The Panthers look to claim a share of the Big 8 Conference Championship tonight against Oxford Webb in Granville County. Pat Moser discusses the Warriors, the possibly playoff implications and the health of his team.
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For the seventh straight time, Orange football has defeated Chapel Hill.
Alex Long scored four touchdowns on Friday night as the Panthers defeated the Tigers 40-19 on senior night at Culton-Peerman Stadium. Junior quarterback Jackson Schmid threw three touchdown passes as the Panthers (9-1, 4-1 in the Big 8) won its fourth straight.
The win insured the Panthers will take one of the Big 8 Conference’s three automatic births to the state playoffs, which the Orange coaching staff knew going in. What they didn’t know was how much Northwood would help the Panthers cause—or perhaps hurt it.
The Chargers stunned Southern Durham 26-24 at Spartans Stadium, ending Southern’s 23-game conference winning streak. The Spartans had not lost a conference game since returning to 3-A football and the formation of the Big 8 Conference in 2013. It’s last conference loss was on September 14, 2012 as a 4-A school, falling to archrival Hillside.
The Panthers will finish the regular season next week at Oxford Webb (they will be idle on November 6th). A win guarantees they will tie for the conference championship. Southern finishes with a home game against Cedar Ridge and a road trip to Webb. Northwood plays at Northern Vance next week and hosts Chapel Hill on Nov. 6. If all three schools win out, they will draw for playoff positioning.
That means Northwood’s win may give Orange a top six seed for the state playoffs….or they could draw third and wind up on the road for the opening round, with more road games to follow.
As for the game against Chapel Hill, the Panthers rode its running game again, carrying the ball 62 times. Senior Bryse Wilson led the Panthers with 97 yards. Fellow senior Drew Lemaster, who appeared to be injured during the second quarter after a collision with Chapel Hill wide receiver Connor Korfas, rushed for 68 yards on 12 carries.
Arguably, it was Schmid’s best game of the season. He threw for 214 yards. The most noteworthy possession came late in the first half, when Chapel Hill scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Connor Stough to wide receiver Albert Nyamayaro to narrow the Orange lead to 21-12. With only 47 seconds remaining, it seemed the standard protocol would be to have Schmid take two knees and go to the locker room.
Instead, Schmid aired it out, covering 60 yards in 30 seconds. Consecutive completions to Cody Evans of 25 and 35 yards advanced the ball to the Tiger 13-yard line. Then Schmid found Long for a 11-yard catch-and-run to tack on another touchdown.
“I think Jackson is getting more poised,” said Moser. “Chapel Hill was putting nine men in the box against us, so we had to pass it at some points. Jackson made good decisions out there tonight.”
Long has stepped in for running back Eryk Brandon-Dean, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered against Southern Durham on September 24th. He’s the change of pace runner the Panthers desparately need after a rash of injuries to skill players during the opening two months of the season.
Montee Mitchell also caught a touchdown pass from Schmid (which he set up moments earlier with a 28-yard punt return into Tiger territory), and registered an interception on defense.
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The Orange boys soccer team picked a good time to pull an upset.
The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 2-1 on Monday night in Hillsborough, handing the Tigers its first loss in Big 8 play this season. The Panthers improve to 9-8-1. More importantly, they’re 5-4 in the Big 8 Conference, good enough for 3rd place. The top three finishers in the Big 8 automatically qualify for the state playoffs.
“I am extremely proud of our group tonight,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “They played with great energy and effort, and were able to come out on top. Chapel Hill is an incredibly strong side. They are very skilled, well-coached, and play quality soccer. We were fortunate enough to catch some breaks and make the most of the opportunities that we got during the game.”
Orange opened with a goal from Henry Guevara-Alfaro in the 42nd minute. The Panthers received insurance from Malcolm Phillips during the second half.
It was Guevara-Alfaro’s seventh goal of the year. Phillips earned his 2nd goal of the season.
Chapel Hill responded with a goal in the 74th minute, but Orange goalkeeper Noah Miller stood strong down the stretch to pave the way for a Panther result.
“You have to tip your hat to Chapel Hill,” said Bowman. “They played a man-down for 3/4 of the game and continued to create chances. We were fortunate to put a few away and hold on at the end. Malcolm Phillips and Henrry Guevara scored some very timely goals, and our defense weathered the storm to ensure the win.”
In its last three games against Chapel Hill, the Tigers had outscored the Panthers 21-0, including a 6-0 loss earlier this year.
The Orange soccer program started in 1988. MaxPreps.com doesn’t list any past Orange teams having defeated the Tigers.
The Orange Panthers wrapped up a birth in the state playoffs by sweeping Northwood 3-0 on senior night at Jim King Gymnasium on Thursday night.
The Panthers, under first-year head coach Christina Carinci, finish the regular season 13-8, 8-3 in the Big 8 Conference. Orange finished 2nd in the Big 8, second only to Cedar Ridge.
Varisty Match Score:
Orange 3 – Northwood 0
Varsity Game Scores (Orange first):
25-17
25-19
25-15
Orange High School Stat Leaders:
Andie McKinnon – 1 ace, 13 kills, 2 assists, 10 digs
Kayla Durham – 4 aces, 11 kills, 2 assists, 3 digs
Jordan Lloyd – 1 ace, 18 digs
Caroline Compton – 1 ace, 18 assists, 3 digs
Julia Lovingood – 2 aces, 15 assists, 4 digs
Northwood High School Stat Leaders:
unknown
JV Match Score
Orange 2 – Northwood 0
JV Game Scores (Orange first):
25-19
25-22
The Chapel Hill Tigers defeated Orange 3-2 at Jim King Gymnasium in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 12-8, 7-3 in the Big 8.
After dropping the first set to the Tigers 25-23, Orange fought back to take the second and third sets 25-22 and 25-19, respectively. Chapel Hill won the fourth set 25-23, and took the match 15-11.
Orange returns to action at home on Thursday night for senior night when they face Northwood.
Here are the updated Big 8 standings:
Cedar Ridge 10-0
Orange 7-3
Webb 5-3
Chapel Hill 6-4
Northwood 3-5
Northern Vance 1-8
Southern Durham 0-9
They say that every football game is decided by 12 plays. Let’s go back and listen to the 12 plays that decided Orange’s 48-0 victory over Northern Vance last Friday night as the Panthers gear up for Cedar Ridge in the Battle for the Victory Bell this week!
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Orange running back/linebacker Drew Lemaster has been among the players coach Pat Moser has relied on over the past two years. The Panthers backfield injuries have piled up, with Jackson Schmid, Eryk Brandon-Dean and Jett Satterfield all suffering injuries. Lemaster has been the constant, scoring ten touchdowns so far this year. He also plays reguarly at linebacker, like his older brother Jack, who graduated last year. Lemaster had a career high 110 yards rushing against Northwood as the Panthers are off to a 7-1 start, 2-1 in the Big 8.
Orange Panther of the Week: Drew Lemaster
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The Ornage soccer team trailed 1-0 with 15:00 remaining on Monday night against Northern Vance, who were searching for its first Big 8 conference win of the year. But Alfredo Rodriguez wouldn’t let Orange lose.
Rodriguez scored the game-winner with 6:12 remaining to give Orange a 2-1 victory over the Vikings. Rodriguez notched the equalizer on a rebound with 13:29 left.
Northern Vance nearly scored an equalizer or their own, but Noah Miller rose his hands inside the 6-yard box to save the lead.
Woth the win, Orange remains in third place in the Big 8, behind first place Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge. The Panthers face Southern Durham in Wednesday. If Orange finishes third, they’ll make the playoffs.
Listen to Alfredo and Noah discuss the victory below.
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The Panthers football coach talks about winning 48-0 over Northern Vance to improve to 7-1 on the season.
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