Jeff Hamlin

There was every reason for Bryse Wilson to be bitter.

As he walked off the field for the final time as an Orange High football player at Durham County Stadium, Wilson was left with the same solemn feeling he had felt four other times in his career, having come up short against Southern Durham. Perhaps this time was the worst of all. It was certainly the last time, since it was the 2nd round of the 3-AA state playoffs.

Still, as he joined his teammates in the walk up the hill to the team bus for one final ride to Hillsborough, he saw Southern head coach Darius Robinson. The two embraced on the track.

“Go win it again,” said Wilson to Robinson, referring to the 3-AA state championship. Robinson softly nodded.

That’s how the latest chapter of the Southern-Orange rivalry, which has had its contentious moments, ended on Friday night.

It won’t make ESPN because, well, LeBron James probably has a game tomorrow. Or the next day. Plus, Tim Tebow is still breathing.

Still, Southern-Orange on Friday night will go down as one of those local legendary games that folks in the periphery of Clayton Road and Orange High School Road will be talking about for the rest of their lives.

As time passes, that discussion will center around questions that may sound embellished, like a good fishing story.

Was the game winning touchdown pass really thrown by Jordon Brown, who had thrown just two passes the entire year? Did Southern really run a fake punt from its own 28 up 3-0 in the 4th quarter? How did Wilson run for 228 yards against a Southern defensive front that constantly had eight men in the box? How could Orange stay in the game even though they threw one pass through the first three quarters? How did two Orange players carry the ball every play in the first half? And how could they still play linebacker, as well?

No doubt the question that Orange fans spent the weekend asking themselves is how did Southern pull another improbable victory? It seemed like this was the Panthers turn.

Instead, Wilson, Lemaster and the 17 seniors will leave Orange having gone 35-6 over the last three seasons. Five of the six losses came against Southern.

In 2014, the two undefeated teams met for the Big 8 Championship at Auman Stadium. Orange led 23-14 with 3 minutes to play, plus Spartans quarterback Kendall Hinton was carted off the field with a leg injury that had some of his teammates visibly shaken.

Yet Hinton somehow returned and led Southern to two touchdowns in the final 2:48 to give Southern a 27-23 win.

So does Southern have Orange’s number?

“I think we have each other’s number,” said Robinson. “We’ve just been fortunate enough to make more plays than them. It’s always a tough battle. I respect Bryse. I respect all of their players.”

On Friday night, it was Orange who rallied. After quarterback Jalon Green scored on a 9-yard run, Southern led 10-0 with 8:00 remaining. It seemed that Orange’s defense, which had stymied Green like no other team this year, would have its effort go in vain.

However, Wilson’s last high school game didn’t end quietly. He set up two Orange touchdowns in a span of 3:57, with separate runs of 59 and 57 yards. Drew Lemaster gave Orange the lead on a 31-yard carry around left end with 4:10 remaining.

Just as Hinton did before him, Green played the role of Southern hero, nicely. He converted two 3rd-and-10 situations. After Green was sacked by Orange’s Johnny Flynn for a 10-yard loss with 2:16 remaining, Robinson stepped in to call a trick play: the double pass.

“They took away everything we tried to do on the edge,” said Robinson. “At that point in the game, we had to find something to put it in the end zone. We put in those plays every spring just in case.”

They had run it twice all season. It worked against Hillside for a 49-yard touchdown to Jordan Mackins. The other time was against Orange, a harmless incompletion.

On Friday night, the timing was perfect. Orange’s defensive backs had keyed on Brown, holding him to 64 yards. Brown waited until the time was right to find Kaleb Barfield, who hauled it in at the goal line.

Because of that, Southern will spend this week getting ready for Cleveland in the third round of the 3-AA state playoffs. The Spartans still have a chance for its second 3-AA state championship in three years.

Orange will still be asking the same question: how did Southern do it again to us this time? It used to be the answer was: because of Kendall Hinton.

Perhaps the real answer is: because it’s Southern Durham.

Led by Peyton Pappas and Jacob Thomas, the Cedar Ridge boys basketball team heads to Roxboro tonight 2-0.

The Red Wolves will face the Person Rockets, its only game this week. CRHS will take Thanksgiving break off, then hit the ground running with three games over four days next week. They’ll host South Granville on Tuesday, December 1st. Then they’ll travel to Southern Alamance, starting with a trip to Mebane on Wednesday. Following a night off on Thursday, the Red Wolves will travel to Cummings.

On Friday night, Cedar Ridge defeated Bartlett Yancey 66-57 in Yanceyville. After scoring 25 points in the season opener against Carrboro, Pappas led the Red Wolves again with 29. Thomas, a transfer from Chapel Hill who had 18 against the Jaguars, registered 21 against the Buccaneers.

We’ll have coverage of Wednesday’s game against Southern Alamance here on Hillsboroughsports.com.

Predictably, heavy rain came on Thursday morning. Predictably, Southern Durham officials moved Friday’s 3-AA state playoff game between Orange and Southern Durham. But it won’t be played at North Carolina Central’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

Instead, the game has been shifted to Durham County Memorial Stadium, the longtime home of the Northern Durham Knights, which also has a field turf surface as opposed to natural grass.

Southern defeated Northern 36-13 at Durham County Stadium on September 18th. The last time Orange played at DCS, they defeated Northern 18-0 on August 29, 2014.

Our coverage on HillsboroughSports.com starts at 7:20. Join us then.

Here’s what anyone knows for sure about Orange and Southern Durham playing football on Friday night. The game will be in the 2nd round of the 3-AA state playoffs.

You might be asking where will it be played? If you think the answer is Southern Durham High School, you may be wrong.

Last week, Southern moved its first round game with Chapel Hill High School to North Carolina Central University’s O Kelly-Riddick Stadium. Spartan athletic officials cited poor conditions at its own home field for the move.

Which leads us to this week. There’s a chance of thunderstorms Thursday.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association allows for the host school in the state playoffs to determine where a game will be played. Southern is the higher seed. As of Wednesday night, Orange Coach Pat Moser was unsure where Friday’s game will take place.

We’ll have updates on this situation Thursday. Until then, here’s Coach Moser discussing the rematch with the Spartans.

Orange-Southern Durham Round 2

Once again, it’s Orange vs. Southern Durham in the 3-AA State Playoffs. Panthers head coach Pat Moser talks about facing the Spartans again.

It’s now an annual ritual for Orange basketbal coach Greg Motley to schedule a full slate, only to have it delayed due to the Panther football team making a deep run in the state playoffs. That will be the case again this year.

The hardwood Panthers were supposed to start its season on Thursday night at home against Northern Durham. That game has been postponed, along with several others. The Orange boys team is now scheduled to starts its season on December 3rd in Raleigh against Sanderson.

However, the Orange girls team will play on Thursday against Northern at home.

While the season hasn’t started yet, Motley already has had to deal with a major setback. To be exact, it happened on September 23rd, when point guard Eryk Brandon-Dean suffered a torn ACL playing football against Southern Durham.

That injury not only ended Brandon-Dean’s football season, but his basketball season, as well. Brandon-Dean has been Orange’s starting point guard for the past two years, often being the centerpiece of a high octane offense that was among the highest scoring in the Big 8 Confernece.

Now, Orange will have to adjust.

Coach Motley discusses the changes and the preparations for the season opener in the video below.

Orange Boys Basketball to Start Season December 3rd

No Description

“It’s never easy, is it?” Cedar Ridge Boys Basketball Coach Clay Jones muttered to an assistant in the visitors locker room after meeting with his team.

Jones had reason to be happy and surly all at once. His Red Wolves had just defeated Carrboro 70-66 in the season opener. Senior Peyton Pappas scored 25 points, including a clutch 17-foot jumper with 2:06 remaining in a situation that was purely Pappas. Carrboro point guard Cole Phillips had just picked up his 4th foul seconds earlier, something Pappas was well aware of when he drove on Phillips and canned the jumper. There was nothing Phillips could do about it if he wanted to stay in the game.

On the other hand, Cedar Ridge blew a 14-point halftime lead. The Red Wolves were held to six points in the third quarter, forcing Jones to spend two full time outs. When his starters didn’t respond defensively during a 12-4 Carrboro run that tied the game at 49-49, he benched all of them at once for the final 1:39 of the third quarter.

It was a move reminiscent of Dean Smith, which was only fitting. Former UNC All-American Eric Montross was seated in the top row of the gym, watching his son Andrew play for Carrboro (he finished with seven points and 14 rebounds).

“I told the guys at halftime don’t be comfortable, and I think we were,” said Jones. “We’ve got some veteran guys but we’ve got some new guys who have got to learn how to play with a lead. We had some adversity tonight, but I’m pleased with a nonconference win at any time.”

Among the newest guys who made an impact on Tuesday night was Jacob Thomas, a transfer from Chapel Hill High. Thomas registered 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and eight rebounds.

Carrboro opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run, all from guard Zack Anderson to take a 54-49 lead. Pappas and Thomas responded with consecutive field goals to tie at 54.

Carrboro Brandon Richardson scored on a lay-in and was fouled by Jonathan Hall with 2:19 remaining. Richardson would hit the subsequent free throw to tie the game at 62.

That’s when Pappas scored his shot over Phillips. After Phillips was called for traveling, Thomas stuck a baseline jumper off an assist from Pappas to give Cedar Ridge a 66-62 lead. Pappas and Khalil Barnett both hit 2-shot free throws to carry the Red Wolves to the win.

Surprisingly, the Montross family carries big bodies across its family genes (yes, that’s sarcasm). It was something Cedar Ridge center Jonathan Hall knew when he faced Andrew Montross, who isn’t as tall as his 7-foot father, but is huskier. Nontheless, Hall bodied up against Montross and came away with 11 rebounds.

“I told John he did a good job against Montross,” said Jones. “We’ve got to get other guys to do that. He’s a hard worker defensively. Montross did a good job pulling John away from the basket and driving on him. Our help defense wasn’t present tonight, unfortunately.”

Barnett and Shane Evans finished with eight points. Pappas also had six assists. The Red Wolves host Bartlett Yancey on Friday night in Hillsborough.

Carrie Davis alone couldn’t keep the Cedar Ridge girls basketball team afloat in its season opener.

Carrboro’s Grace Nanney scored 17 points while Deja Tucker added 16 as the Jaguars defeated the Red Wolves 44-33 in each team’s season opener on Tuesday night.

Davis had 19, but she was the only Red Wolf in double figures. Kaylee Herbst had six for Cedar Ridge, who shot only 29% from the field.

Davis shot 6-of-11 from the field and knocked down both of Cedar Ridge’s 3-pointers.

Cedar Ridge carried a 20-14 lead into halftime after Davis canned a three-pointer off a feed from Sydney Harrison. Carrboro was held to five points in the second quarter. Nanney was 0-9 from the field in the first half, but she found her range when it mattered.

Carrboro started the second half on a 16-3 run, where Nanney scored the first six points of the half for the Jaguars, while Tucker scored the following seven. Cedar Ridge missed all five of its 3-pointers in the third quarter and trailed 31-27 going into the fourth quarter.

Davis hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but it was the only field goal of the fourth quarter for CRHS.

Cedar Ridge will face Bartlett Yancy on Friday in hopes of getting its first win of the season.

Orange head coach Pat Moser discusses the Panthers facing Northwood in the 1st round of the 3-AA state playoffs on Friday night in Hillsborough. Our coverage starts at 7:25 here on HillsboroughSports.com.

No Title

No Description

There’s supposed to be an aura of the unknown for teams that make the high school football playoffs.

The vast majority of the time, teams get a new opponent from a different conference in a town several counties away.

For teams in the Big 8 Conference, that’s not the case this year. The first two rounds will be a family affair.

Co-Big 8 Champion Orange, seeded sixth, will face Northwood on Friday night in Hillsborough. The winner faces Co-Big 8 Champion Southern Durham, the third seed, against Chapel Hill.

Oddly enough, it was the Tigers who brought calm, order and extra sleep for three local athletic directors on the last night of the regular season. Chapel Hill upset Northwood 19-17 in Pittsboro, ruining the Chargers chances of tying Southern Durham and Orange for a share of the Big 8 Championship.

If Northwood had won, Orange, Southern and Northwood would have had to draw for seeding in the Big 8. The athletic directors at all three schools had already organized a meeting at an IHOP in Durham Saturday morning in advance.

It never got that far.

Instead, Northwood’s loss led to the Spartans taking the top seed. Southern defeated Orange on September 24th to earn the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Orange defeated Northwood 14-0 on October 1, the first time the Chargers were shut out since 2004. It was played on a Thursday night in advance of Hurricane Joaquin, but that didn’t keep the rain away. The game was played in a downpour. The field was so entrenched with water in the first quarter, it was impossible to see the yard numbers from the press box. The turn left Chargers running back Montel Goods unable to cut back on running plays designed for him to do just that.

As fate would have it, the previous time Northwood was shut out was in 2004 by the Graham Red Devils—coached by Pat Moser, who now coaches Orange.

Drew Lemaster and Alex Long scored Orange’s touchdowns, while the defense held Goods to 53 yards, a season low. Goods came into the game with three consecutive 200-yard rushing efforts.

For Southern Durham, hosting Chapel Hill in the state playoffs is becoming an annual tradition. It’s the fourth time in nine years the Spartans have hosted the Tigers in the playoffs.

The two teams met in the 3rd round of the 2007 4-A playoffs, which Southern won 19-14. Last year, Chapel Hill stunned the Spartans 39-28, ending Southern’s hopes of repeating as 3-AA state champions. It was also the final game for Southern quarterback Kendall Hinton, now at Wake Forest.

We’ll have coverage of Orange-Northwood Friday night at 7:30 here on Hillsboroughsports.com. Listen in.

Cedar Ridge football looks to make state playoffs against Northern Vance on Friday night. Seniors Peyton Pappas, Jonathan Hall and Jeremy Cates discuss what it would mean to make the postseason for the first time since 2010.

Peyton Pappas, Jonathan Hall and Jeremy Cates Look to Make Playoffs vs. N. Vance

No Description