Brooks scores three touchdowns as Orange slays Vipers 22-8
Photo by Bernard Thomas
In its most basic form, the double wing offense is built on power and deception.
If it’s operated the way it’s supposed to, the double wing can wear opposing defenses down, generate long drives that takes lots of time off the clock, keep an potentially explosive quarterback off the field and puts the ball in the hands of many skill players, if they’re available.
In other words, basically what Orange did on Saturday night.
After an early hiccup, Orange scored 22 unanswered points to defeat Vance County 22-8 at Auman Stadium. Senior Eric Brooks, who had never scored in his varsity career, finished with three touchdowns.
No less than ten players registered carries for Orange as they piled up a season-high 238 rushing yards in its second game with a new look offense engineered by senior quarterback Jayce Hodges, who replaced the now-departed Nigel Slanker against Northern Durham on March 12.
Orange is 2-1, the first time since September 2017 that the Panthers have been over .500.
“(Offensive coordinator) Coach (Marty) Scotten told the guys after the game that the style we’re running can run down the opposing team,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “You can tell they got worn down. They were taking knees in between plays.”
After being held to a dismal 50 yards total offense and three first downs in the season opener against Southern Durham, Orange’s new double wing alignment has shown week-to-week improvement. Against Northern Durham, the Panthers had 151 yards, ten first downs, but finished 3-of-11 on 3rd down conversions. Against Vance County, they had 250 yards total offense, a season-high 16 first downs and was 8-of-15 on 3rd down conversions.
Orange shifted the pace of the game midway through the second quarter, when Vance County held an 8-7 lead. With 8:23 remaining in the first half, Orange started a drive at its own 11-yard line. From that point forward the Panthers ran 30 of the next 36 plays from scrimmage.
Orange opened the second half with a 10-play, 66-yard drive that took 4:59 off the clock, but it easily could have fizzled earlier. On 3rd-and-10, J.J. Torres took the ball from Elliott Woods on a double handoff and pushed forward for a 12-yard gain to move the sticks. And the shape of the game changed.
Orange began finding more running room as the Vance County defensive front logged more minutes. Brooks dashed around right end for a 13-yard gain to barge into the red zone, then scored his second touchdown over right guard. He also added the two-point conversion to push Orange ahead 14-8.
On the next Vance County play, Hodges intercepted a pass that was tipped by Elijah Dansler. Hodges returned the interception 34 yards. On third-and-goal, Brooks cashed in for the third touchdown.
For the second week in a row, Orange’s opponent got a touchdown on its opening drive and didn’t score again. Vance County Carl Stephens broke two Orange tackles and won a footrace to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Israel Terry’s pass on the two-point conversion was tipped by Connor Ray, but caught by Kevon Burton only 30 seconds into the game.
Stephens had 80 yards rushing after the first drive, but finished with 86.
After scuffling on its first two drives, Brooks’ first touchdown came with :13 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter. After Jackson Wood converted a 4th-and-1 from the Vipers 35-yard line, Brooks carried the ball on a end sweep and followed the blocks of Jaylen Partin and Brendon Worsham to turn the corner into the end zone.
Late in the third quarter, Vance County had a classic Griswald Drive, going 12 plays and 63 yards only to find that Wally World was closed. Terry converted two 3rd downs, including a scramble for 15 yards to the Orange 29-yard line. Terry hit Stephens for a 7-yard gain to put the ball in the red zone, but the drive ended after an incompletion on fourth down courtesy of a pressure by Orange defensive lineman Will Torain.
Vance County’s last two drives ended with interceptions by Panther junior safety Elijah Danley, including one on the final play of the game.
Orange will start the second half of the season against Northwood in Pittsboro on Friday. Last year, the Chargers had a 24-6 lead against the Panthers, only to lose in overtime.
With Southern Durham in the driver’s seat for a second consecutive conference crown, next week’s game could decide who received the second playoff birth from the Big 8.
“It’s exciting to see those guys develop and grow confidence in the offensive line,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “They’re getting confidence in their quarterback and themselves. It’s fun to watch.”
ORANGE 22, VANCE COUNTY 8
VC–8 0 0 0-8
OR–7 0 15 0-22
VC–Carl Stephens 70 run (Israel Terry to Kevon Burton)
OR-Eric Brooks 31 run (Darius Satterfield kick)
OR-Brooks 5 run (Brooks run)
OR-Brooks 1 run (Satterfield kick)
RUSHING–Vance County 27-193 (Carl Stephens 5-86 TD, Israel Terry 11-55, Dave Vines-Holder 8-54, Chico Taylor 2-2)
ORANGE–58-238 (Brooks 9-76 3TD, J.J. Torres 14-63, Elliott Woods 14-27, Nate Sorrells 3-25, Jayce Hodges 5-18, Connor Ray 3-13, Nate Hecht 2-13, Jackson Wood 2-3, Jabari Albright 2-2, Will Torian 3-0, team 1-(-2))
PASSING–VANCE COUNTY 3-18 18 yards 3 INT (Allen 3-17 18 yards 3 INT, Sai Mir best 0-1)
ORANGE (Hodges 1-4 12 yards)
RECEIVING–VANCE COUNTY (Kemarrues Jones 1-7, Stephens 1-4, Burton 1-4)
ORANGE (Woods 1-12)
Orange’s Eric Brooks talks 3 touchdown night in Vance County win
Orange’s Eric Brooks scored three rushing touchdowns in the Panthers 22-6 win over Vance County on Saturday night at Auman Stadium. With Orange trailing 8-0 late in the first quarter, Brooks scored on a sweep from 32 yards out. On Orange’s first drive of the second quarter, Brooks ended a 10-play, 56-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, then tacked on the 2-point run for good measure. Brooks ended the night with a career-best 76 rushing yards as Orange defeated Vance County for the first time in school history. Brooks also started in the secondary on defense. Since adjusting to a double wing offense last week, Brooks has been one of the highlight backs in a rushing heavy attack. The Panthers will travel to Northwood next week in a game that could determine a spot in the state playoffs.
The 1st Hillsbrough Hardcore Champion: Orange’s Dari’us Matkins
We’re introducing a new honor on Hillsboroughsports.com. We’re honoring the interior lineman who best leads his team to victory, even if he doesn’t stand out on the stat sheet. It’s the Hillsborough Hardcore Championship, and the very first honoree is Orange guard/defensive tackle, senior Dari’us Matkins. On Saturday night against Vance County, Matkins was the leader on an offensive line that rushed for a season-best 225 yards as the Panthers defeated the Vipers 22-8. Against Northern Durham last week, Matkins made two tackles for loss as Orange defeated the Knights 7-6. Matkins has been a grizzled veteran of the offensive line the past three years. We’re honored to highlight the first Hillsborough Hardcore Champion, Orange’s Dari’us Matkins.
Woods, Wood and the Wishbone helps Orange pull 7-6 upset of Northern
DURHAM–One good throwback deserves another.
Last year, Northern coach John Hammett, after losing starting quarterback Kyle Barnhill against Southern Durham, installed a wishbone offense in time for its game against Orange. With converted wide receiver Caleb Steele at quarterback, Northern piled up a season-high 285 rushing yards on an unsuspecting Panther defense in a 31-14 victory in Hillsborough.
Fast forward 18 months. Coming off a 20-0 loss to Southern Durham last week in its season-opener, Orange learned Monday that starting quarterback Nigel Slanker would miss the Northern game with a back injury.
Orange coach Van Smith and his assistant decided it was time for a crash course in the wishbone. Senior Jayce Hodges, who ran the offense as quarterback at Stanford Middle School, would be the conductor.
Part of the reason for the change was to simplify things. The previous week against Southern Durham, the Panthers lost 36 yards in botched shotgun snaps that went over Slanker’s head. Orange finished with a paltry 65 yards total offense.
On Friday night, Orange’s step back to basics led to the end of its two-game losing streak against Northern Durham.
Elliott Woods scored the Panthers’ only touchdown as Orange (1-1) defeated Northern Durham 7-6 at Durham County Memorial Stadium. Darius Satterfield’s extra point was the margin of victory.
The Panthers, who compiled 25 rushing yards and four first downs against Southern, had 112 rushing yards and ten first downs against the Knights. In the final Big 8 conference game between the two teams, it was Orange’s third win at Durham County Stadium over Northern (1-2) in its last four visits.
“We just wanted to get the quarterback under center,” Orange Coach Van Smith said. “We had so many snap issues last week. It was a good idea by (offensive coordinator) Marty Scotten and the assistants because we didn’t have a single fumble on a quarterback-center exchange tonight. Jace knew the plays we were running. It was just a minor adjustment to run the same plays under center instead of from shotgun.”
Northern’s only touchdown came on its opening drive. After Orange attempted an onside kick that was recovered by the Knights’ Joshua Rogers, Northern drove 52 yards on eight plays. Barnhill hit Caleb Steele for a 12-yard touchdown pass, but Orange’s Trey Grizzle blocked the extra point wide left.
For the remainder of the game, Orange’s defense held Northern to 100 yards and five first downs. Perhaps better put, it was a combination of Orange’s defense and the wishbone keeping Northern off the field.
The Panthers chewed up plenty of clock and scored its only touchdown midway through the second quarter. Hodges, who attempted three passes all night, found Woods on a 4th-and-10 for a 12-yard gain to push the ball into the red zone. After fullback Jackson Wood rumbled up the middle for 15 yards, Woods scored off a fullback dive. Satterfield’s extra point was the final one of the game.
Northern’s first two drives in the second half ended without first downs. After Orange failed to convert a 4th-and-3 at midfield, it appeared that Orange cornerback J.J. Torres stripped the ball from Northern running back Jaylon Chestnut, and linebacker Connor Ray recovered. But the officials ruled Chestnut down. Orange ended the drive anyway when Hodges tackled Northern’s Bryant Jones on a 3rd-and-8 for a one-yard gain, followed by a Barnhill incompletion after being pressured by Will Torian.
During a punt before its final drive, Northern committed a costly personal foul penalty that put the ball back at its own 26-yard line, its worst starting field position of the game. Grizzle sacked Barnhill, who shook it off and found Chestnut two plays later for a first down.
Steele, who didn’t touch the ball for the meat of the game after his touchdown, finally made a grab to cross the 50-yard line. On 2nd-and-15, Wood pressured Barnhill into a hasty throw that was nearly picked off by Woods. Orange thought they had won the game with 26 seconds remaining when Ray knocked down a pass intended for Steele, but was whistled for pass interference.
On first-and-10 at the Orange 22-yard line, Wood batted the ball down in front of Barnhill. On second down, Woods knocked Barnhill down from behind for another incompletion. With 4.2 seconds remaining, Barnhill’s desperation heave was knocked down by Hodges and Torres in the end zone, leading to an well-earned Orange celebration.
“Our players felt confident because they kept thinking the only thing stopping us was ourselves,” Smith said. “It’s good when these players have that confidence in themselves and each other.”
ORANGE 7, NORTHERN 6
N–6 0 0 0-6
O-0 7 0 0-7
NORTHERN–Caleb Steele 12 pass from Kyle Barnhill (kick failed)
ORANGE-Elliott Woods 3 run (Darius Satterfield kick)
RUSHING-ORANGE 43-112 (Woods 16-35 TD, Jackson Wood 5-34, J.J. Torres 9-30, Nate Hecht 5-18, Eric Brooks 1-5, Jayce Hodges 2-(-15)
NORTHERN DURHAM 18-46 (Jaylon Chestnut 6-28, Bryant Jones 7-25, Jancarlos Alberto 2-9, Barnhill 3-(-16)
PASSING: ORANGE (Hodges 3-3 35 yards) NORTHERN DURHAM (Barnhill 16-29 106 yards TD)
RECEIVING: ORANGE (Trey Grizzle 1-15, Woods 1-12, Wood 1-8)
NORTHERN DURHAM (JONES 6-24, Chestnut 5-23, Steele 3-39 TD, Chris Kujawa 2-20)
Orange’s Jayce Hodges, Eric Brooks & Trey Grizzle on beating Northern
Orange quarterback Jayce Hodges had a week. On Monday, he walked into practice and agreed to start taking snaps at starting quarterback after first-stringer Nigel Slanker was injured against Southern Durham. Hodges engineered a new-look wishbone offense for Orange, a team that had only 25 yards rushing against Southern last week. With Hodges at quarterback on Friday night, Orange had 112 rushing yards as Orange defeated Northern 7-6 at Durham County Stadium. Hodges also completed all three of his passes for 35 yards. Orange senior cornerback Eric Brooks had several big defensive plays that helped hold Northern to 100 yards total offense after the Knights’ first drive of the game. Trey Grizzle had two big sacks, as well as a 15-yard catch in the first quarter, so he was Orange’s leading receiver. It was a high note for these three seniors who have had their final year at Orange cut short because of the pandemic.
Orange’s Elliott Woods, Nate Hecht & Brendon Worsham talk Northern win
The rivalry between Orange and Northern Durham breeds on Thursday night junior varsity games, where the Knights and the Panthers have dueled for the Big 8 Championship for years. Then when those JV players move to the higher level, the hostilities carry over to Friday night. In a grueling battle of attrition on Friday night, the Panthers defeated the Knights 7-6 at Durham County Stadium. Wingback and linebacker Elliott Woods led Orange with 47 scrimmage yards and the only Orange touchdown. Defensive end Nate Hecht had four carries for 18 yards, while Brendon Worsham had two big sacks of Northern quarterback Kyle Barnhill. Hecht and Worsham played junior varsity last season for Orange and lost to Northern last season, so the taste of victory was extra sweet on Friday night in the final Big 8 Conference game between the two rivals before realignment goes into effect this summer.