Orange Men’s Lacrosse

It’s been another strong week for the Orange men’s lacrosse team. The Panthers started the week with a 13-8 win over Heritage in Auman Stadium on Tuesday. Junior Duncan Grant had two goals, but his biggest impact was felt defensively where he created nine turnovers. He also scooped up five ground balls as the Panthers improved to 4-0. On Wednesday, Orange faced its stiffest challenge of the season against J.H. Rose. The Panthers came away with a 12-11 win. Grant also had strong games in Orange’s opening win over Carrboro and a 17-5 victory over Southern Alamance on March 4. Orange will look to match the best start in school history on Friday when they’re scheduled to face Roxboro Community School in Person County. Face off will be at 5 o’clock.

The Orange lacrosse team is off to its best start in the three-year regime of head coach Chandler Zirkle. On Wednesday night at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough, the Panthers held on to defeat J.H. Rose 12-11. The game-winning goal was set up on the combination of Dylan Boyer and Caleb Davis, who have been teammates for three years on Orange as well as the Carolina Hilltoppers summer travel team. With the game tied 8-8, Boyer used a behind the back pass from the end zone. The ball went over the net and landed firmly in the pocket of Davis’ stick, who threw it in the net over the shoulder of the Rampants goalkeeper. Davis finished with three goals, while Boyer had three goals and three assists. Orange is 5-0 and will look to match the best start in school history when they face Roxboro Community School on Friday. It will be the Panthers’ Conference 9 opener.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is lacrosse midfielder Ryan Merrill. Last week, Merrill scored five goals as the Panthers opened its season with a 18-5 win over Carrboro. Merrill added two assists and had seven shots. He also created a turnover and grabbed two ground balls. On Wednesday, Merrill added two more goals as the Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 17-5 in Graham. Merrill tallied nine shots against the Patriots. The Orange lacrosse team is off to a 3-0 start and has outscored opposition 52-14 so far. The Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 17-4 at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough on Friday night. Orange will return to action against Heritage at Auman Stadium on Tuesday night, then will host J.H. Rose on Wednesday.

Brandon Homsey: As a sophomore, Homsey has qualified for the NCAA Division III Wrestling Tournament. Competing for Ferrum College, Homsey finished third in the NCAA Southeast Regional at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, PA over the weekend. On Friday, Homsey lost his opening match to Washington & Jefferson’s Alex Donahue 3-1 in overtime. That left Homsey needing to win four matches to qualify for the national championships. He started Saturday by pinning Waynesboro University’s Adam Rigney. Homsey earned a 3-0 decision over Jack Bauer of Wilkes University, then rolled past Michael Reinhart of York University 7-1. Homsey received a medical forfeit against McDaniel College’s Anthony Wuest, then won a rematch over Donahue with a 10-0 decision in the third-place match. Homsey is 33-10 with four pins this season.

Landon Riley: The Liberty baseball team combined for its first no-hitter in 20 years when they defeated Marist 6-4 at Worthington Field on Saturday afternoon. Three pitchers participated in the no-no and Riley earned his first victory of the season in relief as the Flames won its fifth straight game. In two innings, Riley faced six batters and struck out three of them. Marist scored four runs on eight walks, three hit batters and an error, but no hits. On Friday, Riley earned his third save as the Flames defeated the Red Foxes 4-3. Riley retired four batters, striking out two and walked one. Liberty has won six in a row. They’re scheduled to host Elon on Tuesday in Lynchburg, VA.

Brad Debo: The #8 N.C. State baseball team swept all three games in the CambriaCollegeClassic at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis over the weekend. On Saturday, the Wolfpack defeated Purdue 6-0. Debo went 1-for-2 with a run scored. It was his only action of the weekend. N.C. State is 11-0.

Phillip Berger: Berger suffered his first loss at William Peace University against Greensboro College on Saturday. The Pride defeated the Pacers 11-8 at Ted Leonard Park in Greensboro. Berger threw two-and-two-thirds innings. He surrendered eight runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. Peace falls to 9-3, 1-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference after dropping two of three against the Pride.

Montana Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team won the Alex Wilson Memorial Tournament over the weekend, finishing 5-0 against UAB, Alcorn State, and UT Martin. On Sunday, the Bulldogs swept a doubleheader, beating Alcorn State 9-1 and UT Martin 6-1. Montana went 3-for-5 on the day, including going 2-for-3 against the Skyhawks. It was her second multi-hit game of the year. She tied her career high with four assists against the Braves. She went 1-for-3 with a run scored against UAB in a 16=6 win over the Blazers on Friday.

Mia Davidson: Mia made her first start of the season at third base during Mississippi State’s win over Alcorn State on Saturday. She eventually moved across the diamond to first base for the first time in her college career. Mia went 1-for-4 in Saturday’s game against the Braves, which extended her hitting streak to eight, the longest by any Bulldog this season. The streak was snapped the following day in Sunday’s win over the Braves when Mia went 0-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. On Friday, Mia went 1-for-4 with a double in the win over UAB. Mississippi State is 18-3 . They will host UT Martin on Monday afternoon.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team surprised Louisburg College 87-73 in its regular season finale on Saturday at the Taylor Center in Louisburg. Lauren Cates, a freshman for the Eagles, returned to the starting lineup and scored 16 points off 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Cates was 4-of-6 from three-point range. She also had eight rebounds and three assists as Wake Tech avenged a 14-point loss from January. Wake Tech completed the regular season 18-7. They will travel to the Region 10 Tournament in Martinsville, VA, where they will open against USC Salkehatchie on Thursday night at 6 PM.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team rallied past Central Arkansas 6-3 at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS on Wednesday. UCA led 2-0 at the end of three innings, but Davidson sparked a rally with a triple in the bottom of the fourth. She scored off a groundout by Carter Spexarth. In the 5th, Davidson laced a single to left field to score Candace Denis. It was Davidson’s fourth multi-hit game of the year. Mississippi State improves to 13-3. This weekend, the Bulldogs will host the Alex Wilcox memorial Tournament, which will include UAB, Alcorn State and UT Martin.

Brad Debo: The #8 N.C. State baseball team defeated UNC Wilmington 11-0 in Raleigh on Tuesday night. Debo replaced catcher Patrick Bailey in the ninth inning. He didn’t make a plate appearance.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team ended the regular season on Tuesday night. Limestone defeated the Hawks 78-72 at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro. After starting the previous three games, Barnett came off the bench and played four minutes. Barnett played 18 games in the regular season. She averaged 9.4 minutes per game. She scored 39 points and grabbed 44 rebounds. Chowan will travel to Belmont Abbey, ranked #10 in Division II, in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Monday.

Kaylen Campbell: The season of the Division III Trinity Bantams ended in the quarterfinals of the New England Small Conference Athletic Conference on Saturday. Williams College defeated Trinity 65-56 in Williamstown, MA. Campbell played three minutes to end her sophomore season. This season, Campbell played 20 games. She averaged 10.9 minutes per game and 2.6 points per game. Trinity ends the year 16-9.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team played its final home game of the season by rolling past South Carolina Faith A&M 107-33 on Monday night in Raleigh. Cates came off the bench to score four points, grab four rebounds and dish out two assists. The Eagles, who are now 17-7, will travel to Louisburg College on Thursday night to finish the regular season.

Bowen Collins: Belmont Abbey men’s lacrosse team, ranked #6 in Division II, defeated the #16 Lenoir Rhyne Bears 12-7 on Friday at Alumni Field in Belmont. Collins assisted on Lenoir Rhyne’s first goal of the game, which was scored by Eric Dickinson. With that goal, Dickinson became the all-time leading goal scorer in South Atlantic Conference history. Collins had five shots, two on net, and one ground ball. The Bears fall to 2-1.

Zach Wright: The Division II Mars Hill men’s lacrosse team defeated Shorter 8-6 at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill on Wednesday night. Wright, a senior who played at Orange, had two shots. On Saturday, the Lions defeated Emmanuel 15-13. Wright scored a goal for the Lions and had two ground balls. Mars Hill is 3-2.

Aidan Poole: The former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf has started the last three games for the Division III Greensboro College Pride. On Wednesday night, Poole started as a defenseman as Greensboro defeated Ferrum 14-11 in Virgina. Poole also started in Greensboro’s 16-3 win over Oglethorpe University at Pride Field on Saturday. Poole scored his second college goal on February 19 in Guilford’s 16-9 win over the Pride. Last season, Poole played in eleven games for the Pride, but didn’t start in any of them.

As some of y’all might already know based on comments I have made every now and again on broadcasts or from getting to know me in person, I am a loud and proud Carolina Hurricanes fan. Tripp Tracy of Fox Sports Carolinas fame would more than likely describe me as a “huge caniac.” 

Of all the sports teams I love, whether it be the Carolina Panthers, the New York Yankees, or even the Charlotte Hornets. None have put me on quite the rollercoaster the Hurricanes have. For better or for worse, I know what every season is going to be like for my other three teams. The Yankees are always good, the Panthers are consistently mediocre, and the Hornets are just bad. For the Canes, that has never quite been the case. 

Now, I didn’t become a real Hurricanes fan until probably around 5 or 6 years ago, a much shorter amount of time than I have been a fan of my other teams. With that being said, I’ve been through more of an emotional roller coaster in that short amount of time watching the Hurricanes than any of my other teams combined. The opposite ends of that spectrum can be seen quite easily in just two of the many games I have attended at PNC Arena in Raleigh. 

First, we have the low point. November 14, 2015, the Hurricanes are playing host to the Philadelphia Flyers. Carolina jumped out to 2-0 lead, before promptly blowing it and allowing the game to get to overtime. After Philly’s Jakub Voracek netted home the winner in overtime for the visitors, I promptly started exiting the arena, only to boot into a trash can. That was just the start of a very unpleasant trip home, but I think you guys get the point of it and could do without more details. 

So if that’s the low, what’s the high? Well, that took place on April 15, 2019. Canes, Caps, Game 3 of the first round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first Canes playoff game at home in 10 years. I maintain that that is the loudest building I have ever set foot in, and I have been to a Carolina-Duke game at the Dean Dome. My years as a fan had finally been rewarded with the game of a lifetime, watching the Canes blow out their archrival in the playoffs. 

But of all these highs and lows I just described, not a single moment in Hurricanes history has made me more proud to be a fan. With James Reimer leaving the game last Saturday evening in Toronto, Petr Mrazek had to come in and play his second game in as many days. Mrazek was putting on a show in the crease, only allowing 1 goal on the night, and helping the Canes out to a 3-1 lead about halfway through the second period. 

All of a sudden, a collision with Maple Leafs forward Kyle Clifford knocked Petr out of the hockey game, forcing emergency back up goalie Dave Ayres into action. 

To be quite honest with you, I had absolutely zero faith in Dave when he came into the game, I thought there was no way in the world that the 42-year-old Zamboni driver of the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies would get it done in an NHL game. And after the Canes extended the lead from 3-1 to 4-1 right after Ayres entered the game, a man who last played competitive hockey in a league called Allan Cup Hockey in 2014 (where his numbers were atrocious, mind you) had a 3 goal lead to protect with about 30 minutes remaining in an NHL hockey game. 

Now, my lack of faith in Ayres seemed to be validated at first, as our favorite Zamboni driver gave up 2 goals on his first 3 shots faced, as the Leafs cut the Canes lead down to just 4-3 at the second intermission. 

Thankfully, everything turned around for Ayres after he got a word of advice from Hurricanes center Erik Haula in the dressing room. “Just have fun. We don’t care if you let 10 goals in.” Those were all the words Dave needed to settle down and save 7 out of 7 shots faced in the third period, propelling the visitors to a 6-3 victory in one of the most hostile venues in hockey. Earning the nickname from some folks on twitter of “Big Save Dave.”

Now, Ayres gets to come down to Raleigh on Tuesday and sound the pregame warning siren as his teammates from last Saturday take the ice, has a shirt with his name on it being sold by the team online, and is doing interviews left and right throughout the coming days. 

It truly was a fairy tale for Dave Ayres in Toronto on Saturday, with his name now permanently etched into the NHL history books, and the memories of hockey fans around the world. For showing me a story better than Hollywood could possibly come up with and reminding me and many others why we love sports, I will never forget you Big Save Dave. As Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’amour inscribed on the wine bottle he gifted you postgame, “Thanks for the memory!”

Photo by HailState.com

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team won the Bulldog Kickoff Classic at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS last weekend. Davidson hit three home runs over five games during the weekend, which ended with a 4-0 victory over Tennessee State on Sunday. Tulsa handed Mississippi State its first loss of the season on Friday. In a 2-1 loss, Davidson scored the Bulldogs only run with a homer to centerfield in the 5h inning. Later that night, Mississippi State defeated North Alabama 6-0. On Saturday, Mississippi State shutout Tennessee State 3-0, then rolled past North Alabama 9-1. Against the Lions, Davidson went 3-for-4 with two home runs. She finished with four RBIs and scored three times. It was the fifth time in her career that Davidson had a multiple home run game. The previous time was against Memphis on April 10, 2019. Davidson had a four RBI game for the sixth time in her career. Davidson has had a hit in seven of Mississippi State’s ten games this year. At 9-1, new Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts is off to the best 10-game start of any coach in school history. Through ten games, Mia is hitting .290 with four home runs and six RBIs. She is 2nd on the team with 23 total bases.

Montana Davidson: In Mississippi State’s loss to Tulsa, Montana went 2-for-3 with two singles. The following day in a 6-0 win over North Alabama, Davidson scored a run in the sixth inning off a single by Christian Quinn. Montana, who played shortstop at Orange, has started all ten games this season for the Bulldogs. She is hitting .231 with two RBIs. Mississippi State starts play Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Spring, CA on Thursday. They open with Oregon State on Thursday. The Bulldogs also play BYU, Oregon, UC Riverside and San Diego State during the three-day event.

Brad Debo: The N.C. State baseball team started its season with a sweep of James Madison last weekend. Debo, who is now a senior, went 1-for-3 as a designated hitter in the Wolfpack’s 4-0 win over the Dukes. Overall, Debo went 2-for-9 for the weekend. N.C. State is 4-0 after Tuesday’s win over Longwood.

Bowen Collins: The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team, ranked #17 in the country, defeated Westminster 17-8 Moretz Stadium in Hickory on Friday. Collins, a senior from Hillsborough, scored a man-advantage goal for the Bears in the 2nd quarter, his fourth of the year. Lenoir-Rhyne will face #6 Belmont Abbey in Hickory on Friday night.

Zach Wright: The Division II Mars Hill men’s lacrosse team defeated Lees-McRae 20-13 at Meares Stadium on February 11. Wright had two shots and scooped up two ground balls for the Lions. On February 15, Lindenwood defeated Mars Hill 23-6. Wright assisted on a goal scored by Devin Napol in the fourth quarter. Mars Hill is 1-2.

Jonathan Hall: Now in his senior year as a runner at Wofford, Hall competed in the VMI Indoor Classic in Lexington, VA last weekend. He reached the semifinals of the 60 meter hurdles and finished 8th with a time of 8.74 seconds. In the Carolina Challenge at the South Carolina Indoor Track & Field Complex on January 31, Hall finished 21st in the 60 meter hurdles. In 2018-19, Hall made the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.