Orange Football

Battling injuries over the past four years, Orange senior Luke Cecil was named All-Central Conference for the first time last fall. His will to win led him to play against Eastern Alamance in his final regular season game last October even though he had an injured foot. After the game, Cecil learned he had actually broken his foot. On Monday night, Cecil formally signed with Division III Methodist University. Also on hand was his father, Anthony; his mother, Robin and his sister, Sadie. Also there was Luke’s head coach since his sophomore year, DeVante’ Pettiford, and longtime Orange assistant coach Eric Stephens. Luke started playing football when he was six years old in the Hawfields community. He went on to play at Gravelly Hill Middle School and spent all four years at Orange on the varsity. During his junior season, Cecil reached the 3A State Playoffs. This season, he helped block Ja’ki McDaniels for three touchdowns in the win at Chapel Hill, the first time the Panthers defeated the Tigers since 2019. Cecil has a career in criminal justice in mind once he’s done with football. It’s been a busy year for the Cecil family. In February, his sister Sadie signed to play softball at Mars Hill College.

Orange football Offensive Lineman of the Year: Luke Cecil, commits to Methodist University

Battling injuries over the past four years, Orange senior Luke Cecil was named All-Central Conference for the first time last fall. His will to win led him to play against Eastern Alamance in his final regular season game last October even though he had an injured foot.

As Orange football enters a new conference in August, they will also have a new man leading the program.

After three seasons, DeVante’ Pettiford submitted his resignation last Monday. In a statement released on social media last week, Pettiford said “Panther Football Family, I have decided to step down from my position of Head Football Coach at Orange High School. It was 100% my decision! Thank you to staff, admin, and students at OHS. Most importantly, THANK YOU to every player I have coached during my time at Orange High School. It’s deeper than football X’s and O’s. I will always be there for you. ONCE A PANTHER, ALWAYS A PANTHER.”

Pettiford didn’t return DMs from Hillsboroughsports.com for comment.

When asked last Wednesday, Orange principal Jason Johnson referred to a statement released by the school that read, in part, “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Coach Pettiford for his time, dedication and leadership as the head football coach at Orange High School. Coach Pettiford has poured his passion into the program, both on and off the field and we are truly grateful for the positive impact he has had on our student-athletes.”

The statement went on to wish him the best in his future endeavors.

As recently as last weekend, Pettiford was at the Carolina Coaches Combine in Greensboro where he oversaw workouts with some of his now-former players.

Since the end of last season, when Orange finished 2-8 after a close loss at Eastern Alamance in the season-finale, Pettiford has overseen offseason workouts. He also spoke at ceremonies inside Orange High Gymnasium for fullback Jayden Medley, who signed with Barton College and offensive lineman Joseph Logan, who signed with Bluffton University in Ohio.

Pettiford’s departure led to some unhappy parents and former players to start an online petition on Facebook demanding his return.

Pettiford was hired by former athletic director Mike McCauley in the spring of 2023 following the retirement of Van Smith. He was the first Black head football coach in Orange High history. Just like Smith, Pettfiord worked with a program that struggled to regain the talent of the mid-2010s, when Division I prospects Payton Wilson, Stone Edwards, Garrett Cloer, Bryse Wilson (who had several FCS football offers before his Major League Baseball career) and Keyshawn Thompson helped Orange to five consecutive 10-win seasons and three straight conference championships.

Dealing with diminishing skill levels is inevitable for any school over the mists of time. Dealing with declining participation is another, and Pettiford guided the program while in the midst of a nadir in football numbers at Orange, which wasn’t his fault.

In 2023, his second year as head coach, Orange didn’t field a junior varsity team for the first time in program history, aside from the pandemic year of 2021. As participation improved at its top feeder school, Orange Middle School, the Panthers resumed a junior varsity schedule last fall, when they finished 1-9.

Pettiford’s first win as Orange head coach came at Granville Central in September 2023. His entire team autographed the game ball and presented it to him postgame. He finished 2-8 in 2022.

Just like Person and Cedar Ridge, the Panthers had a difficult time against the Alamance County buzzsaw in the Central Conference. Orange went 0-12 against Alamance County conference opponents during Pettiford’s tenure, though Person and Cedar Ridge never defeated any of the Alamance schools over the past four years, either.

In 2023, Orange made the state playoffs for the first time in six years with a 3-8 overall record. The Panthers opened the year by beating Southeast Alamance in the Stallions’ first-ever game. Orange also defeated Montgomery Central. They would fall to conference rival Southern Alamance in the opening round of the playoffs in Graham.

Pettiford saw the resurrection of Orange football under Moser firsthand as a young defensive lineman. He graduated from Orange in 2011 after playing on a 2-8 team, but his last game was a stunning 14-11 win at Chapel Hill that knocked the Tigers out of the state playoffs. It was the beginning of Orange’s dominance across the entirety of Orange County that stretched across the remainder of the decade.

A native of Cedar Grove, Pettiford played at Division II Virginia State and appeared in two games for the 2014 team that won the CIAA Championship. He played in 12 games at Virginia State overall, including one at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles. After graduation, he returned home and served as an assistant for Moser and Smith during the golden era of Orange football.

There was hope that Pettiford was on the precipice of something special once again. Orange Middle School has won the last two Orange Person Athletic Conference championships. Many, though not all, of the players coming from the middle school will be at Orange next year when they start playing in the new Tarheel Heartland Conference.

Joseph Logan became a success story playing for the Orange football team over the past two years. After transferring from Northern Durham, Logan became an offensive lineman who establishing himself blocking for the likes of Nate Sorrells, Ja’ki McDaniels and Jayden Medley against the largest teams the Central Conference has to offer. Logan signed with the Division III Bluffton Beavers out of Bluffton, Ohio during a ceremony inside Orange High Gymnasium last month. On hand for the ceremony was Samiya Logan, Sharon Moore and Lanita Moore. Logan was a big part of the reason why Orange defeated Chapel Hill last September for the first time since 2019. Blocking alongside center Luke Cecil, Logan helped pave the way for McDaniels to score three rushing touchdowns against the Tigers at Culton-Peerman Stadium. Logan is one of the rare offensive linemen to run track and field. Just last week, Logan competed in the 100 yard and 200 yard dash during Orange’s meet against Eastern Alamance, Western Alamance and Person inside Auman Stadium. On Wednesday night, Logan was one of the seniors honored during the Orange men’s and women’s final home meet of the season against Person and Cedar Ridge. Logan will graduate in June, then journey north to start his college football career in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Orange offensive lineman Joseph Logan discusses signing with Bluffton University

Joseph Logan became a success story playing for the Orange football team over the past two years. After transferring from Northern Durham, Logan became an offensive lineman who establishing himself blocking for the likes of Nate Sorrells, Ja’ki McDaniels and Jayden Medley against the largest teams the Central Conference has to offer.

Since he moved to North Carolina from Maryland with his father Dawayne and mother Katie, Jayden Medley has been a force in two sports. He arrived to Orange High after a year in Clayton and immediately made a difference with the Panther football team. On Tuesday, Medley signed with the Division II Barton College football team out of Wilson. Last year, Medley had many memorable moments. There was an interception return against Chapel Hill, Orange’s first win over its longtime rival since 2019. Medley’s return was depicted in a picture by Hillsboroughsports.com photographer Jacques Morin that has become so iconic within the Medley household, Dawayne Medley had a t-shirt designed from it. Medley also had 20 tackles against Walter Williams in Burlington last October, along with 15 tackles in his final home game against Southern Alamance. In his final game at Orange, Medley and 15 tackles against Eastern Alamance in Mebane. Medley was also a champion wrestler for Orange, winning the 215-pound title at the Central Conference championships at Williams High in February. He captured the Eagle Invitational in Mebane last December. On Tuesday, Medley formally signed his letter of intent to play at Barton with Dawayne and Katie by his side, along with many of his teammates and Orange football coach DeVante Pettiford.

Orange football’s Jayden Medley signs with Barton College

Since he moved to North Carolina from Maryland with his father Dawayne and mother Katie, Jayden Medley has been a force in two sports. He arrived to Orange High after a year in Clayton and immediately made a difference with the Panther football team.

Appeals from Orange High Principal Jason Johnson and athletic director Jason Knapp apparently didn’t sway the North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment committee.

On February 14, the committee released its third draft of conferences that will go into effect in August, based on the new, expanded eight classification model by the NCHSAA, which is shifting away from the traditional four classifications.

The latest draft keeps Cedar Ridge and Orange as 5A teams. They would be in a conference with Durham School of the Arts, Seaforth, South Granville, J.F. Webb and Carrboro.

The only change from the prior two drafts is the inclusion of Carrboro, which is currently classified as a 4A team. The other six teams would be 5A. It would make the new conference, which is yet to be finalized or named, a split 5A-4A league. In previous drafts, Carrboro was penciled in for a league with Southwestern Randolph, Jordan-Matthews, Uwharrie Charter, Eastern Randolph, North Moore and Northwood.

Since 2021, Cedar Ridge and Orange have competed in the Central Conference with teams primarily based in Alamance County. It started with Western Alamance, Eastern Alamance, Walter Williams, Person, Northwood and the two Hillsborough schools. In 2023, Southern Alamance replaced Northwood, which dropped down to 2A.

If Johnson and Knapp had their way, Orange would be in a league that maintains rivalries with Alamance and Person County schools. On February 4, Johnson and Knapp made their appeals heard in front of the realignment committee in Chapel Hill.

“In a nutshell, our students are going to have to be out of class longer,” Knapp said. “That schedule keeps our students in class longer and it’s more beneficial to us as an athletic department.”

Currently, the longest distance for a conference game for Orange High is the trek to Western Alamance. 28 miles separates Orange from Western Alamance. Cedar Ridge’s longest road trip is Person, which is 29 miles, or about 45-50 minutes via bus.

On top of that, Alamance County Schools have traditional media outlets. While the Burlington Times-News scaled back its sports division in 2019, they still have consistent sports coverage. Bob Sutton, the longtime Sports Editor of the Times-News, is now a writer for the weekly Alamance News.

The presence has helped Alamance County Schools retain a strong fan base amid a growing district. Over the weekend, there were solid turnouts at Orange High School as the Western Alamance women’s basketball team and the Eastern Alamance men’s basketball team competed during the Central Conference Tournament in Hillsborough.

“Alamance County schools travel well,” Knapp said. “The proximity isn’t very far. You have Eastern Alamance 20 minutes away. Southeast Alamance 20 minutes away. Southern (Alamance) and (Walter) Williams are probably 30 minutes.”

Under the proposed new conference, Orange would have a 47-mile trip for conference games at Webb High School in Oxboro. The Panthers would travel 36 miles for conference games against Seaforth in Chatham County.

Cedar Ridge would travel 48 miles to Oxford and 30 miles to Seaforth. Both the Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s basketball teams had road trips to Seaforth and DSA this season.

Among Knapp’s major concerns is not just varsity sports.

“All the schools over there (Alamance County) have very good JV and varsity programs,” Knapp said. “To go along with that, we’re not really sure if that would be available in the new conference if that’s going to be available as far as junior varsity programs.”

Durham School of the Arts is the current incarnation of Durham High School, which traces it roots all the way back to 1906. Once a rival to Orange High, Durham High became a magnet school in 1995 after winning a football title the old Crescent Conference. Since it was rebranded Durham School of the Arts, the institution has never fielded a football team.

As Orange and Cedar Ridge wait for the final decision from the realignment committee, football scheduling for 2025 has been delayed. With potentially only six teams fielding football teams in the new league, local athletic directors have been unclear about how many non-conference games will be required for next year.

“That concerns us, as well,” Knapp said. “We feel like we need to do what’s best for Orange High School. Our student-athletes are our biggest concern.”

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.”

A dominant defensive display led the Orange Middle School Chargers football team to its second consecutive Orange Person Athletic Conference championship on Wednesday night. The Chargers held the Raiders to ten yards total offense and forced five turnovers in a 22-0 win at Auman Stadium. In the third quarter, Amir Johnson knocked the ball away from Raiders quarterback Kasen Evans that was recovered by Ayden DeVor, who ran the ball back 22 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Brayden Robbins threw a shovel pass to wide receiver Cam Royster for an 8-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter to give the Chargers the lead. Robbins also scored on the subsequent 2-point conversion. Royster made an interception in the fourth quarter. In the opening frame, Robbins, playing as a defensive back, recovered a fumble along the Raiders sideline. In the fourth quarter, Johnson received the lion’s share of carries as the Panthers started to run the clock out. Asher DeVore would score the final Charger touchdown of the season on a 28-yard touchdown run. Orange’s first-team defense only allowed 20 points all season. They finished the year 9-0 and handed the Raiders its first shutout of the season. Many of the Chargers who were instrumental on defense were 7th graders, leading OMS to even more promise for the 2025 season.

Orange Middle’s Royster, DeVore, Johnson, DeVore & Robbins discuss winning the OPAC Football title

A dominant defensive display led the Orange Middle School Chargers football team to its second consecutive Orange Person Athletic Conference championship on Wednesday night. The Chargers held the Raiders to ten yards total offense and forced five turnovers in a 22-0 win at Auman Stadium.

As the Orange Middle School football team gathered to receive its second consecutive OPAC Football Championship trophy in front of parents and fans, their athletic director reminded them of the importance of celebrating success quietly.

It was just as well. During the proceeding 90 minutes, the Chargers defense was as calm as a bomb.

Orange Middle forced five turnovers and held the Northern Raiders to ten yards total offense for a 22-0 victory in the Orange Person Athletic Conference championship game at Auman Stadium on Wednesday night. It was the Chargers 2nd straight OPAC title. They finished the season with a 9-0 record.

There was more than just the allure of a championship that provided incentive for the Chargers. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson, who played at OMS when it was known as Stanford Middle School, sent in a video wishing the team good luck in the lead up to the game. Playing under the bright lights of Auman Stadium as opposed to their middle school stadium down the hill from Orange High, the Chargers marched up together as a team and into the stadium to face their biggest out-of-town rival.

It was Northern Middle who came closest to beating the Chargers during the regular season, scoring 20 points in a September matchup in Roxboro. It took a last minute touchdown from Orange’s Cam Royster and a 2-point run by Robbins to secure the win.

On Wednesday night, the Orange defense made sure no late heroics would be required to beat the Raiders this time. Northern was shutout for the first time all season and contained to four first downs.

“This was the best team I’ve ever coached,” said Orange Middle head coach Jamie Bailey. “Our defense has shut down teams all year long. Our defense line was the most important thing. They were dominant all year long. The defensive line is what makes the defense, man. If you can get pressure and create chaos, you get turnovers, that makes a big difference.”

Ayden DeVore, Amir Johnson, Jakia Rawles and Asher DeVore all recorded tackles for loss for the Chargers in the opening 16 minutes.

The first half was a battle of field position where Orange steadily gained control, though they endured a few missed scoring opportunities. Chargers running back Wilbert Torain had a 25-yard touchdown run called back because of a holding penalty on Orange’s first play from scrimmage.

Brayden Robbins, playing as a defensive back, recovered a long pass thrown across the field by Northern quarterback Kasen Evans that was ruled a lateral and, thus, a fumble. Following the change of possession, Robbins ran the ball on offense to the Raiders 6-yard line on a 12-yard run, Northern’s Jamir McClain stepped in front of a screen pass for an interception where Robbins raced him down from behind for a touchdown-saving tackle with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter.

“Brayden is tough,” Bailey said. “Brayden is a man.”

On the very next play, the Chargers won the ball back when Rawles recovered a fumble created off an edge rush by Ayden Devore.

To open the second quarter, the Chargers Asher DeVore and Amir Johnson teamed up to sack Evans on a 4th-and-13, which led to Orange’s first touchdown. Robbins took off around right end for a 26-yard gain on a designed keeper to penetrate the Raiders red zone. On a second-and-goal, Robbins scooped it to Cam Royster on a shovel pass for a touchdown with 5:04 remaining in the first half. Robbins turned the left corner on a keeper to dance in the end zone on the 2-point conversion.

The Raiders had its only sustained drive of the night on their next series. It started when running back Daelyn Washington ran for 12 yards. Later, Washington would convert a 4th-and-2 by a whisker, but Evans was sacked by Johnson on the next play. On 4th down, Evans threw long to Kazorian Thorpe, who was wide open. But Charger defensive back Jakob Silinski got over to batter the pass away to end the drive.

“Silinski is a guy who has been playing offense all year long,” Bailey said. “Tonight, we decided to play him at cornerback. He’s been begging me to play cornerback. So we took him off offense so he could focus on defense. He had a heckuva game.”

The Chargers defense dominated the second half. After the Raiders drove to the Chargers 31-yard line, Amir Johnson wrestled the ball away from Evans. The loose ball was scooped up by Ayden DeVore, who ran 23 yards for a defensive touchdown. Robbins scored the 2-point conversion to vault the Chargers to a 16-0 lead with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter.

Royster ended the third quarter with an interception of an Evans pass.

Orange went into ball control mode to open the fourth quarter with Johnson getting the main share of the carries out of the I-formation. After Johnson ran for eleven yards, Asher DeVore took a handoff from the fullback position and broke free around right guard for a 28-yard touchdown run.

Torain sacked Evans on the next Raiders drive, jarring the ball free. Jamyrie Thompson recovered the loose ball.

The Raiders had another chance to score on its final drive when McClain threw the ball on a trick play to Evans, but once again Silinski batted the ball free, a perfect cap to a perfect defensive night.

Best of all for Orange Middle, many of the players who asserted themselves defensively were seventh graders who are set to return with a third consecutive OPAC Championship on their minds for 2025.

But that can wait. On Wednesday night, it was all about celebrating properly.

“It means everything,” Bailey said. “Just trying to get football back going in Orange County. That way, we can feed it to the high schools and get them going again. I’m proud of this team, but I’m not surprised. I knew we were going to have a good team and we proved that. This is my favorite team I’ve ever coached.”

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