Orange Men’s Lacrosse

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior lacrosse midfielder Josh Mauer. The Orange lacrosse team defeated Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night for its first Conference 7 victory of the season. The Panthers are now 5-1 on the season. Mauer has been a key presence in the lacrosse circle. In Orange’s season-opening 16-4 win over Rolesville, Mauer won 67% of his faceoffs and also scored a goal and an assist. He was also a key figure in Orange’s 18-16 win at Eastern Alamance on March 12, and in an 11-10 overtime win against Southern Alamance in Graham. In addition, Mauer is the grandson of Ken Mauer, who was the coach of the 1968-69 Orange men’s basketball team which claimed the 3A State Championship. It is still the only basketball team at Orange High to win a state title.

When Tyson Wolter graduates from Orange in June, he will leave behind a rich athletic history. He is the all-time saves leader in Orange lacrosse history. On Thursday night, he was in net as the Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 6-5 at Culton-Pearman Stadium, Orange’s first-ever win at CHHS. Now with an 8-6 record, Orange appears set to make the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. Hours before the win at Chapel Hill, Wolter officially signed his letter of intent to play college lacrosse at Division IIII Pfeiffer University On top of that, Wolter played football at Orange as an interior lineman. Plus, Wolter wrestled as a sophomore. When he hasn’t been on the lacrosse field, Wolter has learned to play a wide array of songs on guitar from his favorite progressive metal bands on guitar, including Tool, Mastodon, Dream Theater and Electric Wizard. 

Orange Panther of the Week: Goalkeeper Tyson Wolter, who commits to Pfeiffer University

No Description

Orange sophomore Dylan Boyer scored four goals on Friday night in the Panthers 12-10 victory over Cedar Ridge. With the win, Orange kept its hopes for the state playoff alive, squaring its overall record to 6-6 and its Conference 7 record at 3-3, good enough for third place behind 1st place East Chapel Hill and Northwood. Orange also defeated Southern Alamance last week. 

No Title

No Description

When his senior season started in August, certainly Cam Thompson had a lot more planned than one play in a lacrosse game. He was thinking about leading Orange to a conference championship. But Thompson suffered a traumatic brain injury on September 14 following a severe long boarding accident. He had five skull fractures, two concussions and brain contusions. On Thursday night, Thompson suited up for the Orange lacrosse team for the opening faceoff against crosstown rival Cedar Ridge, along with classmate Jeremy Carter, who is also out for the season due to repeated concussions. Thompson and Carter concluded their high school careers for good, leaving the field side-by-side following the opening faceoff. Orange would go on to defeat Cedar Ridge 12-10. 

Orange Midfielder Cam Thompson Discusses Senior Night and his Recovery

No Description

Bryse Wilson: 2016 Orange graduate Bryse Wilson was assigned by the Atlanta Braves organization to the Florida Fire Frogs of the Class A Florida State League to start his 2nd full professional season. Wilson was supposed to make his Florida debut on Friday against the Daytona Tortugas, but the game was rained out. The Florida State League is High-A baseball in the minor league structure, a step up from the South Atlantic League, where Wilson played with the Rome Braves in 2017. Last year, Wilson went 11-8 with a 2.20 ERA through 32 starts. Wilson had 168 strikeouts with 45 walks.

Mia Davidson: In the last two weeks, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have faced #10 Texas A&M and #6 Georgia. MSU, ranked #22 as of last week, went combined for a 1-5 record against the Bulldogs and the Aggies. Davidson, a freshman catcher, hit .263 against Georgia and Texas A&M with two doubles and a home run. Davidson currently leads the SEC in slugging percentage (.843), is 2nd in home runs (13), 3rd in hits (52), 5th in runs scored (38), 5th in doubles (12), 9th in batting average (.409) and tied for 12th in RBIs (34). The Bulldogs are currently 29-11 with an 4-8 SEC record.

Mackenzie Cates: Lenoir-Rhyne swept a doubleheader against Mars Hill on Sunday, winning 6-5 and 10-1. It was the Bears Senior Day. Former Orange High catcher Mackenzie Cates combined to go 2-for-6 in the doubleheader with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Cates is hitting .353 with nine home runs (3rd in the South Atlantic Conference) and 30 RBIs (9th in the SAC). The Bears are ranked #12 in Division II, has won ten in a row and is 20-0 at home this year. The Bears have also won 34 of their last 36 contests and maintained their four-game lead in the SAC.

Brad Debo: The former Orange catcher appeared as a pinch-hitter on Friday and Saturday in the Wolfpack’s series against Louisville. This season, Debo has played in 25 games and is hitting .264 with one home run and 13 RBIs. N.C. State, 25-6, has reached #2 in the country in the Baseball America, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball polls, matching the highest ranking in school history.

Brandon Andrews: The 2017 Cedar Ridge graduate threw an inning of mop up duty against #17 LSU on April 3rd, giving up only one hit. So far in his freshman season, Andrews has pitched in eight games, throwing nine innings with a 7.00 ERA. Andrews has struck out five and walked two.

Rachel Peel: The Meredith catcher went 1-for-3 against Ferrum in sweeping a first-round USA Conference Series on Friday. Meredith advanced to face Covenant on Friday. In 19 games this season, Peel has hit .280 with one home run and seven RBIs.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper earned the win on Sunday as Greensboro College defeated Randolph College 9-7. Tanner made nine saves. Tanner is 8-8 for the Pride this season. Tanner is third in the USA South Atlantic Conference (Division III) with 150 saves and is 5th with an 8.96 goals against average.

Cole Churchill: Now a junior defenseman with Randolph-Macon, Churchill has seen action in nine games. Last week, Churchill got the start in the Yellow Jackets’ 10-7 at Bridgewater, Virginia.

Bowen Collins: The former Orange High midfielder fired two shots as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Lincoln Memorial 14-11 on Saturday. The Bears are now 12-1, ranked #3 in Division II. They lead the South Atlantic Conference with a 5-0 league mark. This season in eight games, Collins has scored four goals and two assists.

Zack Wright: The former Orange attacker started and got off two shots in Mars Hill’s 19-7 loss at Queens. This season, Wright has played in three games and scored two goals.

Koren Mangal and Wyatt Jones each scored four goals on Thursday night as Orange defeated Riverside 16-4 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on Wednesday night.

The Panthers improved to 2-2 under first-year head coach Chandler Zirkle.

Dylan Boyer added a hat trick, while Caleb Davis and Jeremy Carter each scored two goals. Andy Sollars added another goal for Orange.

It was the 2nd straight win for the Panthers, who defeated Eastern Alamance last Thursday at Auman Stadium for its first win under Zirkle.

Mia Davidson: Last week, Davidson was named the SEC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Davidson knocked eight hits, six of which went for extra bases, as the Bulldogs earned wins over Boston College, Illinois and UMass Lowell. Davidson is the first Bulldog to be honored with the award twice in a season since pitcher Alexis Silkwood in 2014. Over the weekend, Mississippi State took two of three games in its opening conference series against Missouri in Columbia, MO. In the Bulldogs’ 4-0 victory on Friday, Davidson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. In Sunday’s 6-3 Mississippi State win, Davidson hit her 10th homer of the year in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning, she drew a bases-loaded walk for her 29th RBI, tied for the team lead.

Brad Debo: For the first time in program history, N.C. State completed a three-game sweep at Clemson over the weekend. N.C. State is now 18-3, 5-1 in the ACC. Former Orange catcher Brad Debo started all three games, drawing two walks in Friday’s 4-0 win over the Tigers. Last Tuesday in an 15-11 win over UNC Asheville, Debo went 2-for-2 with an RBI single.

Mackenzie Cates: The Lenoir-Rhyne softball team went 6-0 last week, running its winning streak to 13. Former Orange catcher Mackenzie Cates hit .347 for the week, including a home run during the second game of a 3-1 doubleheader win over Tusculum in Greensville, Tennessee. In the opening game of the doubleheader against Pioneers, Cates went 2-for-4. On Thursday, the Bears swept a doubleheader from USC-Aiken in Aiken, South Carolina on scores of 9-0 and 5-0. In the opening game of the doubleheader, Cates went 2-for-4 and scored three runs. In the final game, Cates again went 2-for-4. This season, Cates is hitting .351 with seven doubles. She leads the team with five home runs and 21 RBIs.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge Goalkeeper made eight saves while facing 41 shots against Huntingdon in a 5-4 loss in a USA South Athletic Conference (Division III) match in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday. Tanner has started eleven games this season, recording a 6-4 record. He is 5th in the South Atlantic Conference with an 8.21 Goals Against Average and 7th with a 48.9% save percentage. Greensboro is 7-4 on the season.

Brandon Andrews: In his freshman year with Nicholls, Andrews threw two-thirds of an inning in the first game of a doubleheader against Houston Baptist in a 13-4 loss on Saturday. Andrews gave up two hits and an earned run. On Friday, Andrews threw 1 and two-thirds innings of middle relief, giving up one hit and striking out one as the Colonels defeated HBU 5-4.

Rachel Peel: Rachel Peel had a double as Meredith rallied to defeat Averett University 8-7 on Saturday. Peel also started in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Greensboro College.

Bowen Collins: The former Orange High star assisted on a goal as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Tusculum 14-10 on Saturday. On the season, Collins has played in five games, scoring two goals and two assists. The Bears are now #3 Division II team in the country with an 8-1 record, 2-0 in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne has won 18 consecutive South Atlantic Conference regular season games.

Jordan Toney: In UNC Pembroke’s 12-6 win over Winston-Salem State on Friday, Toney threw a shutout inning of relief. The Braves are now ranked #25 in Division II.

Cole Churchill:  A former Cedar Ridge defenseman, Churchill saw action for Randolph-Macon on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets lost to Washington & Lee 12-6.

Chandler Zirkle grew up in a lacrosse family. He played at East Chapel Hill, where he was coached by his father, Franklin. He led the Wildcats to a state championship game, before lacrosse was even sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. He played at Guilford College, where he scored 29 goals in four years…and was the President of the school’s German Club. On Thursday night, he earned his first victory as Orange Head Coach after Koren Mangal scored the game-winning goal with :39 remaining as the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 7-6.

Orange Lacrosse Coach Chandler Zirkle Discusses 1st Win as Head Coach

Chandler Zirkle grew up in a lacrosse family. He played at East Chapel Hill, where he was coached by his father, Franklin. He led the Wildcats to a state championship game, before lacrosse was even sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.