the Holiday Bowl trophy from event officials the next day.

Two days later, Gill announced his intentions for the NFL Draft.

“Throughout my five years of playing football here at N.C. State, I have grown a tremendous amount,” Gill tweeted. “I appreciate all of the love and support from my family, friends, teammates, coaches, and fans throughout my career. With that, I would like to announce that I am declaring for the NFL Draft and will pursue my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. Thank you Wolfpack Nation!”

This year, Gill led the ACC with a 45-yard per punt average. He entered this season the all-time leader in N.C. State history with a 46.3 yard per punt mark, which was the second-best average among returning punters in the ACC.

It was the second time in his career that Gill led the ACC in yards per punt. As a sophomore in 2019, Gill set a school-record with a 47.6 yards per punt average. The previous mark was set in 1974. He amassed 2,663 punt yards overall, the 11th highest single-season mark in school history. As a sophomore, he was named third-team All-ACC.

This season, Gill had two punts over 60 yards. Against Boston College on October 16, he had a 65-yard punt, a career long. Against Florida State on November 6 in Tallahassee, Gill had a 60-yard punt.

Overall, Gill had 23 punts over fifty yards in 2021. Of his 70 attempts, 31 were downed inside the 20-yard line. In his final game, a wild and memorable win over North Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on November 26, Gill had five punts, two of which were downed inside the 20-yard line. His average of 37 yards was actually his second-lowest of the season. His long agains the Tar Heels was 54 yards.

Gill entered N.C. State after being named All-Big 8 Conference in two different sports at Cedar Ridge. He played soccer under head coach Chris Walker. In football, he was a punter and occasional linebacker under Scott Loosemore.

After redshirting in 2017, Gill played only in the season-finale against East Carolina the following year, a 58-3 Wolfpack blowout that occurred just days after the Pirates fired Scottie Montgomery as head coach. Against ECU, he had three kickoffs.

Gill won the starting punting job in 2019 and never surrendered it. His first game as punter also came against East Carolina on August 31, 2019.

While playing alongside another Hillsborough product, former Orange High linebacker Payton Wilson, Gill has maintained close ties to Hillsborough. In addition to his duties with the Wolfpack, Gill started a fundraiser for new playground equipment at New Hope Elementary School. Last week, Gill announced that he had raised enough money to buy a new slide along with hundreds of new balls.

Last Saturday, there was a special ribbon cutting ceremony that included New Hope Elementary Principal Dr. Meredith Miller.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore wrestling Kaden Tatro. This season, Tatro leads the Cedar Ridge wrestling team in wins and pinfalls. He has a 29-8 record with 22 pins. That includes a strong showing in the WRAL Invitational in Knightdale on December 17 and 18, where Tatro finished 2nd at 170 pounds. In the event, which included 48 teams from three states, Tatro pinned Cape Fear’s Garland Thompson in 4:54 to reach the championship math. Tatro pinned Ian Troan of the North Carolina School of Science and Math in the quarterfinals in 3:39. Last spring, Tatro was a member of the Cedar Ridge men’s lacrosse team, which qualified for the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Tatro was a starter for Coach Scott Metcalf on the Cedar Ridge wrestling team in his freshman year. The Red Wolves will host Walter Williams at Red Wolves Arena on Wednesday in its final Central Carolina Conference dual match of the year. With a win, Cedar Ridge will wrap up 3rd place in the conference going into the CCC Tournament on January 22.