Orange High School

While neither team won the Big 8 Conference regular season championship, Cedar Ridge and Orange have played as well as anyone in the league over the past month.

On Wednesday night, they’ll meet again. This time with a berth in the Big 8 Championship tournament championship game on the line.

On Tuesday night, 2nd seeded Orange easily defeated Northwood 72-54 in the opening round of the Big 8 Tournament. Conor Crabtree scored 25 points as the Panthers improved to 15-8, sweeping the season series from the Chargers, who finish the year 5-19.

Meanwhile across town, Cedar Ridge advanced to the semifinals by trumping Oxford Webb 73-46. The Red Wolves didn’t even need Peyton Pappas, the leading scorer in school history, to reach double figures to win easily. Pappas finished with a season-low nine points in what’s likely his final game at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Classmate Jacob Thomas scored 22 points to pace the Red Wolves. Colby Cashaw, in his first postseason game, came off the bench to score 12 points, a season high.

Cedar Ridge led 30-16 at the half and was never seriously challenge by the Warriors, who failed to register one player in double figures.

While Orange swept the regular season series from the Red Wolves, winning 74-67 on December 11th and 63-43 on January 11th, CRHS is playing its best basketball of the season. They’ve now won 10 of its last 11, and was the only team from the Big 8 to defeat Southern Durham during the regular season.

The fact the Battle of Hillsborough takes place hours before Duke-UNC in Chapel Hill seems natural. It’s a crosstown rivalry on one level followed by a cross county rivalry on another.

There was a mild upset on the opening night of Big 8 Tournament action. Northern Vance defeated Chapel Hill 65-61 at Tiger Gymnasium. The Vikings travel to Southern Durham on Wednesday night. The Spartans received a bye through the first round after winning the regular season championship.

Hillsboroughsports.com will broadcast the Orange-Cedar Ridge game on Wednesday night. Look for a post here at 6:45, as well as our Facebook page and Twitter page for all the action live from Jim King Gymnasium.

Trailing 12-0 after three matches, defending 3-A Eastern Regional Champion Eden Morehead found a way to defeat Orange 29-27. Coach Bobby Shriner discussed his team’s gallant performance, including wins from underclassmen Mitchell Askew, Gavin Wiggins, Bailey Hawkins and Payton Wilson.

Orange Wrestling Coach Bobby Shriner Talks About the Panthers Season-Ending Loss to Morehead

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How do you silence a frenzied crowd rooting against you? Ask Mitchell Askew, who scored a stunning pin on Morehead’s Austin Hunt :31 into overtime on Tuesday night.

Orange Wrestler Mitchell Askew Discusses his pin of Morehead’s Austin Hunt

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To the surprise of no one, the Orange Wrestling team will be in the same bracket as powerhouse Eden Morehead in the 3-A state dual playoffs, which begin tomorrow.

The opening two rounds will take place tomorrow at Morehead High School. Orange will open against Big 8 rival Chapel Hill, who the Panthers defeated 64-7 on Wednesday to win the conference championship.

The Morehead Panthers, 14-0 on the season, will face Terry Sanford in the first round. The winners of the respective dual matches will immediately face each other in the 2nd round.

If Orange-Morehead lock up, it will be the 5th consecutive year they’ve met in the state playoffs. Last year, Morehead defeated Orange 39-21 at Chapel Hill High on its way to its 2nd consecutive 3-A Eastern Regional championship. Fred T. Foard defeated the Panthers to win the state championship.

In 2014, Morehead also defeated Orange 46-24 on its way to the 3-A state championship, where they defeated Fred T. Foard for the title.

Morehead claimed another victory over the Panthers in the 2nd round in 2012, 34-31. In 2012, Orange defeated Morehead to win the Eastern Regional championship 40-20. Two days later, they would claim the state championship with a 32-30 victory over Southwest Randolph.

Morehead’s depth gives them another chance to claim a state championship. According to Retrorankings.com, MHS has eight grapplers ranked in the top 15 in 3-A for their respective weight classes, including Mike Jones (138) at #2, Jadakiss Jumper (145) at #1, Ben Bullins (170) #1, Will Dabbs (182) #2, and Tyler Dabbs (160) #9.

Orange has senior Joe Scott ranked #4 at 152.

A potential Orange-Morehead meeting brings about plenty of interesting individual matches, including Orange’s Bailey Hawkins vs. Morehead’s Zane Hairston at 120; Scott vs. Morehead’s Gideon Biggs at 152; Tyler Dabbs vs. Josiah Ramirez at 160 and Will Dabbs vs. Juan Torres at 182.

Hillsboroughsports.com will televise Orange’s matches tomorrow via Parascope. Look up Jeff Hamlin on Periscope for your smart phone or mobile device, and you can follow the day live.

Though anyone around the program is too modest to say it, it isn’t the winning that makes Orange Wrestling such a power tradition. It’s the collecting.

There will soon be another trophy in the case outside Jim King Gymnasium after Wednesday night.

The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 64-7 to win the Big 8 Championship. Orange finished the regular season 24-2, 6-0 in the Big 8. Over the past three seasons, Chapel Hill has been the main challenger to end the Panthers’ dominance. In retrospect, this year it was Northwood, who was one match away from the Big 8 throne. Only no one knew it at the time.

On December 16th, Northwood’s Michael Queen pinned Josiah Ramirez at 160 to vault the Chargers ahead 36-34. Only the 170-pound remained, with Panthers sophomore Jamar Davis facing Northwood’s Luke Orbich.

Not much pressure on Davis, a sophomore. Just a string of conference championships and a number one seed in the state dual tournament was all.

“I was nervous,” said Davis. “But Coach (Bobby) Shriner has taught me a lot and the partners I’ve worked out with have helped me. I’ve gotten better. All I had to do was go out there and wrestle.”

That’s what Davis did, comfortably taking a 19-4 major decision and Orange won 38-36.

Compared to that December night, Wednesday was anticlimactic. Chapel Hill did jump out to a 4-0 lead when Cam Bergey scored a 10-2 major decision. Then Orange’s Juan Torres improved to 30-12 on the season by pinning Brad Kenyon in 5:01, the first of eight Panther pins. It was Torres’ eighth fall of the year.

“Juan has been a little banged up as of late,” said Shriner, a former wrestler at UNC. “We haven’t practiced since Friday (because of snow) and when you go that long without working out, it’s hard. But Juan hung in there and he made a nice move on that double leg.”

Shannon Thompson followed with a 7-2 victory over Joe Cannon at 195, Orange’s only regular decision win of the match. Probably the biggest win of the night came at 220 when Orange sophomore Payton Wilson faced Chapel Hill’s George McBurney, who was gunning for his 100th career victory.

Not only did Wilson win, he earned an 8-0 major decision to up his record to 33-6 (McBurney got his 100th win on Thursday night over Northwood’s Wesley Roberson).

Chapel Hill’s only other victory on the evening was at heavyweight when Hudson Price edged sophomore Daylon Alston 2-1, which included a controversial penalty point against Alston for stalling that tied the match in the 2nd period.

Then Orange scored six pins in the next seven matches to put the championship on ice. It started at 106 when Mitchell Askew pinned David Cureton in 3:26. At 113, freshman Gavin Wiggins finished Zin Maung in 1:24. Then Bailey Hawkins pinned Wesley Kelley in 5:11. It was Hawkins 15th pin of the season and put Orange ahead 31-7.

Jamison Askew gained a 15-3 major decision at 126. At 132, Hakeem Jones pinned Jack Davenport in 2:22, which officially earned Orange the championship.

Gonzo Garcia (138), Charlie Fitzpatrick (145, his 18th pin of the year), and Josiah Ramirez (152, also his 18th pin) also scored falls for the Panthers.

Orange’s Joe Scott recorded a technical fall 18-3 to improve to 35-4, the most wins on the team.

The state dual team tournament field will be announced on Monday. It’s likely that Orange will be in the same quadrant as Eden Morehead, the team that eliminated the Panthers last season in the 2nd round.

The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 64-7 on Wednesday night to earn its 14th consecutive conference title. Coach Bobby Shriner Discussed the sophomores who stepped up against the Tigers, and next week’s state dual playoffs.

Orange Wrestling Coach Bobby Shriner Talks the Panthers’ 14th Consecutive Conference Championship

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The Orange Panthers earned eight pinfall victories in its 64-7 landslide against Chapel Hill on Wednesday night. Juan Torres scored the first of the bunch in 5:01, improving his record to 29-11 on the season.

Juan Torres Talks his 9th pin of the Season at CHHS

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Sophomore Orange wrestler Bailey Hawkins improved to 34-8 on Wednesday night after pinning Wesley Kelly in 5:11. It was his 17th pin of the season.

Bailey Hawkins talks about his pinfall win at Chapel Hill

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Unlike the win-now-or-else world of football, high school basketball allows teams time to grow.

Seven weeks ago, Greg Motley knew the hand his was dealt for the 2015-16 basketball season was going to be shorthanded in the beginning. He would go into the season without Eryk Brandon-Dean, the point guard who guided his transition offense carefully for two seasons. As has been well documented, Brandon-Dean suffered a torn ACL against September 24th. Backup center Jace Jordan-Cornell would also miss half the season due to a leg injury, also suffered in football.

With only one starter returning, Orange predictably started 0-3, but there was reason for optimism. Now, having had time to gell and with Motley placing the guard tandem of Cameron Cavanaugh and Reggie Bradsher as regular starters, the Panthers have won seven of its last eight.

The latest victory came on Tuesday night with a 63-43 victory over crosstown rival Cedar Ridge. Playing its 2nd game in just over 24 hours, the Panthers received 21 points each from Connor Crabtree and Logan Vosburg to improve to 10-7. Orange is also 6-1 in the Big 8 conference, a game behind Southern Durham for first place (The Spartans blew out Northwood 81-43 on Tuesday).

“There were a lot of questions coming in (this season),” said Motley. “We didn’t know how good we could be. Now they’ve figured it out and they’re doing a good job.”

The surprise of the night wasn’t that Vosburg scored 21 points. He had put up 17 points and 15 rebounds just the day before against previously undefeated Goldsboro at the Durham School of the Arts.

The fact Vosburg hit 3-pointers in the 2nd half was another matter.

“That was big,” said Motley. “Some nights he looks to shoot it, some night he doesn’t. But we allow him the freedom to shoot the ball.”

For Cedar Ridge, the loss was a far cry from the elation of last February, when they stunned Orange 69-63 after trailing by 19 points early in the 3rd quarter. Not only did that win give Cedar Ridge a season sweep of its crosstown rival, it cost Orange the Big 8 regular season championship.

Orange led 29-26 at the half after the Red Wolves held Crabtree scoreless in the first quarter. Panther forward Daniel Mulligan, who finished with 11 points, scored seven in the first quarter.

The third saw Orange out score the Red Wolves 21-6. Cedar Ridge’s offense the entire quarter consisted of two field goals by Senior Peyton Pappas and two free throws by Jonathan Hall.

The familiar problem for the Red Wolves is scoring.  Pappas will get his points. He’s too talented not to. So will Chapel Hill transfer Jacob Thomas. But after that, it’s a question mark.

Pappas led the Red Wolves with 20 points on Tuesday, while Thomas was held to 9, including a lone field goal in the second half. The rest of the team had 14 points.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Orange played a heckuva game,” said Cedar Ridge coach Clay Jones. “They do a lot of things well and right now, we’re not. We’ve been looking for that third person the last two years, and we’ve yet to find it. Right now, it’s still up in the air.”

Cedar Ridge falls to 8-8, 1-5 in the Big 8. They travel to Oxford Webb tonight.

BOX SCORE: ORANGE 63, CEDAR RIDGE 43

Cedar Ridge:9 17 6 11 = 43

Orange: 10 19 21 13 = 63

Cedar Ridge: Peyton. Pappas 20, Jonathan. Hall 4, Jacob Thomas 9, Colby Cashaw 2, Shane Hill 6, Ikell Knowles 2.
Orange: Cameron Cavanaugh 3, Connor Crabtree 21, Demares Drummond 4, Daniel Mulligan 11, Alex Fish 1, Logan Vosburg 21, Jace-Jordan Cornell 2.