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This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior running back Ronald Cooper. On Thursday, Cooper ran for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries as the Panthers defeated Person 26-14 at Auman Stadium. On Cooper’s first carry of the game, he ran around right end for a 41-yard touchdown. Late in the second quarter, Cooper scored on an 11-yard score for the final touchdown for Orange that would carry them to its second victory of the year. Cooper had a great all-around game. As a linebacker, he and Jackson Wood teamed to hold up Person quarterback Cole Garrett on a 4th-and-3 from the Person 41-yard line late in the first quarter. It led to Coopers’s first touchdown run. On the season, Cooper has four tackles for loss on defense and 20 tackles overall. Cooper, who has gained the nickname RoKu from Hillsboroughsports.com colorman Derryl Britt, will return to action on Friday night when Orange faces Northwood in Pittsboro. You can hear the game on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 6:55 live from Chatham County.

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell Fighting Camels won the inaugural East/West Barbecue Bowl against Gardner-Webb at Spangler Stadium in Shelby on Saturday night. Thompson started at linebacker and recorded three tackles. Afterwards, North Carolina barbecue maven Bob Garner presented the East/West Barbecue Trophy to the Camels, who scored the final two touchdowns of the game to win 42-28. It was Campbell’s second straight victory. The Camels are 3-2, 2-0 in the Big South Conference.

Trenton Gill: While N.C. State did not play this weekend, Gill was named the ACC Specialist of the Week on Monday. It stemmed from his performance against Louisiana Tech last Saturday. Gill had six punts against the Bulldogs for an average of 51.2 yards per punt. Five punts pinned Louisiana Tech inside its own 25-yard line. It’s the first time this year that Gill has been honored as ACC Specialist of the Week.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team claimed its second straight road win on Saturday. The Phoenix defeated Maine 33-23 at Alfond Stadium in Orono, ME. Chnupa played linebacker and made two tackles against the Black Bears. Elon is 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon returns home to host New Hampshire next Saturday.

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team defeated the College of Charleston 2-1 at Rudd Field in Elon on Thursday. Hodges started at midfield and fired a shot on goal. Last Sunday, the Phoenix played Delaware to a 1-1 tie. Hodges played all 110 minutes, which included 30 minutes of extra time. Later today (Sunday), Hodges will be among the seniors honored for Elon when the Phoenix hosts Towson. Elon is 6-4-1 overall, 1-1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Emerson Talley: On Wednesday night, Talley made her first start for the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team. #14 Catawba defeated the Bears 2-0 at Mortez Sports Complex in Hickory. Talley started as a striker and played 14 minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne bounced back to defeat Queens 1-0 on Saturday, a game where Talley didn’t play. The Bears are 7-2-2 overall, 5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference.

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team lost to Averett University 1-0 at Campbell Stadium in Danville VA on Saturday. Daley started at centerback for Greensboro and had two shots on goal. On Wednesday, Southern Virginia University defeated the Pride 2-0 in Buena Vista, VA. Once again, Daley played all 90 minutes. This season, Daley has started all of Greensboro’s games. The Pride are now 3-8-2 overall, 1-3-1 in the USA South Conference. Greensboro will host Methodist on Tuesday.

Jordan Rogers: On Wednesday, William Peace University defeated crosstown rival Meredith 3-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. This marked the first time in program history that the Pacers defeated the Avenging Angels. Former Orange midfielder Jordan Rogers started for the Pacers and played all 90 minutes. It was also the first win for William Peace interim coach Ozzy Peralta. Peace improved to 2-4-1 overall, 1-2-1 in the USA South Conference. The Pacers will host North Carolina Wesleyan on Tuesday in Cary.

Bailey Lucas: The Meredith volleyball team swept a tri-match at its home court at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh on Saturday. The Avenging Angels defeated Averett University 3-2 on scores of 25-16, 19-25, 24-26, 25-19 and 15-9. Lucas led Meredith with 26 assists, along with three digs and one kill. Later in the day, Meredith swept North Carolina Wesleyan 3-0 on scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-8. Once again, Lucas led the team with 17 assists. She also had five digs.

On Wednesday, William Peace defeated Meredith 3-2 at Weatherspoon Gymnasium. Meredith won each of the first two sets. The Pacers prevailed 15-25, 16-25, 27-25, 25-22 and 15-8. Lucas came off the bench and finished with 24 assists and seven digs. The Avenging Angels are 12-6 overall, 6-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. The Avenging Angels are in third place in the USA South, one game in the loss column behind Southern Virginia (8-1) and William Peace (7-1).

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is men’s soccer co-Captain and wingback Jasper Tyll. Last week, Tyll scored the game-winning goal as Orange defeated Person 4-1 at Panther Soccer Park. It was Orange’s first win in the Central Carolina Conference. Tyll broke his left wrist early in the season against Chapel Hill, but he hasn’t missed any action. He has remained on the pitch while wearing a cast. Against Graham on August 30, Tyll sent a free kick from 23 yards to the doorstep of the Red Devils net, which was kicked in by Orange striker Darius Corbett. Tyll also had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Riverside on September 9 in Hillsborough, which avenged an earlier loss to the Pirates. Orange continues to battle teams tough. On Tuesday, Orange took Northwood to overtime, ending regulation 2-2 in Pittsboro. The Chargers prevailed 4-2. Tyll and the rest of the Panthers will return to action against Eastern Alamance later this week. Next week, Orange hosts Western Alamance on Monday before traveling to Walter Williams.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is running back Omarion Lewis. And the defensive player of the week is senior Kameron Harshaw. On Friday night, Lewis had a career-high 174 yards rushing with two touchdowns as Orange defeated Granville Central 47-0 for its first win of the season. Harshaw had four tackles for loss, including two sacks. Harshaw now leads Orange with 12 tackles for loss this season. It was Lewis’s second career 100–yard rushing game. His first came in the very first varsity game he ever played in 2019 against South Granville. Lewis leads Orange in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage and touchdowns so far this year. Harshaw is a nose tackle that gets off the ball so quickly, Coach Van Smith said Harshaw is among the fastest defensive linemen he’s ever coached. Lewis, Harshaw and the rest of the Orange Panthers will start play in the Central Carolina Conference this Friday night when they face Western Alamance in Elon. You can hear that game here on HillsboroughSports.com.

Over the summer, Orange senior kicker Darius Satterfield started his own fundraiser to fight against childhood cancer. All proceeds go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit fighting against childhood cancer one cup at a time. Satterfield was introduced to the idea of a fundraiser during a kicking camp in Tennessee over the summer. For every point that Satterfield makes this year, there will be more money raised. Through four games this season, Satterfield has raised $300. During the summer, Satterfield was invited to Kohls National Kicking Camp. He worked with former East Chapel Hill head coach Bill Renner, the father of former UNC quarterback Bryn Renner, on his technique. This year, Satterfield has run in a pair of 2-point conversions, including last week against Granville Central. To learn more about Satterfield’s fundraiser, go to @dsatt7 on Twitter.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith Avenging Angels volleyball team opened its season with four matches in four days. Meredith started with a 3-1 win over Roanoke at the Cregger Center in Salem, VA. Meredith won on scores of 16-25, 25-10, 25-16, 26-24. Lucas started and played all four sets. She had 17 assists, an ace and four digs. On Friday, the Avenging Angels swept Geneva on tallies of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-6 to start play at the Marlin Invitational in Virginia Beach, VA at TowneBank Arena. Lucas led the team with 14 assists in the win over the Golden Tornadoes. She also had two digs. On Saturday, Virginia Wesleyan defeated Meredith 3-0. Lucas had nine assists and five digs. To end the weekend, the Avenging Angels defeated Mary Washington 3-1. Once again, Lucas led the team with 20 assists. She also registered six digs.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson returned from the injured list for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a start against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The White Sox defeated the Pirates 4-2. Wilson suffered the loss after he threw five innings. He surrendered four runs off six hits. Yasmani Grandal hit a solo homer off Wilson in the second inning. Jose Abreu lauded a solo homer off Wilson in the third. This season, Wilson is 2-6 with a 4.61 ERA.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges scored her second goal of the series for Elon in a 3-0 win over UNC Asheville on Thursday at Greenwood Field in Asheville. Hodges scored the game’s second goal off an assist from Abby Fusca in the 24th minute. She fired two shots against the Bulldogs. On August 26, Virginia Tech defeated Elon 7-1 at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, VA. Hodges started as a defensive midfielder. Elon is 2-2 and will travel to N.C. State later today (Sunday).

Brittany Daley: The Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team suffered a loss to Roanoke 2-0 in its season opener on Wednesday. Daley, a former Cedar Ridge All-Conference selection, started her 37th game with Greensboro as a center back. It was her 40th game. On Saturday, Greensboro rebounded with a 2-1 win over Johnson & Wales University at Pride Field. Daley started for the Pride once again.

Jordan Rogers: Rogers started her senior season for the Division III William Peace women’s soccer team. On Wednesday, Guilford College defeated Peace 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. On Saturday, Randolph College shut out the Pacers 2-0. Rogers started both games as a wingback.

Keshawn Thompson: The former Orange defensive back led Campbell in tackles in its loss to Liberty at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Thompson had a career-high 13 tackles for the Camels, who lost to the Flames 48-7 to open the 2021 season. This was Campbell’s first game since last fall. Unlike many FCS schools, the Camels didn’t play last spring. Next week, Campbell will host Elon.

Payton Wilson: To open his third season with the Wolfpack, Wilson had two tackles as the Wolfpack routed South Florida 45-0 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Wilson had one-half tackle for loss as he was in and out of the lineup throughout the night. The Wolfpack will travel to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Trent Gill: N.C. State only punted three times against the Bulls. Gill, a former Cedar Ridge football and soccer player, had two of the punts for a 45-yard average. Gill’s longest punt was 45 yards. Both of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also had eight kickoffs, four of which were touchbacks. His average kickoff was 64.6 yards.

Adam Chnupa: Former Cedar Ridge linebacker Adam Chnupa started his redshirt sophomore season at Elon with a tremendous game against Wofford at Rhodes Stadium. The Terriers defeated the Phoenix 24-22 on Saturday. Chnupa made one tackle as the Phoenix dropped its opener.

Colin Guentensberger: Guentensberger, who led the 2018 Orange football team in tackles, suffered a torn ACL and MCL during practice with Appalachian State’s football team. Guentensberger is a junior walk-on with the Mountaineers.

Bryse Wilson started the next chapter of his Major League career with the very team he defeated in his first big league outing.

On Monday night, Wilson made his Pittsburgh Pirates debut only three days after being traded by the Atlanta Braves. Pitching in American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated Pittsburgh 6-2. Despite surrendering only one run, Wilson suffered the loss.

Wilson conceded only two hits and two walks over five innings. He retired the Brewers in order in the first frame. Wilson walked Eduardo Escobar to leadoff the second inning, but set down Avisail Garcia, Rowdy Tellez and Tyrone Taylor to retire the side.

Milwaukee’s only run off Wilson came in the third inning when Lorenzo Cain scored off a sacrifice fly by Kolten Wong. Cain reached on an infield single to third to leadoff the inning, then stole second. Milwaukee pitcher Eric Lauer moved Cain over to third on a bunt single.

In the fourth, Wilson walked Escobar, but Garcia grounded into a double play. Wilson set the Brewers down in order in the fifth to end his stint.

“Team obviously wants you, so you want to come out and make a good first impression,” Wilson said afterwards. “There were a little bit of butterflies there. End of the day I wanted to come out and throw the way I can. Will now get some consistency.”

On Friday, Wilson and Ricky DeVito were sent to Pittsburgh in exchange for first baseman Richard Rodriguez.

Shortly after the trade, the Pirates activated Wilson.

“I thought the fastball played better,” said Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton. “Sometimes you see it on video & you don’t know what the action is going to be. Watching it from the side & talking to Stallings. The two-seamer really played & was very effective. Definitely a positive impression.”

The trade ended Wilson’s five-year stint with Atlanta that started when he was selected in fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, 109th overall, and received a $1.2 million signing bonus just days after graduating from Orange High School.

Only a month ago, Wilson was named the Triple-A East Pitcher of the Week with the Gwinnett Stripers. Against Durham on June 30, Wilson had a seven-inning scoreless stint, where he gave up just three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in a no decision.

Dating back to July 21, 2019, Wilson was 11-2 with Gwinnett.

In his final appearance with the Braves, Wilson threw the opening game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Over three shutout innings, he held New York to four hits. He walked one and struck out two.

In 2018, Wilson had a dramatic rise through the Braves system, where he went from the Florida Fire Frogs of the Florida State League all the way up to Atlanta in a span of four months. In 23 minor league games with Florida, the Mississippi Braves of the Southern League and the Gwinnett Stripers of the International League, Wilson went 8-5 with a 3.23 ERA.

He made his Major League debut against Pittsburgh at PNC Field on August 20, 2018. Wilson threw five innings and earned the win in a 1-0 Braves victory. At 20 years old, he became the youngest pitcher in National League history to win his debut by that score.

Over the past two years, Wilson has been dominant with Gwinnett in Triple-A East only to have occasional starts with Atlanta. Last October was the zenith of his career when he defeated Clayton Kershaw in game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Wilson, technically still a rookie making just the eighth start of his Major League career, surrendered just one hit over six innings as Atlanta won 10-2 to take a 3-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series.

In his Atlanta career, Wilson was 5-4 with a 5.35 ERA.

After Monday’s loss to Milwaukee, Pittsburgh is 40-66, 23.5 games behind Milwaukee for first place in the National League Central. The Brewers are currently the hottest team in baseball having won eight of its last ten.

Orange junior Brendon Worsham has reached the 3A State Wrestling Tournament for the second year in a row. On Tuesday at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville, Worsham defeated Gage Raley 15-3 to officially reach the state tournament. Worsham also reached the 3A Mideast Regional final for the first time his his career after he pinned Northwood’s Cliff Davis in the regional semifinals. Davis jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, but Worsham came back and scored a pin at 3:30. This season, Worsham is 16-3 with seven pins. He has been active through an unusual year. This year, Worsham was the starting left tackle for the Orange football team. He also played cornerback and returned kickoffs. Next week, he will be one of six Orange wrestlers competing in the 3A State Wrestling Championships, which will also be held at Eastern Guilford High School on June 26.

Our Retro Orange Panther of the Week is Orange rising senior Avery Miller. Last year, the Orange volleyball team defeated defending 3A State Champion Chapel Hill 3-1 inside of an empty Orange High Gymnasium. Ordinarily, the gym would have been raucous after the Lady Panthers gained a long-awaited win over the Tigers, who had dominated the Panthers since the two teams became conference rivals again. Miller, playing the first game of her junior season, had five kills, four aces, five blocks and a team-high 29 serve receptions. Miller, the daughter of Orange High graduates Bobby and Jennifer Miller, had eight kills the following weeks in a 3-1 win over Northern Durham at Poe Gymtorium. She matched the eight kills in a 3-1 loss to Cedar Ridge. Like many volleyball players across the area, Miller has spent weekends during the spring playing across the region with her summer travel team. As soon as travel season ends, Miller will return to action to prepare for the upcoming season, which will start in August as Orange prepares for new league opponents in the Central Conference.