Orange High School

Hillsborough Sports | Cedar Ridge at Orange volleyball in 3rd round of 3A State Playoffs

A great matchup between the Red Wolves and the Lady Panthers, which the Panthers captured 3-1.

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The Orange volleyball team is moving on to the round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs. The Lady Panthers defeated South Central 3-1 in the 2nd round at Panther Gymnasium on Thursday night. Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 17 kills as Orange won its seventh playoff game over the past two years. Orange trailed 23-20 in the first set before Wilkerson scored three straight points. In overtime, Wilkerson slammed down set point. Junior setter Katie Silcott finished with eight kills, 16 digs and 23 assists. Last week against Western Alamance, Silcott had her first career triple-double as the Lady Panthers advanced to the Central Conference Tournament championship match. Junior outside hitter Aubrey Jordan finished with eight kills. Orange will face crosstown rival Cedar Ridge in the round of 16 later today (Saturday). It will be the 13th matchup between the two teams since 2021 and their fourth meeting this year. Last week, Orange defeated Cedar Ridge in five sets to win the Central Conference Tournament, which led to Orange hosting this afternoon’s state playoff match. Cedar Ridge has won in their last two trips to Orange High School, including a sweep of the Lady Panthers on September 3. The Red Wolves also defeated Orange to win the 2023 Central Conference Tournament championship.

Orange volleyball’s Ava Wilkerson, Aubrey Jordan & Katie Silcott discuss win over South Central

The Orange volleyball team is moving on to the round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs. The Lady Panthers defeated South Central 3-1 in the 2nd round at Panther Gymnasium on Thursday night. Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 17 kills as Orange won its seventh playoff game over the past two years.

There’s always an aura of the unknown when any team ventures into the state playoffs. In most cases, they’re facing opponents they’ve never played before.

For this postseason, the Orange volleyball team’s situation is unique. It turns out among the best teams they’ve faced have been in their own conference all along.

On Saturday, they’ll be facing their crosstown rival for a spot in the state quarterfinals.

Junior Ava WIlkerson registered 17 kills while junior Katie Silcott came away with eight kills, 16 digs and 23 assists to lift Orange over South Central 3-1 in Panther Gymnasium on Thursday night in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Orange improved to 17-8 on scores of 27-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-20.

South Central, who defeated top-seeded J.H.Rose last week, ends the year 14-9.

Though South Central lacked Orange’s size, the Falcons kept the match close with 12 blocks, including six from middle blocker Hannah Ebeling. Freshman Taryn Wilson-Ruffin finished with 16 kills.

In tight moments, Orange rode Wilkerson to victory. South Central led 23-20 in the opening set after a kill by Wilson-Ruffin, leading to a Panther timeout. Wilkerson scored back-to-back kills, including a light tap off a set by Addison Guentensberger to reduce the Falcon lead to 23-22. An attack by Wilson-Ruffin went long, tying the set at 23-23. Ebeling hammered a hanging ball over the net and hard off the floor to set up the Falcons’ first set point. Once again, Wilkerson came through with a kill. Orange sophomore Sawyer White delivered an ace for Orange’s first set point at 25-24, which was promptly canceled out off another attack by Wilson-Ruffin.

White took a feed from Abby Silinski for a kill in overtime. Wilkerson delivered an ace to end the tight set of the match, which had five lead changes and eleven ties.

“We changed our defense midway through the first game,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “We talked about being a little more efficient with our first ball contact. The girls were able to make that adjustment like they normally do and we were able to come out on top.”

Orange reeled off ten consecutive points to take control of the second set, starting with a kill from Aubry Hodges assisted by White to increase Orange’s lead to 11-9. From there, Wilkerson served up nine straight winners, which included a quick attack by Silcott to push the Panther advantage to 14-9. Wilkerson spike down set point off a feed from Silcott.

“Hodges had a really great game at the net,” Heverly said. “It was nice seeing her involved in our offense and getting some big kills. She’s always been a brick wall at the net. So it’s nice to see her developing.”

South Central’s Brook Evans, who entered the game with a team-high 264 kills, served up an ace to start the third set. The Falcons got points from Ruffin-Wilson and Blaire Adee to go ahead 4-0 and never trailed the entire game. Aubrey Jordan, who finished with eight kills, laid down a block to trim the Lady Panther deficit to 12-7. But the Falcons immediately put the Panthers in its rear view mirror with four straight points, including three straight aces from Ebeling. Junior Riley Brooks ended a dominant frame with a kill on set point.

Evans dealt another ace as the Falcons jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the fourth. White banged down a spike off a feed from Silcott that stated a string of nine straight Orange points. White delivered an ace to put Orange ahead for good 7-6. Hodges scored a kill at the net, then rejected an attack from Evans to vault the Panthers ahead 12-6. After Silcott’s kill off a feed from Silinski, Orange led 14-6.

The Falcons fought back with an 8-2 run, narrowing Orange’s lead to 22-20. Hodges delivered a gritty play with another big kill where South Central setter Somer Davenport dove for the ball on the floor, but the officials ruled the ball hit the hardwood despite play continuing on for several more seconds. After White laid down an ace, Silcott slammed match point off the hands off Eberling and into the bleachers.

On Saturday, Orange will face crosstown rival Cedar Ridge for the fourth time this year. It will be their 13th matchup since 2021 with Cedar Ridge leading the series 8-4. The winner will face either J.H. Rose or Cape Fear in the state quarterfinals.

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The Orange men’s soccer team is another step closer to tying the school record for most wins in a season. Earlier this week, the Panthers survived a tight match at Southern Alamance to win 2-1 at Hanford Stadium in Graham. The following night, Orange rolled past the Patriots 6-0 in Hillsborough, putting the Panthers at 14 goals for the season. Orange senior Joseph Lopez scored a goal for Orange. Lopez scored Orange’s game-winning goal against Walter Williams on October 9, which clinched a season sweep of the Bulldogs. Daniel Toledo scored two goals for Orange, putting him at 7 goals for the season. Panthers goalkeeper Hector Garrido earned his sixth clean sheet of the season. Garrido is in his first season as Orange goalkeeper. He never played organized soccer before this season, but he hit the ground running when he earned a shutout against Carrboro in the season opener. The Panthers have clinched an automatic spot to the 3A State Playoffs. Now, they’re trying to become the first team in the 37-year history of the program to host a state playoff game. The Panthers will face Eastern Alamance in Hillsborough on Monday night. With the extension of the fall sports season, Orange will travel to Haw River to face Southeast Alamance on November 6 for the regular season finale.

Orange men’s soccer’s Joseph Lopez and Hector Garrido discuss Williams win

The Orange men’s soccer team is another step closer to tying the school record for most wins in a season. Earlier this week, the Panthers survived a tight match at Southern Alamance to win 2-1 at Hanford Stadium in Graham. The following night, Orange rolled past the Patriots 6-0 in Hillsborough, putting the Panthers at 14 goals for the season.

Photo by Shannon Murphy

Women’s golf: Orange senior Shannon Murphy is going to the 3A State Golf Championships next week. Lady Panthers sophomore Gianni Burnette will join her.

On Monday at the Central Regional championships, Murphy finished 15h overall with a 92, including shooting a 44 on the front nine at the Valley Golf Course in Burlington. It will be the first time that Murphy has reached the state championships.

Brunette finished in 21st place with a 98.

Cedar Ridge’s Laci Sykes also qualified for regionals. She finished in 42nd place. Orange senior Kayla Pope was the third Lady Panther to earn a spot in regionals, coming in 49th.

Southern Alamance’s Riley Bush tied with Carrboro’s Cristina Murphy and Lee County’s Sydney Pomeranz for first place, each carding a 77.

Terry Sanford 8, Orange 1: Another solid season for the Orange women’s tennis team came to an end in the 2nd round of the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs in Fayetteville on Wednesday.

Terry Sanford, which has won four state championships, defeated Orange to advance to the round of 16. The Bulldogs won all six singles matches to sew up the team victory before doubles play even started.

Orange’s double team of Adelyn Alvis and Kyla Mehl was the lone Lady Panther victory of the day. Alvis and Mehl teamed to defeat Autry Canady and Grace Farmer 8-4. Alvis ends the season with an overall record of 27-2, including an 11-0 record in doubles play.

It was the final match in the Orange career of senior Shannon Sollars, who reached the 3A State Tournament twice in doubles play. Sollars was Orange’s top singles player and won 22 overall matches in 2024. Sollars older sister, Erin, was an assistant coach for head coach Justin Webb. In 2022, the Sollars sisters teamed to reach the 3A State Tournament. Erin and Shanon Sollars defeated Ellie Holtzman and Berkeley Geyer of Hickory 6-0, 6-2 to reach the state quarterfinals.

Overall, Sollars won 103 matches in her career.

It was also the final match for Orange senior Aubrey Petrosanu, who won all four of the matches she started this year.

Orange ends the year 14-5.

South Johnston 6, Cedar Ridge 3: The Cedar Ridge women’s team had its season end against South Johnston in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs in Four Oaks on Monday night.

Cedar Ridge senior Ella Caltabiano won the final singles match of her career. Playing at #1, Caltabiano defeated Alyssa Newton in one of four singles matches that required a third set, 10-point tiebreaker. Caltabiano won 2-6, 7-5, 11-9.

Caltabiano and senior Adeline Cummings won their final doubles match together. Cummings and Caltabiano defeated Newton and Olivia Meyers 8-3.

Cedar Ridge dropped two of the matches that wound up going to tiebreakers. Myers defeated Cumming 5-7, 6-4, 11-9.

Cedar Ridge junior Caroline Hall defeated Kira Kelly 2-6, 6-2, 11-9.

Caltabiano ends her senior year with 18 wins, including a 9-4 victory in doubles play. Cummings and Caltabiano were the top-seeded doubles team from the Central Conference going into regionals.

Caltabiano, who played at Cedar Ridge four varsity seasons, won 58 overall matches in her career.

Cummings ends her career with 59 overall victories. She also played four varsity seasons.

Lila Rhoades ended her Cedar Ridge career with a start at #5 singles. It was also the final match for seniors Sydney Lund, Anna Grove and Lily Golden.

Cedar Ridge finishes the year 9-7.

Men’s soccer: Orange 6, Southern Alamance 0: The Orange men’s soccer team is one win away from tying the school record for most wins in a season. On Tuesday night, the Panthers played its second game in as many night, beating Southern Alamance in Hillsborough.

Orange improves to 14-4. The all-time school record is 15 wins, set by the 2010 team.

Daniel Romero Toledo, who scored the game-winning goal in a 1-nil win at Cedar Ridge last week, earned two goals against the Patriots. Senior Joseph Lopez and Issac Gallegos each scored one goal.

Junior Yurem Tapia Mendez, who leads the squad with 14 goals this season, added another to his total. Demetrius Holmes and Carson Condon each had an assist.

Sophomore goalkeeper Hector Garrido made two saves to earn his sixth clean sheet of the season.

Photo by Braeden Wilbourn 

Midway through the season and the Orange Middle School football team is midway towards another appearance in the Orange Person Athletic Conference championship game.

Last Wednesday, quarterback Brayden Robbins scored two touchdowns as the Chargers defeated crosstown rival Stanback 42-6 at A.L. Stanback Stadium. Cam Royster, Wilbert Torain, Kyleed Royster, Jakia Rawles and Ayden Devore all scored touchdowns for the Chargers, who remained undefeated on the year.

Orange Middle’s first string defense didn’t allow a point in the opening three quarters.

The Chargers will venture to Roxboro on Wednesday afternoon for a huge game against Northern Middle School that could very well determine the OPAC Northern Division champion.

Football: Stanback 22, Gravelly Hill 0: On October 9, Stanback defeated Gravelly Hill for its second shutout of the season. Jayden Battle scored two touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Bodhi McDaniel scored a touchdown for Stanback.

Once again, we’re looking to cover Orange Middle, Gravelly Hill and Stanback sports. Regardless of whether its football, men’s soccer, volleyball, cross country or the winter and spring sports. Please send names of athletes who stood out, any statistics to hamlin37@hotmail.com. Or go to our Instagram page and DM us.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior setter Katie Silcott. Last week, Silcott had a triple-double as the Lady Panthers won the Central Conference Tournament. In the semifinals against Western Alamance, Silcott finished with 12 kills, eleven digs and 32 assists. The following night in the championship match against Cedar Ridge, Silcott missed a triple-double by one dig. She finished with ten kills, 22 assists and nine digs. Orange won two five-set matches on back-to-back nights in order to secure its first conference tournament championship since 2005. Orange also won its third straight match at Cedar Ridge. Silcott has been Orange’s setter since her freshman year. She has a total of 1,769 assists. In her sophomore season, Silcott put up a school-record 1,037 assists as Orange won the Eastern Regional championship, facing Kings Mountain for the state championship at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Silcott had a double-double with 22 assists and eleven digs in the state championship match. Silcott has been a regular starter for an Orange team that has won back-to-back regular season conference championship for the first time since 2004-2005. With the addition of Sawyer White to the lineup, Silcott has become a lethal attacker and a blocker at the net. Orange will face Triton in the opening round of the state playoffs tonight in Hillsborough.

Orange Panther of the Week: Katie Silcott

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior setter Katie Silcott. Last week, Silcott had a triple-double as the Lady Panthers won the Central Conference Tournament. In the semifinals against Western Alamance, Silcott finished with 12 kills, eleven digs and 32 assists.