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This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. In 2023, Wilkerson played a huge role in the Lady Panthers winning its first volleyball conference championship in 18 years, going through the Central Conference undefeated. Orange reached the 3A State Championship match for just the second time in school history. Playing inside Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, Wilkerson had 14 kills and eight blocks against Kings Mountain. In the 3A Eastern Regional championship match against Carrboro, Wilkerson had 13 kills and four blocks as the Lady Panthers defeated the Jaguars in five sets. Last week, Wilkerson had a career-high 27 kills as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 3-2 to force a tie for first place in the Central Conference. In August, Wilkerson committed to play at UCF, the first-ever Big 12 commitment from Orange High. Wilkerson has played varsity volleyball since she was a freshman, when she played alongside her older sister, Allie, now playing at Division III Averett. This season, Ava leads Orange with 199 kills and 32 blocks. She is determined to help Orange win its second straight conference championship. This season, Orange has played a difficult slate against opponents like D.H. Conley, Falls Lake and Millbrook. Coming up tonight, the Lady Panthers host Person in Hillsborough. On Wednesday, Orange will host Carrboro before heading to Graham on Thursday to face Southern Alamance.

Orange Panther of the Week: Ava Wilkerson

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. In 2023, Wilkerson played a huge role in the Lady Panthers winning its first volleyball conference championship in 18 years, going through the Central Conference undefeated. Orange reached the 3A State Championship match for just the second time in school history.

BURLINGTON: Walter Williams is back at the football heights they enjoyed during the 1970s and 1980s.

They have a Duke recruit at quarterback, depth at running back, size along the interior lines and more players than some 4A schools.

Last week, the Bulldogs were forced to play a night early against Orange because of Hurricane Helene. Even with rain falling down around them on a Thursday night against Orange, the Bulldogs rushing game would not be deterred.

Senior running back Amarion Richmond rushed for 230 yards and four touchdowns, including three on the ground, and the Bulldogs piled up 445 yard on the soggy turf at Memorial Stadium in a 47-23 victory over Orange. It was the Bulldogs fifth straight win over Orange since they became Central Conference rivals in 2021.

The night wasn’t a lost cause for the Panthers. Senior wide receiver Kingston Purefoy-Farrington finished with 219 receiving yards and three touchdowns, his 2nd 200-yard receiving game of the year. Junior quarterback Kyse Devore, who was pressed into duty after senior starter Hank Nunnery suffered an injury at Montgomery Central on September 13, threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns.

Orange senior linebacker Jayden Medley finished with 20 tackles, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.

“Williams is the standard,” Orange head coach DeVante Pettiford said as the players walked along a shiny, wet track on its way to the team bus. “They’re the big dogs in this conference. Ever since I’ve been here, they’ve been where we want to go. They do everything first class. More importantly, they have a great coaching staff that does great things.”

Orange did have its first lead of the conference slate. On the first play of the game, Williams quarterback Dan Mahan mishandled a toss sweep, which was recovered by senior linebacker Justin Torain. It led to Will Cooper kicking a 27-yard field goal to put the Panthers ahead 3-0.

The Bulldogs would quickly score 20 points over its next three possessions. A big kickoff return led by the Bulldogs starting its next drive at the Panther 38-yard line. Williams’ Kameron Rogers had a touchdown called back on a holding penalty, but Richmond galloped up the middle on 3rd-and-goal from the Orange 18 and ran through untouched. The extra point was blocked.

Williams went 58 yards on just three plays on its next drive. Mahan, who is the starting catcher for the Bulldogs baseball team, threw to Bron Rogers for 15 yards to cross into Panther territory. Then Mahan scored on a keeper from 35 yards out. The extra point by Cole Brinskelle put Williams ahead 13-3.

After the Panthers failed to get a first down on its subsequent drive, Mahan hit Andrew Cruz for 21 yards. On the next play, Mahan found Richmond for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Orange defensive back Hunter Frazier picked off a pass from Mahan at the Orange goal line and returned it 20 yards to open the second quarter. Williams led 20-3 at halftime.

It remained 20-3 going into the third quarter after Orange cornerback Dominic O’Keefe picked off a pass from Mahan after the Bulldogs drove down to the Orange 23-yard line.

After a short Orange punt led to Williams setting up at the Panther 38-yard line, Richmond roared up the middle for a 27-yard touchdown.

Suddenly, the game turned into a track meet on a muddy field. Devore found Kingston-Farrington for a 39-yard strike from Devore. Cooper’s extra point narrowed Williams lead to 27-10.

It took only two plays on the next Williams drive to change the score again. Mahan hit Bron Rogers for 15 yards, which led to Kristopher Rogers scoring on a handoff up the middle from 46 yards.

To open the fourth quarter, Richmond broke free for a 68 yard touchdown on a one-play Williams touchdown drive. The extra point missed wide left and kept the score at 40-10.

Orange found rare good fortune on 3rd down when Devore hit Purefoy-Farrington on a 75-yard strike for a touchdown.

It appeared Orange would punt on its next drive, but the Bulldogs were hit with a personal foul after an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-14. Once again, Devore found Purefoy-Farrington, who made the catch and ran in uncontested after Williams’ defensive back gambled and lost on an interception attempt.

Kristopher Rogers scored his second touchdown on a 26-yard run. Earlier in the drive, he ran for 29 yards to cross into Panther real estate.

Orange will host Cedar Ridge for Homecoming this Friday night at Auman Stadium.

WILLIAMS 47, ORANGE 23

ORA–3  0   7  13-23

WIL–20  0  7 20-47

ORA–Will Cooper 24 FG

WIL–Amarion Richmond 18 run (kick blocked)

WIL–Dan Mahan 35 run (Cole Brinskelle kick)

WIL–Richmond 21 pass from Mahan (Brinskelle kick)

WIL–Richmond 27 run (Brinskelle kick)

ORA–Kingston Purefoy-Farrington 39 pass from Kyse Devore (Cooper kick)

WIL–Kristopher Rogers 46 run (Brinkselle kick)

WIL–Richmond 68 run (kick failed)

ORA–Purefoy-Farrington 75 pass from Devore (kick failed)

ORA–Purefoy-Farrington 75 pass from Devore (Cooper kick)

WIL–K. Rogers 26 run (Brinskelle kick)

RUSHING: ORANGE 24-24 (Deandre Brown 7-18, Purefoy-Farrington 1-12, Kayden Bradsher 8-11, Devote 6-(-2), team 1-(-2), Hunter Frazier 1-(-15))

WILLIAMS: 43-445 (Richmond 21-230 3 TDs, K. Rogers 11-158 2 TDs, Mahan 3-40 TD, Ahmar Watkins 5-12, Kyrian Fuller 2-6, William Overby 1-(-1)

PASSING: ORANGE (Devore 12-26 226 yards 3 TD 2 INT)
WILLIAMS (Mahan 11-16 113 yards TD 2 INT)

RECEIVING: ORANGE (Purefoy-Farrington 6-219 3 TD, Hunter Albert 3-(-2), Jayden Medley 2-9, Bradsher 1-0)

WILLIAMS (Fuller 3-2, Andrews Cruz 2-29, Bron Rogers 2-26, Overby 2-21, Richmond 1-21, Braeden Vetter 1-15)

Over the past few years, the Orange women’s tennis team has prided itself on having multi-sport athletes up and down its roster. This year, the Lady Panthers are in second place in the Central Conference. On October 7, the Lady Panthers will face Williams with a chance to tie for first place in the regular season. One of the multi-sport athletes on this year’s team is Molly Kruse, the younger sister of Connor Kruse, the all-time leading scorer in Orange lacrosse history. On September 11, Kruse teamed with Shannon Sollars to defeat Reagan Williams and Sarah McLaughlin of Western Alamance 8-2. Orange’s Adelyn Alvis, who has been Orange’s #6 singles player for much of the year, runs track & field during the spring. The Lady Panthers are on the verge of returning to the state playoffs. Last week, the Lady Panthers defeated Person and Southern Alamance in Hillsborough. Kruse and Sollars teamed to defeat Southern Alamance’s team of Madalyn Corbett and Gabby Canup 8-0. Orange celebrated Senior Night against the Patriots. Sollars and Aubrey Petrosanu were honored by head coach Justin Webb. The Lady Panthers will return home to face Eno River Academy on Monday for another home match. They will travel to Eastern Alamance on October 2.

Orange women’s tennis players Shannon Sollars and Molly Kruse talk new tennis court

Over the past few years, the Orange women’s tennis team has prided itself on having multi-sport athletes up and down its roster. This year, the Lady Panthers are in second place in the Central Conference. On October 7, the Lady Panthers will face Williams with a chance to tie for first place in the regular season.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is men’s cross country runner Myles Jermyn. On September 10, Orange won its first meet of the season against Cedar Ridge and Western Alamance at Orange High School. Jermyn finished first at 17:32.00. Last season, Jermyn was a part of the Orange men’s cross country team that finished at Mideast Regional champions. In the 3A State Championships, they came in second place, only behind Croatan. Jermyn, a junior, has run on two Central Conference championship teams. In the Mideast Regionals last October, Jermyn finished eighth in the region as the Panthers won the team championship by 22 points over Northern Nash. Jermyn finished second in the conference championship last year at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington. Myles’ father, Kevin, is the men’s and women’s cross country coach at Duke University. His younger sister, Reilly, has started running for the Orange women’s team and finished 2nd in the opening conference meet two weeks ago. Last spring, Myles finished third in the 1,600 meters during the Mideast Regional Outdoor Track & Field championships at UNC Pembroke. He finished second in the region at 3,200 meters. During the 3A State Championships at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, Jermyn finished 10th in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Orange Panther of the Week: Myles Jermyn

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is men’s cross country runner Myles Jermyn. On September 10, Orange won its first meet of the season against Cedar Ridge and Western Alamance at Orange High School. Jermyn finished first at 17:32.00. Last season, Jermyn was a part of the Orange men’s cross country team that finished at Mideast Regional champions.

The cracks are gone. The fading pine green courts have a bright, vivid shade of new paint. The lighting is bright enough to be see hundreds of yards away from the baseball press box.

Theses are the new Orange High tennis courts, which received renovations at the end of the men’s season in April. After spending the first three-and-half weeks of the season on the road, the Orange women’s tennis team  finally returned home on Monday and continued a stellar season.

The Lady Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 7-2 in its first match after the reopening of their courts on Monday afternoon. Up to this point, Orange had played matches against in-county rivals Cedar Ridge and Eno River Academy at the Walker Tennis Complex in Mebane.

The last time the tennis complex had been refurbished was 2008. Cracks started to develop across all eight courts.

“It was just time,” said Orange men’s and women’s tennis coach Justin Webb. “For the past four years, the (Orange County) School Board had been looking at redoing the tennis courts. They just wanted to make sure they had the money and the resources to get it done.”

There is also new fencing and new drainage, which clears up some water issues that had been building in recent years. Plus, there’s an expanded walkway that is more handicap accessible. It came in handy on Wednesday night when Orange hosted Western Alamance as the mother of one of the Warriors got to sit comfortably in her wheelchair behind court 1 to watch her daughter’s doubles match.

“She came up and thanked me,” Webb said. “This walkway is big and allows people to get to the end courts. There’s a gate for American Disability Association accessibility. So I think those were some of the big things that needed to be fixed. And we got some new light posts.”

Following its wins over Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance, Orange remains just one game behind Walter Williams for first place in the Central Conference.

In 2022, Orange won its first-ever conference championship in women’s tennis with a heavy array of players who didn’t have tennis as their best sport, but they were stellar athletes. Sydney Rogers, Katelyn Van Mater, Isabel Jones and Makayla Davis were all starters who helped Orange reach the second round of the 3A State Playoffs.

This year, Orange has more multi-sport athletes who are regulars in Webb’s lineup. Molly Kruse, a junior who has played soccer the past two years, has been on Orange’s top doubles team with Shannon Sollars, one of only two seniors on a squad with 21 players.

Against the Eagles, Orange won 8-1, improving to 8-2 overall, 6-1 in the Central Conference. Freshman Kalynn Mason claimed two wins on the night. She defeated Madison Drewery 6-3, 6-4 at #2 singles. Mason teamed with Ellie Wilson to defeat Ryan Tanner and Claire Monroe 8-3. Orange won five singles matches to wrap up the dual match victory before doubles play started.

Wilson, a sophomore, won at #3 singles over Tanner 6-4, 6-2. Junior Oakley Gaddy won at #4 singles over Monroe 6-1, 6-2. Junior Casey Robinson knocked off Jayci White at #5 singles 6-0, 6-0. Adelyn Alvis, who runs track and field for Orange in the spring, won at #6 singles when her opponent retired after one set.

Sollars and Kruse won at #1 doubles over Camila Rosa and Monroe 8-0. At #3 doubles, Kyla Mehl and Alvis defeated White and Areli Silva Flores 8-0.

On Wednesday night, Orange defeated Western Alamance 7-2 to sweep the regular season series for the fourth straight year. The Lady Panthers will face Williams on Monday night in Hillsborough. The Bulldogs are 6-0 in conference play after edging Orange 5-4 on August 21 in Burlington. Williams is 7-0 on the year. Orange is the only team to win four individual matches against the Bulldogs this year.

The first false fall of 2024 gave way to the hottest day in August last Wednesday, coincidentally the same night that Eno River Academy made its first-ever trip to Orange Soccer Field.

Just like so many other times this year, Orange junior midfielder Yurim Tapia Mendez had the winning formula, notching his first career brace for the Panthers’ second straight victory.

Mendez now has six goals in Orange’s opening five games of the season after the Panthers defeated the Bobcats 6-1. Sophomore Hector Garrido, who started in basketball as a freshman early last winter, earned his fourth win of the season as goalkeeper, making six saves.

Orange improved to 2-0 lifetime against Eno River Academy, located just two miles from the Orange campus along Highway 57. Last year, the Panthers defeated the Bobcats 2-1 at soccer.com Field in Efland.

Eno River falls to 2-4-1.

“We adapted a little as the game went on,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “We need to work harder in coming out with a killer instinct. But we adapted and cleaned it up towards the end. That was good to see. We did a good job of getting organized defensively.”

It was another night where Orange’s back line of Dallas Johnson, Eben Petrides, Jay Parker and Logan Edwards controlled the pace of play and largely shut down any serious Bobcats threats in the second half. Eno River’s only goal in the 16th minute when a shot lofted from 40 yards away sailed over Gurrido’s head and softly into the roof of the net.

“We know they have some players who can shoot from distance,” Bowman said. “They just caught us off guard on that one. That was a mental lapse.”

Orange controlled the remainder of the game starting when junior John Tercero chipped a pass across the field and found Daniel Toledo, who pooched a high shot into the upper right corner from 24 yards to give Orange a 3-1 lead. It was Toledo’s first goal of the year.

Johnson had a coast-to-coast run from his center back position and nearly rolled a ball past goalkeeper Joel Strong, who made a lunging save. With 2:12 remaining in the first half, Strong tapped the ball over the night on a free kick attempt by Orange junior Christopher Lopez.

Orange kicked off to start the second half and dominated possession the remainder of the game. Moments after Joseph Lopez’s attempt off a pass from Angel Chavez rolled wide, Mendez notched his second goal from ten yards away on a short entry pass from Kace McAuley.

“The heat was obviously a factor,” Bowman said. “So we figured the more we had the ball, the more they chased, the more they got worn down.”

Eno River’s best chance in the second half came with 29:30 remaining when Alden Yarborough fired from 35 yards off a free kick that banged off the crossbar. Moments later, Orange’s Angel Chavez’s attempt from 17 yards bounced wide.

McAuley cashed in with 20:37 remaining after receiving a pass from Chaviz. McAuley dribbled into the box and shot it in for his first goal to make it 5-1 in favor of the Panthers.

Sophomore Jesse Petrides took a corner kick with 4:44 remaining and headed it in from the edge of the six-yard box for the game’s final tally. It was Petrides’ first varsity goal.

Orange improves to 4-2. They will travel to Northern Durham on Wednesday night.

Cedar Ridge 1, Northern Durham 1: It its only game of last week, Cedar Ridge played to its second consecutive tie at Northern Durham. Alex Rosales scored the Red Wolves goal off an assist from Rodrigo Arellano. Junior goalkeeper Erik Galunas made seven saves.

Remarkably, Cedar Ridge still hasn’t played a home game yet. They will make yet road trip, albeit to Efland, on Tuesday night to face Eno River Academy at soccer.com Field.

For the first time in program history, Orange men’s soccer defeated Carrboro on Monday night. Junior Yurem Tapia Mendez accepted a pass from senior Kace McAuley for the game-winning goal in the second half as the Panthers defeated the Jaguars 1-0 in the season opener at Orange Soccer Field in Hillsborough on Monday night. In his first varsity start, goalkeeper Hector Garrido earned a clean sheet for Orange, making two saves. After Mendez’s game-winning goal, Orange back line of Dallas Johnson, Eben Petrides, Jay Parker and Logan Edwards worked tirelessly to keep the Jaguars from scoring, despite repeated corner kicks in the final 15 minutes. Going into the game, Carrboro was 3-0-2 lifetime against the Panthers, including a 1-1 tie last year in Jaguars Stadium. Mendez scored two goals last season and got off to a strong start to the season on Monday. Petrides was selected as the Rick Ashby State Farm Defensive Player of the Game. It’s the second straight year that Orange won its season opener. Last year, the Panthers defeated Durham School of the Arts. Orange will travel to Durham on Wednesday night to face Southern Durham, the defending Northern Lakes Conference champions. Orange will return home to face Durham School of the Arts next Monday in Hillsborough.

Orange soccer’s Yurem Tapia Mendez & Eben Petrides discuss season-opening win vs. Carrboro

For the first time in program history, Orange men’s soccer defeated Carrboro on Monday night. Junior Yurem Tapia Mendez accepted a pass from senior Kace McAuley for the game-winning goal in the second half as the Panthers defeated the Jaguars 1-0 in the season opener at Orange Soccer Field in Hillsborough on Monday night.

After a stunning win over Cedar Ridge in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs last week, the Orange baseball team didn’t have any time for drama against Eastern Alamance in the second round. The Panthers scored seven runs in the opening inning and rolled to a 19-1 win over the Eagles on Friday night to advance to the third round of the state playoffs for the third straight year. Senior third baseman Wyatt Hedrick drove in a career-high seven runs as he finished 4-for-4. That included a two-run single to left field in the third and a high fly ball that bounced off the 2008 2A State Championship banner in right field that plated Ryan Honeycutt and Henry Hoffman. Senior pitcher Josiah Gibbs earned his 18th career win, throwing five innings to improve to 8-0 on the season. Gibbs struck out three and finished the night with 68 pitches. The Panthers now have to win their way back into another home game. They will venture to Fayetteville on Wednesday night to face the Terry Sanford Bulldogs, the co-champions of the All-Americans Conference. The Bulldogs have only one loss since the end of March, which happened against 4A power D.H. Conley. The winner of Orange-Terry Sanford will move into the state quarterfinals.

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This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior catcher Ryan Horton. This season, Horton is tied for the team lead for home runs. On March 26, Horton hit two home runs as Orange defeated Northern Guilford 8-4. He became the first Orange player to hit two home runs in a game since Dante DeFranco did it against Northern Durham in 2019. Against Western Alamance on March 25, Horton went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, including a two-run double in the sixth inning that paved the way for Orange’s first conference win. Horton had a two-run double against Cedar Ridge in a 10-4 win at Red Wolves Field. This season, Horton is hitting .359 and leads the team with 17 RBIs. He has been Orange’s starting catcher the past two years and provided valuable experience on offense after the Panthers lost six starters from last year. Horton had an RBI single against Southern Alamance on Friday night, which put the Panthers back in a tie for first place in the Central Conference. Last week, Horton went 3-for-4 on senior night as the Panthers defeated Voyager Academy. Against Person on April 27, Horton went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the first inning. After he graduates from Orange next month, Horton will attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.

Orange Panther of the Week: Ryan Horton

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