Orange Volleyball

Orange 3, Western Alamance 0: Two weeks into the season, the Orange volleyball team has had one demanding test after another.

There have been two matches with D.H. Conley and another against Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champion. It left the Lady Panthers with a 2-3 record, but Orange found its dominant form in its Central Conference opener on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 16 kills while Kaine Silcott registered six kills, 18 digs and 26 assists as the Lady Panthers swept Western Alamance on scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-21. Orange (3-3, 1-0 in the Central Conference) claimed its eleventh straight win over the Warriors since the two teams became conference rivals in 2021.

The Warriors, who came into the match with a 5-0 record, put the pressure on Orange early after junior Taliah Walker got back-to-back blocks in the first set that triggered a 7-1 Western Alamance run. A kill by sophomore Reese Walker put the Warriors ahead 14-11 and forced an Orange timeout. The Panthers reeled off eight straight points off the serve of senior Abby Silinski, who had consecutive aces. A kill by Mariah Poole assisted by Silinski put Orange ahead 19-14. Wilkerson had an ace on set point.

Orange had five aces in the second set, where they jumped out to an 9-3 lead. The Warriors closed its deficit to 11-10 after a kill by Haley Clayton, but Aubrey Jordan scored two straight kills, followed by another from freshman Aubrey Hodges to build Orange’s lead to 17-13. Hodges stuffed down a lobbed return to close out the second set.

Western Alamance led the third set 12-8, but Orange peeled off eleven straight points. Silcott had four aces in the run which vaulted the Panthers ahead 19-12. Jordan scored on a kill to put Orange ahead 24-18. Western Alamance scored four straight points before Silcott slammed down match point off a feed from White.

Orange will continue a challenging nonconference slate with a trip to Raleigh tonight (Wednesday) to face Millbrook.

Cedar Ridge 3, Person 0: Junior Kayla Stoll had a career-high 13 kills as Cedar Ridge won its Central Conference opener in Roxboro over the Rockets on Tuesday night. Sophomore Claire Hargett, who leads the team in kills, spent much of the night on the backline and had a team-high 23 digs. She also had 12 kills. Mia Marty, a setter, had 23 assists and 12 digs.

Cedar Ridge improved to 3-1, 1-0 in the Central Conference. Person falls to 2-3, 0-1 in the Centra.

Person scored the first three points of the opening set, which was also its largest lead of the night. Stoll had seven kills in the first game as the Red Wolves built a 17-10 lead following an ace from Marty. A finish by Hargett, assisted by Marty, put Cedar Ridge ahead 21-12. A return by Person went wide on set point.

Cedar Ridge had six aces in the second set, where Person had a 2-1 advantage. Stoll had an unassisted kill on a dunk at the middle of the floor to put the Red Wolves ahead. Cedar Ridge scored ten straight points to take control of the set, which included another ace from Marty and consecutive kills from Stoll. On set point, Stoll had an ace as Cedar Ridge won 25-12.

Cedar Ridge took a 5-2 lead to start the third set. Person fought back with five consecutive points, its longest run of the match, to briefly hold the lead at 7-6. Cedar Ridge responded with four in a row off kills from Marty, Hargett and a block from Charlotte Lowry to take a 10-7 lead. Hargett slammed down an attack from eleven feet away to give Cedar Ridge an 19-14 lead. Cedar Ridge scored the final three points of the match with Marty scoring match point off an assist from senior Ellie Miller.

Cedar Ridge will host Southern Alamance on Thursday night in Hillsborough.

When Orange and Cedar Ridge have been in the same conference for volleyball, one or the other has claimed the last four league championships. Orange, the defending Central Conference regular season champions, opened league play with a sweep of Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. Orange has won 16 consecutive Central Conference regular season matches. Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 16 kills and eight digs. Junior setter Katie Silcott finished with 18 digs, 26 assists, seven aces and six kills. Orange opened the season playing a rigorous nonconference schedule, facing D.H. Conley twice and Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champions, once. Orange, the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions, has had a strong start to the season from Wilkerson, a middle blocked who committed to play at UCF last month. Silcott alternates with sophomore Sawyer White as setter and had a triple-double in the season-opener against Roxboro Community School on August 13. The Lady Panthers will return to a demanding nonconference schedule with a trip to Raleigh to face Millbrook on Wednesday night. Orange will have another road trip to Burlington to face Williams in Central Conference play on Thursday. The Lady Panthers improved to 3-3 with the win over the Warriors. Orange has beaten Western Alamance eleven straight times.

No Title

When Orange and Cedar Ridge have been in the same conference for volleyball, one or the other has claimed the last four league championships. Orange, the defending Central Conference regular season champions, opened league play with a sweep of Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

This week, college sports fall season gets underway. Here are some of the graduates from Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools that will continue or start their college careers in various sports this week. (There are other athletes who will start next week.)

Darius Satterfield: A former Orange High punter and kicker, Satterfield will start his junior season at Elizabeth City State University when the Vikings face Shaw University in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. Darius has also been selected as a student representative for the NCAA Division II Student-Advisory Committee. He currently serves as Elizabeth City State’s SAAC Vice President. He will lead a new CIAA SAAC Executive Board.

Nate Sorrells and Jaylan Sorrells: Nate is a former Orange High running back/defensive back. Jaylan is a former offensive and defensive lineman. They are now at Division II Mars Hill, who will start the season against Delta State at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill this Thursday night.

Malachi Justice: St. Andrew University, a NAIA team, will open against Erskine University, an NCAA Division II squad, at J.W. Babb Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. Justice led Orange in sacks last season and is a freshman.

Cameron Lloyd: The all-time kills leader in Cedar Ridge volleyball history, Lloyd starts her sophomore season for the Bucknell volleyball team. The Bison will open with two matches in the Bearcat Classic in Vestal, NY on Friday. They start with Toledo on Friday afternoon, then will take on Merrimack. To show how small a world it is, Lloyd will face a former Orange High product when Bucknell faces Binghamton on Saturday. As we’ll detail later, Binghamton’s setter is former Orange High product Lottie Scully. Last season, Lloyd had 168 kills for Bucknell, who finished 15-11.

Cameron Lanier: The former Cedar Ridge middle blocker will start her sophomore season at Elon University in the Wildcat Classic at Davidson on Friday. Last year, Lanier started 23 matches for the Phoenix and was second on the team with 223 kills in her freshman year. That included 14 kills against Georgia State on September 1. Elon finished 5-22 last season.

Lottie Scully: Binghamton will host the Bearcat Classic at the Bearcats Event Center starting on Friday. They will face Merrimack and Toledo in a doubleheader, then face Bucknell in the aforementioned matchup on Saturday. Scully is a junior from Hurdle Mills who was named second-team All-America East Conference last season. She was named the America East Setter of the Week four times and led the conference with 679 assists.

Addie Reid: The 2023 Cedar Ridge Homecoming Queen, Reid will start her freshman year at North Carolina Central against longtime rival North Carolina A&T at the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro on Friday. Reid was the middle blocker for the 2021 3A State Championship team.

Graylinn Serge: Serge, who was a starting outside hitter for Cedar Ridge last season, will start her freshman year at UNC Greensboro on Friday. UNCG will host the Spartan Classic and begin with Robert Morris. Later that day, the Spartans will face Missouri State at Fleming Gymnasium. Serge helped the Red Wolves win the 2023 Central Conference Tournament.

Julie Altieri: Along with Lloyd, Lanier, Reid, Serge and Grace Young, Altieri won the 2021 3A State Championship with Cedar Ridge. Altieri was the starting setter for Division III Salisbury Sea Gulls when they won the Coast to Coast Conference championship last season. Salisbury will start its season in the Margie Knight Classic in the Maggs Physical Activities Center against Catholic University on Friday. As a freshman, Altieri was second in the conference averaging 6.54 assists per set. She played in 29 matches and recorded 225 digs.

Grace Young: Last spring, Young transferred from UNC Asheville to Division III Greensboro College. The Pride will start its season in Atlanta in the Emory Invitational. Greensboro will open with Emory University on Friday.

Ivy Garner: After helping the North Carolina Courage U-23 team win the United Soccer League W League Championship, Garner has started her junior year at Liberty University with a flourish. The Flames are 4-0 after wins over Old Dominion, High Point, VCU and East Tennessee State. Garner scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute in a 2-1 win over VCU on Thursday.  Garner started and has six shots in the win over the Buccaneers on Sunday, a 3-1 Flames victory in Summers-Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, TN. Garner had two Scots on goal as the Flames defeated High Point 3-1 on August 15, which was the season-opener. Garner assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Hallie Engel in a 2-0 win over Old Dominion at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA.

Fiona Cunningham: The former Cedar Ridge volleyball coach is now an assistant coach at East Carolina. Cunningham was an assistant at North Carolina Central, where she recruited Reid, for one season. Cunningham led Cedar Ridge to three regular season conference championships, two Central Conference Tournament championships, the 2021 3A State Championship and Eastern Regional championship during her three seasons at Cedar Ridge from 2020-2023.

Photo by Jacques Morin 

The embryonic stages of any team’s season is a time to grow, develop and learn.

Coming off winning the 3A Eastern Regional championship in 2023, Orange volleyball coach Hope Heverly started this season by scheduling four non-conference opponents, three of whom went undefeated in their respective leagues last year.

Right away, her team started to learn about itself, first in victory, then in defeat against a traditional powerhouse.

On Tuesday, Orange defeated Roxboro Community School in four sets, winning 25-15, 21-25, 25-11 and 25-17. Junior Katie Silcott, who alternates between setter and outside hitter, finished with a triple-double of ten kills, 22 assists and ten digs. She also served Orange out of a competitive opening set with three straight aces to go ahead 24-16. Junior Aubrey Jordan ended the frame off an attack set up by Silcott.

The Bulldogs, who went 12-0 to win the 1A Triangle North Conference in 2023, captured the second set when they opened up a 12-7 lead following consecutive blocks by senior Kynlee Brooks. The third set was tied 11-11 before Ava Wilkerson swatted down a set by Silcott, which triggered a 7-3 Orange run. Freshman Aubrey Hodges, the latest protege in the lengthy (in several ways) Hodges/Wilson family tree that includes her older cousins Bryse and Payton Wilson, blocked an attack from Brooks for the 24th point, and Orange closed out the set a point later when a Bulldog spike went wide.

Orange sophomore Sawyer White had five kills in the final set, where Orange jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Wilkerson added four more kills and Orange pressed the Bulldogs into attacking miscues to take the final set for its first win of the season.

The following night, D.H. Conley’s Britni Silver racked up 17 kills to pave the way for the Vikings to beat Orange 3-1 in Hillsborough. The Vikings, who improved to 3-0 after beating Hoggard on Friday, ended Orange’s 18-game regular season home court winning streak. Cedar Ridge was the last team to beat Orange in a regular season game on September 6, 2022 (The Red Wolves also defeated Orange in the Central Conference Tournament championship game last year in a postseason matchup).

Each of the first three sets came down to the wire. Wilkerson evened the opening game at 21-21 following an assist from Silcott. Conley took the final four points of the game off a serve from Olivia Jones, which included an ace and a kill by Emilee Wilson.

“With the start of this season, I think we’re a little bit out of shape,” Heverly said. “Their #15 (Silver) found her swing, for sure, in the fourth game. So that helped them on their side.”

Orange evened the match by taking the second set 25-23. The frame was even at 17-17 when Sawyer blocked an attack by Silver, followed by consecutive kills from Wilkerson. Orange had four sets points, but Conley narrowed the lead until a serve by Wilson went wide on set point.

“I was proud of the girls that they didn’t give up, no matter what the score difference was,” Heverly said. “So it was exciting to see the grit that they’re already showing three weeks into our season. So it will be interesting to see how that progresses throughout that season.”

Neither team could get consecutive points to open the third set. There were ten ties before Conley reeled off four straight to take a 14-10 lead, which included consecutive blocks by Olivia Jones. Hodges stuffed an attack by Silver, which led to the largest crowd reaction of the night, to give Orange a side out.

“She’s stepping up big time as a freshman,” Heverly said of Hodges. “She has a really big drive where she wants to continue to get better so we’re excited about the growth she’s gonna have throughout this season.”

Conley won four of the last five points to win the third 25-20. Silver had three kills in the final four points, along with an ace from Olivia Jones.

The Vikings roared out to a 8-2 lead to start the fourth as it appeared Orange was worn down. The Panthers didn’t any closer than 13-6 following a kill by Jordan. Conley’s Emilee Wilson spiked home match point to win the fourth 25-12.

“We always want the win,” Heverly said. “But I was very pleased with how the girls played. They all worked hard. They came together as a team, even in the tough moments. With it being the second match, it wasn’t too bad.”

Orange will travel to Jordan on Tuesday. Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champion, will visit Orange on Thursday.

Without so much as a scrimmage to prepare for its opening game, the Orange volleyball team shook off the rust to win its first game since playing for the state championship last year. The Panthers defeated Roxboro Community School 3-1 in the season opener at Panther Gymnasium on Tuesday night on scores of 25-15. 21-25, 25-16 and 25-17. Junior Katie Silcott finished with a triple-double of ten kills, 22 assists, and ten digs. She also had four aces late in the first set as the Panthers took control of the opening frame after tight moments early. Junior Ava Wilkerson, who just committed to play at UCF, finished with 12 kills. Sophomore Sawyer White had eight kills and nine assists. It was the first time that Orange played against an outside opponent this year. Two scrimmages scheduled for last week were both canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby. It was a solid win over a Roxboro Community School team that finished undefeated in winning the Triangle North Conference championship in 2023 and made it all the way to the state quarterfinals of the state tournament. Orange’s demanding non conference schedule will continue tonight (Wednesday) when they host perennial 4A power D.H. Conley in Hillsborough. The first serve will be immediately following the junior varsity game, which should be around 6:20-6:30. While school hasn’t started yet, it will be a big-game atmosphere in August. Your presence would be welcome. 

Orange volleyball’s Aubrey Jordan and Sawyer White discuss win over Roxboro Community School

Without so much as a scrimmage to prepare for its opening game, the Orange volleyball team shook off the rust to win its first game since playing for the state championship last year. The Panthers defeated Roxboro Community School 3-1 in the season opener at Panther Gymnasium on Tuesday night on scores of 25-15.

As with any special season, it’s easy for a coach to reflect.

Hope Heverly’s first season as Orange volleyball coach resulted in the second regional championship in team history. They faced Kings Mountain for the 3A State Championship inside Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh and were three points away from taking it all, dropping the fifth set 15-12.

It was a season beyond anyone’s expectations. Before last year, Orange hadn’t won a conference title since 2005. Along the way, the Lady Panthers defeated defending Eastern Regional champion J.H. Rose, then triumphed over Carrboro for the regional championship in a classic match on Halloween night in front of a raucous crowd at Orange Gymnasium that ended with the students rushing the floor after match point.

But Heverly wouldn’t be a competitor if she didn’t look back at Orange’s state title match with curiosity.

“I’ve thought about what if we changed this or that,” Heverly said with a chuckle. “But I’ve been really excited about this year.

Orange’s run to the state championship match brought the community together. Heverly wondered if that would be reflected with increased interest when tryouts started last week.

She got her answer when nearly 40 players showed up, including a large freshman class.

As Orange’s players ventured to their travel teams last winter, Heverly kept track of them.

“I’m really excited about where this program is moving forward,” Heverly said. “To be at the level where we want this program to be, it takes more effort than what we show from August-to-October. It’s takes work in the offseason and they’ve put in that work.”

Heverly’s second Orange team will have a Big 12 recruit in its ranks. Junior middle blocker Ava Wilkerson committed to UCF last week. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-4 junior, led the team with 79 blocks for an Orange team that went undefeated to the Central Conference regular season championship in 2023. Wilkerson has played varsity each of her first two seasons and was third on the team with 293 kills last year.

“She’s really grown in many ways,” Heverly said. “Not only has she grown in terms of skill level, but also her maturity level. Her leadership abilities have really sprouted. I’m excited to see how she will lead this team.”

Orange lost outside hitter Ella Wimsatt and libero Sadye Porter to graduation. Wimsatt led the team with 456 kills in 2023 and was the Central Conference Player of the Year. Porter was a defensive wonder, pacing the squad with 521 digs after missing her junior season.

“Ella was a one of a kind athlete,” Heverly said. “She brought an attitude where she would go all out. She didn’t have to tell the team that. She would show that on the court and the team would follow.”

However, Orange brings back most of its firepower. 6-foot-1 outside hitter Aubrey Jordan is back for her junior season after racking up 385 kills in 2023. Setter Katie Silcott, another rising junior, returns after setting the single-season school record with 1,037 assists. Sophomore Sawyer White, who was inserted into the starting lineup late last season, alternated with Silcott as setter for much of the postseason. White finished with 236 assists and 22 kills.

Regular rotation players Mariah Poole (middle blocker), Karleigh Johnson and Abby Silinski (who finished with 62 aces) also return from a squad that finished 27-5 overall. Junior Addison Guentensberger is expected to get time as libero to replace Porter.

It’s a team that has high expectations and Heverly has put together a schedule that reflects that. Following the season-opener against Roxboro Community School next Tuesday in Hillsborough, Orange will host perennial power D.H. Conley from Greenville on Wednesday.

“Last year, the team worked hard and earned a lot of things,” Heverly said. “They caught a lot of schools’ attention. We will come and we will be prepared as much as we can after a week-and-a-half of practice. I’m not shying from any tough competition. You only get better by playing the best.”

Heverly will schedule tough opponents and will gladly tell you how optimistic she is about her second Orange team. Just don’t expect her to make any predictions about a potential return to Raleigh for another state championship appearance this fall.

“We’re not comparing anything to last year,” Heverly said. “We’ve got to make this team our own team for the 2024 season. We know we had a great year last year. Now we’re going forward.”

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. Last fall, Wilkerson was the middle blocker for the most successful Orange volleyball team in history. The Panthers became just the second team in school history to win a regional championship in volleyball after beating Carrboro for the title inside Panther Gymnasium. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, led the team with 79 total blocks. Wilkerson opened the year with a bang by racking up seven blocks in the season-opening win over Jordan in Hillsborough. The following night, Wilkerson had seven blocks in a four-set loss to Carrboro, a team that Orange would get very familiar with. Wilkerson was also a quality attacker. She had 19 kills in a sweep of Person on October 3. In a span of three matches in late September, Wilkerson had double digit kills against Falls Lake, Western Alamance and Walter Williams. Wilkerson is the younger sister of former Orange outside hitter Allie Wilkerson, who is now playing at Division III Averett University. This year, Orange won the regular season conference championship for the first time since 2005. Wilkerson had a season-high eight blocks in the 3A State Championship match against Kings Mountain at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. With the Lady Panthers losing two starters, Wilkerson has even bigger goals in mind for next season.

Orange Panther of the Week: Ava Wilkerson

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. Last fall, Wilkerson was the middle blocker for the most successful Orange volleyball team in history. The Panthers became just the second team in school history to win a regional championship in volleyball after beating Carrboro for the title inside Panther Gymnasium.

Two weeks ago, I was on vacation in Boone to visit my old stomping grounds at Appalachian State. Every time I talk to my old college friends, I have to fight the urge to say “Boone has changed so much” because I hate being repetitive.

But it has. Most of the restaurants and bars that I frequented in the late 1990s are something else now.

It was the 25th anniversary of my college graduation. I texted that to Amanda Smith, a friend who watched me finally walk across that stage at Varsity Gymnasium in December 1998. She simply replied with a gif of a clock with wings, flapping by with nothing limiting its headlong flight.

That’s how 2023 felt. From last winter, when Orange and Cedar Ridge wrestling each won conference championships. To the spring where Orange baseball pulled off an epic comeback in the state playoffs. To the fall when Orange and Cedar Ridge volleyball had memorable wins and Gabriel Schmid ended a legacy. It flew by.

It’s an unofficial list, but here are the top 10 Hillsborough sports moments from 2023.

10. Salomon Hernandez scores game-winning goal for Cedar Ridge men’s soccer against Western Alamance, September 20: The game against Cedar Ridge and Western Alamance at Red Wolves Stadium had been a fierce scoreless contest entering the final minutes. It appeared that the Warriors would break the scoreless draw with 27:36 remaining when Konnor Johnson lined up for a penalty kick. As Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Erik Galunas lined up, Johnson sent the shot wide right. With 4:36 left, Cedar Ridge Captain Iliah Babchenko stepped back for a corner kick. The corner was deflected by to Babchenko, who returned a cross into the penalty box. Hernandez timed his jump perfectly and made enough contact to knock it into the lower left corner of the net, setting off a wild celebration and leading to Cedar Ridge men’s soccer earning its first home game in the state playoffs since 2015.

9. Orange’s Acoya Isley wins 195-pound Mideast Regional championship, February 16: Going into the Mideast Regional championships at Cedar Ridge High last winter, Isley was the #2 seed in the 195-pound tournament with a 28-2 record. He faced the #1 seed Karin Sein of Eastern Guilford, in the championship match. It took only 41 seconds for Isley to score the match’s only takedown. To start the second period, Isley sunk in a half-nelson and scored back points when Sein suffered an injury and couldn’t continue. Isley became the first regional champion from Orange since Levi Anderson in 2019. Isley would eventually reach the 3A State Championship match at 195 pounds.

8. Cedar Ridge wrestling wins Central Conference Tournament championship:, January 21: 2023 will be remembered as the year where Cedar Ridge wrestling stepped out of Orange’s shadow. In December, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in a dual match for the first time ever. The Red Wolves finished with 185.5 points behind individual championships from Fernando Martinez, Kaden Tatro, and Pierce Prescod. The success carried over into the following academic year. Cedar Ridge is one win away from taking its first regular season championship at the 3A level.

7. Orange lacrosse defeats First Flight to reach 3A/2A/1A East Region Final, May 9: Orange lacrosse hosted its first regional championship match in 2022 against First Flight. The Nighthawks drove over six hours from Kill Devil Hills and frustrated the Panthers with superior defense and a fabulous transition game that led to a 13-7 win. Last spring in the 3rd round of the state playoffs, Orange welcomed First Flight back to Hillsborough and had more offensive weapons. Tigh Metheny scored Orange’s first three goals while the Panthers held the Nighthawks scoreless for 18:56. The Panthers would host the regional championship game for the second straight year.

6. Cedar Ridge volleyball upsets Orange to win Central Conference Tournament, October 18: Possibly the biggest upset of the year locally in any sport. Orange had dominated the Red Wolves in its two previous matchups during the regular season. In the conference tournament title match, Cedar Ridge sophomore Claire Hargett had a career-high 24 kills. Senior Graylinn Serge finished with 12 kills and a season-high 24 digs. Cedar Ridge’s defense found a way to contain Orange’s taller outside hitters. Senior libero Natasha Buchler-Fosado had a career-best 25 digs as the Red Wolves won a conference championship for the fourth straight year.

5. Amiyah Ware scores 54 points, breaks Orange County basketball scoring record, February 3: Chances are Amiyah Ware would have set records late in 2022, but she was still recovering from a torn ACL that required her to miss the opening games. Once she got healthy, she etched her name in the record books permanently.  Ware scored 54 points against Western Alamance in Elon. She beat the county record set by Orange High’s Ronnie McAdoo set in 1978 when he scored 53 points against Southern Durham. Five days later, Ware scored 51 points in a win at Durham School of the Arts, becoming the first player, regardless of gender, in Orange County history to score 50 points in a game twice in the same season.

4. Orange baseball comes back from five runs down in the bottom of the tenth inning to beat Triton, May 12: Things looked bleak for Orange in the 10th inning against Triton in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. The Hawks got a three-run triple from Kenneth McCoy, then added an RBI single from Wyatt Avery to go ahead 8-3. Orange made its comeback 90 feet at a time in wildly random fashion. In the bottom of the 10th, Orange got five walks, three hits and a hit batter to make the greatest comeback in team history. Among the highlights was Garrett Sawyer, who had not had a plate appearance all year, somehow batting in the cleanup spot and drawing a walk with one out to score Jackson Berini and cut the lead to 8-7. After Neo Best, who was 0-for-5, tied the game with another bases-loaded walk, Wyatt Hedrick grounded a single up the middle to score Cameron Guentensberger to complete the comeback and send Orange to the round of 16.

3. Orange volleyball defeats Carrboro, wins 3A Eastern Regional championship, October 31: The 2023 Orange volleyball team never had the state championship as a goal. Since 2020, they hadn’t even been the best team in its own town, much less the state. Under first-year head coach Hope Heverly, Orange played ten straight matches away from home in late August and September. They won seven of them, setting up a undefeated run to the Central Conference championship. They avenged a loss to Carrboro in the Eastern Regional championship match on Halloween. Trailing two-sets-to-one, Orange won the fourth set 25-19. In the fifth, Katie Silcott scored the 14th point. Aubrey Jordan spiked home match point to carry Orange to a 15-9 win. Ella Wimsatt, the 2023 Central Conference Player of the Year, finished with 19 kills and 19 digs. Libero Sadye Porter, whose return to the team after sitting out her junior season can’t be underestimated, had 34 digs. Aubrey Jordan finished with 15 kills while Ava Wilkerson had 13 kills as Orange reached the state championship match for only the second time ever.

2. Gabriel Schmid repeats at 3A State Cross Country champion, November 4: Gabriel Schmid doesn’t live in his comfort zone. That’s how he went from not qualifying for the 3A State Cross Country Championships as a freshman to becoming just the second Orange High runner to win a state championship in cross country. On November 4, Schmid won his second 3A State Championship at the Ivey Redmond Sports Complex in Kernersville. He finished with a time of 15:14.75, a good 34 seconds ahead of the closest competitor. Last month, Schmid announced his commitment to run at N.C. State. Schmid improved on his time from the 2022 state championship that he won, also in Kernersville.

1. Katie Belle Sikes named Most Outstanding Swimmer of 3A State Championships, February 16:  In 2022, Sikes changed travel teams to a coach that encouraged swimming in high school competitions. Mind you, Sikes became the first Orange swimmer to win a state championship as a sophomore. Last February, Sikes won the 50 yard freestyle and the 100 yard freestyle state championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. She set a new state record in the 50 yard freestyle (regardless of classification) at 22.17 seconds. It was the 10th fastest time ever recorded in a high school meet in American history. She won the 100 meters championship at 49.45, another automatic All-American time. She took the anchor leg in the 200 yard freestyle relay with Riley White, Ainsley Rasinske and Piper White, becoming the first relay team to win a state championship in Orange history. Sikes officially signed with the University of Georgia last month. She’s already qualified for five regional events this winter.