Orange Wrestling

For two decades, it has been an annual tradition for the Orange wrestling team to compete for a Big 8 Championship in the final days of January.

It will be no different this year.

On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated Northern Durham 81-0 at Poe Gymtorium in Durham to officially clinch a birth in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament. Now, the Panthers will have 24 hours to face Chapel Hill in Hillsborough.

The Panthers, now 23-3 overall, 6-0 in the Big 8, will go for its 17th consecutive championship on Thursday night.

Northern had several athletes out due to illness. Of the 14 matches, Orange won nine by forfeit.

The only match of the evening that went the distance came at 152 pounds, where Noah Davis defeated Shamari Zachan 8-4. Davis is 25-15 on the season.

Tyler Larkin, Juan Navarro, Josh Dunn, John-Michael Bourlon, Kessel Summers, Matthew Smith-Breeden, Henry Joubert-Stenzel, Korbin Nevius and Nathan Hecht all had forfeit wins for Orange.

Navarro, a senior heavyweight, claimed the 70th victory of his career. Summers now has 34 wins, which leads the team. Smith-Breeden, who won the opening two matches of the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High on December 20, improved to 33-13.

The Panthers claimed four wins via pinfall. At 106 pounds, freshman Dillon Heffernan defeated Khamain Dixon in 2:53. Heffernan, who won the Silver Fox Invitational at nearby Riverside High School on Saturday, is 29-14 with 13 pins this season.

Tayton Alvis, who won the 145-pound championship at the Silver Fox, pinned Northern’s Chelsey Posadas in only 18 seconds. It was Alvis’ 14 pin of the year and his 21st victory.

At 182 pounds, Brendon Worsham pinned Hayden Douglas in 1:38. Worsham improved to 26-12 with 16 pins in his first season as a starter.

Xavier Tinnen completed the sweep for the Panthers by pinning Tyler Kendall at 195 pounds in 2:39. Tinnen improved to 18-6 with ten pins.

The winner of the Orange-Chapel Hill match will take the #1 seed from the Big 8 Conference for the state dual tournament. The 32-team tournament begins Tuesday.

The top-seed from the Big 8 will face the #2 seed out of the Tri-County Conference. Currently, Western Harnett is in second place in the Tri-County, behind only Union Pines.

The 2nd round of the 3A State Dual tournament will take place moments after the first round ends at a location to be determined. The bracket opposite the #1 Big 8 seed has the champion of the Patriot Athletic Conference going against the #2 seed from the Coastal Conference.

Cape Fear, who defeated Orange in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs last year, is currently undefeated in the Patriot Athletic Conference.

The regional semifinals and finals of the state dual tournament will be held February 6 at a location to be determined. The 3A State Championship will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse on February 8.

Orange and Chapel Hill have battled for the Big 8 Championship each of the last four years. Typically the regular season finale for both teams, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 37-21 last year at Tiger Gymnasium. In 2018, Orange defeated Chapel Hill 60-15, and went on to win the 3A Eastern Regional Championship before falling to Piedmont in the state championship match.

Orange’s Korbin Nevius won his first individual championship at the varsity level on Saturday. Nevius claimed the 160-pound championship in the Silver Fox Invitational at Riverside High School in Durham. He pinned Cary’s Jake Wolfram in the championship match in 1:53. In the semifinals, Nevius defeated Matthew Leathers of Voyager Academy 6-4. Nevius started the day by defeating Northern Durhams Cameron Curry via pinfall in 1:52. Nevius started wrestling at Stanford Middle School. Nevius is in his second year on the varsity team. He is 23-9 with ten pins. Last year, Caleb Brimmer and the now-graduated Avery Jenkins wrestled at 160 pounds. Nevius aims to become part of a conference champion this week. Orange will travel to Northern Durham on Wednesday, then host Chapel Hill on Thursday with the Big 8 Championship on the line. Orange is going for its 17th consecutive conference title.

Icez Barnett: The 2019 Orange graduate was the first player off the bench for the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team in its 81-55 win over Southern Wesleyan at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro on Saturday. Barnett scored a career-high ten points as the Hawks defeated the Warriors 81-55. Barnett also played 14 minutes, her longest sting since November 30 against UNC Pembroke. The Hawks are 4-14 overall, 4-10 in Conference Carolinas. They host #25 Belmont Abbey in the Helms Center tonight (Tuesday).

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team is on a five-game winning streak. On Sunday, the Bantams defeated MCLA 43-31 in Hartford, CT. It was the second-fewest amount of points the Bantams have allowed this season. Campbell played eight minutes and grabbed three rebounds and made a steal. Trinity is now 14-4 overall, 3-1 in the New England Small Conference Athletic Conference. On Saturday, Trinity rallied to defeat Connecticut College 60-57 in Posting Gymnasium in Hartford. Campbell came off the bench to play six minutes. She finished with two points and one rebound. Trinity travels to Middlebury on Friday.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team has won nine of its last ten games. On Saturday, the Eagles defeated Southwest Virginia 73-50 in Raleigh. Cates scored four points off 2-of-6 shooting from the field. She also had three rebounds and a steal. The Eagles are 14-4 overall, 7-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. On Thursday, the Eagles defeated Spartanburg Methodist 63-62. Cates finished with eight points off 3-of-5 shooting from the field. Cates finished 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The Wake Tech school record for wins in a season is 18.

Jamar Davis: A week after he clinched a spot in the ACC Track & Field Indoor Championships, Davis won his first indoor meet of the 2020 season on Saturday. Davis won the long jump with a leap of 7.43 meters to take the championship of the Hokie Invitational at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, VA. Davis also won the triple jump championship with a jump of 15.67, which was three inches better than North Carolina’s Jaren Holmes. On Friday and Saturday, the Wolfpack men’s and women’s teams will journey to Lubbock, TX to compete in the Texas Tech Invitational. Davis qualified for the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships during the Gamecock Opener at the University of South Carolina on January 17 & 18.

Marvin Jones: The North Carolina Central junior finished 2nd in the high jump in the Liberty Kickoff indoor track & field event in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday. Jones had a jump of 2.05 meters. Tequann Claitt of Indiana Tech finished first with a jump of 2.21 meters. Jones’ performance was one of five top-5 finishes for the Eagles last weekend. Central will continue its indoor season on Friday and Saturday in the Camel City Invitational. The meet will take place at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.

Braden Homsey: Washington & Lee defeated the Division III Ferrum wrestling team 21-18 on Saturday in the W&L Student Activities Pavilion in Lexington, VA. Homsey scored a major decision for Ferrum. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Homsey defeated Brad Basham 12-1. It’s been a solid sophomore season for Homsey, who is now 19-7 with one pin.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior heavyweight wrestler Juan Navarro. On Saturday, Navarro won the heavyweight championship of the Silver Fox Invitational at Riverside High School in Durham. He defeated Person’s Noah Harris 2-1 in the championship match. It was Navarro’s 30th win of the season and the 69th of his career. He has 17 pins this season. Navarro started eleven games at right guard for the Orange football team the past two seasons. Navarro is focused on qualifying for the 3A State Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum next month. Last year, he missed qualifying by one point. This year, the Mideast Regionals will take place at Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville. Navarro went 38-11 with 18 pins in his first full season as a starter. This is his third year as a varsity grappler.

The youngest Orange wrestling team in recent memory may be finding its stride at the right time.

After finishing 4th in the DASH Tournament in Willow Springs last weekend, the Panthers won the Silver Fox Invitational at Riverside High School in Durham on Saturday. The Panthers had five individual champions, four of whom won titles for the first-time in their varsity careers.

Orange captured the team championship with 212.5 points, it’s first team tournament championship this season. Cary finished 2nd at 154 points. Person finished third at 132.5 points.

Senior heavyweight Juan Navarro, who finished 2nd last year at Riverside, won the first individual championship of his career. For the third time this season, Navarro faced a challenger from Person in a tournament. This time, it was Noah Harris, who replaced starter Marcus Vincent due to illness. Navarro defeated Harris 3-1, his 30th win of the season and the 69th of his Orange.

Panther freshman Dillon Heffernan won the 106-pound title. Heffernan, who won two Orange-Person Athletic Conference championships at Stanford Middle School, quite literally held on to defeat Cary’s Aki Hason 4-3 in the championship match.

At 113 pounds, Orange’s Joshua Dunn pinned Cary’s Ezra Jack at 3:19 in the final. Dunn pinned Wakefield’s Luke DiGiuseppe in 1:37 in the semifinals.

Tayton Alvis earned his 20th win of the season in the 145-pound championship match, where he defeated Wakefield’s Terry Edwards 4-1.

At 160 pounds, Korbin Nevius pinned Cary’s Jake Wolfram in 1:53 to win the championship. Nevius is now 23-9 with ten pins this season.

Navarro, who narrowly missed qualifying for the 3A State Championships last year, had a scoreless first period against Harris. Early on, Harris grabbed Navarro’s leg in a single-leg attempt, but Navarro stood on one leg long enough to regain his balance.

In the second period, Harris scored the initial escape point, but Navarro got Harris’ back for the only takedown of the match. Navarro fended off Harris’ takedown attempts in the third period.

In the 106 pound match, Hason led 3-2 at the end of the second period. Starting from the bottom in the third period, Heffernan scored a reversal to take a 4-3 lead 19 seconding the frame. After two restarts, Heffernan held on to an arm bar and Hason looked for an escape to even the match, but ultimately couldn’t find a way out.

At 113 pounds, Jack led Dunn 2-1 at the end of the first period after a reversal. In the second period, Dunn worked from the bottom to gain Jack’s back, then clamped on a half-nelson to force Jack’s right shoulder down for the pin at 3:18.

Brandon Worsham nearly became the sixth Panther to win a championship on the afternoon. He finished runner-up at 182 pounds, narrowly falling to Wesley Sharpe of Voyager Academy 2-1. Worsham battled for an escape point in the final seconds that could have sent the match to overtime.

This week, Orange looks to complete another undefeated run through the Big 8 Conference. The Panthers, with a 23-2 overall record, 5-0 in the Big 8, will travel to Northern Durham on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the Panthers host Chapel Hill for Senior Night. If Orange defeats the Tigers, the Panthers will clinch its 17th consecutive conference championship.

On the same day, Orange wrestling Tayton Alvis earned his 20th victory of the season and his first individual championship at the varsity level. Alvis won the 145-pound title at the Silver Fox Invitational at Riverside High School in Durham. Alvis scored a takedown in the opening period and held on to defeat Terry Edwards of Wakefield 4-2 in the championship match on Saturday afternoon. In the semifinals, Alvis pinned Dawson Owen of Person in 51 seconds. Alvis is 20-12 with 13 pins this season. Last season, as a sophomore, Alvis wrestled at 138 pounds. He finished 27-14 with 19 pins as Orange won the Big 8 Championship and advanced to the 2nd round of the 3A State Dual regional tournament after beating Morehead in the opening round. Orange has already clinched a birth for the State Dual Playoffs for this season, and will go for the Big 8 Conference Championship this week with a road trip to Northern Durham and a home match against Chapel Hill on Thursday in Hillsborough.

Orange wrestling had five individual champions at the Silver Fox Invitational at Riverside High School in Durham on Saturday. It was Orange’s first individual tournament championship of the season. Joshua Dunn won the 113-pound title with three pins. He defeated Cary’s Ezra Jacks in 3:19. In the semifinals, Dunn pinned Luke DiGiuseppe of Wakefield in 1:37. He is now 27-9 this season with 19 pins. This week, Orange will go for its 17th consecutive conference championship when they face Northern Durham on Wednesday in Durham. The Panthers will host Chapel Hill for Senior Night on Thursday. Dunn helped put Orange in position for another conference title by beating Alden Vigus of Northwood in 1:01 on January 8. Orange goes into the Northern match with an overall record of 23-2. Dunn is also preparing for the 3A Mideast Regionals, which will take place at Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville on February 14 and 15.

Boys basketball: With two games remaining in the regular season, the Gravelly Hill Grizzlies are in first place in the Orange Person Athletic Conference Northern Division. On Thursday, the Grizzlies defeated the Stanback Bulldogs 45-27 in Hillsborough. Gravelly Hill is 8-1 overall, 6-0 in the OPAC. Landon Dalehite and Kai Wade led the Grizzlies with 14 points each. Hayden Kirk finished with eight. Crawford Farmer finished with four, D.J. Norman had three and Nathan Sorrells had two.

Gravelly Hill will travel to Northern Roxboro on Tuesday. They will conclude its regular season with a home game against McDougle Middle School in Efland.

Girls Basketball: On Wednesday, the Stanford Chargers defeated Stanback 40-13. It was a balanced effort for the Chargers, who put nine players in the scorers column. Shannon Murphy paced Stanford with eleven points. Evelyn George added seven Olivia Jones and Dyreshia Farrish each scored six. Samiya Baldwin, Karleigh Johnson, Caden Robinson, Katie Wolter and Kennady Winters each scored two points.

Stanford will return to action on Tuesday against Southern Roxboro. Tipoff will be at 4:45. The Chargers will travel to Northern Roxboro on Thursday at 4:45.

Wrestling: Following a tight 47-46 win over Stanback on January 10, the Stanford Chargers have followed with two decisive victories. The Chargers defeated McDougle 96-12 on January 15. Two days later, Stanford defeated Gravelly Hill 72-30. The Chargers are 8-0.

Against the Grizzlies, Aidan Cain (98 pounds), Jared Hutchins (106), Josh Cowan (113), Luke Nevius (120), Jace Womble (132) and Josh Merrill (160) all won by pitfall.

For the season, Wyatt Hendrick, Vincent Stevens, Hutchins, Cowan, Womble and Vincent Joubert-Stenzel all remain undefeated for Stanford. The Chargers travel to Northern Roxboro Middle School on Wednesday.

The Stanback wrestling team continues to have a strong season. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs defeated Southern Roxboro 75-24 in Roxboro. At 76 pounds, Mason Pierce won via decision 13-7. Stanback’s Gavin Stone defeated his opponent 8-5 at 83 pounds.

At 90 pounds, Michael O’Melia won by pitfall in the third period. Pierce Prescod faced Southern’s Christian Lemaire, who defeated Prescod earlier this year. Prescod redeemed himself with a 7-2 victory.

Zoey Moreno pinned his opponent in the first period at 106 pounds. At 113 pounds, Will Meyer, replacing Lee Guntoyinbo (who was sick), won by pinfall in the opening period.

Abinijah Lewis won via pinfall at 120 pounds in the third period. Lewis replaced Ryan Rakouskas, who was also ill.

At 126 pounds, Jose Estrada-Parra won by pin in the opening period.

Edwin Hernandez Huerta claimed a victory at 132 pounds via pinfall.

At 138 pounds, Kaden Tatro won by pin in the second period.

Marcos Esparza won by pin at 160 pounds in the first period.

At 170 pounds, Joe O’Melia won by pin in the second period. Marcos McNeil won at 182 pounds, also via pinfall in the first period.

At heavyweight: Kellan McMullen won via forfeit.

Also last week, Stanback defeated Gravelly Hill 87-12 in Efland.

For the Bulldogs this season, Tatro, Esparza, and McMullen are all undefeated.

Prescod, Moreno, Hernandez Huerta, O’Melia and Carlos Vera de Lara each have only one loss this season.

Stanback will host Gravelly Hill on Wednesday in Hillsborough.

The OPAC Tournament will be held on February 8 at a location to be determined.

After winning two Orange-Person Athletic Conference championships at Stanford Middle School, Orange freshman Dillon Heffernan won his first individual high school title on Saturday. Heffernan captured the 106-pound championship at the Silver Fox Invitational at Riverside High in Durham. In the championship match, Heffernan defeated Cary’s Ali Hason 4-3. The third period was tight. Heffernan started from the top and worked an arm brace to hold on to Hason, who desperately tried to gain an escape point to even the match. Heffernan held on for the win. Earlier in the day, Heffernan defeated Northern Durham’s David Smith via pinfall in 5:57. In the semifinals, Heffernan held off Person’s Derrick Laycock 10-9. Heffernan will join Orange in two dual matches this week. The Panthers travel to Northern Durham on Wednesday night, then will host Chapel Hill for the Big 8 Conference championship on Thursday in Hillsborough.