Orange Football

Orange sophomore Omarion Lewis has played four varsity football games. He has rushed for 100 yards twice. On Friday night, Lewis ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns as Orange defeated East Chapel Hill 40-7. The Orange coaching staff debated whether to put Lewis on the junior varsity before the season, but that debate ended on September 6 when Lewis ran up 119 yards against South Granville. Lewis didn’t even enter the game against the Vikings until the second half. In his very brief varsity career, Lewis has emerged as a reliable rusher for Orange in offensive coordinator’s Marty Scotten’s double wing offense. Orange had a season-high 316 rushing yards against East Chapel Hill.

The Orange football team defeated East Chapel Hill 40-7 in its Big 8 Conference opener on Friday night. Wingback Elliott Woods rushed for a career-high 58 yards and scored the first two touchdowns of his varsity career. Jones also starts at linebacker and leads the team with 39 tackles, including three for a loss. Woods had some key plays in the Panthers’ opening win of the season against Walter Williams, including a huge 14-yard catch to convert a third down. The Panthers eventually scored the game-winning touchdown on that drive. Woods and the rest of the Panthers will gear up for Southern Durham this Friday at Spartan Stadium. 

In 2006, East Chapel Hill defeated Orange 33-30 at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. It was the only win of David Thompson’s final season during his turbulent two-year stint as Wildcats head coach. It was East’s second straight win over Orange, which was on its way to its 13th consecutive losing season.

Plenty has changed since then.

Orange’s football program went through a renaissance under head coach Pat Moser. There was enough budding talent at Stanford Middle School to win three conference championships and five consecutive 10-wins seasons from 2012-17.

In the meantime, East hit the reset button on varsity football, not fielding a team in 2017. While the talent lines in northern and southern Orange County are vastly different, East can look towards Hillsborough and take solace that time and persistence can change things.

On Friday night, Orange defeated the Wildcats 40-7 at Auman Stadium. Sophomore Omarion Lewis rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. Junior Elliott Woods added a career-high 58 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

It’s the first time Orange won back-to-back home games since 2016, when they ended the regular season with a victory over J.F. Webb to wrap up the Big 8 title, then defeated Wilson Five in the state playoffs.

“Omarion is getting better and better,” said Orange coach Van Smith. “The cuts he makes and the moves he makes, the vision that he has, he’s getting better and better.”

Orange put the game away with four touchdowns in the second quarter. Quarterback Wyatt Jones, who tied his second-high with 161 passing yards before the starters were pulled midway through the third quarter, scored Orange’s first touchdown off a quarterback sneak. On the next Orange drive, Jones hit Joe Kiger with a gorgeous 14-yard fade pass into the end zone. It was Kiger’s first touchdown of the season.

Orange played without leading rusher Machai Holt and leading receiver Zyon Pettiford. The extra garbage time led to a eight-quarter player’s delight. 15 different players touched the ball for Orange.

After winning the coin toss in the opening four games of the year, Orange’s streak ended on Friday, which was the only thing they lost. With the late September humidity lingering into the early evening, Orange wore down the Wildcats with a 13-play, 60-yard drive set up when Jones found wide receiver Jake DeFranco for a 22-yard field goal. After Jones misfired on 3rd-and-goal, Nigel Slanker kicked a 22-yard field goal.

The Orange defense, which allowed only two first downs through the first three quarters, pitched a three-and-out on East’s first possession. Orange responded with another grueling drive that spilled into the second quarter, a 13-play, 85-yard drive that ended with Jones’ sneak.

Later in the second quarter, Orange finished a 82-yard drive when Jones hit Cameron White for a 46-yard pass. That set up Woods’ seven-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers a 24-0 lead.

After East botched an attempted punt on its next drive, Lewis scored his only touchdown on a 13-yard run that comprised a one-play drive.

East scored its only touchdown late in the second quarter. Quarterback Anton Enoch found Zaion Vaughn for a 45 yard pass. Two plays later, Enoch hit his twin brother Anthony for a 10-yard touchdown.

Woods’ scored Orange’s only touchdown in the second half, converting a 4th-and-3 with a five-yard scamper up the middle.

Next up for Orange will be a road trip to Southern Durham. After missing the state playoffs for the past two years, the Spartans appear to have reemerged as the favorite to win the Big 8 after shutting out Northern Durham 13-0 on Friday night at Durham County Stadium.

“They’ve won some games against some good teams,” Smith said about Southern. “They’ve beaten 71st out of Fayetteville, whose usually pretty good. They’ve beat Hillside. It’s Southern Durham.”

ORNAGE 40, EAST CHAPEL HILL 7

ECH–0 7 0 0-7

ORA-3 28 9 0-40

ORA-Nigel Slanker 22 FG

ORA-Wyatt Jones 1 run (Slanker kick)

ORA-Joe Kiger 14 pass from Jones (Slanker kick)

ORA-Elliott Woods 7 run (Slanker kick)

ORA-Omarion Lewis 13 run (Slanker kick)

ECH-Anthony Enoch 10 pass from Anton Enoch (Nick DiMasi kick)

ORA-Woods 5 run (Slanker kick)

ORA-Safety, ball snapped out of end zone.

RUSHING:EAST CHAPEL HILL 13-14 (Anton Enoch 7-11, Anthony Enoch 6-3)

ORANGE: 61-316 (Lewis 18-106 TD, Woods 11-58 2 TD, Curtis Ward 8-50, J.J. Torres 5-28, Khaleb Smith 3-21, Kiger 3-18, Jake DeFranco 3-10, Zahmir Watkins 3-7, Courtney Edwards 1-5, Slanker 1-5, Brandon Worsham 1-5, Connor Ray 1-3, Jones 1-1 TD, team 1-(-1))

PASSING: EAST CHAPEL HILL 11-24 159 yds TD INT (Anton Enoch 7-16 96 yds TD, INT, Ben Smith 4-7 63 yds, Zaion Vaughn 0-1)

ORANGE 10-13 191 yards TD INT (Jones 8-10 161 yards TD, INT; Slanker 2-3 30 yards)

RECEIVING: EAST CHAPEL HILL (Vaughn 4-107, Isaiah Roberson 2-26, Ahmad Walker 2-9, Anthony Enoch 1-10 TD, Devin Cornish 1-5, Nicholas Weaver 1-2)

ORANGE: (DeFranco 4-74, Woods 2-39, Cameron White 1-48, Connor Raye 1-17, Elijah Danley 1-13)

The Orange junior varsity football team shutout East Chapel Hill 35-0 at David Thaden Stadium in Chapel Hill on Thursday night. For sophomores Eli Danley, Brendon Worsham and Connor Ray, it was another successful outing in a year that started at the varsity level. Danley, Worsham and Ray played in the Orange varsity team’s opening games against R.J. Reynolds and Walter Williams. Orange scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in a game where the contest was shortened to eight-minute quarters. After winning its first Big 8 Conference game, the junior varsity will return to Auman Stadium in Hillsborough next Friday for a game against Southern Durham. 

Taylin Jean: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper posted her 3rd shutout of the season for the Limestone women’s soccer team on Wednesday night. Division II Limestone defeated North Greenville 3-0 at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Wednesday night. Jean made four saves in her sixth start of the season. She is now 3-3. After not playing last season, Jean also had clean sheets against Chowan and Lander earlier this month. Limestone improved to 2-1 in Conference Carolinas. On Saturday, Limestone will face Barton College in Wilson. 

Jordan Rogers: Division III William Peace University scored a resounding 7-0 win over Sweet Briar in Sweet Briar, VA on Wednesday night. Former Orange star Jordan Rogers made her eighth start of the season as a wingback. Rogers has started every game for the Pacers this year. With Wednesday night‘s win, Peace has already exceeded its win total from 2018. They’re now 3-4-1 overall. They will open play in the USA South Athletic Conference against Mary Baldwin College at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. 

Brittany Daley: On Sunday, Division III Greensboro College fell to Eastern Mennonite 1-0 at EMU Turf Field in Harrisonburg, VA. Daley, a 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate, made her eighth start of the season at centerback. Daley had played 642 minutes for the Pride this season after making 15 starts in her freshman season. Greensboro is 5-3. They host Ferrum College on Thursday night at Pride Field in Greensboro.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The Division III Dickinson men’s soccer team shutout Neumann University 3-0 on Tuesday night in Aston, PA. The Red Devils are now 4-4. Reid-Shaw started the game at centerback and was credited with one shot off a corner kick. Reid-Shaw has played in all eight of Dickinson’s games this year. The Red Devils return to action in the Centennial Conference on Saturday against McDaniel College.

Bryse Wilson: Though he hasn’t pitched since Game 4 of the Governor’s Cup Semifinal series for the Gwinnett Stripers of the International League, Wilson is still on the 40-man roster for the Atlanta Braves. For the second year in a row, the Braves clinched the National League Eastern Division Championship on Friday, beating San Francisco 6-0 in SunTrust Park. The Braves will wrap up the regular season this weekend with a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York. Last season, Wilson finished the regular season with Atlanta but wasn’t on the 25-man postseason roster.

Rodney Brooks: As mentioned in Sunday’s update, the Division II Livingstone Blue Bears defeated Allen University 21-7 at Alumni Memorial Football Stadium in Salisbury on Saturday. Brooks, who spent last season with Fort Union Military Academy, had a fumble recovery for Livingstone, one of two turnovers forced by the Blue Bears’ defense. Brooks has played in all three games this season. Livingstone is 2-1 and will face Lincoln University in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Lili Henry: Division III Salem College defeated Methodist University in volleyball 3-1 on Wednesday night at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville. The Spirits defeated the Monarchs on scores of 25-21, 25-21, 24-26 and 25-21. It was the USA South Athletic Conference opener for Methodist. Monarchs junior Lili Henry, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2017, finished with 15 assists and one ace. Henry leads the team 167 assists this season. The Monarchs are 1-8 overall and will host Averett University in Fayetteville on Saturday. 

It won’t feel like it, but this is the first full week of fall. It’s also the start of the 2nd half of volleyball, women’s tennis and men’s soccer seasons.

Cedar Ridge and Orange were both swept by teams from Chapel Hill last week. Against an unforgiving Big 8 Conference schedule, Orange faces East Chapel Hill tonight (Monday) to start a three-game week. After losing its first conference game to East Chapel Hill on Friday, Cedar Ridge will look to bounce back with its first-ever match against Vance County in Hillsborough on Tuesday. The Red Wolves travel to Southern Durham on Thursday.

Also on Monday afternoon, Cedar Ridge will host Orange for its senior night. It will be a special day for the Red Wolves’ Olivia Ward, who was a member of Cedar Ridge’s Big 8 Championship team as a freshman. The Red Wolves haven’t lost to Orange since the two teams became conference rivals in 2014.

On Friday, football will start conference play. Orange will host East Chapel Hill. Cedar Ridge will travel to Northwood in Pittsboro. Both games will kickoff at 7. Our coverage here on Hillsboroughsports.com starts at 6:45 with the C&R Ski Outdoor pregame show.

Without any further ado, here’s the Magnificent 7 from last week. It featured a dramatic first leg of the Hillsborough Derby between Orange and Cedar Ridge in men’s soccer. Despite losing to East Chapel Hill, it was still another strong showing from Cedar Ridge volleyball. And the Orange women’s tennis team won three dual matches.

As always, a reminder that two of these athletes will be named the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week and the Orange Panther of the Week on Tuesday.

Nicholas Frank: Orange appeared set to win its third straight men’s soccer game at Cedar Ridge on Wednesday night. The Panthers led 3-1 with 19:00 remaining. But Cedar Ridge freshman Nicholas Frank scored two stunning goals within 47 seconds to even the match. Dean Allen found Frank on a through ball with 15:43 remaining, and Frank finished from 18 yards. Moments later, Reese Weaver created a turnover and found Erickson Thole, who hit Frank again for the equalizer. Frank also scored the game-winning goal in penalties as Cedar Ridge defeated Orange 4-3.

Ty Corbin: Cedar Ridge’s goalkeeper earned the victory against Orange with back-to-back saves on Orange’s final two penalty attempts. Corbin also made a huge save in the first overtime session, which was the only major chance by either team to score after regulation ended. Corbin, who is also a lacrosse player, earned his third win of the year.

Cameron Lloyd: Yes, it’s cliche by now. But Lloyd becomes the first three-time inductee into the Hall of Awesome after two stellar games against Bartlett Yancey and Northern Durham. Against the Knights, Lloyd had 17 kills, 12 aces and ten digs as Cedar Ridge defeated Northern for the first time since becoming Big 8 rivals. In Monday’s sweep of Bartlett Yancey, Lloyd had 13 kills, one ace and four digs. Plus, she celebrated her birthday last week.

James McAdoo: The Orange football team fell short against Riverside on Friday night. It was also Orange’s best effort of the season. McAdoo, playing his second game after getting injured in a scrimmage against Person, had a team-high seven tackles. In the 2nd quarter, he stripped the ball away from Riverside quarterback Landon Sledge, and Will Torain dove on the loose ball. It led to a touchdown from Machai Holt. In the third quarter, McAdoo recovered another fumble, again leading to a touchdown from Holt.

Emma Williamson: The Orange women’s tennis team swept Vance County in back-to-back matches on Wednesday, then defeated Roxboro Community School 8-1 on Thursday. Williamson won her lone match at #4 singles against the Vipers 8-0. On Thursday, she won her match against Roxboro Community in straight sets. She also teamed with Morgan Gwinn at #2 doubles to win 8-1.

Lottie Scully: A sophomore enshrined into the Hall of Awesome for the first time, Scully had a team-high nine kills in Orange’s 3-0 win over Northwood on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium. Scully also had ten assists, two digs and an ace as the Lady Panthers improved to 7-4 before Thursday’s game against Chapel Hill.

Elliott Sikes: On Monday night, the Orange men’s soccer team defeated Vance County 10-1. Sikes came away with his first hat trick against the Vipers. Sikes also had two goals against Hillside in a 7-1 Panther victory on September 3.

In a hard fought game, Riverside defeated Orange 28-26 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on Friday night. Despite the loss, it may have been Orange’s best effort of the year. Machai Holt scored two touchdowns, while defensive end James McAdoo recovered a fumble and forced another. Enjoy highlights of the game from Shayne Thompson of Thompson Team Films

Rodney Brooks: After a year at Fort Union Military Academy, 2018 Orange graduate Rodney Brooks made his four-year college debut for Division II Livingstone last week. Brooks, who plays safety, had a tackle in the Bears’ 27-16 victory over Elizabeth City State University at Alumni Memorial Football Stadium in Salisbury. On Saturday, Livingstone improved to 3-0 with a 21-7 win over Allen University. Brooks was a safety, cornerback and quarterback for the Orange football team who was a member of three Big 8 Conference Champions from 2016-18. He also played right field for the Orange baseball team in 2017, which had a stunning run to the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Brooks’ high school athletic career ended after he suffered a torn ACL playing quarterback against Riverside in 2017.

Payton Wilson: Though he didn’t start, Wilson served as a reserve linebacker in N.C. State’s 34-23 win over Ball State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. Wilson made four tackles. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, has 16 tackles through four games.

Trent Gill: Against Ball State, Gill had limited punting duties for the Wolfpack since State scored 34 punts. Nonetheless, Gill had three punts for an average of 51 yards per boot. One was downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also had six kickoffs, five of which went for touchbacks. Saturday’s game was the nonconference finale for N.C. State. They will start ACC play at Florida State next Saturday.

Keshawn Thompson: The FCS Campbell football team defeated Davidson 31-29 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson, a redshirt sophomore from Orange, assisted on three tackles. Campbell won off a 50-yard field goal from Colin Gary as time expired.

Jack Schmid: Schmid saw action for Division III Wheaton College on Saturday. The Thunder defeated Illinois Wesleyan 24-10 at McCully Stadium in Wheaton, IL. Wheaton is 2-0.

Natalie Chandler: The 2017 Orange graduate is a member of the UNC women’s soccer team. Chandler was named to the 2018-19 ACC Academic Honor Roll. Now a junior, Chandler played in UNC’s 8-0 victory over UNLV in the Duke Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Chandler helped Orange to the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs in 2016 and 2017.

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team split two matches last week. The Phoenix defeated Hampton 8-0 at HU Soccer Complex in Hampton, VA on Sunday. Hodges started at wingback and was credited with a shot on goal. On Thursday, UNC Greensboro defeated the Phoenix 4-3 at UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro. Again, Hodges started and had a shot on goal. Elon is 6-2-1. They will host UNC Wilmington in its Colonial Athletic Association opener on Thursday at Rudd Field in Elon.

Taylin Jean: The 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate posted her first clean sheet as Division II Limestone defeated Lander University at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Wednesday. Jean made five saves to post the shutout. On Saturday, Belmont Abbey defeated Limestone 4-0 at Alumni Field in Belmont, NC. It was the first time Limestone lost a Conference Carolinas match in over three years. Jean made seven saves in the loss. The Saints are 2-3, 0-1 in Conference Carolinas.

Jordan Rogers: William Peace University defeated Brevard College 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The Pacers improved to 2-3-1. Rogers, a sophomore who graduated from Orange in 2018, started at wingback. On Tuesday, the Pacers played to a scoreless tie against Randolph College at Wildcat Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Rogers, who has moved to the defensive backline, also started. Rogers has started all six of the Pacers matches this season.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The Division III Dickinson men’s soccer team defeated Swarthmore 4-0 in its Centennial Conference opener in Swarthmore, PA on Saturday. The Red Devils ended a four-game losing streak. Reid-Shaw, a senior, started at centerback. It was his sixth game of the season. Dickinson is 3-4.

Lilli Henry: The 2017 Cedar Ridge graduate helped the Methodist volleyball team win its first match of the season on Saturday. The Monarchs defeated Regent University 3-0 at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville. Henry finished with 17 assists, four aces, three digs and one kill. On Tuesday, Roanoke College defeated Methodist 3-2 in Salem, VA. Against the Maroons, Henry had 22 assists and eleven digs. The Monarchs are now 1-8.

Bailey Lucas: On Friday, the Division III Meredith College volleyball team defeated Roanoke College 3-2 at the Cregger Center in Salem, VA. Lucas played one set for the Avenging Angels. Meredith is 6-5.