Orange High School

For the first time ever, Hillsborough’s two 3A high schools finished in the top two spots in the Mideast Regional Men’s Cross Country championships.

Orange continued its dominance, winning its third regional championship in four years at Owens Recreation Park in Louisburg last Saturday. Buoyed by a 2nd place finish from junior Myles Jermyn and a third place finish from Lucas Van Mater, the Panthers finished with 42 points.

Cedar Ridge, which came in seventh last year, rocketed to a runner-up finish behind strong performances from juniors Henry Alexander and John Ngunjiri. Last year, the only Red Wolf to qualify for the state championships was Ryan Matthews. This year, they qualified as a team.

Orange won four Central Conference championships and three regional titles under head coach Brian Schneidewind. The Panthers earned their latest title despite the graduation of Gabriel Schmid, a two-time 3A Individual State champion who led the Panthers to a runner-up finish in the 3A State Championships last November in Kernersville. Orange also lost Alden Cathey, an All-Regional defenseman on Orange’s lacrosse team.

“Even though they graduated, I don’t think all of our great runners have left,”  Schneidewind. “I try to remind the runners today that it was specifically the class of 2022 with Nick Pell and Ethan Horton and Spencer Hampton that had took that big step in terms of work ethic. They instilled the mindset that running outside of practice needs to become the norm, which has continued to be embraced by this group. That’s a huge part about any success that we have.”

Jermyn, who won the individual conference championship, finished 2nd individually in the regional with a time of 15:46.06. Van Mater came in third at 16:04.66.

“Both our guys and girls teams have phenomenal human beings,” Schneidewind said. “One of the ways that they’re great individuals is their work ethic and willingness to go after a goal for intrinsic reasons rather than all the hoopla that’s probably not going to come with running. So their desire to set goals, academically or athletically, is another huge part of what’s been happening.”

Ethan Rich of Western Harnett, who finished 2nd in the region last year behind Jermyn, wound up winning the individual regional championship at 15:25.56.

“Myles and Lucas are the gym rats, so to speak,” Schneidewind said. “They’re not only getting in the miles outside of practice, but doing all the supplemental stuff. The little things to avoid injury.”

Orange finished with four of the top nine runners. Sophomore Grant Schmid, Gabrier’s younger brother, finished seventh (17:05.78). Senior Cyrus Neal, who was voted a co-Captain, came in ninth at 17:10.38. Another senior co-Captain for Orange, Peter Musser, finished 22nd at 18:20.88.

Van Mater, whose sister Katelyn was a three-sport athlete at Orange before graduating in 2023, is in his third year on the varsity cross country team. He also runs track & field in the spring.

“Another area where I’m crazy lucky in what I do is that these families set a great foundation of hard work,” Schneidewind said. “They set a balance of academic, athletics and helping the community. Lucas’ sister played a large part in his development and his older brother (Josh) ran cross country, as well. That’s the case of many of the parents of many of our athletes.”

In the women’s regionals, Orange freshman Reilly Jermyn finished fourth overall, which propelled the Lady Panthers to a third-place finish. Myles and Reilly Jermyn are the children of Duke University  cross country coach Kevin Jermyn.

“I’ve never been around someone who knows as much about running as Kevin does,” said Schneidewind. “I told Reilly this last week. As good of a coach as Kevin is, and he’s a very good collegiate coach, but he’s even better as a father. I’m incredibly impressed with his ability to put being a father over being a coach. He think of his children as people before he thinks of them as athletes.”

Orange freshman Ava Bishop finished 10th in the women’s race as Orange qualified as a team for the state championships, which will be contested today (Saturday) at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.

Cedar Ridge had four runners finish in the top 17 out of a field of 117 participants. Alexander came in 8th overall at 17:07. 53. Ngunjiri finished 10th at 17:11.22. Senior Nathan Walters crossed the finish line 14th at 17:18.53. Ryan Matthews came in 17th at 17:44.59.

“Our top four have all made huge jumps in terms of fitness,” said Cedar Ridge cross country coach Jared Buddington. “Especially with John.”

Last year, Ngunjiri struggled with shin pain most of the year and raced just once. After a strong indoor track & field season, his shin problems returned last spring, sidelining him from the outdoor track season.

“He really hasn’t had the opportunity to race since last winter,” Buddington said. “This year, he ran a personal best of 18:15 in his first race. He’s run 16:48 this year, which is the top time on the team. He’s stepped up.”

Last year, Walters started the season running around the 22-minute range in the 5K. By the end of the year, he brought that down to the 18:57. This year, he’s gotten the time down to 16:58 in just his second year of running.

“He wasn’t a runner coming into the program,” Buddington said. “He’s just stuck with it. He really likes the community and being around like-minded people. He really be his true self when he’s around the team. It brings out his true personality.”

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This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wide receiver Kingston Purefoy-Farrington. This season, Purefoy-Farrington has scored six touchdowns, including three against Walter Williams in Burlington last month. He finished with 200 yards receiving against the Bulldogs, his second 200-yard receiving game of the season. In the season opener against Southeast Alamance, Purefoy-Farrington had 220 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Purefoy-Farrington also had 86 yards receiving against Person with a touchdown. In the spring, Purefoy-Farrington runs track and field in the 100 and 200 meter dash. Last year, he qualified for the 3A State Championships at North Carolina A&T State University in the 4×100 meter relay team. He has a goal of qualifying individually for the 100 meters next spring just before he graduates. Hunter Albert scored two touchdowns in Orange’s win over Cedar Ridge for Homecoming. Albert earned his first touchdown of an interception return. Later, he caught a pass from quarterback Kyse Devore as the Panthers retained the victory bell. Albert starts as a wide receiver on offense and as a defensive back. He has 43 solo tackles this season. Albert has three career interceptions. Orange will conclude its season with a trip to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance on Friday night at the John Kirby Sports Complex. You can hear the game on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 6:50.

Orange Panther of the Week: Kingston Purefoy-Farrington; Defensive Player of the Week: Hunter Albert

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wide receiver Kingston Purefoy-Farrington. This season, Purefoy-Farrington has scored six touchdowns, including three against Walter Williams in Burlington last month. He finished with 200 yards receiving against the Bulldogs, his second 200-yard receiving game of the season.

The past two years have brought the longest sustained success for the Orange volleyball program. They have won two Central Conference regular season championships, a Central Conference Tournament championship, eight state playoff victories and the 2023 3A Eastern Regional championship. They have a combined record of 45-14. On Tuesday night, the Panthers took J.H. Rose, the #1 ranked team in the 3A East Region, to the limit in the state quarterfinals. It was the final match for senior Abby Silinski, Karleigh Johnson and Peyton Sigmon. This season, Silinski was the starting libero for the Panthers and led the team with 336 digs. Silinski also had 33 aces, which was tied for fourth. Silinski had some crucial aces late in the second set against Rose, which led to the Rampants losing their first set in the state playoffs. Johnson was another important defensive player for the Panthers in 2024. Johnson had 70 digs. Sigmon’s mother attended Orange High School and was in the Class of 1991. Sigmon had several aces in the Panthers senior night win over Walter Williams earlier this month. Together, Silinski, Johnson and Sigmon got to take the most important walk in state volleyball last year. They stood under the spotlight inside Reynolds Coliseum as they were introduced in the 3A State Championship match. It’s a memory now, but some memories last forever.

Orange volleyball seniors Abby Silinski, Karleigh Johnson & Peyton Sigmon discuss their final year

The past two years have brought the longest sustained success for the Orange volleyball program. They have won two Central Conference regular season championships, a Central Conference Tournament championship, eight state playoff victories and the 2023 3A Eastern Regional championship. They have a combined record of 45-14.

Photo by Abigail Pfeiffenberger 

Orange Middle 28, Northern Roxboro 20: It was expected that the showdown between Orange Middle and Northern Roxboro on October 23 in Person County would be the biggest threat to the Chargers unbeaten streak to start the year.

Indeed, the Raiders and the Chargers were tied 20-20 with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the Raiders scored the game-tying touchdown, the Chargers got a huge kickoff return from Cam Royster, who was finally downed at the Norther 18-yard line. As dusk set on a field without lights, quarterback Brayden Robbins scored the game-winning touchdown, then added a two-point conversion. The Orange defense held up to secure the victory.

Royster, Wilbert To rain and Jakob Silinski also scored touchdowns for Orange Middle.

Orange Middle 36, Culbreth 6: The Chargers ensured that it would host the Orange-Person Athletic Conference Championship game on November 13 with a home victory over the Cougars in Hillsborough on Wednesday.

Wilbert Torain scored two touchdowns, one on offense and another on defense. Torain made an interception and returned it for a touchdown. Asher Devore, Brayden Robbins and Cam Royster also had touchdowns for the Chargers.

Orange Middle will host Gravelly Hill for 8th grade night next Wednesday for the regular season finale.

The Chargers will face Northern Roxboro for the OPAC Championship at Auman Stadium at Orange High School on November 13 at 5PM.

Volleyball: The Stanback Bulldogs have won the Northern Division championship in the OPAC. Stanback, coached by Izzy Sheppard, a member of Cedar Ridge volleyball’s 2021 3A State Championship team, went 10-2 during the regular season. They will face Smith Middle School for the OPAC Championship on November 7. Earlier this month, the Bulldogs defeated Orange Middle to win the division title.

Orange Middle fell to 9-2 after the loss.

Stanback’s junior varsity team won their division title, also finishing with a 10-2 record.

The Orange football team will end not only its season, but its stint in the Central Conference this Friday night against Eastern Alamance in Mebane. In the four years since the league was created from realignment, Orange has never defeated a team from Alamance County. Unlike previous years, the Panthers have been competitive against Central Conference teams in 2024. Orange led Southern Alamance 14-0 in the first quarter for Senior Night two weeks ago. It’s been a spectacular season for senior wide receiver Kingston Purefoy-Farrington, who has six touchdown catches. Against Walter Williams last month, Purefoy-Farrington had three touchdown catches. Junior quarterback Kyse Devore came on for an injured Hank Nunnery and threw four touchdown passes in a Homecoming win over Cedar Ridge. Devore also rushed for a touchdown. Junior defensive back Hunter Albert had an interception return for a touchdown and a reception for a touchdown. Against Person, Bradsher returned a kickoff to open the second half for a touchdown. He became the first Orange player to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Wynston Brown did it against Eastern Alamance in 2021. Orange will face Eastern Alamance at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane on Friday night. You can hear the game on Hillsboroughsports.com.

Orange football’s Devore, Bradsher, Purefoy-Farrington and Albert discuss Homecoming win

The Orange football team will end not only its season, but its stint in the Central Conference this Friday night against Eastern Alamance in Mebane. In the four years since the league was created from realignment, Orange has never defeated a team from Alamance County.

Photo courtesy of 252Buzz

GREENVILLE–The crowd had long filtered out of Rose High School’s gymnasium as Rampants athletic director Clay Medlin talked with an observer about the volleyball match that had just finished an hour earlier.

“That was one of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen,” said Medlin.

The stories that will be told about Orange vs. J.H. Rose in the state quarterfinals from the observers who watched it will go on for years to come.

Unfortunately for Orange, a lot of the sentences in those stories will include the two most painful words in the English language: what if?

Rose fended off five Orange match points to defeat the Panthers 3-2 in the 3A State Quarterfinals inside a sweltering Rose Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The Rampants (22-4) prevailed on scores of 25-27, 29-27, 23-25, 25-19, 18-16.

It was the embodiment of a match with state playoff pressure where the level of play eclipsed the high stakes. Rose outside hitter Clara Evans, who has committed to play at TCU, finished with 41 kills and 27 digs.

Both teams lost vital players as the match, spanning over two-and-a-half hours, continued with a feverish intensity. One Orange player threw up during a timeout. Another Panther missed most of the fourth set after feeling lightheaded, but eventually returned. Rose sophomore Kate Wallen, who came into the match 2nd on the team with 225 kills, injured her left hand early in the third set and was immediately taken to the locker room. She didn’t return until the fourth set and only played sparingly the rest of the way.

In the fifth set, Orange put up five straight points to take a 13-10 lead. Katie Silcott delivered a kill, followed by another from Aubrey Jordan. When Jordan slammed down a kill, Orange had three match points leading 14-11.

After Jordan sent a serve long, Evans ended a long rally with a spike that hit the end line. The subsequent point will be the subject of discussion for years to come around Orange circles. Rose’rs Breanna Joyner and Maya Swaggerty both came up with digs as played bogged down around the net. Silcott sent a return to Caroline Bayes, who fed Evans for an overhead stroke. The ball was ruled to have hit the line and was called in, though several Orange spectators standing in the end zone vehemently disagreed.

Regardless, the score was tied 14-14, the third set of the night to advance to overtime. Orange earned another match point following a kill from Ava Wilkerson. Evans came back with another kill. Sawyer White responded with a block at the net to provide Orange with a fifth match point, but a return from the Panthers went into the net.

That was the first of three straight Rose points to end the match. Evans got her 37th kill down the line for the Rampants to set up a match point. Orange set up Wilkerson, who faded back for an attack off her back foot that went across the court and over the far sideline. Rose’s players spilled out in a victory pileup after their season in joyous relief after it appeared to be fading into the abyss.

Instead, the Rampants will host West Carteret for the Eastern Regional championship on Thursday night.

“It’s never easy to not come out on top,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly, who guided Orange to the 3A State Championship match in 2023. “We asked the girls one thing. We asked to leave it all out on the floor. And they can all walk away saying they definitely left it all out on the court. They faced a few different adversities throughout the match with a couple of players going out for a few minutes. But they came right back out and took care of what they needed to do.”

Orange ends the year 18-9, champions of the Central Conference regular season and conference tournament.

Orange became the first team in the state playoffs to take a set from the Rampants when they won the second 29-27. There were nine lead changes and 20 ties in the set. Freshman Aubry Hodges forced the first set point off a block, but the Rampants scored consecutive points. After a kill by Evans, Rose got a set point, which was canceled out when Evans sent an attack into the net. Silcott and Jordan each scored kills to earn Orange the set to even the match at one-set apiece.

Orange scored the opening six points of the second set, but the Rampants roared back and took a 16-13 lead. The Lady Panthers responded with four straight points, including two straight kills from Wilkerson and another block by Hodges. Silcott forced set point with a kill to make it 24-22. After a kill by Taylor Loesner of Rose, Silcott sent an overhead spike that rolled along the tape of the net, then fell down on the sideline to put Orange ahead two-sets-to-one.

Rose took the closest thing resembling a decisive set in the fourth, winning 25-19. Wallen returned and the Rampants took a 18-13 lead after back-to-back kills from Maya Swaggerty. Mariah Poole delivered an ace to cut the lead to 21-19, but Rose forced a fifth set by scoring the final four points of the frame, three of which were kills by Evans.

While anyone who attends Cedar Ridge and Orange will tell you the schools aren’t one and the same, the classic match on Thursday night likely ends a remarkable chapter of Hillsborough volleyball vs. Rose in the state playoffs. It dates back to 2021, when Cedar Ridge defeated Rose to win the 3A Eastern Regional championship. The following year, Rose got revenge and ended the storied careers of the Magnificent Six, Cedar Ridge’s senior class of Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz and Anaya Carter, who delivered a state championship.

Last year, Orange defeated Rose in the state quarterfinals in Hillsborough. Like Cedar Ridge before them in 2021, the Lady Panthers would find their way playing in Reynolds Coliseum for the state championship.

The final chapter in Greenville on Tuesday night was a story in itself. While the careers of Orange seniors Abby Silinski, Karleigh Johnson and Peyton Sigmon are over, the epilogue hasn’t been written for the core of this Lady Panther team. That will be in 2025, when Wilkerson, Silcott, Jordan, Poole, White and Addison Guetensberger, among others, will seek to complete the business that went unfinished, by one painful point, on Tuesday night.

“I’m very proud of the girls,” Heverly said. “Even though we didn’t come out with the win, they definitely turned the season around. I don’t know anybody who thought we were going to be in the Elite Eight. And they proved everybody wrong. This group will hold a special place in my heart.”

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There was nothing unusual about Orange facing Cedar Ridge in the state playoffs on Saturday afternoon. The two teams have played 13 times since 2021, five in the postseason if you count conference tournaments.

The Lady Panthers had won the previous two meetings with the Red Wolves, but unlike those matches, this time Orange was convincingly the better team.

Junior setter Katie Silcott finished with ten kills, 24 assists and ten digs for her second career triple-double as Orange advanced to the state quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over the Red Wolves on scores of 19-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-18. Junior Ava Wilkerson added 19 kills as Orange (18-8) advanced to face J.H. Rose in the state quarterfinals.

Cedar Ridge junior Claire Hargett tied her career-high with 25 kills as the Red Wolves, who tied Orange for the regular season championship, ends the year 18-7.

Cedar Ridge had won two straight matches inside Panthers Gymnasium, including a sweep on September 3. In the rematch on September 25, Orange trailed by two sets before they rallied back to win in five sets. On October 17, Orange won 3-2 in the Central Conference Tournament championship match.

On Saturday, Orange’s attacking depth wore down the Red Wolves. Five different players registered at least five kills. Hargett’s 25 kills came on a whopping 76 attacks. Junior Kayla Stoll finished with eleven kills, but no one else for the Red Wolves had more than three.

Freshman Aubry Hodges had two kills and three blocks for Orange, who won on its own home court against the Red Wolves for the first time since September 28, 2023.

“The girls really step up in really big moments,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “All of them do. Hodges makes really big blocks. It seems that every time we need a big block, Hodges gives us that. She’s doing a really good job of where the ball is and impacting the game.”

Afterwards, tears were evident on the faces on some of the players from Cedar Ridge, who claimed a share of the regular season championship in a conference that turned out to be the deepest in the state. Four of the final eight teams from the 3A East Region were from the Central Conference, with Person beating league rival Southern Alamance on Saturday to join Orange in the quarterfinals.

“We got a little frazzled,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Latacha De Oliveira. “We started playing not to lose instead of playing to win. I think our confidence got shaken a little bit. I think they got in a rhythm and that got us out of sorts a little bit.”

Cedar Ridge controlled the first set behind the stellar play of Hargett and excellent defense from junior libero Sydnee Tapper, who had nine digs in the first game. The Red Wolves went on a 7-3 run following a block by Mia Marty, which put the Red Wolves ahead for the rest of the set. Hargett followed with consecutive kills assisted by Marty. Following a block by senior Charlotte Lowry and a kill by Hargett, Heverly called a timeout. Stoll scored the Red Wolves’ final two points of the set, including match point on a overhead strike from the right sideline that went off the hands of Silcott at the net and out of bounds.

The second set turned on a tight call with Orange leading 14-12. Ellamarie Perel delivered a nosediving attack that Orange libero Abby Silinki dove to get under. The Orange bench though the ball went off Silinski’s hand, but the officials ruled it hit the floor, reducing the Panther lead to 14-13. The decision incensed the Orange student section, who grew more animated. Whether it was the intensity from the crowd or a jolt injected into the players, Orange finished the set on a 9-3 run, starting with a kill from Wilkerson. On set point junior Aubrey Jordan delivered a kill assisted by Sawyer White, who finished with nine digs, 20 assists, six kills and two blocks.

Orange’s depth began to settle in the third set. Orange peeled off seven straight points, starting with a tap by White for a kill that put the Lady Panthers ahead 15-11. White delivered consecutive aces to extend the Lady Panthers lead to 21-11. The Red Wolves made a late run with Stoll scoring on three straight kills, but Hargett’s face was as red as her blood-colored uniform as the frame wore on. Hargett still delivered another kill to whittle Orange’s lead to 23-18, but an attack by the Red Wolves went long. Once again, Jordan scored on set point to put Orange ahead two-sets-to-one.

Orange had five different players register kills in the fifth set, which included a block by junior Mariah Poole to put Orange ahead 11-7. Hargett finished with six kills in the third set, including one that reduced Orange’s lead to 13-11. Orange steadily pulled ahead following five kills from Wilkerson. White set up Silcott to trigger a 6-2 Panther run to end the match. Wilkerson scored from the near pole on match point.

It wouldn’t be a playoff run by a Hillsborough team without running into J.H. Rose at some point. The Lady Panthers will travel to Greenville to face the Rampants on Tuesday (tonight).

Cedar Ridge defeated Rose for the 3A Eastern Regional championship. In 2022, Rose defeated the Red Wolves in a rematch. Last year, Orange defeated Rose in the state quarterfinals on its way to the state championship match.