Though there are some things different with the Orange wrestling team this year, the winning continues.
Orange will go into Christmas with a 9-0 record in dual matches. The Panthers, who have won 18 of its last 19 conference championships, is 4-0 in the Central Carolina Conference with dual matches against Person, Eastern Alamance and Northwood coming up in 2023.
On Saturday, the Panthers claimed its first team championship in an individual tournament this season. For the second year in a row, Orange won the Eagle Invitational at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane.
Four Panthers won their individual weight classes. Dillon Heffernan, who reached the Eagle Invitational championship match at 120 pounds in 2021, rolled to the title at 145 pounds. Heffernan, who finished second at the Jim King/Orange Invitational on December 3, defeated Jace Rich of Southern Alamance 9-4 in the final. Heffernan, 14-1 on the year, pinned Cameron Stokes of Bartlett Yancey in 1:15 in the opening round. In the semifinals, Heffernan defeated Darius Evans of Northern Guilford 6-3.
Acoya Isley, who lost in the championship match last year in Mebane by one point via sudden victory, won the 195-championship by winning three matches, none of which went beyond the first period. Isley defeated Jeremiah Lumpkins of Walter Williams in :56 seconds to take the title. In the semifinals, Isley pinned Chase Crews of Northern Guilford in 1:15. In the opening round, Isley defeated Jesus Ponce of Graham in 23 seconds. Isley, who finished 3rd in the Mideast Regionals last February, is 13-1 with 12 pins this season.
Orange’s Elijah Acosta captured the 220-pound championship. In the final, Acosta pinned Cameron Pettigrew of Western Alamance in 3:22 to improve to 14-2 on the season. In Friday’s opening round, Acosta pinned Wesley Reece of Cummings in 59 seconds. In the semifinals, Acosta defeated Wade Cash of Northern Guilford 9-5.
Acosta, who won the 220-pound championship of the JKO in 2021, captured the Eagle Invitational for the second straight year. In 2021, Acosta won all three of his matches via pinfall en route to the title.
Braden Crawford, the second-seed, captured the 126-pound championship. In the final, Crawford scored a technical fall over Alex Porter of Grimsley 17-1. Crawford battled back to reach the final. In a dramatic semifinal, Owen Adkins of Northern Guilford led Crawford 7-4 with time running out in the final period before Crawford scored a pin at 5:52 to advance to the championship match. In the opening round, Crawford pinned Riley Neil of Southern Alamance in 26 seconds.
The Panthers had several grapplers finish in second place. Senior heavyweight Hugo Vasquez scored pins in each of his first two matches. Vasquez defeated Chatham Central’s Adin Holton in 58 seconds in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Vasquez defeated Justin Booker of Southern Alamance in 3:26. In Saturday’s title match, Noah Lumpkin of Northern Guilford held off Vasquez 4-2. Vasquez, who won the heavyweight championship of the 2021 JKO, is 9-4 with five pins so far this season.
At 113 pounds, Orange’s Aidan Sierra had his best finish of his young career. Sierra opened by pinning Toriana Murphy of Williams in 1:09. In the semifinals, Sierra pinned Southern Alamance’s Aiden Cameron in 1:50. Grant McCord of Greensboro Grimsley defeated Sierra in the championship match by technical fall.
Orange’s Sam Crawford reached the championship match at 152-pounds. Crawford pinned Jeremiah Baptiste of Western Alamance in 33 seconds of the opening round. He pinned Zyneal White of Burlington Cummings in 3:06 in the semifinals. Cohen Beane, the fifth-seed, of Northern Guilford defeated Crawford via pinfall in the title match.
Anyone who even casually attends Orange wrestling matches won’t have to look hard to find something different this year. There isn’t a Shriner sitting along the mats.
Bobby Shriner, the longtime head coach at Orange who amassed over 500 wins and five state championships, retired in 2017. His son Nick served as an assistant for four seasons, but left to become the head coach of the Orange Middle School Chargers this year.
Orange Middle feeds directly into Orange High School.
It marks the first time there hasn’t been a Shriner matside for Orange wrestling since 1988.
“He’s still going to be helping out with us whenever he gets a chance,” said Orange coach Spenser Poteat, who wrestled and coached alongside Bobby Shriner. “Hopefully, he can get our feeder program get back to where it was.”
Orange will compete in the Tiger Holiday Invitational at Chapel Hill High School starting on Friday.