Jeff Hamlin

Not even three weeks into the winter sports season, it’s already been a landmark year for Cedar Ridge senior Ryan Rakouskas.

At the Atkins Invitational, the opening tournament of the year, Rakouskas defeated Brice Baker of Oak Grove High in sudden victory to win the 157-pound championship. He also became the eighth Cedar Ridge wrestler to win 100 career matches.

On November 23, Rakouskas won his second consecutive Red Wolf Invitational championship and defeated the top-seed at 157 pounds to do it. Rakouskas pinned Andrew Taylor of West Rowan in 56 to successfully defend his championship. Last year, Rakouskas defeated Thomas Gingerich of Green Level 9-3 to take the tournament title.

Despite being the defending champions, Rakouskas entered the tournament as the #2 seed. But he pinned four opponents in four matches to repeat as champion.

Rakouskas finished off Bilial Benzenmour of Southeast Raleigh in the semifinals just as the first period ended. Rakouskas led 6-1 when he scored the pin as the official hit the mat just before the buzzer sounded. In the quarterfinals, Rakouskas pinned T’mari Mcclelland of McMichael in 29 seconds. After receiving a bye into the second round, Rakouskas pinned his own teammate, Isaiah Craig, in 1:17 in a rare instance of two competitors from the same team facing each other.

Rakouskas stood above the rest in a crowded field to repeat as champion. Cedar Ridge finished 4th in the team standings with 139 points. Seaforth took the team championship with 179 points. West Rowan finished 2nd. Person, led by defending 3A State Heavyweight champions Trevquan Gary, finished 3rd.

Orange finished 11th. The top Panther finisher was senior Jayden Medley who finished 3rd at 215 pounds. Medley, who was named All-Conference in football this week, defeated Quentez Butler of Asheboro in the consolation final 8-3. Medley pinned Gavin Jones of Person in the consolation semifinals.

Orange’s Braden Crawford finished 4th at 138 pounds. Crawford reached the semifinals after he pinned Graylon Collins of Cedar Ridge in 1:29. Jackson Young of Panther Creek defeated Crawford 6-2 in the semifinals. In the consolation semifinals, Crawford advanced when Person’s Jameer Farmer couldn’t continue due to injury. Stetson Collins of West Rowan, the top-seed, won the consolation final 9-2.

Cedar Ridge senior Pierce Prescod finished 3rd at 126 pounds. Prescod, the defending 120 pound champion, reached the quarterfinals before he was edged by Carter Furman of Northwest Guilford 5-4. Furman got an escape with 46 seconds remaining in the third period after Prescod earned a takedown to even the match at 4-4.

In the consolation round, Prescod earned technical fall win over Noah Vo of Panther Creek and Julian Combs of Person. In the consolation semifinals, Prescod’s match against Western Alamance’s Omar Rushing went to overtime. Prescod scored a rare pin in sudden victory to advance to the 3rd place match, where he faced Furman in a rematch. This time, Prescod led 11-8 before the match was stopped in the third period. Prescod was named the winner by disqualification.

At 150 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Alejandro Briones finished 3rd at 150 pounds. Briones defeated Alexander Patino of Asheboro 19-11 in the 3rd place match. Briones, who won the 144 pound championship in the Central Conference Tournament last year, opened with a pinfall win over Gabriel Mumma of Panther Creek. Top-seeded Kevin O’Brien of West Rowan, the eventual champion, defeated Briones in the quarterfinals.

At 113 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Favio Jaramillo Espar finished 4th. He opened by pinning Orange’s Mason Horne in 45 seconds. Jesse Farnsworth of Panther Creek edged Jaramillo 8-7 on a takedown coming with 18 seconds remaining. Farnsworth would upset the top-seed, Alex Raymundo of Randleman en route to the championship match.

Jaramillo scored a technical fall over Mason Browne of Apex Friendship to start his stint in the consolation round. He pinned David Matus of Athens Drive in 49 seconds. In the consolation semifinals, Jaramillo held off Damonte Bradley of Carrboro 3-0.

Raymundo won the 3rd place match 16-5.

Last year, Jaramillo finished 3rd at 106 pounds.

For the second year in a row, the Cedar Ridge women’s wrestling team crowned a champion at the Red Wolf Invitational.

In fact, they crowned two.

Chloe Pankratz claimed her first individual championship at 138 pounds, pinning all three of her opponents in a round-robin tournament that featured four other competitors.

At 100 pounds, Thalia Paterno defeated top-seeded Eva Serrano of Panther Creek in the semifinals and went on to claim the championship. She scored pins in both of her matches as the Red Wolves finished 4th in the women’s team standings with 54 points. Panther Creek captured the women’s team championship with 141 points.

Pankratz, who didn’t play in the 132-pound tournament last year, pinned Aaliyah McNeill of South Garner in 15 seconds in her opening match. Pankratz defeated Cece Maldonado of Southeast Alamance in 31 seconds. With the championship at stakge, Pankratz pinned Caroline Cook of Seaforth to clinch her first individual championship.

Last year, Cedar Ridge’s Zoey Moreno won the 120-pound title at the Red Wolf Invitational. Moreno pinned Adriana Gruner of Northern Durham in 15 seconds to take the 2023 championship.

The 100 pound championship turned into an all-Hillsborough matchup. After Paterno pinned Serrano, Orange’s Elyse Wilscam pinned Alexus Pementhal of West Rowan in 14 seconds to reach the final. Paterno pinned Wilscam in 1:03 to earn her first individual championship.

Orange’s Ava Lytle finished 3rd at 126 pounds. After Gianna Susser of Garner, the eventual champion, won in the opening round, Lytle Andrea Thornton of Asheboro via pinfall in 1:32. In the consolation final, Lytle pinned Aaliyah Pearson of Southeast Raleigh in 18 seconds.

Pankratz started the season with a runner-up finish in the Atkins Invitational at Atkins Academic and Technology High School in Winston-Salem on November 14. Pankratz scored three pins on her way to the final. She defeated Leora Hein of Oak Hill Academy in 36 seconds. She pinned Ashley Hernandez of Oak Grove in 1:12, then pinned 2nd-seeded Amelia Martino of East Mecklenburg in the semifinals in 5:13. Top-seeded Jadyn Magallanes of West Forsyth claimed the championship.

Paterno also reached the finals of the Atkins Invitational at 100 pounds. In a five-competitor field, Paterno pinned Naria Selomith of West Forsyth in 14 seconds. Victoria Pioquinto of West Forsyth pinned Paterno in 3:36 in the final, though Paterno did have a 5-1 lead with 1:00 remaining in the second period.

Also at the Atkins, Cedar Ridge’s Melissa Avendano won her opening round match at 165 pounds. In the quarterfinals, Avendano defeated Aaliyah Page of East Mecklenburg. Isabelle Clemmons of Atkins Academic won the championship over Janiyah Quidachay of Southeast Alamance in the final.

The Cedar Ridge women’s team has grown to the point that they’re now holding standard dual meets against Central Conference opponents. Last week, the Red Wolves women’s team won its first dual match when they defeated Person 24-12, though all of the matches were forfeits because Cedar Ridge had four wrestlers who were unrivaled in their respective weight classes. Caroline Donjuan, Pankratz, Paterno and Mariana Duqum all claimed victories.

Also in the tri-meet against Person, Cary defeated Cedar Ridge 42-18. Of the three matches that didn’t end in forfeit, Cedar Ridge won two of them. Pankratz defeated Treasure Harvest at 138 pounds via pinfall. At 100 pounds, Paterno pinned Angela Chen.

The Orange women’s team started the season at the Wolverine Challenge at Wakefield High School in Raleigh on November 16. At 100 pounds, Wiscam finished in third place after she pinned Alena McNaughton of Panther Creek in 2:56. In the opening round, Wiscam advanced to the semifinals with a pinfall victory over McNaughton in 3:30.

Orange’s Ava Lytle was the top seed in the 126 pound tournament and finished fourth. Lytle pinned Miracle Lester of Hoke County in the consolation round. In the consolation semifinals, Lytle pinned Vanity Martinez of Currituck County.

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Photo by Jacques Morin

When a team plays well enough in a big game, they may pull off a victory over an opponent that has a large enough stature to become a brand name in its given sport.

In September, Northern Illinois football beat Notre Dame.

Last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees.

On Friday night, Orange basketball beat Mt. Zion Christian Academy.

Junior Ethan Ellis, in only his second varsity game, canned a 3-pointer from a pass from Xandrell Pennix with :13 remaining to lift the Panthers over the Warriors 60-56 in a fever-pitched environment at Panther Gymnasium in Hillsborough.

Orange point guard Kai Wade fought off cramping problems in the final minute to lead the Panthers with 18 points. Senior Michael Clark sank a free-throw with :06 left, putting the game out of reach as Orange improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

Mt. Zion’s Chris Walker tied the game with :31.4 remaining after scoring on a lay-in while being fouled by Jamari McDaniel. The subsequent free throw evened the contest at 57-57.

Following a timeout, Pennix dribbled along the baseline and wrapped a skip pass around to Ellis, who was in the game after senior Freddy Sneed fouled out. Ellis, alone on the wing, wasn’t bothered by the onrushing Walker as his 20-footer swished through the net, leading to an eruption from the O-Game student section.

Mt. Zion’s Rodney Farrington, who didn’t score all night rushed down the foul and sidestepped Ellis at the basket, but his lay-in was short. Clark grabbed the rebound and set off a celebration for Orange’s biggest non-conference win since upsetting Hillside in last year’s lid lifter in Hillsborough.

“I knew it would take grit to win this game,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt. “Freddie (Sneed), Xandrell, Jamari (McDaniel) are the leaders of that mentality.”

The gamesmanship started early in the week with players trading taunts via memes and videos on Instagram and TikToc. Orange had six days between games while Mt. Zion had trampled Oak Ridge Military Academy by 24 points, followed by a 42-point rout of Greater Vision Academy on November 15.

Warriors guard Ian Bush averaged 24 points and shot 80% from the field in the opening two wins. On Friday night, a combination of Sneed and Wade held him to seven points.

Orange led 47-40 after a jumper by Wade bounced around the rim and fell in with :42 remaining in the third quarter. With time running out in the frame, Wade missed a three-pointer. Mt. Zion’s Jayden Adams raced down the floor and scored on a lay-in to beat the quarter buzzer.

That triggered an 11-0 Warriors run that put them ahead 51-47. Adams, who spent virtually the entire game in foul trouble, started the fourth quarter with a lay-in. Walker followed an Orange miss with a dunk that sparked the sizeable Mt. Zion contingent visiting from Hillsborough. Adams drilled a three-pointer to gave the Warriors the advantage at 49-47, it’s first lead since the final minute of the first half. Moments later, Adams was called for his fifth foul.

Bush scored his only field goal of the fourth quarter off a goaltending call on Orange center Jalen Crayton. On a lengthy possession, Orange ended a drought of over four minutes without a point when Pennix slashed into the paint and scored on a lay-in. Orlando Karem’s lay-in attempt rattled out, and Wade batted the loose ball down the floor to Sneed, who slammed it home to tie the game at 51-51.

Orange faced several obstacles in the final minutes. Wade pulled up with a cramp in his right knee, forcing the Panthers to use its last timeout with 2:48 remaining.

Clark put Orange ahead with a 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining to put Orange ahead 54-51.

After Walked scored on a dunk, Sneed and the Warriors’ Rodney Farrington were each tagged with a technical foul for talking to each other. It was Sneed’s fifth foul, depriving the Panthers of its top defensive player. Farrington, a backup guard, picked up his first foul.

Wade was tripped going into the lane by Bryce Long, which was his fifth foul. Pennix scored two free throws with :39.7 remaining to give Orange a 57-54 lead.

The Warriors charged out to an 11-4 lead, but Warriors head coach Marvin Reed threw all standard in-game coaching mindset out the window when he left Adams in the game despite picking up three fouls in the opening quarter. Orange got 3-pointers from Pennix and Clark to cut its deficit down to one point late in the first quarter.

The Panthers led 27-26 at the half thanks to a late lay-in by Wade.

Orange will host Southern Lee on Monday night in Hillsborough, its final game before Thanksgiving.

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The 2023-2024 academic year was a time of transition for the Orange athletic department.

It also brought success across fall, winter and spring sports that led to the Panthers being honored with the Wells Fargo Conference Cup for the second straight season for being the top athletic program in the Central Conference.

The cup was presented to Orange Athletic Director Jason Knapp last month.

“It’s a testament to all the coaches we have working here day in and day out,” Knapp said. “The students have worked hard across the board. You’ve got to deserve to be successful and these students deserve success because they’ve worked for it.”

Orange had nine Central Conference champions last season. Their greatest success came in the fall sports season. The volleyball team, in its first season under head coach Hope Heverly, won its first regional championship since 2004 when they defeated cross-county rival Carrboro in five sets at Panthers Gymnasium. In the state championship match, Orange led Kings Mountain 2-sets-to-1 before the Mountaineers came back to win in five sets at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Led by seniors Ella Wimsatt and Sadye Porter, the volleyball team won its first conference title since 2005.

The Orange men’s cross country team claimed the Mideast Regional championship in addition to the conference crown under head coach Brian Schneidewind. In the 3A State Championships, only Croatan finished ahead of the Panthers at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Gabriel Schmid of the Panthers won hit second consecutive 3A individual state championship. Schmid signed to run at N.C. State last year and is currently on a Mormon mission.

The winter sports season was just as successful with an unforgettable farewell season from Katie Belle Sikes, who is now swimming at the University of Georgia. Sikes led Orange to a runner-up finish in the 3A State Championships. For the first time ever, the Orange women’s swimming team won a conference championship at the Orange County Sportsplex. Sikes won two individual state championships. In addition, Sikes, Riley White, Zoe Jones and Piper White won the 200 yard medley relay state championship. White, Sikes, White and Ainsley Rasinske won the 200 yard freestyle relay state championship.

The Orange men’s swimming team also claimed the conference title and finished 2nd in the Mideast Regional championships. Junior Luke Roman won the 500 yard freestyle state championship. It was Orange’s 3rd consecutive men’s swimming conference title under head coach Ron Geib.

The Orange men’s basketball team claimed its first conference tournament championship since 2016 when they defeated Eastern Alamance at Person High School. Under the direction of head coach Derryl Britt, the Panthers also won the Central Conference regular season championship for the first time since 2017. Coleman Cloer was named the conference player of the year before he transferred to Caldwell Academy over the summer. Xandrell Pennix, Freddy Sneed and Kai Wade are back for this year’s Orange team.

The men’s lacrosse team, led by head coach Chandler Zirkle, claimed its fourth consecutive conference championship and won its first 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional championship. Led by Connor Kruse, the all-time leading scorer in team history, the Panthers faced off against Lake Norman Charter at Durham County Stadium for the state championship.

The Orange baseball team tied with Southern Alamance for the regular season championship, but the Panthers advanced further in the 3A State Tournament than any other conference team. It was the fourth straight conference title for the Panthers, who defeated Cedar Ridge and Eastern Alamance in the state playoffs. Senior Cross Clayton was honored as Central Conference Pitcher of the Year after becoming the first Panther to win 20 games in a career since Bryse Wilson, who just finished his seventh Major League Baseball season.

The Orange men’s and women’s track and field team also won conference titles at Eastern Alamance High School. Myles Jermyn won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meter championships. Riley Potter claimed the conference title in the 300 meter hurdles.

In women’s track and field, Adelyn Alvis took the 400 meter dash and the long jump. Bree Harris took the 100 and 300 meter hurdles. Grace Pell won the high jump.

Orange’s softball team reached the third round of the state playoffs. The football, men’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s basketball and women’s soccer team all reached the state playoffs.

It was Knapp’s first season as athletic director, but he never forgot he predecessor, Mike McCauley, who passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year, just before he was set to retire.

“We remember Mike every day,” Knapp said. “He’s as much a part of these championships as anyone.”