Orange High School

The Orange softball team has won four in a row after Wednesday night’s 9-2 victory over Roxboro Community School in Person County. Sophomore Katie Carden hit the first home run of her varsity career with a two-run blast in the first inning. Last week, the Panthers rallied past the Bulldogs 7-6. With RCS leading 6-5, Carden tied the game with a double to centerfield, scoring Allie Carden. Addison Guentensberger laced a walkoff single to centerfield, scoring Carden. On Wednesday night, the Lady Panthers scored six runs in the third inning. Mia Leathers had the big blast with a grand slam, her first home run of the year. Caden Robinson added an RBI single in the third inning. In the circle, Robinson threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out six. Robinson is now 4-1 this season. She has been a member of Orange’s varsity since her freshman year, when the Lady Panthers won the Big 8 Conference championship. Last week, Orange won three games over the course of four days with win over RCS, West Johnston and Eden Morehead. Orange will start its Central Conference slate against defending league champion Western Alamance in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. Last year, Western Alamance won the 3A Eastern Regional championship behind pitcher Taylor Apple, who now plays at East Carolina. 

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Photo by Jacques Morin 

Even missing the first nine games of the year wasn’t enough to keep Coleman Cloer from earning the first individual accolade of his Orange career.

On Monday morning, Cloer was named the Central Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year following a poll of the league’s coaches. Cloer, a sophomore, helped Orange win its first regular season conference championship since 2017 this winter. Last month, Orange won the Central Conference Tournament at Person High School in Roxboro, its first conference tournament title since 2016. Cloer was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after he scored 36 points in the championship game against Eastern Alamance.

Cloer finished the season with 463 total points, an average of 25.7 per game. The biggest question is what would he have averaged if he had played in the opening nine games of the season, which were designed for him to play in showcase games against the likes of Highland (out of Warranton, VA), Forsyth Country Day and Caldwell Academy. But five days before the season-opener against Hillside, Cloer suffered a fluky ankle injury in practice. Instead of opening the year on November 17 against the Hornets, Cloer didn’t start until December 14 against Southern Alamance.

His presence was immediately felt. Though he needed time to get his basketball legs, Cloer led a minor miracle comeback against the Patriots in the Central Conference opener. Trailing 60-55 with 28 seconds remaining in regulation, Cloer and classmate Kai Wade triggered a comeback in the waning moments. After Wade stripped and stole an inbounds pass for a lay-in, Cloer tied the game with two free throws with :5.8 seconds remaining. Orange went on to win in overtime 72-68. Cloer scored 29 in his first game.

Cloer’s presence was enough for Orange to be invited into the John Wall Invitational at Raleigh Brough High School for the first time in school history after Christmas. Though the Panthers lost to Northwood, Jordan and Millbrook, they emerged from Raleigh tighter, more seasoned and better adjusted to their individual roles.

2024 started with dominant wins over Western Alamance, Walter Willams and Cedar Ridge. In 13 wins against Central Conference opponents, Orange didn’t trail in nine of those games.

Cloer had his career high of 39 points against Southern Alamance on February 9, the night that Orange captured the Central Conference regular season title. A week later against Eastern Alamance, Cloer finished with 31 points in Mebane as the Panthers closed out the regular season with a win over the Eagles.

Cloer became the first sophomore to surpass 1,000 career points when he put up 38 points against Curritcuk County in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs, a 86-69 Panther win. Cloer earned his 1,000th point by sinking a 25-footer, generating a huge roar from the Orange student section. It was the first state playoff win for Orange since 2017, when they defeated Triton in the 3rd round.

Cloer is on pace to become the first 2,000 point scorer in school history. The all-time school scoring record is believed to be held by Eric English, who went on to play at the University of Richmond under head coach Dick Tarrant.

Last summer, Cloer received scholarship offers from N.C. State, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Iowa, Appalachian State, and Mississippi State. This year, Cloer has attracted offers from Georgetown and Illinois. He is considered the #1 prospect in North Carolina for the Class of 2026.

Cloer’s older brother, Garrett, was the quarterback of some of the most successful Orange football teams in school history. Cloer played alongside running backs Tay Jones, Patrick Pettiford and linebacker/wide receiver Bryce Wilson. During Cloer’s years as staters, Orange won 10-games in three consecutive seasons under head coach Pat Moser. Garrett Cloer went on to play football at Cornell.

SOUTHERN PINES–From the moment you walk into the John Williams Athletic Complex in Southern Pines, you sense something different.

There’s a video screen on the scoreboard, where each Pinecrest High School lacrosse player has their picture on display after they score a goal. There’s artificial turf, too, which was probably the only reason why the Orange lacrosse team was the lone Hillsborough-based squad playing on a rainy night last Wednesday.

Orange’s game against the Pinecrest Patriots was different, too. Mainly because the referees likely needed Tommy John Surgery for the number of flags they threw.

The Panthers and the Patriots combined for 25 penalties in a game that stretched on for over two hours. While Orange wasn’t at its best in its first road game, they were good enough to win its second contest over a 4A opponent on the young season.

Sophomore Brandon Williams took a pass from Connor Kruse and buried a quick wrist shot past Patriots freshman goalkeeper Wesley Short with :45.9 remaining in overtime to lead Orange over Pinecrest 10-9. Williams scored four goals, while Kruse assisted on four goals to help the Panthers improve to 5-0.

Pinecrest led 9-5 with 11;48 remaining in regulation, but Orange scored four unanswered goals in the final nine minutes of regulation. Josh Crabtree tied the game with 1:04 remaining in regulation when Short saved an overhand shot from Cruse with 15 yards away. The ball bounced off Short’s stick. Crabtree batted at the ball like he was Sebastian Aho teeing up a slap shot for the Carolina Hurricanes. The ball rolled seven feet over the line across the turf.

Orange had to overcome numerous obstacles just to get the game into overtime. The Panthers were whistled for three penalties in the final 2:17 of regulation. In the final 51.1 seconds, the lost sophomore face-off ace Matthew MacNeir and long-stick defenseman Alden Cathey to slashing penalties. With the game tied 9-9, the Patriots had a 6-on-4 advantage for the final minute of regulation, but a shot by Gavin Latin went off the right shoulder of Josh Cowan.

Despite Cathey being in the penalty box, the Panthers were able to run out the final minute and get the game to overtime. Patriots freshman Jacob Steele won the overtime face-off when Macneir was called for a false start, but Laton fired an overhead shot over the net. After a restart, the Patriots turned it over following an over-and-back violation.

Orange turned it over on its initial overtime possession when Pinecrest’s Tyler Renzi picked up an errant pass, but the Patriot’s Weston Thomson was called for warding against Orange’s Sascha Van Praag. Orange fired four shots before Williams notched the game-winner.

Thomson registered four goal and four assists for Pinecrest (2-2). Laton finished with five goals and one assist.

Thomson started the fourth quarter with an overhead shot assisted by Laton that put the Patriots ahead 9-5 with 11:48 remaining. Orange freshman Jackson Runkle was inserted as the Panther goalkeeper and held the Patriots scoreless for the remainder of regulation.

Williams scored a man-up goal after Thomson was penalized for an illegal check. Williams added his third goal off a feed from Kruse with 6:56 remaining in regulation to put the Patriots lead to 9-8.

Despite being penalized three times in the first period, the Patriots still led 3-0 after the opening twelve minutes. Thompson scored two goals while Laton added another.

Orange responded with five unanswered tallies in the second quarter. Macneir scored directly off the face-off to start the second. Kruse, Crabtree, Brett Clark and Williams also added goal to put Orange ahead 5-3 at halftime.

Orange went on a scoreless drought of 18:31. The Patriots scored six straight goals. Laton had four goals in the third quarter.

The Panthers completed the week with a 17-3 win at Seaforth on Friday. Orange is 2-0 in the Mid-Carolina Conference as they prepare to travel to Jordan on Tuesday night.

Offense has been slow to come by for Orange baseball so far in the young season.

Thankfully, Tommy could hear their pleas for offense.

Well, it was really Ryan Horton, whose nickname is “Tommy” because that’s his middle name. Horton had never homered in a varsity game as he stepped up to plate in the sixth inning against Topsail on Monday night.

Then hit delivered the biggest swing of his career.

Horton delivered a grand slam, Orange’s third hit of the game, to provide a 4-1 win over Topsail in Hillsborough.

Junior Garrett Sawyer earned his second career win in relief of senior starter Cross Clayton. Sawyer allowed just three hits with four strikeouts in four innings work.

To say that Horton’s grand slam came out of nowhere would be putting it mildly. Orange had just two singles up to that point, and one of those rolled roughly 50 feet up the third base line off the stick of Henry Hoffman. Hoffman led off the fourth inning with a single to centerfield, the first ball to land in the outfield off an Orange batter. But the Panthers failed to lay down a bunt on the next at-bat and Hoffman wound up getting doubled up off a smooth play by Topsail catcher Gavin Schoenwiesner.

Orange (2-1) trailed the whole game. Topsail’s Rhett Britt doubled into right centerfield, the deepest part of the ballpark. With two down, Gibson Todd lined a 1-2 fastball to right field for the Pirates’ only run.

Senior Cross Clayton, with 13 career victories, started for Orange and threw three innings. After giving up the opening run, Clayton allowed just one more hit before yielding to Sawyer in the fourth.

Topsail starter Drew Shelar, making his varsity debut, kept Orange at bay. He threw five shutout innings and allowed just two hits and one walk. Caleb Kelley replaced Shelar in the sixth.

Orange freshman Kayden Bradsher opened the sixth with a leadoff walk. The Panthers nearly botched another bunt situation when Kelley caught a pop-up, then attempted to throw out Bradsher at first base. But the throw got away from first baseman Tyler Wilson and Bradsher moved over to second base. It was ruled that Cameron Guentensberger got hit with a pitch on the elbow, though Guentensberger didn’t seem to know it until the umpire motioned for him to move to first base. Clayton drew a walk to load the bases, leading to Horton’s first career home run.

Sawyer struck out Wes Atkinson and pinch-hitter Andrew Schmidt to open the seventh. Then Luke Keenan grounded out to Sawyer to end the game.

Wake Forest 3, Cedar Ridge 0: Facing the defending 4A Eastern Regional champions who were one win away from the state championship in 2023, Cedar Ridge didn’t back down in its home opener on Monday night.

The Red Wolves trailed 1-0 going into the sixth inning before James Bradbury scored off a double steal in the sixth inning. Bradbury drew a walk to lead off the frame.

Cedar Ridge’s Quinn Finnegan struck out five in four-plus innings, allowing just one run. The Red Wolves loaded the bases in the second inning against Cougars starter Jackson Hardy. Nick Aitkin reached on an infield single, Grant McGuffey lined a single to centerfield. Finnegan reached on a bunt. But the Cougars turned a double play when Kyle Brazeau caught a bunt and threw out Aitkin at the plate. Hardy got a strikeout to end the threat.

Then Brazeau drove in the first run of the game with a double that one-hopped the wall in right field. Ian Williams, who finished 2-for-4, scored after he started the inning with a single to centerfield.

McGuffey went 2-for-3 for Cedar Ridge. The Red Wolves are scheduled to travel to Carrboro on Wednesday. They will start its Central Conference slate against Walter Williams in Burlington on Tuesday night.

ROCKY MOUNT–Past success for Orange men’s basketball has come incrementally.

In 2015, when Connor Crabtree and Logan Vosburg were sophomores, the Panthers reached the 2nd round of the state playoffs, where they lost to Havelock. A year later, they won the Big 8 Conference Tournament championship, again losing to Havelock in the 2nd round. By the time they were seniors, Crabtree and Vosburg led Orange to the conference regular season crown and reached the state quarterfinals. The only reason they didn’t advance further was a fluke injury to Crabtree against Triton in the 3rd round.

This year’s Orange team wanted to make a quantum leap. When Coleman Cloer, Kai Wade and Mason Robinson were freshmen last year, they simply wanted to reach the state playoffs, which they accomplished. After winning the Central Conference regular season and tournament championships last month, the first such titles since the days of Crabtree and Vosburg, some Panthers talked of winning the state championship.

On Friday night, they learned how difficult it is to immediately ascend to the top.

In front of a crowded Knights Gymnasium, senior guard Randall King scored 28 points and grabbed ten rebounds as Northern Nash defeated Orange 68-60 in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs on Friday night. The Knights (21-7) claimed its 15th consecutive win and will face 2nd-seeded Westover in Fayetteville on Tuesday night.

Cloer led Orange with 30 points, his sixth 30-point game of the season. The Panthers end the season 16-12.

Orange held the Knights scoreless in the final 2:43 of the first half and tied the game 24-24 going into halftime after a dunk by Cloer off a pass from Freddy Sneed. It concluded a second quarter where both team’s offenses seemed to be mired in quicksand. The Panthers went 8:04 without a field goal, yet the Knights were only able to extend its lead to 24-18.

Northern Nash roared out of the locker room with nine points in the opening 1:25 of the second half, keyed by explosive 6-foot-8 freshman forward C.J. Rosser. Hampered by foul trouble in the first quarter, Rosser opened the third quarter by firing in a 3-pointer from the corner. On the Knights next possession, Rosser grabbed a miss by King and laid it in. Orange committed consecutive turnovers that led to field goals by King and Trey Battle, extending the Knights lead to 33-24, a deficit that Orange would spend the rest of the night trying to erase.

King, who will play wide receiver at Campbell University, extended Northern Nash’s lead to 54-40 after a block by Chris Silver, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, led to a lay-in by King with 5:45 remaining in regulation. Pennix triggered an Orange run with a 3-pointer off an assist from Kai Wade. Cloer would score off an offensive rebound and was fouled by Silver, who fouled out. Cloer then delivered his highlight play of the night with a dribbling exhibition against Battle, then sinking an 19-footer.

Pennix stole the ball from Rosser, leading to another lay-in from Cloer to cut the 54-50. After Mallory scored off a pass from Rosser, Cloer scored off an offensive rebound. Then Mason Robinson, who registered nine points, seven rebounds and seven blocks, grabbed a miss by Rosser, feed Sneed who delivered a pass for Cloer for a dunk to cut the Knights lead to 58-56 with 2:02 remaining.

King was fouled by Sneed and sank two free throws. Cloer missed a three-pointer, which led to King scoring off a steal and the Panthers didn’t score again until a late field goal from Cloer.

Orange jumped out to a 8-1 lead behind two three-pointers from Pennix. Sneed added two free throws to increase the Panther lead to 8-1. Orange shot 5-of-12 in the first half.

As was the case with Curritcuck County, Northern Nash thrived on the offensive boards. The Knights grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Orange overall 45-35. Trey Battle added eleven points and five rebounds.

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Photo courtesy of NBC Sports 

Payton Wilson: At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this weekend, the former Orange High linebacker was among the names who increased their stock for April’s NFL Draft. Wilson completed the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, the fastest among all linebackers. That placed him in the 98th percentile in terms of speed. Wilson also graded out in the 90th percentile in both on-field coverage and tackling. Wilson, Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and Michigan’s Junior Colson are considered the top off-ball linebackers coming out of the combine, according to NBC Sports.

Joey Berini:  The East Carolina baseball team went 2-1 at the LeClair Classic at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville over the weekend. The Pirates defeated Purdue 7-1 on Friday. ECU edged Cal State Fullerton 2-1 in eleven innings on Saturday. Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to a big lead early and held off the Pirates 11-9 on Sunday. Berini started all three games at shortstop. The Pirates are 7-4.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers dropped two out of three games in a weekend series to Old Dominion at Bud Metheney Park in Norfolk, VA. DeFranco entered Friday’s opening game as a reserve. a 4-2 Charlotte win, in right field. DeFranco started at 2nd base in Saturday’s game, which the Monarchs won 4-1. DeFranco played as a reserve on Sunday as Old Dominion took the series 3-0. The 49ers are 6-6.

Jackson Berini: The Gaston College baseball team is now ranked #3 in Division II of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Rhinos claimed two walkoff wins over Frontier Community College over the weekend. Berini went 1-for-1, starting at 2nd base as Gaston won 6-5 in six innings at Sims Legion Park on Saturday. The game was shortened to six innings because the opening game of the doubleheader went 17 innings, which the Rhinos won 8-7. Berini went 2-for-4 with a double and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 17th when he was driven in by Trent Murchison. Berini tied the game in the bottom of the 14th with an RBI ground out to first base. On Sunday, Gaston swept another doubleheader from the Bobcats. The Rhinos are 20-2 and have won eleven in a row.

Davis Horton: The Rockingham Community College Eagles salvaged a game against the Caldwell Community College Cobras on Saturday. The Eagles won 8-5 on Saturday. Horton scored three runs with a triple in the first inning, which put the Eagles ahead 5-0. Caldwell defeated Rockingham 8-0 on Sunday. Horton, starting at catcher, went 2-for-4. Rockingham is 5-14.

Owen Rasinske: The former Orange High swimmer is now a junior with Division II Barton College in Wilson. Last month, Barton’s men’s swimming team finished second in the Conference Carolinas Championships in Kingsport, Tennessee. Rasinske was part of the 400 yard freestyle relay team that was named All-Conference. Rasinske, Ethan Robinson, Ryan Mcanallen and Ethan Maddrey finished 3rd in the conference championships with a time of 3:04.97.

Roman Oguntoyinbo: After a year at a prep school, the former Cedar Ridge lacrosse midfielder has enrolled at Queen’s University in Charlotte, which is now a Division I school.

Chase Finley: The Division II Shorter University men’s lacrosse team improved to 7-1 with a 16-11 win over Thomas More University in Rome, GA on Saturday. Finley, starting as goalkeeper, made 12 saves for his seventh win of the season. On February 28, Shorter defeated Emmanuel 16-6. Finley earned another victory by making 13 saves. Shorter already has more wins this season than the 2022 and 2023 campaigns combined.

Tigh Metheney: The Division II Catawba College men’s lacrosse team defeated Tusculum 18-5 at Shuford Stadium in Salisbury on February 24. Metheney, a former Orange midfielder, scored two goals with four shots on goal. Catawba is 3-2 after an overtime loss to Barton College on Saturday.

Cy Horner: The Division III Methodist men’s lacrosse team defeated Warren Wilson 26-1 on Saturday at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. It was the first win for new head coach Ryan McKay. Horner had two goals and one assist on nine shots, seven of which were on goal. Methodist is 1-4.

Josiah Tisdale: The former Orange High defenseman is now a freshman with Methodist. He had two ground balls against Warren Wilson. Tisdale made his first college start against Randolph-Macon at Day Field in Ashland, VA on Wednedsay. The Yellow Jackets won 21-1.