Orange Men’s Lacrosse

After years of waiting to reach the Eastern Regional Championship game, the Orange lacrosse team didn’t reach its previously uncharted plateau with a last minute goal or a big save in the waning seconds. Instead, the Panthers simply dominated Carrboro 13-4 in the fourth round of the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs on Thursday night at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. Junior Tigh Metheny scored five goals. Metheny’s classmate, Jake Wimsatt, notched three goals, three assists and 16 face-off wins. Connor Kruse added two goals and three assists as the Panthers extended its school record for most wins in a season with 17. Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wolter had four saves as the Panthers secured a spot in the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship game for the first time in school history. Thus far in the state playoffs, Orange has defeated Carrboro, South Brunswick and Walter Williams by a combined score of 48-19. The Panthers will get the weekend off, then prepare to face the winner of Saturday’s other Eastern Regional semifinal game between Croatan and First Flight. Orange will host the Eastern Regional Championship game on Tuesday night at Auman Stadium. 

The term “uncharted waters” has been a term used well beyond the point of redundancy dove the past two years, mainly in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tonight, the Orange lacrosse team has a chance to reach uncharted waters in a much more beneficial way. They could become the first lacrosse team in school history to reach the Eastern Regional Championship game of the NCHSAA 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs.

On Tuesday night, the Panthers turned back to the challenge of Walter Williams 17-10 at Auman Stadium in front of the strongest home crowd of the season in the State Playoffs. Orange (16-2) defeated the Bulldogs for the third time this season to advance to the State Quarterfinals.

Junior midfielder Jake Wimsatt scored a season-high five goals and nine points, while sophomore Connor Kruse added four goals and two assists. Kruse now has 75 goals and 131 points this season.

Wimsatt, a tight end for the Orange football team, also won 22 face-offs.

Junior Joe Cady had his second consecutive hat trick in a state playoff game. Cady has scored 42 goals and eight hat tricks in 2022.

Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Wolter finished with six saves before being replaced by senior Austin Dillard in the fourth quarter.

Andrew Harris and Tigh Metheny each scored two goals for Orange. Josh Crabtree tacked on another. Josh Cowan scooped up four ground balls.

The Panthers advanced to the state quarterfinals for the second straight year. Last season, Orange knocked off Northwood in the round of 16, only to lose to East Chapel Hill to end its campaign.

Orange coach Chandler Zirkle, in his fifth season, has taken a program that was largely in the shadow of crosstown rival Cedar Ridge in 2016 and has won back-to-back conference championships and playoff wins in the last three state tournaments. His father Franklin, who won the 2006 North Carolina Lacrosse Association State Championship at East Chapel Hill and over 200 games at East and Leesville Road, joined the Orange staff as an assistant this season.

Chandler Zirkle played lacrosse for his father at East Chapel Hill, a sport that had high expectations and lots of success. Chandler also played football at East, which had low expectations and, in his own words, “terrible teams.”

But the leadership under then-East football coach Darian Harris and his staff wasn’t terrible. Harris, a former wide receiver at Hillside High School in the early 90s, introduced Chandler to a leadership council. During Chandler’s senior year, Harris worked with him on a leadership book.

This past winter, Chandler dug up that book and figured it could come in handy for his 2022 Orange team that had just five seniors and lost its top scorers, Ryan Merrill and Caleb Davis, from last year.

“I really enjoyed working with Darian,” Chandler said. “I found my old book. I thought it would be worthwhile for players who hadn’t played a lot to learn their own leadership styles and how to handle it. Early on this year, we had some bickering. It’s just the growing pains of how to handle things and situations during preseason play.”

On Mondays, Zirkle led leadership development sessions with 10-12 players. They would gather on Mondays to learn end-of-game situations, how Zirkle would communicate with them, how to react when a team is down by three goals with ten minutes remaining, and how to react when they’re leading by five goals going into the fourth quarter.

“We still need to handle that part a little better,” Zirkle said.

The final four teams in the East Region in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs are Orange, Carrboro, First Flight and Croatan. First Flight defeated Cedar Ridge 14-10 in Kill Devil Hills on Tuesday night.

Tonight’s game will be Carrboro’s fourth of the state playoffs. After losing to Cedar Ridge in the regular season finale two weeks ago, the Jaguars opened the state playoffs with a first round victory over Terry Sanford 8-5 at Jaguars Stadium. In the second round, Carrboro held off Vance Charter 6-4 in Henderson.

If Orange wins tonight, they will host the Eastern Regional Championship game on Tuesday night at Auman Stadium.

For the second year in a row, the Orange lacrosse team has advanced to the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Walter Williams Bulldogs 17-10 in the 3rd round of the state playoffs at Auman Stadium. Junior Jake Wimsatt and sophomore Connor Kruse each scored four goals for Orange, who defeated the Bulldogs for the third time this season. Katie Wolter earned the victory as Orange’s goalkeeper in front of the largest crowd of the season at Auman Stadium. Tigh Metheny, who scored eight points in Orange’s win over South Brunswick in the 2nd round of the state playoffs on Tuesday night, had another strong game. Last year, Orange defeated Northwood to reach the state quarterfinals, where they lost to East Chapel Hill. Later this week, the Panthers will face another team from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School System in Carrboro, who defeated Cape Fear in Fayetteville on Tuesday night. The state quarterfinal matchup could be moved to Thursday because of the threat of rain on Friday. If Orange beats the Jaguars, they will play for the Eastern Regional Championship for the first time in school history. 

Lacrosse: Orange 18, South Brunswick 5: Following an undefeated run through the Mid-Carolina Conference championship, the Orange lacrosse team comfortably moved into the Round of 16 of the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs with an easy victory over South Brunswick on Thursday night at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough.

Sophomore Connor Kruse score seven goals for the Panthers, who improved to 9-1 at home this season. Kruse leads Orange with 71 goals and 123 points. Junior Joe Cady, who scored six goals against Eastern Alamance on April 26, finished with three goals. It was his fifth hat trick of the season.

Tigh Metheny finished with six assists along with two goals. Metheny is second on the team with 60 points. Jake Wimsatt won all ten of his face-offs as orange never trailed against the Vikings.

Sophomore Katie Wolter earned the win as Orange goalkeeper. She has a 10-2 record in 2022. Freshman Luke Nevius, who was called up from the junior varsity squad, played in the second half.

Orange (15-2) advanced to the Round of 16 in the 3A/2A/1A/ State Playoffs for the second straight year. The Panthers will host Walter Williams on Tuesday night at Auman Stadium. The Bulldogs pulled an upset on Thursday, surprising Northwood 12-10 in Pittsboro. Williams trailed 10-7 late in the third quarter, but shut out the Chargers 5-0 in the fourth quarter for its second win over Northwood this year.

Orange swept the regular season series from Williams. The Panthers held off the Bulldogs 13-11 in Burlington on March 24. On April 22, Orange shutout the Bulldogs in the final 12:07 to win 12-8. Kruse scored five goals in an Orange win that largely secured the Mid-Carolina Conference championship.

Women’s Soccer: Orange 3, Northwood 2

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Orange women’s soccer team is on the verge of making the 3A State Playoffs for the first time since 2017.

On Wednesday night, junior Sydney Rogers scored the game-winning goal off a free kick from 22 yards away to push Orange past Northwood 3-2 at Orange Soccer Field in Hillsborough. With the win, the Lady Panthers improved to 9-6-1 overall, 8-3 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Lady Panthers are tied with Walter Williams in the loss column for second place.

Last Monday, the Lady Panthers rolled past Person 6-0 at Rocket Field in Roxboro. Junior Abby Montieth, who usually is the Orange goalkeeper, scored two goals. Senior Bella Brown added another goal. Freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy and Caroline Cathey added goals for Orange, as did junior Kitcia Castanada.

On April 27, Orange completed a season sweep of Cedar Ridge. The Lady Panthers defeated the Red Wolves 3-0 at Orange Soccer Field. Montieth earned the win in net after she played the opening 65 minutes. Junior Kate Barger played the final 15 minutes.

Destiny Lily Crayton, Sullivan Gaddy and Cathey all scored goals for Orange. Junior Isabel Jones, Allison Torkewitz and Brown added assists.

Orange will travel to Eastern Alamance, who leads the Central Carolina Conference, to wrap up its regular season on Wednesday night. The brackets for the 3A State Tournament will be unveiled on Friday.