Orange Wrestling

Orange senior Kessel Summers has had a year full of milestones. In April, he became the 48th wrestler in Orange history to win 100 matches. He was a member of a Big 8 Conference Championship team for the third time in his career this season. Then on Tuesday, Summers reached the 3A Mideast Regional final for the first time in his career. Summers got to the final after holding off Union Pines’ Andrew Clark 8-6 in the semifinals in the 132-pound division. Summers is the winningest active wrestler for Orange. He also has qualified for the 3A State Tournament for the third time in his career. Summers earned a spot in next week’s state tournament after he put away Gray’s Creek’s Dylan Rumer 13-3. Last year in the state tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum, Summers defeated Havelock’s Nate Lucia with a pin at 5:52 to advance to the state quarterfinals. Summers will return to Eastern Guilford High School, which hosted Tuesday’s Mideast Regionals, for the State Tournament on June 26 and to conclude his Orange career. Summers will move on to Bluefield College, where he will also wrestle.

GIBSONVILLE–In every respect, Orange wrestling has rebounded from its most lackluster season in decades.

Last year, the Panthers finished 2nd in the Big 8 Conference, ending a string of 16 straight league titles. At the 2020 3A Mideast Regionals, they finished 4th in team standings and sent three wrestlers to the state championships.

A year later, Orange finds itself back atop the Big 8, they will send six wrestlers to the state championships and finished near the top of the 3A Mideast Regionals.

On Tuesday afternoon inside a humid Eastern Guilford High School Gymnasium, the Panthers finished 2nd in the regionals with 110 points. Union Pines capture the team championship with 147 points.

Overall, Orange will send Kessel Summers, Hayden Horne, Brendon Worsham, Matthew Smith-Breeden, Dillon Heffernan and Henry Joubert-Stanzel to the 3A State Championships on June 26.

Additionally, Cedar Ridge senior Daina Pritchard reached the state championships for the first time in his career. Pritchard defeated Western Alamance’s Nolan Hogsed 7-3 to reach the semifinals in the 145-pound division. Pritchard, who has won 74 career matches, is 24-3 this season after a 4th place finish in the region.

Of the six Panthers who qualified for the state championships, three reached the regional finals in their respective weight classes. Senior Kessel Summers, who reached the state tournament for the third time in his career, held off Union Pines’ Andrew Clark 8-6 in the 138-pound semifinals. Summers advanced to the regional final for the first time in his career. Western Harnett’s Will Lewis won the regional championship with a pin in 1:40. Lewis, who will make his third state tournament appearance, won the 132-pound championship last year.

Summers is 19-3 this season.

The other two finalists were also the offensive tackles for the Orange football team this past season.

Senior Hayden Horne, who had never started in an individual tournament before Tuesday, finished 2nd at 220 pounds. Horne pinned Northern Durham’s Tyler Kendall in 2:48 to advance to the semifinals. He pinned Westover’s Remington Workman in 1:18 to move on to the finals. Eastern Guilford’s Jacob Vickers pinned Horne in 1:24 for the regional championship, which ended Horne’s undefeated season. He is now 15-1.

At 182 pounds, Brendon Worsham qualified for the state championships for the second straight year. Worsham put away Gray’s Creek’s Gage Ratley 15-3 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Northwood’s Cliff Davis had an early 4-1 lead on Worsham. In the second period, Worsham scored a quick trip takedown, landed on top of Davis and pinned him in 3:30. Union Pines Colin Pettine, who came in 3rd at 170 last year, defeated Worsham 12-7 in the final.

The other state qualifiers for Orange ran the gamut in terms of experience. Senior Matthew Smith-Breeden pinned Person’s Landon Lemaire in 42 seconds to earn a spot in the state tournament for the first time at 145 pounds. Later, Smith-Breeden pinned Pritchard in 3:27 to finish third in the region. Smith-Breeden is now 15-7 with seven pins this season.

Senior Henry Joubert-Stanzel finished 3rd at 170 pounds to clinch his first trip to the state championships. Joubert-Stanzel made quick work of Trinity’s Julian Goodman-Hernandez in 31 seconds in the quarterfinals. In the 3rd place match, Joubert-Stanzel defeated Eastern Alamance’s Julian Rodriguez’s 10-0, improving his record to 17-2.

At 113 pounds, sophomore Dillon Heffernan scored a major decision over Gray’s Creek’s Diego Martinez 16-7. Fayetteville Westover’s Dakota Little defeated Heffernan 10-6 en route to winning the regional championship. Heffernan won the 3rd place match over Eastern Guilford’s Adam Salazar 13-0.

Cedar Ridge senior James Rosati-Brown ended his career on Tuesday. Competing at 152 pounds, Rosati-Brown pinned Western Harnett’s Matthew Schneider in 39 seconds. In the quarterfinals, Cape Fear’s Dawson Travis defeated Rosati-Brown 9-4. In most years, there would have been a consolation round that could have led to Rosati-Brown reaching one of the top four spots. Because of the pandemic, this year it was a single-elimination tournament.

Rosati-Brown ends his career with a record of 77-48.

At 120 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Fernando Martinez faced a tough draw. He opened with a pin of Gray’s Creek’s Cole Burgess in 3:29. Southern Durham’s ShyHeem Davis defeated Martinez 12-4 in the quarterfinals. Earlier this year, Martinez defeated Davis via injury default during a dual meet. Martinez ends the year 21-3. At the end of his sophomore year, Martinez has a career record of 55-16.

Cedar Ridge senior Kady Watkins, who has eleven victories this season, competed in the 126-pound tournament. Watkins will be in the Women’s Invitational Tournament at Glenn High School in Kernersville on Saturday.

With the academic year now over across Orange County, a return to normal doesn’t seem too far away.

But the peculiarities created by the pandemic will continue to affect the final two weeks of wrestling season. This morning, the 3A Mideast Regionals will take place at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville.

The fact that regionals are taking place on a weekday is strange enough. So is the fact that’s it’s going on at the beginning of summer. It’s the first individual tournament this year for virtually everyone competing. In a standard year, most competitors would have had 4-5 tournament under their belts by now. This year, the closest thing for local grapplers has been tri-meets, consisting of two dual team matches in one night.

Plus, there will be no consolation rounds in the regional championships and the state championships. In 2021, they will be single-elimination tournaments.

In a standard year, those who qualify for the state championships get the reward of competing in the famed Greensboro Coliseum. It’s where Orange’s Payton Wilson won the 220-pound championship in 2017 in a wild finish where he avoided a takedown at the horn to win 4-3 and conclude a 44-0 season. It was the last match Bobby Shriner coached in his legendary Orange career. It’s where Orange’s Josiah Ramirez won the elusive 182-pound championship.

This year, competitors will grow used to Eastern Guilford High over the next 12 days. Not only is that where the regionals are taking place, it’s also the scene of the state championships.

This morning, 13 wrestlers from the Big 8 Conference Champion Orange wrestling team and eight grapplers from Cedar Ridge will start pursuit of qualifying for the state tournament in the regional championships in Gibsonville. The top four finishers will qualify for the state championships, which will be held on Saturday, June 26.

Orange junior Kessel Summers, who won his 100th career match earlier this year, will go for his third trip to the 3A State Tournament. Last year, Summers finished 3rd at 126 pounds with a 14-5 win over Andrew Clark of Union Pines in the consolation final. Summers will compete at 132 pounds and start against Autumn Coles of East Chapel Hill in the 16-man tournament. Summers is 16-2 this year with his only losses coming against 4A opponents last week.

Another Panther going for a repeat trip to the state championships is junior Brendon Worsham. Last year, Worsham finished runner-up in the 182 pound division. He punched his ticket to the Greensboro Coliseum after scoring an 11-3 major decision over Joshua Shorter of Walter Williams to reach the finals. Worsham is the #2 seed and has already received a bye. He will face either Gage Ratley of Grey’s Creek or freshman Chevelle Cade of Fayetteville Westover in the quarterfinals.

Cedar Ridge will have two senior wrestlers trying to reach the state championships for the first time in their careers. At 152 pounds, James Rosati-Brown sports at 21-2 record for the season. His career mark is 76-47. Rosati-Brown opens with Matthew Schneider of Western Harnett.

At 145 pounds, Cedar Ridge senior Daina Pritchard comes in with a 22-1 mark. He has won six consecutive matches. In the opening round, Pritchard will face Khayree Dixon of Northern Durham, which will be the first meeting between the two this year. Pritchard won via forfeit against Northern Durham in a dual match last month.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Fernando Martinez earned a 7-seed in the 120-pound tournament despite an overall record of 20-2. Martinez opens against Cole Burgess of Gray’s Creek. Last year, Burgess competed in the 126-pound tournament. The winner will face Southern Durham’s ShyHeen Davis, who Martinez already defeated via injury default earlier this year. Even with a reduced schedule in 2021 during his second varsity season, Martinez has a 54-15 career record.

Orange senior Henry Joubert-Stanzel has already gained a spot in the second round of the 170-pound tournament. Joubert-Stanzel, who is 15-1 with a team-high seven pins, has gained a bye into the second round. He will face Trinity’s Julian Goodman-Hernandez with a trip to the 3A State Tournament on the line.

Among the most interesting stories to follow will be Orange senior Hayden Horne, who will compete in his first regional championship. Horne is 13-0 with five pins this season. He has already received a bye to the quarterfinals and will open against either Cedar Ridge’s Aiden Kearns or Northern Durham’s Tyler Kendall.

Dillon Heffernan (113), Joshua Dunn (120), Jared Hutchins (126), Avery Clark (138), Matthew Smith-Breeden (145), Samuel Crawford (152), Nate Hecht (160), Elliott Woods (195) and Tyler Larkin (heavyweight) also qualified for regionals for Orange.

Cedar Ridge’s Kady Watkins (126), Mac McGhee (138), and Kaden Tatro (160) also reached regionals. It will be a full week for Watkins. In addition to regionals, she will compete in the 3A State Women’s Invitational Championships at Glenn High School in Kernersville on Saturday morning. Watkins was the first female wrestler in Hillsborough history to compete in a state tournament in 2019.

With the Big 8 Conference Championship already secure, the Orange wrestling team maintained its undefeated record with little trouble in Yanceyville.

In a tri-meet, Orange swept Bartlett-Yancey 60-18 and Walter Williams 64-12 on Tuesday night. It happened a week after Orange defeated Chapel Hill to clinch the Big 8 title and finished 7-0 in conference action.

Against the Buccaneers, Orange senior Henry Joubert-Stanzel scored his team-leading seventh pin of the season after he finished off Jakoby Casselman at 170 pounds. Joubert-Stanzel got a forfeit win against Williams and is now 13-0.

Senior Elliott Woods, who made All-Big 8 Conference for football, earned his first pinfall of the season with a win over William Caldwell at 182 pounds. Another All-Conference football player, Hayden Horne, pinned Jada Davis at 220 pounds. At 160 pounds, Nate Hecht pinned Christian Scott. Dillon Heffernan pinned Paul Vogel at 113 pounds.

Joshua Dunn, Jared Hutchins, Kessel Summers, Avery Clark, and Matthew Smith-Breeden earned forfeit wins against the Buccaneers.

Summers improved to 15-0 on the season with a 13-1 major decision over Williams’ Sam Sturgill.

Against Williams, who will be a conference rival for Orange starting in August, the Panthers had three pins. Avery Clark defeated Saul Segura-Alejandrez to go to 12-3 on the season. At 152 pounds, Samuel Crawford defeated James Hurst. Crawford is now 8-3. Brendon Worsham pinned Treyvon Cousins at 182 pounds to bolster his record to 11-2. It was Worsham’s fourth pin of the year.

Smith-Breeden, Heffernan, Dunn, Hutchins, Hecht, Joubert-Stanzel, and Horne all had forfeit wins for Orange against the Bulldogs.

Orange’s next dual match is scheduled against Hough High School next Tuesday. The Panthers will conclude its regular season in a tri-meet against powerful Cardinal Gibbons and Enloe on June 9.

Women’s Tennis: Northwood 6, Orange 3; Northwood 7, Orange 2

The Orange women’s tennis team honored five seniors during a lengthy evening at Orange High Tennis Courts on Tuesday.

The Northwood Chargers completed a suspended match that started on May 5 that was interrupted by rain, then won the regular scheduled match against Orange 7-2.

Orange seniors Halle Boroski, Ashley Behinger, Lindsey Jouannet, Morgan Gwinn, and Emma Williamson were honored before the match by head coach Justin Webb.

Freshman Grace Pell won in straight sets for Orange in singles play.

The Lady Panthers will finish the regular season at Chapel Hill on Wednesday.

Track and Field: Last Tuesday, the Orange and Cedar Ridge men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in a tri-meet at Northwood High School in Pittsboro. Cedar Ridge senior A.J. Richmond finished 1st in the 100 and 200 meter dash. Richmond had a new personal best with a time of 12.14 seconds in the 100. In the 200, Richmond finished at 24.24 seconds. In addition, Richmond finished second in the high jump with a leap of 5-feet.

For Orange, senior Erin Mink qualified for the Mideast Regionals in the pole vault. Mink cleared 10-feet, six inches to finish in first place. It was the huge day for Mink, who finished first in three different events. She won the long jump at 14-feet, eight-inches. She also captured the triple jump at 31-feet, nine inches.

Sophomore Abby Hengsterman won the 400 meter dash, crossing the finish line at 1:09.44. In the 300 meter hurdles, junior Samantha George finished first with a new personal best of 54.54 seconds.

For the Orange men, Spencer Hampton continued his strong season with victories in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Hampton, who has already qualified for the regionals, won the 1,600 at 4:24.10. In the 3,200, Hampton crossed the finish line at 9:53.60.

A week after winning in the 400 meter dash against Northern Durham and Vance County on Senior Day, Jeffrey Faulkner finished 1st in the 400 meters again at 53.24 seconds. Keanu Mims, who competed in the state championships as a sophomore on the 4×100 relay team, came in second at 54.24 seconds.

Orange captured three more events. In the high jump, Devin Goss finished first with a leap of 5-feet, 2-inches. Junior Caelin Sampey won the long jump at 15-feet, 6-and-a-half inches. Sampey also won the triple jump at 31-feet, 8.25-inches.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Henry Joubert-Stanzel. Last week, Joubert-Stanzel pinned Chapel Hill’s Danny Miranda in 2:26 to wrap up a 45-22 Orange win over the Tigers. In the process, Orange captured the Big 8 Conference Championship, winning a conference title for the 17th time in the last 18 years. This season, Joubert-Stanzel is 11-0 with six pins. Since wrestling two varsity matches as a freshman, Joubert-Stanzel has showed improvement year-after-year. As a sophomore, Joubert-Stanzel went 16-22. Last year, he was 29-14 with 16 pins. Joubert-Stanzel was also a part of two Orange-Person Athletic Conference championship teams with Stanford Middle School. With no 3A State Dual Team Tournament being held this year, Joubert-Stanzel is focused on making the state tournament. The 3A Mideast Regionals will be held on June 15 at Eastern Guilford High School. As a team, Orange is 13-0 overall, 7-0 in the Big 8 Conference. On Tuesday, they will host Bartlett Yancey and Walter Williams in a tri-meet.

The Orange wrestling team captured the Big 8 Championship on Tuesday night. The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 45-22 at Tiger Gymnasium on Tuesday night to finish 7-0 in the Big 8. Orange senior Hayden Horne had the most exciting match of the night. Competing at 220 pounds, Horne defeated Bryan Ramirez in sudden victory 8-7. Later in the night, Horne pinned Jordan’s Pablo Araujo Cruz in 2:57 to improve to 8-0 on the season. He has two pins. Horne was a starting right tackle for the Orange football team and was named All-Big 8 Conference earlier this month. In a new look double wing offense installed at the beginning of the second week of the season, Horne anchored the offensive line that relied heavily on the run throughout the season. He helped Orange gain 250 rushing yards against Vance County, 270 yards against Cedar Ridge and a season-best 373 yards in the season-finale at Chapel Hill. Horne will graduate next month and attend East Carolina this August. Horne will return to action on Tuesday for the Orange wrestling team in a tri-meet against Bartlett-Yancey and Walter Williams.

The Orange wrestling team will end its stint in the Big 8 Conference the same way it left the 4A PAC-6, the 3A Five County, the 3A Carolina and the 2A/1A Mid State.

As a conference champion.

A year after its string of 16 consecutive conference championships came to an end at the hands of Chapel Hill, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 45-22 at newly renovated Tiger Gymnasium on Tuesday night to win the 2021 Big 8 Championship. With the win, Orange concludes its stay in the Big 8 Conference with a cumulative record of 52-1, dating back to the league’s formation in 2013-2014.

“The coaches are happy for these seniors to close with a conference championship,” said Orange wrestling coach Spenser Poteat, who secured his third conference title as a head coach. “This team has been working really hard and it was good to see that pay off. Our guys wrestled well tonight and were excited to compete.”

Orange (13-0, 7-0 in the Big 8) also defeated Jordan 66-17 in its final match of the tri-meet.

Last year in the regular season finale, Orange led Chapel Hill 30-16 going into the final three matches before the Tigers scored two pins and a major decision to pull off a stunning 32-30 victory to take the conference crown on Orange’s senior night.

“I think after a while you get into a mindset where you expect to win,” Poteat said. “Once we lost last year, it gave us something to work that much harder for.”

On Wednesday, the Panthers won its share of bonus points to reassume its spot on the throne.

With Orange leading 33-16, senior Matthew Smith-Breeden secured Orange’s 17th conference title in the last 18 years with a 9-5 decision over Chapel Hill’s Bao Dinh at 145 pounds.

The most tense bout of the night came at 220, where senior Hayden Horne went to overtime with Bryan Ramirez. In the first sudden victory round, Horne gained an escape point to win 8-7. It vaulted the Panthers into a 15-0 lead after Chapel Hill forfeited at 182 and 195 pounds (which were wins for Brendon Worsham and Elliott Woods). Horne, a starting right tackle in football who will attend East Carolina this fall, improved to 8-0 on the season.

After Chapel Hill won via forfeit at 106 pounds, Orange’s Dillon Heffernan scored his third pin of the season, finishing Jay Huang in 32 seconds.

Orange’s Kessel Summers, who captured his 100th career match earlier this month, defeated Chapel Hill sophomore Porter Brice 8-5 at 138 pounds. Last year, Brice scored the pin in the final match to win the championship for the Tigers. Summers is 13-0. It was the first time this year he’s been extended to a decision victory.

Senior Henry Joubert-Stanzel ended the dual match with a pin of Chapel Hill’s Danny Miranda in 2:26. Joubert-Stanzel, who was a member of two Orange-Person Athletic Conference championship teams at Stanford Middle School, leads the squad with six pins this season. He is 11-0.

“Henry has been working hard,” Poteat said. “He’s been helping out his other teammates. We’ve been doing a good job on focusing on a team instead of being individuals. I think that’s helped out everybody in the long run.”

Orange’s Sam Crawford edged Chapel Hill’s Jeremy Breeze 8-7 at 152 pounds.

Against Jordan, Orange had seven forfeit wins. In contested matches, Horne pinned Pablo Araujo Cruz in 2:57. Summers, who has qualified for the 3A State Championships twice, pinned Riley Daughtry in 1:40. At 138 pounds, Avery Clark pinned Landus Robertson to improve to 10-3. It was Clark’s third pin of the year.

Crawford pinned Jordan’s Marcus Schultz in 5:03.

Since the North Carolina High School Athletic Association isn’t holding a state dual tournament this year, the Panthers will now try to finish the season undefeated. They have six matches remaining this season, starting with a tri-meet against Bartlett-Yancey and Walter Williams on Tuesday.

The 3A Mideast Regional Championships will be held at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville. The Greensboro Coliseum will host the State Championships.

It is the fourth conference championship for Orange athletics this season, joining men’s lacrosse, softball and a co-championship for baseball.

As crowds start to fill sports arenas and restrictions created by COVID-19 are eased back, it appears the pandemic may be showing signs of finally fading.

Its prolonged impact on high school sports, however, will continue to be felt for the remainder of this academic year.

Ordinarily, the Orange wrestling team would have already clinched a spot in the State Dual Team Tournament, which the Panthers have won five times in two different classifications.

But the North Carolina High School Athletic Association isn’t sanctioning a team tournament this year.

While individual champions will be crowned at the regional and state levels, the closest thing to a team championship Orange can earn this year will be this week.

And if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed in a pandemic world, it is Orange and Chapel Hill dueling for the Big 8 Conference Wrestling championship.

On Tuesday night, Orange and Chapel Hill will meet for the Big 8 title at Tiger Gymnasium for all the marbles. For the first time in 18 years, Orange will be looking to beat the team, as opposed to its unusual spot of being THE team.

Last January, Chapel Hill ended Orange’s streak of 16 consecutive conference championships in three different classifications with a stunning 32-30 win. It happened on Orange’s senior night.

Chapel Hill’s Porter Brice, then a freshman who was three years shy of being born the last time Orange didn’t win a conference title, scored a pin in the final match to send the Chapel Hill bench into a frenzy. It was the first time Chapel Hill wrestling defeated Orange in 32 years.

It was also Orange’s first conference loss since 2003.

Obviously, there’s nothing ordinary about that. Nor is there anything ordinary about wrestling in the spring, usually a sport contested in the dead of winter.

Third-year head coach Spencer Poteat, whose experience with Orange wrestling dates back to 1990 as a freshman under a young first-year head coach brand new from Chapel Hill named Bobby Shriner, doesn’t have his usual full allotment of wrestlers. Some are competing in track and field. A few are playing baseball.

For the first time possibly ever, Orange has had to forfeit every match at 106-pounds in all eleven of its dual matches this year.

The cherished wrestling room, where Poteat honed his skills in the 1990s en route to 102 career wins, isn’t even available right now. That’s sort of like the Pope being thrown out of Rome.

“We have maintenance going on right now in both of our rooms,” Poteat said. “They’re working on some air ducts. We have to practice in the gym. Everybody just has to adjust and keep moving.”

The Panthers have moved on. They’re 11-0, 6-0 in the Big 8 Conference. Senior Kessel Summers, a 132 pounds, is 11-0. He clinched his 100th career win after a forfeit win over Vance County on May 4.

Matthew Smith-Breeden is 9-2 with six pins. On May 13, Smith-Breeden pinned Riverside’s Ethan Louesy in 2:24, then claimed a forfeit win against Hillside. Smith-Breeden, who had 30 wins as a sophomore, also defeated Northwood’s Ian Morrison 10-2 in the Panthers’ 60-9 win over the Chargers on May 11.

At heavyweight, Tyler Larkin is 9-2 with six pins. Brendon Worsham, who finished with football season just in time for the wrestling season opener against East Chapel Hill on April 27, is 9-1.

For a program that relied on emotional balance regardless of the dozens of conference championships and regional titles it won across three decades, how does Orange respond after finishing second? It’s a question that all sports dynasties, from the Boston Celtics of the 1960s to UNC women’s soccer of the 1990s, had to answer at some point.

On Tuesday, Orange will have to find its own response if it wants to win the only championship it can this year as a team.

“This senior class, as juniors, they experienced something that this team hadn’t experienced in a long time,” Poteat said. “Chapel Hill did a great job last year in winning the conference championship. Our goal is to come and win it this year.”

We step back in the time machine for the retro Orange Panther of the Week. We journey back to the week of March 7, where the winner is senior wingback/linebacker Elliott Woods. On March 12, Woods scored Orange’s only touchdown in a 7-6 win over Northern Durham. On that touchdown drive, Woods had a crucial 12-yard catch on a 4th down, which enabled the Panthers to continue the drive. Woods also started on defense and made five tackles. This season, Woods was a co-captain for Van Smith’s Panthers. For the second year in a row, Woods led Orange with 65 tackles. He also had nine tackles for loss, which was second on the team. In 2019, Woods had 87 tackles. Right now, Woods is a part of Orange’s wrestling team, which will face Chapel Hill on Tuesday for the Big 8 Conference championship. After Woods graduates from Orange next month, he will attend N.C. State to focus on majoring in business. Orange will certainly miss Woods’ presence on defense, where he accounted for over 150 tackles, as well as rushing for 731 yards in 18 career varsity games.