Orange Panther of the Week: Ellie Wilson
This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore tennis player Ellie Wilson. Last week at the Central Conference Tennis Championships at the Burlington Tennis Center, Wilson qualified for the Mideast Regionals in singles play. Wilson had to win two matches in order to reach Regionals for the first time in her career. In the opening round, she defeated Jasmin Brown of Cedar Ridge 6-2, 6-3. With a spot in the Regionals on the line, Wilson got past Kensley Gasaway of Western Alamance 6-4, 7-5. This season, Wilson was placed in the starting lineup by head coach Justin Webb and she produced nine singles wins. Overall, Wilson has been a part of 14 victories as Orange finished in second place in the Central Conference. For the first time in school history, it appears that Orange will host a match in the State Dual Team Playoffs later this month. Wilson opened this season with a straight sets victory over Quinn Parker of Eno River Academy. She followed that by beating Alaina Bustillo of Voyager Academy 8-2. Wilson has played doubles with freshman Kalynn Mason and has amassed a 5-1 record. This Friday, Wilson will play in the Mideast Regional singles tournament at the Burlington Tennis Center looking to advance to the semifinals, which would earn her an automatic spot in the 3A State Singles Tournament.
Orange Panther of the Week: Ellie Wilson
This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore tennis player Ellie Wilson. Last week at the Central Conference Tennis Championships at the Burlington Tennis Center, Wilson qualified for the Mideast Regionals in singles play. Wilson had to win two matches in order to reach Regionals for the first time in her career.
Toledo’s goal pushes Orange soccer past Cedar Ridge in opening leg of Hillsborough Derby 1-0
It was a game played at Cedar Ridge’s Stadium.
It was played at their pace.
It was played with Cedar Ridge getting the better chances in the final 50 minutes.
Yet it was Orange who came away from the Hillsborough Derby victorious continuing to take giant steps towards unprecedented heights in the 37-year history of the program.
Daniel Toledo’s goal in the 35th minute, assisted by Yurem Tapia Mendez, was the only tally on the night as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 1-0 at Red Wolves Stadium. Orange improved to 10-4 and remains on pace to tie the school record for most wins in a season.
The 2010 Orange team finished 15-6, losing in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs to Western Alamance 1-0 in Elon.
Orange junior Demetrius Holmes triggered the game’s only goal with a long dribble past midfield. A quick feed to Mendez on the right side of the penalty area drew Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Erik Galunas off his line. Mendez first thought about shooting but decided to send a diagonal pass to Toledo, who fired the ball into an empty net with 5:28 remaining in the first half.
Orange sophomore goalkeeper Hector Garrido, who had not played organized soccer before this year, earned his fifth clean sheet of the season, but it wasn’t a game where the Panthers dictated play. Following Toledo’s goal, the Red Wolves came away with better scoring opportunities in the second half.
“I think we played the way that Cedar Ridge wanted us to play,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “They got us off our game. We were fortunate to get one. They won a lot of balls out of the air and dictated how the game went tonight.”
Cedar Ridge (5-7-2 overall, 4-4 in the Central Conference) immediately had a chance off a corner kick. A ball sent in bounced off the head of Alex Rosales, hopped off the ground and bounced off the crossbar. Garrido’s momentum nearly took him into his own net as he grabbed the ball for the save.
“Before the game in the locker room, I told the boys to go out and give 100% on every single play,” said Cedar Ridge assistant coach Seth Foster. “Regardless of the outcome, at the end of the day, we’re happy with that. The boys came out at the beginning of the game and set the tone. They controlled the flow. I thought we outplayed them for the majority of the game. We had one simple mistake in the first half. Overall, I was happy with how we played.”
Cedar Ridge’s Salomon Hernandez had a breakaway opportunity five minutes into the second half. Garrido came out of the net to shut down his angle, leaving Hernandez with no choice but to fire from 21 yards, which rolled wide.
With 29:05 remaining, Hernandez would get another chance with a free kick of 23 yards. Hernandez aimed it for the upper left corner, but Garrido used his 6-1 frame to gently tap it over the left post for his best save of the night.
Orange centerback Dallas Johnson disrupted several Cedar Ridge chances throughout the night, denying a run by Cedar Ridge forward Edwin Diaz in the final ten minutes. The Red Wolves best chance in the waning minutes came when Niko James sent a wormburner on net from 18 yards, which bounced off Gurrido’s chest as Rosales ran in. Gurrido smothered the ball before Rosales could get the equalizer.
Orange is 5-2 in Central Conference play. Currently, Orange’s RPI is #9 in the 3A East Region. If the Panthers can maintain that standing for the remainder of the regular season, they will likely host a state playoff game for the first time since the program started in the summer of 1987 under original head coach Pat Todd.
Devore throws 4 TD passes, Albert scores on Pick 6 as Orange retain Victory Bell with win over Cedar Ridge
From the moment Orange ran the Philly Special on the first play from scrimmage on Friday night, the Panthers dominated their crosstown rivals in the Battle of Hillsborough.
Orange junior Kyse Devore, in just his third start, threw for four touchdowns as rushed for another as the Panthers retained the Victory Bell with a 54-0 victory over Cedar Ridge during Homecoming at Auman Stadium. Orange captured its first home victory since they defeated Montgomery Central on September 8, 2023.
It was a night of milestones for the Panthers. For starters, Orange offensive lineman Kayshawn Farrington and Marshea Byrd were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. It was also the anniversary of the dedication of Auman Stadium, named for Glen Auman, who coached Hillsboro High School football to consecutive conference championships in 1959 and 1960.
In between the first and second quarters, Orange High’s 1969 3A State Championship Men’s Basketball team was honored. Last spring, the surviving members gathered for a daylong celebration at Orange High’s Auditorium, where they received championship rings 55 years after winning the title at Durham’s Sykes Gymnasium.
Cedar Ridge was without its top skill player, running back Isaiah Craig, who had consecutive 100-yard running games to open the year against East Chapel Hill and Northwest Halifax. The Red Wolves finished with five yards total offense and had to use quarterback Thomas McDermott on keepers for its few positive bursts of offense.
“It was a much-needed win,” said Orange coach DeVante Pettiford. “We’re in the closing stretch with three games left. If we win two of these last three, we stand a good chance of getting into the playoffs. Hopefully, this lights a fire under us and gets us rolling.”
Devore, whose younger brothers Ayden and Asher play at Orange Middle School, was pressed into emergency duty at quarterback three weeks ago after senior Hank Nunnery was injured late in the first quarter at Montgomery Central. It’s been a trial by fire. His opening two starts were against Western Alamance and Walter Williams, possibly the best two teams in the Central Conference.
On Friday night, Devore spread the wealth, delivering four touchdowns passes to four different players. He now has seven touchdown passes over the last six quarters.
“Kyse has a lot of confidence behind him,” Pettiford said. “It’s not just showing up on Friday. He’s putting the time in every week. He’s working hard at practice. He’s watched over four-and-a-half hours of practice over the past two weeks. The success you’re seeing is coming from the time he’s spent preparing.”
The first quarter dragged on amidst a flurry of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams. There were four penalties on the first three plays from scrimmage, but Orange broke the slog on its opening possession when Devore handed the ball to Kingston Purefoy-Farrington, who dropped it off to Hunter Albert, who flipped it back to Devote and aired it out for Kayden Bradsher for a 38-yard gain. On the next play, Devore found Purefoy-Farrington for a 39-yard touchdown.
The Panthers scored on all of its drives in the first half. On its second series, Ja’ki McDaniels returned after missing two games with an injury suffered at Montgomery Central and ripped off a 21-yard run. On the next play, freshman Owen Phillips hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass. The extra point from Will Cooper gave Orange a 13-0 lead.
Devore called his own number after Bradsher moved the ball into the red zone with a 20-yard gain. Devore scored his first varsity touchdown on a 2-yard carry.
Orange’s offense, defense and special teams all scored in the first quarter. After the Panthers’ defense forced a Red Wolf punt, Bradsher picked up a great block from Ty’lieq Jones and raced 79 yards for a touchdown with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter.
On the next Red Wolf drive, Hunter Albert picked off a pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. Albert later scored on offense, catching a 42 yard pass from Devote to open the second quarter.
McDaniels would add a 39-yard touchdown pass from Devore to end the first half.
The second half was played with a running clock of 10-minute quarters. Orange senior Deandre Brown scored the only points of the fourth quarter on a six-yard run.
Cedar Ridge’s Matthew Asay had an interception in the second half.
ORANGE 54, CEDAR RIDGE 0
CR–0 0 0 0-0
ORA–34 14 0 6-54
ORA–Kingston Purfoy-Farrington 39 pass from Kyse Devore (kick blocked)
ORA–Owen Phillips 16 pass from Devore (Will Cooper kick)
ORA–Devote 2 run (Cooper kick)
ORA–Kayden Bradsher 79 punt return (Cooper kick)
ORA–Hunter Albert 15 interception return (Cooper kick)
ORA–Albert 42 pass from Devore (Cooper kick)
ORA–Ja’ki McDaniels 39 pass from Devore (Cooper kick)
ORA–Deandre Brown 6 run (kick failed)
RUSHING–CEDAR RIDGE (Thomas McDermott 11-10, Mason Hughes 1-1, Jordan Oliva 3-(-3), team 3-(-13).
ORANGE: Bradsher 2-21, McDaniels 1-20, Devore 3-18 TD, Brown 1-6 TD.
PASSING: CEDAR RIDGE (McDermott 3-12 7 yards, INT)
ORANGE (Devore 6-11 195 yards 4 TD, INT)
RECEIVING: CEDAR RIDGE (Gavin Stone 1-9, Olivia 1-1, Hughes 1-(-1))
ORANGE: (Albert 2-47 TD, Purefoy-Farrington 1-39 TD, McDaniels 1-39 TD, Bradsher 1-38, Phillips 1-36 TD)
Soccer Notebook: Gallegos assists on two goals in Orange’s win over Eastern Alamance; Evans late goal leads Patriots past Cedar Ridge
An unexpectedly long layoff for the Orange men’s soccer team finally ended with a decisive win over Eastern Alamance on Wednesday at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane.
The Panthers won 7-0 behind goals from seven different players. Orange improved to 8-3. They remain in second place in the Central Conference with a 3-1 mark.
It had been nine days between games for the Panthers, which is almost unheard of as September bridges into October. Games against Southern Alamance and Northern Durham were postponed or (in the case of Northern Durham) cancelled because of rain over the past two weeks.
Yurem Tapia Mendez notched his third straight game with a goal with a tally in the first half. Mendez now has 12 goals and one assist on the season.
Senior Issac Gallegos assisted on two goals.
Brendan McDonald, Logan Edwards, Angel Chavez, John Gomez Tercero, Daniel Romero Toledo and Chris Lopez each scored goals for the Panthers.
Kace McAuley, Carson Condon, Chavez and Toledo each had assists.
Durvin Lopez Abarca and Hector Garrido each played 40 minutes as the Orange goalkeeper. Abarca made one save.
Orange will travel to Western Alamance on Monday night at Primm Stadium in Elon. The Warriors are ahead of the Panthers by one game for first place in the Central Conference.
Southern Alamance 2, Cedar Ridge 1: Southern Alamance’s Curtis Evans scored off a corner kick with 2:53 remaining in regulation to lead the Patriots over the Red Wolves on Thursday night at Red Wolf Stadium. Brian Reyes assisted on the goal. It was Southern Alamance’s first win of the season. They’re now 1-10, The Red Wolves fall to 3-6-2 overall, 2-3 in the Central Conference. Cedar Ridge will host Person on Monday night in Hillsborough.
