Orange Wrestling

The hope around the Orange wrestling camp was that things would be different this year.

Last year in Cameron, Union Pines defeated Orange 49-24 to win the Eastern Regional championship in the 3A State Dual Team playoffs. It was no surprise that the two teams would meet again with the same stakes on the line a year later. The Panthers had ten starters back from last year’s team. Union Pines had nine.

But the result was the same. The Vikings depth proved to be too much for the Panthers.

Behind pins from Colton Collins, Nick Mascolino and Brock Sullivan, Union Pines won the 3A Eastern Regional Championship for the second straight year, outlasting Orange 37-30 at Panthers Gymnasium on Wednesday night. For the second straight year, the Vikings (27-1) will face Fred T. Foard for the 3A State Dual Team Championship at the Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro on Saturday.

Orange (23-2) was denied its eleventh regional championship.

The Panthers may have been fazed by its opening match earlier in the night. Orange squeezed out a 38-30 win over Swansboro in the regional semifinals in a back-and-forth affair that come down to the last match. Orange’s Dillon Heffernan, in his final matches inside Panther Gymnasium, pinned Klint Rhude to ensure an Orange victory. Moments earlier, with the Panthers trailing 30-26 and its season on the line, Orange’s Talan Pearly pinned R.J. Caines in 55 seconds to vault the Panthers into the lead. It was the eighth and final lead change of the night.

While Orange was struggling in a fighting to the finish against the Pirates, Union Pines completed its business against First Flight quickly. The Vikings cruised 42-31 over the Nighthawks and waited about 40 minutes on the adjacent mat for Orange’s match to finish before the Eastern Regional final.

“They’re a great team,” Orange coach Spenser Poteat said as his team rolled up the mats afterwards.”I think they were just deeper than we were. I’ve seen them a couple of times this year and they’ve been stronger than we’ve been in tournaments. Hopefully, we can rebound from this and get ready for individuals.”

There were four individual rematches from last year’s regional Final. To start at 170 pounds, Brock Sullivan pinned Orange’s Andre Hill in 5:27. Last year, Sullivan prevailed via pinfall at 1:46. Sullivan was ahead 11-3 at the end of two periods before the pin.

At 195, Orange senior Acoya Isley pinned Dantrell Williams in 4:46 to cut the Union Pines lead to 12-6. Isley struggled to gain an opening in the match and got a late escape in the second period to even the score 2-2. The head official took about one minute between periods to clarify the score, which gave Isley a rest as he appeared to be winded late in the second period. Isley rode his strength to earn his 32nd win of the year in his final match at Orange High. Last year, Isley pinned Williams in 1:23.

At 220, Union Pines Colton Collins pinned Orange’s Elijah Acosta in 1:26. Collins was the aggressor from the start and kept Acosta backpedaling. In 2022, Collins defeated Acosta in 2:53.

The Vikings’ Keaton Crawford, at 113, got more bonus points when he scored a major decision over Adrian Sierra 12-2. Last year, Crawford pinned Sierra.

Before Isley’s victory, Nick Mascolino of Union Pines pinned Orange’s Jayden Medley in 1:35 to send the Vikings to a 12-0 lead.

At heavyweight, Orange’s Hugo Vazquez went the distance in an 8-2 win over Sincere Bonner. Vazquez led early after a takedown, but the Vikings’ fans loudly applauded Bonner after the loss since he didn’t give up any bonus points.

Union Pines broadened its lead in the lightweight classes. At 106, Aidan Enright defeated Logan Scarantino 8-2. Paired with Crawford’s decision over Sierra, the Vikings led 25-9.

At 120, Jayden Crawford of Union Pines held off Quadir Medley in 5-2. Medley nearly had a takedown in the opening period but the officials ruled he was out of the circle. After a scoreless first period, Crawford escaped and got a takedown with 52 seconds remaining in the 2nd.

In possibly the most thrilling individual match of the evening, Orange’s Braeden Crawford held on to beat Joe Lloyd 6-5. Lloyd clung to 5-4 lead when Crawford escaped and reversed with :12 remaining in the third period to get the two points, then held on for dear life to prevent Lloyd from escaping and earned the win.

Orange’s Jared Hutchins drew the Panthers closer when he pinned J.T. Erle in 1:39. It was Hutchins 26th win of the season.

Finnius McCafferty of Union Pines regained the momentum at 138 when he pinned Ben Musser in 2:38, increasing the Vikings’ lead to 34-18.

At 145, Orange’s Dillon Heffernan pinned Joe Vraback in 3:16. With two matches remaining, Houston Leeah defeated Orange’s Sam Crawford to 6-4, which ensured the Vikings’ 2nd straight regional title. Leeah trailed 2-0 after Crawford scored the opening takedown just 12 second in. Leeah scored a reversal late in the 2nd period to even things at 4-4, then gained a reversal to open the third period and scored two back points to ride out the win.

Orange’s final dual match win of the season over Swansboro to start the night was a memorable one. There were six lead changes in the first seven matches.

As was the case in opening round wins over Southern Nash and C.B. Aycock, Orange had Sam Crawford and Heffernan compete a weight class higher because of a slew of injuries at 160 pounds. The Pirates’ Theo Yager scored a major decision in a 9-0 win over Crawford.

Andre Hill needed only 53 seconds to pin James Smith at 170. Swansboro responded with Jason McEwen beating Medley in 1:50 to take the lead back 10-6. Isley, who won all four of his dual matches in the team playoffs, pinned Marcos Jimenez in 50 seconds.

At 220, Acosta led Brayden Cline 1-0 going into the third period. Acosta held on until the very end when Cline scored an escape with three seconds remaining to claim a stunning 2-1 win, sending the Pirates back into the lead 13-12.

At heavyweight, Vazquez won the only overtime match of the night when he gained the back of Hyuga Doreus of Swansboro with 3 seconds left, winning 5-3. That put Orange ahead 15-13.

Paul Vaught of Swansboro defeated Scarantino 7-2 at 106 pounds. Sierra pinned Seamus Sullivan in 1:26 to put Orange back ahead 21-16.

At 120, Ayden Goodman pinned Medley in 2:50. Swansboro’s Tyer Cowell defeated Braeden Crawford 12-3, sending Swansboro to a 26-21 lead with four matches left.

The emotional peak of the night was at 126 when Hutchins faced Aiden Russel. Early on, Russel got back points after a reversal to take a 7-1 lead. Russel led 9-2 when Hutchins started his comeback with a quick reversal in the second period. Russel was penalized a point for an illegal move in the third, Hutchins got an escape to even the match, then scored the pin to send the building into a frenzy. Orange was penalized a team point for excessive celebration, which kept the match tied 29-29.

Mason Cooper defeated Musser 10-0. With Swansboro leading 30-26, Pearly quickly pinned Caines in 55 seconds, followed by Heffernan’s victory at 152 over Rhode.

The Orange wrestling squad has reached the state quarterfinals of the 3A Dual Team Playoffs. On Saturday afternoon, the Panthers defeated Southern Nash 62-16 in the opening round at Panther Gymnasium. In the second round, Orange came back from an early deficit to defeat C.B. Aycock 40-24. Orange sophomore Adrian Sierra may have had the biggest clutch win of the day against C.B. Aycock. Facing Carvin McMahon in the 113-pound match, Sierra was on the verge of getting pinned before he scored a dramatic sweep. Sierra wound up on top of McMahon and scored the pin at 1:58. It evened the dual match at 9-9 and the Panthers didn’t trail the Golden Falcons again. Earlier in the day, Sierra defeated Trevon Baker of Southern Nash 6-2. At 132 pounds, Orange’s Jared Hutchins had a dominant day. Hutchins pinned Jeremy Johnson of Aycock in 1:11. Earlier, Hutchins defeated Jaden Edwards of Southern Nash via technical fall 16-0. Orange will host the regional semifinal matches tonight. The Panthers will face Swansboro. Meanwhile on the opposite match, Union Pines, the #1 seed in the East, will face First Flight. Orange will go for its 11th regional championship.

Orange wrestling’s Adrian Sierra & Jared Hutchins discuss reaching the state quarterfinals

The Orange wrestling squad has reached the state quarterfinals of the 3A Dual Team Playoffs. On Saturday afternoon, the Panthers defeated Southern Nash 62-16 in the opening round at Panther Gymnasium. In the second round, Orange came back from an early deficit to defeat C.B. Aycock 40-24.

Photo by Jennifer Freeland

For a fleeting moment, it appeared that the Orange wrestling team’s chances of reaching the state quarterfinals were in grave jeopardy.

With C.B. Aycock leading the Panthers 9-3 in a 2nd round dual match, the Golden Falcons’ Carvin McMahon was ahead of Orange’s Aidan Sierra 4-0. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the first period, McMahon looked to have Sierra’s shoulders on the mat.

That’s when Sierra scored a reversal out of nowhere along the outer edge of the circle to send the Orange fans inside Panther gymnasium into a frenzy. Just before the clock expired, Sierra got the pin at 1:58, his second pin of the day and his 16h of the season.

It squared the dual match at 9-9, but Sierra’s sudden reversal all but ensured the Panthers would return to the state quarterfinals of the 3A State Dual Team Wrestling Tournament for the second straight year.

Sierra’s victory started a string of four straight Panther wins, three of which were pins. Orange would go on to win the dual match 40-24 against C.B. Aycock on Saturday afternoon in front of a enthusiastic crowd at Orange High Gymnasium.

The Panthers will host the State Quarterfinals and the 3A Eastern Regional Championship match on Wednesday night in Hillsborough. Orange will open with Swansboro. On the other mat with be the top seed, Union Pines, who will face First Flight.

The Eastern Regional Championship match will immediately follow the semifinals.

Orange’s Elijah Acosta, a senior with a 30-5 record this season, opened the dual match against Aycock against Dallas Bailey at 220 pounds. It appeared that Acosta scored a pin in the first period, but one of the two referees called time because Bailey suffered a wrist injury. After Orange trainer Emily Gaddy taped Bailey’s wrist, the match continued with Acosta holding on to win 7-5, despite being penalized two points for stalling. Acosta got a late takedown in the waning seconds to secure the win.

Aycock took the lead behind a pin from Jason Best, who defeated Orange heavyweight Hugo Vazquez in 3:46. At 106 pounds, Aycock’s Jaiden Moses decisioned Logan Scarantino 11-6 to put the Falcons ahead 9-3.

Following Sierra’s win, Orange’s Quadir Medley immediately grabbed a 5-0 lead against Kiare Sewell at 120 pounds. Medley nearly scored the pin late in the first period as Sewell used up almost all of his energy keeping his left shoulder off the mat. Medley immediately attacked a gassed Sewell to start the second period and earned the pin at 2:14 to put Orange’s lead at 15-9.

Orange’s Braeden Crawford scored a 4-2 decision over Jaden Bevell at 126 pounds. It took only 26 seconds for Crawford to get the opening takedown. Bevell could only muster escape points and required work on his left arm from Gaddy in the second period.

At 132 pounds, Orange’s Jared Hutchins needed only 1:11 to dispose of Jeremy Johnson. It improved Hutchins’ record to 24-4 with 16 pins. and increased Orange’s lead to 21-9.

The Falcons responded with consecutive victories. Russell Davis defeated Ben Musser 11-7 at 138 pounds. Axl Perry, a wrestling name if there ever was one, pinned Orange’s Colton Jones at 4:45. Due to injuries with competitors at 160 pounds, Orange coach Spenser Poteat opted to have Dillon Heffernan and Sam Crawford each wrestle a weight class higher than usual.

With Orange’s lead down to 21-18, Heffernan took the mat at 152 pounds (he usually competes at 145) and controlled the match against Samad Wooten. The two had several lengthy whizzer tie-ups that Heffernan got the upper-hand in. With Wooten leading 2-0 at the end of the first period, Heffernan started the second with a quick escape to take a 3-2 advantage. To open the third, Heffernan flattened out Wotten and got his back for the reversal. Leading 5-2, Heffernan maintained the dominant position to win despite giving up a few pounds.

At 160 pounds, Crawford defeated Chance Sauls 8-7 in a tight match. Crawford got an escape point just as the second period ended for the margin of victory. At 170 pounds, Orange’s Andre Hill defeated Dawson Sauls 13-4 via major decision to ensure an Orange win.

Orange senior Acoya Isley quickly pinned Jaylen Coley in 17 seconds at 195 pounds. Isley is 32-2 with 21 pins this season.

Orange opened the day with a 62-16 win over Southern Nash. Isley opened the day with a forfeit win. Acosta pinned the Firebirds’ John Tolleson in 2:55 following a takedown late in the second period.

Vazquez defeated Leo Robiero via pinfall in 3:01. Southern Nash’s Jose Salazar earned a major decision to put the Firebirds on the board. Sierra responded with a 6-2 decision over Nash’s Trevon Baker. Medley pinned Colton Brisbee at 3:03 to increase Orange’s lead to 27-4.

Crawford pinned Chris Navigate in 1:35 at 126 pounds. Hutchins earned his fifth technical fall of the season, beating Jaden Edwards 16-0. Musser pinned Jason Edawards at 4:47 in the 145 pound match.

C.B. Aycock defeated Carrboro 77-6 in the opening round.

Orange’s state quarterfinal match against Swansboro will start Wednesday afternoon at 5:30, as will Union Pines’ match against First Flight.

Last year, the Orange wrestling team came one win shy of reaching the NCHSAA State Dual Team Championship match for the eleventh time.

This year, the Panthers are more experienced, if banged up. They will start their mission to return to Greensboro’s Novant Field House this weekend.

The Panthers will face Southern Nash in the opening round of the 32-team 3A State Dual Team Playoffs on Saturday. Orange will host the first and second rounds of the tournament according to the bracket released by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association on Thursday morning.

Competing on the opposite mat from Orange will be C.B. Aycock, the #7 seed from the Quad County Conference, against #10 seed Carrboro from the Northern Lakes Conference. The winner of the first round matches will meet immediately afterwards to determine who reaches the 3rd round next week.

Orange was undefeated as a team going into its final regular season dual match against Currituck County in the Havelock Duals on January 14. Currituck came away with a controversial victory after a Knight wrestler claimed that an Orange wrestler bit him, an allegation that Orange coach Spenser Poteat vehemently denied and immediately protested to no avail. The Orange wrestler was leading when the match was stopped. At the time, Orange led the dual match 33-25. Currituck ended up getting six team points after they won the match via disqualification, plus Orange had three points subtracted due to “flagrant misconduct.” Currituck won the dual match 34-32. If it wasn’t for that ruling, Orange  likely would have had the #1 seed in the East Region.

Instead, the Panthers, 19-1 overall and 6-0 in the Central Carolina Conference, got a #2 seed in the East. Union Pines received the top seed. Currituck County didn’t make the postseason as First Fight got the only 3A bid from the Northeastern Coastal Conference (one of many 3A/2A conferences).

Last weekend in the Central Carolina Tournament, Orange competed without six starters, leading to a fourth place finish. The Panthers are expected to have 195-pounder Acoya Isley back in the lineup against Westover. This season, Isley is 30-2 with 19 pins. He has individual championships at the Quentin Crosby Invitational at Dudley High School in Greensboro and the Eastern Alamance Invitational in December. Isley finished 2nd at the Tiger Holiday Classic in Chapel Hill, the highest of any Orange wrestler.

Dillon Heffernan, at 145 pounds, will also return to the lineup this weekend. Heffernan, a senior, also won individual championships at Eastern Alamance and the Quentin Crosby Invitational. He is 29-4 with 15 pins.

Even without six staters, Orange had four grapplers win their individual weight classes last week in the CCC Championships: Elijah Acosta (220), Sam Crawford (152), Jared Hutchins (132) and Braden Crawford (126).

Southern Nash,, from the Big East Conference, will face Orange at 11AM on Saturday.

C.B. Aycock won the Quad County Championship with a 15-3 record. They went undefeated in conference action.

Carrboro was the top 3A team out of the Northern Lakes Conference, another split 3A/2A conference. South Granville, a 2A team, won the Northern Lakes Conference championship.

The Panthers have won five dual team state championships and ten regional titles. Their last trip to the State Championship match came in 2018, when they lost to Piedmont 33-31. It was the second straight year that Piedmont and the Panthers faced off for the State Championship. In the previous year, Orange led 29-17 with four matches remaining, but Piedmont won the last three matches to prevail 29-27. That was the final dual match for legendary Orange coach Bobby Shriner.

The regional semifinals and finals will be held on Wednesday at a location to be determined. The 3A State Championship match will take place at Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro next Saturday.

Elijah Acosta has preserved through a senior season where he batted illness and injury to win a conference championship. Last Saturday in the 220-pound championship mach of the Central Carolina Conference tournament, Acosta wrestled Northwood’s Jake Dunning for the sixth time in two years. Acosta’s grip proved to be a strong one as he defeated Dunning 3-0 to take the title, his first individual championship this year. Acosta got an escape point in the second period. Late in the frame, Acosta made a rush at Dunning and scored a takedown with three seconds remaining. Dunning couldn’t get an escape point in the third period. Last year, Acosta qualified for the 3A State Championships and finished 3rd in the Mideast Regionals. This Saturday, Acosta and the rest of the Panthers will start action in the 3A State Dual Tournament. The 32-team field for the tournament will be released Thursday. Orange was the Central Carolina Conference regular season champion and will be the #1 seed in the 3A State Dual Tournament from the CCC.

Orange’s Elijah Acosta discusses winning the Central Carolina Conference 220-pound championship

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The championship banners inside Orange High School’s gymnasium honors every sport that has captured a title.

A stranger doesn’t have to look long to figure out which sport has been the most successful in terms of conference championships. The banner for the wrestling team is adorned with emblems of two wrestlers grappling position. Beneath each emblem is the year of the championship. They stretch up towards the roof and all the way down the floor.

The Orange wrestling team has just added another title to its banner.

Last Wednesday, the Panthers defeated Person 43-25 inside Rocket Gymnasium in Roxboro to complete an undefeated Central Carolina Conference season. The Panthers were 16-0 coming out of the match going into the Havelock Duals over the weekend. They finished 6-0 in the CCC.

For a squad with seniors Sam Crawford, Dillon Heffernan, Elijah Acosta, and Hugo Vazquez, it would have been an upset for the Panthers to fall short of a conference championship this year. Orange reached the Eastern Regional championship match in the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs in 2022, where they fell to Croatan in the finals.

The matchup with Person was a battle of teams undefeated in conference action. The Rockets (9-4)went in with a 5-0 conference record after beating Eastern Alamance 79-0 on January 4.

Sam Crawford started the night on a strong note with a pin in the third period against Davis Garrett. Crawford, who finished fourth in the Tiger Holiday Classic in December at Chapel Hill High, was 23-7 for the season after his 17th pin of the year.

Orange junior Andre Hill, who is 29-6, scored his 19th pin of the year over Patrick Anderson at 170 pounds to put the Panthers ahead 12-3. Hill, an offensive tackle in football, finished third at the Eastern Alamance Eagle Invitational in Mebane on December 17.

After Malaki Newton preserved a decision victory for the Rockets at 182 pounds, Orange’s lead was reduced to 12-6. Acoya Isley, who is 25-2 on the season, earned a decision at 195. Elijah Acosta scored a pin over Gavin Jones at 220 pounds to increase Orange’s lead to 21-6.

That advantage was reduced to 21-12 after Person wins by Fabian Rivera (106 pounds) and Najonii Aguilar (113). Orange’s Quadir Medley took a victory at 126 pounds to start a string of four straight Orange individual wins that paved the way for a team championship.

Orange notched three consecutive pins. At 126 pounds, Braden Crawford earned his 14th pin of the season when he defeated Person’s Taveon Moss. Junior Jared Hutchins got a pin at 132 pounds, which secured the Panther victory. Dillon Heffernan, who won at the Quentin Crosby Invitational at Dudley High School on January 7, ended the night with another pin. Heffernan went into last weekend with a 26-3 record on the season.

The conference championship is Orange’s 19th conference title in the last 20 years. That stretches across three classifications dating back to Orange’s days as a 4A team. The Chapel Hill Tigers ended Orange’s run of 16 consecutive conference championships in 2020, a month before the pandemic hit.

Orange is now guaranteed to be the #1 seed from the Central Carolina Conference going into the 3A State Dual Team Championships, which will start on January 28. The field for the tournament will be announced on January 26.

Before Orange focuses on the State Dual Tournament, there will be the first Central Carolina Conference individual tournament set for this Saturday at Orange High. Last year was supposed to be the first CCC Tournament at Eastern Alamance, but the event was canceled because of winter weather.

The conference championship is the fifth for head coach Spenser Poteat, who took over for Bobby Shriner in 2017. Shriner now works with the University of North Carolina wrestling team. Poteat wrestled for Shriner as a Panther student in the 1990s.

Over the weekend, Orange dropped its first dual match of the year in the Havelock Duals against Currituck County is what was reportedly a controversial result on several levels.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Sam Crawford. This season, Crawford is 23-7 with 16 pins. On Wednesday night, Crawford was in the first match for Orange in their dual match against Person. Crawford scored a pin in the third period to get the Panthers off to a strong start. Orange went on to win 43-25 and claim the Central Carolina Conference championship for the third straight season. It’s Orange’s 19th conference championship in wrestling in the last 20 years. This season, Crawford finished second in the Eastern Alamance Eagle Invitational in Mebane. Just before Christmas, Crawford finished fourth in the 152-pound tournament at the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School. Next Saturday, Crawford will compete in the 152-pound tournament in the 1st annual Central Carolina Conference individual tournament at Orange High School. Crawford will aim for a high finish to prepare for the 3A Mideast Regionals. This weekend, Crawford and the rest of the Panthers will journey out east to compete in the Havelock Duals.

Orange Panther of the Week: Sam Crawford

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Dillon Heffernan became the 49th wrestler in Orange High history to win 100 matches. On senior night, Heffernan edged Northwood’s Ronald Walker 6-5 to take his 100th win. He becomes the first Orange wrestler to win 100 career matches since Kessel Summers did it in 2021. Heffernan reached the milestone despite losing most of his sophomore season due to the pandemic. Last season, Heffernan finished second in the Mideast Regionals at 126 pounds. He was the top seed going into the tournament after finishing the regular season with a 26-9 record. Over the summer, Heffernan elected to move up three weight classes to 145 pounds, where he already has an individual championship this year. Heffernan has been a member of two conference championship teams with Orange. Next week, the Panthers will journey to Roxboro to face Person with the winner taking the Central Carolina Conference championship. This weekend, Heffernan will join the Panthers as they compete in the annual Quentin Crosby Invitational at Dudley High School in Greensboro. Orange is undefeated as a team in dual matches this year.

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Photo by Katie Medley 

December is always a busy month for the Orange wrestling team.

They usually compete in three individual tournaments, including hosting their own on the first Saturday of the month. There’s always the Tiger Holiday Invitational, among the largest in the state, either the week before or the week after Christmas. And then there’s the annual two hour trip to Oakboro for the West Stanly Duals.

As a team, Orange will go into the new year with an undefeated dual record.

On Friday, the Panthers emerged from Oakboro with five wins. The Panthers defeated Montgomery Central 54-24; West Stanly 66-16 and Metrolina Christian Academy 69-9. Orange also won two other dual matches to remain undefeated during the dual season.

Orang also had another wrestler move closer to 100 career wins. Dillon Heffernan pinned Jagger Dry of West Stanly and Luke Niday of Metrolina Christian Academy. That places him at 99 career wins. Heffernan will attempt to become the latest member of Orange’s 100 career wins club on Wednesday night in Hillsborough when the Panthers face Northwood. Fittingly, it will be senior night.

A year after the Panthers reached the Eastern Regional Finals of the 3A East Dual Team Tournament, the Panthers are 14-0, 4-0 in the Central Carolina Conference. Orange is two wins away from its third consecutive conference championship. Following Northwood, Orange will face Person.

Orange has won 18 conference championships in the last 19 years.

A week earlier, four Panthers placed in the Tiger Holiday Invitational. The annual event brought 37 teams from across the state to Chapel Hill High School on December 22 and 23.

Orange’s Acoya Isley, whose record was 16-2 after the tournament, wound up finishing 2nd at 195 pounds. In the championship match, top-seeded Joshua Knipe of West Carteret defeated Isley 6-3. With 40 seconds remaining in the first period, Knipe scored a reversal and scored back points to take a 3-0 lead. Isley escaped but trailed 4-2 at the end of the first period.

In the semifinals, Isley defeated Bo Schiano of William Hough 12-1 to reach the finals. Isley started the tournament by pinning Elisha Roberts of Southern Durham in 1:26. In the quarterfinals, Isley pinned A.J. Pile of Croatan in 1:18.

At 152 pounds, senior Sam Crawford finished 4th place. Crawford reached the consolation final after a forfeit win over Adam Yessef of Pinecrest. Crawford pinned Ja’Bari Stroud of Durham School of the Arts in 28 seconds. In the consolation round, Crawford pinned Jonathan Moses of Jacksonville in 2:22. Crawford, who is 14-6 on the year, defeated Houston Leeah of Union Pines via pinfall in 2:43.

Heffernan finished fifth at 145 pounds. He pinned Har Htoo of New Bern in 1:55  in the fifth place match to improve to 18-3 on the season. Heffernan reached the semifinals after he edged Will McRae of Hough 2-0. In the second round, Heffernan pinned Noah Ramirez of Jack Britt in 40 seconds. Tyler Tracy of Cardinal Gibbons, who eventually won the championship, defeated Heffernan via technical fall.

At 126 pounds, Orange’s Braden Crawford also finished fifth. Crawford defeated Mason McMullen of Jacksonville 10-4 in the opening round. Crawford reached the semifinals after beating East Chapel Hill’s Asher Yeo 7-4. Liam Hickey of Cardinal Gibbons, another eventual champion, pinned Crawford in the semis. In the fifth place match, Crawford defeated Yeo again by an 8-4 margin.

Junior Andre Hill finished sixth at 170 pounds. Hill, an offensive lineman in football, started with a 10-1 major decision over Dustin Maness of Union Pines. Hill advanced to the semifinals after Richard Post of Rutherfordton-Spindale was injured.

Orange went into the Tiger Holiday Classic without the services of two wrestlers who qualified for the state championships last year. The Panthers finished eighth in the team standings with 109 points. Union Pines won the team championship with 180.5 points. Cardinal Gibbons finished second with 150.5 points.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Dillon Heffernan. On December 17, Heffernan captured the 145-pound championship in the Eastern Alamance Eagle Invitational in Mebane. Heffernan’s victory helped the Orange wrestling team finish first in the event. Last week, Heffernan came in fifth at the Tiger Holiday Classic in Chapel Hill, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the region. Heffernan reached the semifinals after opening the tournament with wins over Will McRae of William Hough High and Noah Ramirez of Jack Britt. Heffernan is 18-3 with eight pins so far this season. He is undefeated in dual matches. Heffernan finished 2nd in the Jim King/Orange Invitational earlier this month. Last season, Heffernan went 26-9 and qualified for the 3A State Championships in the 126-pound division. Heffernan finished 2nd in the Mideast Regional in 2021. As a sophomore, Heffernan qualified for the 3A State Championships during the pandemic and finished his sophomore year with a record of 18-4. He has been a member of two conference championship teams with Orange. He was a starter on an Orange team that advanced to the 3A Eastern Regional Championship match in the State Dual Team Championships last February. This Saturday, the Panthers will compete in the West Stanly Duals to finish out 2022.

Orange Panther of the Week: Dillon Heffernan

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Dillon Heffernan. On December 17, Heffernan captured the 145-pound championship in the Eastern Alamance Eagle Invitational in Mebane. Heffernan’s victory helped the Orange wrestling team finish first in the event.