As Orange football enters a new conference in August, they will also have a new man leading the program.
After three seasons, DeVante’ Pettiford submitted his resignation last Monday. In a statement released on social media last week, Pettiford said “Panther Football Family, I have decided to step down from my position of Head Football Coach at Orange High School. It was 100% my decision! Thank you to staff, admin, and students at OHS. Most importantly, THANK YOU to every player I have coached during my time at Orange High School. It’s deeper than football X’s and O’s. I will always be there for you. ONCE A PANTHER, ALWAYS A PANTHER.”
Pettiford didn’t return DMs from Hillsboroughsports.com for comment.
When asked last Wednesday, Orange principal Jason Johnson referred to a statement released by the school that read, in part, “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Coach Pettiford for his time, dedication and leadership as the head football coach at Orange High School. Coach Pettiford has poured his passion into the program, both on and off the field and we are truly grateful for the positive impact he has had on our student-athletes.”
The statement went on to wish him the best in his future endeavors.
As recently as last weekend, Pettiford was at the Carolina Coaches Combine in Greensboro where he oversaw workouts with some of his now-former players.
Since the end of last season, when Orange finished 2-8 after a close loss at Eastern Alamance in the season-finale, Pettiford has overseen offseason workouts. He also spoke at ceremonies inside Orange High Gymnasium for fullback Jayden Medley, who signed with Barton College and offensive lineman Joseph Logan, who signed with Bluffton University in Ohio.
Pettiford’s departure led to some unhappy parents and former players to start an online petition on Facebook demanding his return.
Pettiford was hired by former athletic director Mike McCauley in the spring of 2023 following the retirement of Van Smith. He was the first Black head football coach in Orange High history. Just like Smith, Pettfiord worked with a program that struggled to regain the talent of the mid-2010s, when Division I prospects Payton Wilson, Stone Edwards, Garrett Cloer, Bryse Wilson (who had several FCS football offers before his Major League Baseball career) and Keyshawn Thompson helped Orange to five consecutive 10-win seasons and three straight conference championships.
Dealing with diminishing skill levels is inevitable for any school over the mists of time. Dealing with declining participation is another, and Pettiford guided the program while in the midst of a nadir in football numbers at Orange, which wasn’t his fault.
In 2023, his second year as head coach, Orange didn’t field a junior varsity team for the first time in program history, aside from the pandemic year of 2021. As participation improved at its top feeder school, Orange Middle School, the Panthers resumed a junior varsity schedule last fall, when they finished 1-9.
Pettiford’s first win as Orange head coach came at Granville Central in September 2023. His entire team autographed the game ball and presented it to him postgame. He finished 2-8 in 2022.
Just like Person and Cedar Ridge, the Panthers had a difficult time against the Alamance County buzzsaw in the Central Conference. Orange went 0-12 against Alamance County conference opponents during Pettiford’s tenure, though Person and Cedar Ridge never defeated any of the Alamance schools over the past four years, either.
In 2023, Orange made the state playoffs for the first time in six years with a 3-8 overall record. The Panthers opened the year by beating Southeast Alamance in the Stallions’ first-ever game. Orange also defeated Montgomery Central. They would fall to conference rival Southern Alamance in the opening round of the playoffs in Graham.
Pettiford saw the resurrection of Orange football under Moser firsthand as a young defensive lineman. He graduated from Orange in 2011 after playing on a 2-8 team, but his last game was a stunning 14-11 win at Chapel Hill that knocked the Tigers out of the state playoffs. It was the beginning of Orange’s dominance across the entirety of Orange County that stretched across the remainder of the decade.
A native of Cedar Grove, Pettiford played at Division II Virginia State and appeared in two games for the 2014 team that won the CIAA Championship. He played in 12 games at Virginia State overall, including one at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles. After graduation, he returned home and served as an assistant for Moser and Smith during the golden era of Orange football.
There was hope that Pettiford was on the precipice of something special once again. Orange Middle School has won the last two Orange Person Athletic Conference championships. Many, though not all, of the players coming from the middle school will be at Orange next year when they start playing in the new Tarheel Heartland Conference.