Orange seniors Daniel Champion and Will Crabtree both went extra lengths to win on their senior night over Cedar Ridge on Thursday night. Champion, a cornerback, made two interceptions, both in the third quarter. Champion had not played since the season opener against Southern Durham on March 5. Instead of sitting out the final two games, Champion practiced with some pain in his shoulder this week, and returned for what turned out to be a special night. Crabtree made the first touchdown catch of his career off a pass from backup quarterback Wynston Brown. Instead of waiting for graduation, Crabtree has already started his professional career. He currently serves with the Cedar Grove Fire Department. After attending Appalachian State, Crabtree plans to work in Durham as a fireman. Champion and Crabtree will look to clinch Orange’s first winning season since 2017 next week when they travel to Chapel Hill.
Orange seniors Daniel Champion and Will Crabtree both went extra lengths to win on their senior night over Cedar Ridge on Thursday night. Champion, a cornerback, made two interceptions, both in the third quarter. Champion had not played since the season opener against Southern Durham on March 5.
Last year, Northern coach John Hammett, after losing starting quarterback Kyle Barnhill against Southern Durham, installed a wishbone offense in time for its game against Orange. With converted wide receiver Caleb Steele at quarterback, Northern piled up a season-high 285 rushing yards on an unsuspecting Panther defense in a 31-14 victory in Hillsborough.
Fast forward 18 months. Coming off a 20-0 loss to Southern Durham last week in its season-opener, Orange learned Monday that starting quarterback Nigel Slanker would miss the Northern game with a back injury.
Orange coach Van Smith and his assistant decided it was time for a crash course in the wishbone. Senior Jayce Hodges, who ran the offense as quarterback at Stanford Middle School, would be the conductor.
Part of the reason for the change was to simplify things. The previous week against Southern Durham, the Panthers lost 36 yards in botched shotgun snaps that went over Slanker’s head. Orange finished with a paltry 65 yards total offense.
On Friday night, Orange’s step back to basics led to the end of its two-game losing streak against Northern Durham.
Elliott Woods scored the Panthers’ only touchdown as Orange (1-1) defeated Northern Durham 7-6 at Durham County Memorial Stadium. Darius Satterfield’s extra point was the margin of victory.
The Panthers, who compiled 25 rushing yards and four first downs against Southern, had 112 rushing yards and ten first downs against the Knights. In the final Big 8 conference game between the two teams, it was Orange’s third win at Durham County Stadium over Northern (1-2) in its last four visits.
“We just wanted to get the quarterback under center,” Orange Coach Van Smith said. “We had so many snap issues last week. It was a good idea by (offensive coordinator) Marty Scotten and the assistants because we didn’t have a single fumble on a quarterback-center exchange tonight. Jace knew the plays we were running. It was just a minor adjustment to run the same plays under center instead of from shotgun.”
Northern’s only touchdown came on its opening drive. After Orange attempted an onside kick that was recovered by the Knights’ Joshua Rogers, Northern drove 52 yards on eight plays. Barnhill hit Caleb Steele for a 12-yard touchdown pass, but Orange’s Trey Grizzle blocked the extra point wide left.
For the remainder of the game, Orange’s defense held Northern to 100 yards and five first downs. Perhaps better put, it was a combination of Orange’s defense and the wishbone keeping Northern off the field.
The Panthers chewed up plenty of clock and scored its only touchdown midway through the second quarter. Hodges, who attempted three passes all night, found Woods on a 4th-and-10 for a 12-yard gain to push the ball into the red zone. After fullback Jackson Wood rumbled up the middle for 15 yards, Woods scored off a fullback dive. Satterfield’s extra point was the final one of the game.
Northern’s first two drives in the second half ended without first downs. After Orange failed to convert a 4th-and-3 at midfield, it appeared that Orange cornerback J.J. Torres stripped the ball from Northern running back Jaylon Chestnut, and linebacker Connor Ray recovered. But the officials ruled Chestnut down. Orange ended the drive anyway when Hodges tackled Northern’s Bryant Jones on a 3rd-and-8 for a one-yard gain, followed by a Barnhill incompletion after being pressured by Will Torian.
During a punt before its final drive, Northern committed a costly personal foul penalty that put the ball back at its own 26-yard line, its worst starting field position of the game. Grizzle sacked Barnhill, who shook it off and found Chestnut two plays later for a first down.
Steele, who didn’t touch the ball for the meat of the game after his touchdown, finally made a grab to cross the 50-yard line. On 2nd-and-15, Wood pressured Barnhill into a hasty throw that was nearly picked off by Woods. Orange thought they had won the game with 26 seconds remaining when Ray knocked down a pass intended for Steele, but was whistled for pass interference.
On first-and-10 at the Orange 22-yard line, Wood batted the ball down in front of Barnhill. On second down, Woods knocked Barnhill down from behind for another incompletion. With 4.2 seconds remaining, Barnhill’s desperation heave was knocked down by Hodges and Torres in the end zone, leading to an well-earned Orange celebration.
“Our players felt confident because they kept thinking the only thing stopping us was ourselves,” Smith said. “It’s good when these players have that confidence in themselves and each other.”
ORANGE 7, NORTHERN 6
N–6 0 0 0-6
O-0 7 0 0-7
NORTHERN–Caleb Steele 12 pass from Kyle Barnhill (kick failed)
ORANGE-Elliott Woods 3 run (Darius Satterfield kick)
RUSHING-ORANGE 43-112 (Woods 16-35 TD, Jackson Wood 5-34, J.J. Torres 9-30, Nate Hecht 5-18, Eric Brooks 1-5, Jayce Hodges 2-(-15)
NORTHERN DURHAM 18-46 (Jaylon Chestnut 6-28, Bryant Jones 7-25, Jancarlos Alberto 2-9, Barnhill 3-(-16)
If there’s such a thing as going into the state playoffs with momentum after a loss, the Orange lacrosse team has it. Chapel Hill appeared to be cruising to a comfortable victory over the Panthers, leading 9-4 with 8:54 remaining. But the Panthers scored four goals in a span of seven minutes and 25 seconds to narrow its deficit to 9-8. Orange had a man-advantage opportunity with 2:39 remaining after a Tigers’ player was called for using an illegal stick, but the Panthers’ came up short in a wild final seconds to tie the game. In his final regular season game at Auman Stadium, long stick midfielder Duncan Grant notched a hat trick Grant scored off an assist from Cy Horner with 3:32 remaining. Grant also scored Orange’s final goal of the first half off an assist from Caleb Davis. The Panthers, champions of Conference 9, will now wait to see who they will host in the opening round of the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs. The game is scheduled for Monday.
If there’s such a thing as going into the state playoffs with momentum after a loss, the Orange lacrosse team has it. Chapel Hill appeared to be cruising to a comfortable victory over the Panthers, leading 9-4 with 8:54 remaining.
So far, the closest thing Katie Belle Sikes has had to an in-person class at Orange High was freshman orientation last summer. But she’s already made her mark in swimming. Last weekend, Sikes, a freshman, finished 2nd in the 50 Yard Freestyle during the 3A State Swimming and Diving Championships at Pullen Aquatic Center in Raleigh. On February 6, Sikes won the 3A Central Regional Championship in the 50 Yard Freestyle at the Greensboro Aquatic Center with a time of 23.31 seconds. In the state championships, Sikes finished at 23.26 seconds, behind only Olivia Rhodes, a senior from Charlotte Catholic. In the Central Regional Championships, Sikes joined Riley White, Brooke Walker and Melissa Campbell to finish 5th in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. White also qualified for the state championships on Orange’s 400 yard Freestyle Relay team, joining senior Abby Dease, senior Calla Walker and Riley White. If you’ve been to the Orange County Sportsplex, chances are you’ve seen Sikes working out in the pool. She’s a constant in the water, whether its swimming in meets with Orange or with the Hillsborough Aquatic Club. We’ll have a complete profile of Sikes coming up this weekend on the website.
Marvin Jones: The former Cedar Ridge star captured the high jump championship in this weekend’s Camel City Invite in Winston-Salem. Jones’ jump of 2.10 meters, two inches better than runner-up Tony Jones of Wake Forest. Jones matches his career-best leap. In four indoor events this season, Jones has now won the high jump twice and finished second twice. At the JDL January Kickoff in Winston-Salem, Jones had a jump of 2.06 meters, good enough for 1st place. UNC Pembroke’s Bradley Thompson finished second at 1.96 meters.
Jamar Davis: The 2018 Orange High graduate has started his junior season with the N.C. State track and field team. On January 16, Davis opened the indoor campaign with a fifth-place finish in the long jump at the Gamecock Opener at the University of South Carolina. His best jump was 23-feet, 7.25 inches. At the Hokie Invitational at Virginia Tech, Davis finished 6th with a leap of 7.08 meters.
Mia Davidson: As she starts her senior season at Mississippi State, Mia Davidson has been named a 2nd-team All-American by Justin’s World of Softball. A 2019 All-American, Davidson is a lifetime .369 hitter in Starkville. he holds Mississippi State’s career leading for home runs with 52, and slugging percentage at .789. In 2019, Davidson set the school and Southeastern Conference record with 26 home runs on her way to a school-record .882 slugging percentage.
Her junior season was limited to 21 games because of the pandemic. She hit .330 with a .659 slugging percentage.
Montana Davidson: Montana, Mia’s older sister, will return for her senior season with the Bulldogs. Mississippi State starts its season with a doubleheader against Miami (Ohio) on Friday.
Tori Dalehite: The former Big 8 Hitter of the Year will start her freshman season at UNC Greensboro on February 12. The Spartans face North Carolina at the Carolina Classic at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. During the three-day event, UNC-G will also face Louisville and South Carolina.
Grace Andrews: Fate has a funny way of working in college sports. In Grace Andrews’ first softball game at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, she faced Patrick Henry Community College, featuring Andrews’ longtime teammate at Orange, Jaden Hurdle. In fact, Hurdle and Andrews comprised the right side of Orange’s infield when they defeated Piedmont to win the 2017 3A State Championship. So naturally, for Andrews first at-bat for the Red Hawks, the pitcher she faced was Hurdle–in the 8th inning of a tie game. Andrews lifted a sacrifice fly to score Lillie Pennington as the Red Hawks won 4-3 in the opening game of the Catawba Valley Clash in Hickory.
In the second game, Catawba Valley defeated Surry Community Center 7-0. Andrews, playing shortstop, went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a run scored.
On January 30, the Montreat junior varsity defeated Catawba Valley 8-7 in eight innings in the opening day of a doubleheader. Andrews, starting at shortstop again, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
In the second game, Catawba Valley shut out Cleveland Community College 9-0. Andrews went 0-for-1 with a walk.
Through four games, Andrews is hitting .500.
Wyatt Jones: The former Orange High midfielder and starting quarterback quietly made history over the weekend. Jones became the first Orange lacrosse player to play as a member of a Division I college team. The Mercer Bears defeated the Division II Lenoir-Rhyne Bears 17-4 at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia. Jones entered the game as a reserve in the fourth quarter. Jones was named to the All-State team as Orange ended the 2020 campaign ranked #3 before it abruptly ended because of the pandemic. He was also a member of the Carolina Hilltoppers summer travel team coached by Franklin and Chandler Zirkle. On Saturday, Jones will sorta come home when Mercer faces #1 Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham.
Dylan Boyer: During the summer, Boyer signed with Division II Queens University in Charlotte men’s lacrosse. Boyer, who graduated from Orange in June, is slated to start his college career on February 20 when Queens travels to Mount Olive.
Jaylin Jones: A former Orange High midfielder and safety, Jones will start his senior season at Division II Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse on Saturday when the Falcons host Centenary.
Luke Hernandez: A former defenseman at Cedar Ridge, Hernandez will start his junior season with the Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team, as well.
Aidan Poole: Last week, the Division III USA South Athletic Conference announced they will have a spring season, despite the pandemic. That means Poole, formerly of Cedar Ridge, will suit up for the Greensboro College Pride. Poole, a sophomore, played in seven games last season for Greensboro. He scored goals against Guilford and Chatham and recorded an assist against Hampton, which turned out to be the season-finale.
For the first time since 2015, the Orange volleyball team has defeated Chapel Hill. The Lady Panthers, playing its first game of the season on December 1, topped the Tigers 3-1 on Tuesday night in a Panther Gymnasium limited to only junior varsity players and Orange staff. Sophomore middle blocker Erin Jordan-Cornell had several huge kills during the third set, including back-to-back finishes that evened the sore at 10. From there, Orange never trailed again in the match. Senior outside hitter Chloe Riley, a co-captain, started and had several important kills in the first set, which saw seven lead changes before Orange rallied from a 23-20 deficit to win 26-25. Orange will host Southern Durham on Thursday before traveling to undefeated Cedar Ridge for Hillsborough Heat on Friday night.
Well, this whole “not have a game stuff” certainly puts it all into perspective, doesn’t it?
Too much perspective, if you ask me.
(Ed. note: in the interest of fairness, that quote is from “This is Spinal Tap.” I don’t have an ear for most modern pop culture references, and Spinal Tap is old but timeless)
The most amazing thing regarding the coronavirus pandemic is how quickly the spring sports landscape in Hillsborough, and everywhere else, went from rich to barren. On March 10, the Orange baseball team beat East Chapel Hill. The following day, they were taking batting practice preparing for the second game of the series on Friday.
No one had any idea that, in all likelihood, it would be their final practice together. Or that the North Carolina High School Athletic Association would suspend the spring sports season less than 24 hours later.
When you’re a senior in high school, things are never as final as they seem. Many of the students who will graduate in the Smith Center in June (if they’re allowed to) will eventually live in Orange County or somewhere near it. Many of them will continue to carry friendships with people they’ll turn the tassels with, hopefully closer than five feet apart.
Yet the Class of 2020 will hold a unique place in history, but locally and abroad. Especially those that play spring sports.
Hopefully all of them live a long, rich life. And when they get to my age, they can look back and talk about their incomplete senior year. Every other athlete in the history of Orange and Cedar Ridge had the chance to succeed or do otherwise, based on their own abilities.
With each passing day, it feels like the Class of 2020 won’t be able to even say that. Their chance was taken away by an invisible enemy that has shut down everyday life like nothing we’ve seen before it. And hopefully never will again.
Last Saturday night, I received a DM from a friend who graduated with me from Orange in 1991. She asked if I was doing OK. Like many freelancers, I depend on games to make ends meet and the media paradigm isn’t as steady as it once was. I didn’t have a good answer for her because, after 30 years of covering sports, this is all so new to me.
As I’ve written before, high school sports has usually carried on through even the worst disasters, locally and nationally. Three days after 9/11, I was doing play-by-play for Northern Durham at J.F. Webb in Oxford. It may have been the most numb atmosphere for a game I’ve ever seen (especially since Northern won 67-0), but they still played. Well, at least Northern did.
The last thing anyone should do is feel bad for me.
But here’s who I do feel bad for:
Braden Thompson and Braxton Mergenthal: They’re senior lacrosse players at Cedar Ridge. When Thompson was a freshman, the Red Wolves defeated Chapel Hill 11-8 to win the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship. They became the first lacrosse team from Hillsborough to play for a state championship in lacrosse. Mergenthal was a defenseman who helped the Red Wolves shut out Roxboro Community School 16-0 in the season opener. It appeared Cedar Ridge was set to battle Orange for the Conference 9 Championship.
Wyatt Jones, Noah Davis and the rest of the seniors on the Orange lacrosse team: Orange tied the best start in school history last Friday at 6-0. Orange coach Chandler Zirkle approached the game with a sense of finality, which appears to be prescient. Jones is the first lacrosse player from Orange to commit to a Division I school. Hopefully next spring, Mercer won’t have its season interrupted like the rest of the spring sports teams, high school and college, did this year.
Cameron Hartley, Chris Pearce, Grant Fox and Fransisco Martinez: The Cedar Ridge baseball team is a young one, but Coach Bryson Massey got a win over The Burlington School on March 6. It wasn’t easy. It was a blustery night and Martinez got some big outs while wind gusts of 25-miles-per-hour swirled around him. I hope Martinez, Hartley, Fox and Pearce all get a chance to play again.
Joey Berini: Somehow, it would be prophetic if Joey Berini’s last game at Orange is the East Chapel Hill one from March 10. That would mean that Berini hit a grand slam in his last official at-bat. (He drew a walk in his final plate appearance in the sixth inning, but that doesn’t count as an at-bat.) Joey has started at Orange for four years at shortstop. I’ve interviewed him about eight times and he’s never cracked a smile once. He also isn’t known for long answers. Our last discussion was one minute and 37 seconds, mainly comprised of me filling up time with run-on sentences. Joey was always high on production even when he was low on words. Hopefully East Carolina beat writers will enjoy his production as much as Orange fans have.
Dayne Watkins: In Orange’s first game of the year, Dayne injured his hamstring running out a ground ball against Western Alamance. He was set to play again last week against East Chapel Hill, which never happened. Dayne also kindly asked me for a video interview despite not playing the past three games. Dayne, we’ll do that soon. What else am I going to do, watch March Madness?
Emma Roby: Taking the place of a three-year starter is not easy. Emma replaced Kymberlie Thacker as catcher for Cedar Ridge’s softball team and was off to a solid start. Thacker had a .370 career batting average with seven home runs and 57 RBIs. Roby went 2-for-4 in her first game against Cardinal Gibbons, an 11-7 Cedar Ridge win.
Cailyn Thornton: A starter for Cedar Ridge in right field, she opened the year 6-for-12 with five RBIs. Also made the state playoffs as a volleyball player last fall. She deserved a chance to win another Big 8 Conference Championship in softball.
Alyssa and Rachel Serre: Two more Cedar Ridge softball seniors who finally had a chance to start together for the first time at the varsity level.
Grace Andrews: As a freshman, she started at 2nd base for Orange’s 3A state championship team. Maybe Grace doesn’t need anyone weeping for her, after all. But she did deserve a chance to finish her career with a chance to win a conference title, one that Orange tied Cedar Ridge for last year. She already had two.
Maddy Bartlett and Rachel Tilley: Orange’s softball team was already dealt a tough hand with season-ending injuries to three infielders before practice started. Yet Bartlett and Tilley fought through all that to propel Orange past East Chapel Hill 10-8 on March 10, despite trailing 7-1. I know Maddy’s cousins, Mia and Montana Davidson, were proud in Starkville, MS.
And the list goes on and on. There are women’s soccer players. Men’s tennis players. Track & field athletes. All of whom are sidelined by something they can’t even envision.
Two weeks ago, I was out in the freezing cold at Cedar Ridge Softball Field to do play-by-play for Cedar Ridge vs. West Johnston. It was 49 degrees at first pitch and it only grew worse with 25-mile-per-hour winds. It was as if I had never left Appalachian State.
In the midst of all this, I though to myself “This is a weird way to make a living.”
Now, as I finish writing this in 70-degree temperatures on a calm night at the American Tobacco Campus, I can honestly say I can’t wait to feel that weird again.
The Orange baseball team won its Big 8 Conference opener over East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night. Catcher Ethan Guentensberger went 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs as the Panthers won 9-4 at Panther Baseball Field. In the bottom of the third inning with the Panthers trailing 1-0, Guentensberger lined a two-out single to right field to score Bryce Clark and Will Walker. That hit led to shortstop Joey Berini sending a grand slam over the centerfield wall. In the sixth inning, Guentensberger sent a double to right centerfield to score Walker and Connor Funk for Orange’s final runs of the game. Ethan is the younger brother of former Orange right fielder Colin Guentensberger, who is now a walk-on linebacker at Appalachian State. Ethan has started four games at catcher so far this season for the Panthers. Coming into Tuesday’s game, Guentensberger had walked six times and has been hit by pitches twice. Orange will travel to East Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon.
The Orange baseball team won its Big 8 Conference opener over East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night. Catcher Ethan Guentensberger went 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs as the Panthers won 9-4 at Panther Baseball Field. In the bottom of the third inning with the Panthers trailing 1-0, Guentensberger lined a two-out single to right field to score Bryce Clark and Will Walker.
Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech women’s basketball team won the Region X Tournament Championship over Louisburg College 86-59 at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA on Saturday. It is the first championship in program history. Wake Tech, who entered the tournament as the #3 seed, won three games in three days. They opened with a victory over USC-Salkehatchie 88-65 on Thursday. The Eagles knocked off 2nd-seeded Cape Fear Community College 76-57. Cates, a freshman who graduated from Orange in June, will accompany the Eagles to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Tournament starting March 17 at SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron, MI.
Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team had its season end in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament. On Tuesday, Belmont Abbey defeated the Hawks 87-37 in Belmont. Barnett started for Chowan and played eight minutes. In her freshman season, Barnett played 19 games with four starts. She averaged 9.4 minutes per game and scored 39 points. Barnett averaged 2.4 rebounds per game. Chowan finished 6-21 overall, 6-16 in Conference Carolinas.
Marvin Jones: At the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Landover, MD, Jones earned the bronze medal in the high jump for North Carolina Central. Jones cleared 2.05 meters. North Carolina Central’s men’s team finished eighth with 23 points, its best showing since 2013. Jones concluded the indoor season with three individual championships.
Jamar Davis: At the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships at Notre Dame’s Loftus Sports Center, Davis finished seventh in the long jump at 7.37 meters. Davis, a sophomore, finished 20th in the triple jump at 13. 39 meters.
Jonathan Hall: At the Southern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Lexington, VA, former Cedar Ridge star Jonathan Hall had a new personal best in the 60-meter hurdles. Competing for Wofford, Hall finished 7th at 8.51 seconds. Hall earned two points for the Terriers’ team standings.
Bowen Collins: The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team, ranked #17 in Division II, defeated #3 Adelphi 17-16 at Moretz Stadium in Hickory on March 1. It was the second-highest opponent the Bears have ever defeated. Collins assisted on a goal scored by LR’s Toron Eccleston that tied the game 11-11 in the third quarter. The Bears are 4-1.
Zach Wright: The Division II Mars Hill men’s lacrosse team is 3-4. On February 29, Lander defeated the Lions 23-10 inside Van Tyler Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. Wright, a senior who graduated from Orange, scored a goal and had an assist. He finished with three shots, two on goal. On Saturday, Catawba defeated Mars Hill 13-4 in Salisbury.
Aidan Poole: A sophomore for the Division III Greensboro College men’s lacrosse team, the Pride defeated Randolph College 16-5 on Saturday. Poole started on defense for Greensboro and had two ground balls and created one turnover. On Thursday, Greensboro defeated Chatham University 12-5. Once again, Poole started and scored his second goal of the season in the first period off an assist from Patrick Bell. Poole finished with two shots, three ground balls and created one turnover. Greensboro is 4-3 and will host Hampton on Wednesday afternoon at 2.
Luke Hernandez: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team scored 13 goals in the first half to blast Averett University 23-6 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Saturday. It was the Falcons USA South Athletic Conference opener. Hernandez, who graduated from Cedar Ridge last summer, created two turnovers and scooped up two ground balls for Pfeiffer.
Jaylin Jones: Jones, who graduated from Orange in 2018, is also a member of the Pfeiffer lacrosse team as a midfielder. He had a ground ball in the win over Averett. On Wednesday, Southern Virginia defeated Pfeiffer 23-14. Against the Knights, Jones had two ground balls and created one turnover. The Falcons are 2-3 overall.
