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The soccer games that stretched well into the night at Orange High will never be the same.

That’s where Mike McCauley spent plenty of time over the past seven years. As fans walked into Orange Soccer Stadium, McCauley would be the first person they’d see. He’d take tickets, charging $6 for admission for men’s and women’s soccer games, then would run the scoreboard as his workday stretched into a 12th, 13th and (if there was overtime) 14th hour.

It was just one of McCauley’s many duties after he replaced Earnie Price as Orange High Athletic Director in 2016. Usually, at this time of year, his teaching days would wind down. His focus would be on mowing fields and the next academic year, which always felt it was around the corner, even in early June.

On Monday night, McCauley passed away at Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington.

Last Wednesday, McCauley was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had been absent from work last week, leaving his myriad of duties to several coaches and trainers. Two weeks ago, he was present when Orange senior Brianne “Breezy” Foster signed her letter of intent to play softball at Wake Tech, along with principal Jason Johnson.

McCauley arrived at Orange after he departed Graham High School, where he served as head football coach from 2004-2011. He served on the staff of football coach Pat Moser and defensive coordinator Van Smith (both previously at Graham High). The coaching combined with the talent of players like Payton Wilson, Bryse Wilson, Stone Edwards, Tay Jones, Keyshawn Thompson, Patrick Pettiford and Garrett Cloer produced the longest sustained success in Orange football history. Starting in 2012, Orange had six consecutive 10-win seasons and won three consecutive Big 8 Conference championships.

In 2016, McCauley transitioned away from the sidelines and into the role of athletic director after Price retired. Very quickly, he found himself having to replace local and statewide legends.

In March 2017, longtime wrestling coach Bobby Shriner retired after winning over 500 dual matches and five state championships. Shriner, whose son Nick is currently the head wrestling coach at Orange Middle School, nearly won a state championship in his final dual match against Piedmont High in Monroe. Spenser Poteat, who wrestled for Shriner, was chosen by McCauley as his replacement. Since then, Orange has maintained its standard of excellence, winning five conference championships and reaching the Eastern Regional Final of the Dual Team State Tournament each of the last two years.

Two months later, the Orange softball program that McCauley oversaw won the state championship, sweeping Piedmont in a best-of-three series at Dail Softball Stadium at N.C. State University. Mia Davidson, who would go on to become the all-time home run leader at Mississippi State University and the Southeastern Conference, was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

The following year, men’s basketball coach Greg Motley resigned after 20 years, but maintained his position as a teacher at Orange until eventually leaving for Southern Durham. Motley was the winningest head coach in school history, leading the Panthers to the state quarterfinals in 2017 behind forward Connor Crabtree and center Logan Vosburg. McCauley selected Derryl Britt from Warren County as a replacement. Last year, Britt was named Central Carolina Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers back to the state playoffs for the first time in six years.

Also in 2018, Chandler Zirkle, a former player at East Chapel Hill, was hired by McCauley as the new lacrosse coach replacing David O’Neal. Zirkle, who added his father Franklin to the staff in 2021, has transformed the program into arguably the best in Orange County, including the Chapel Hill schools. The Panthers have won three consecutive conference championships and hosted the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship games in 2022 and 2023.

McCauley also hired Justin Webb as tennis coach to replace Andy Brown. Last fall, the Orange women’s team won the first conference championship in school history. They reached the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs in 2022 and 2023.

“Coach McCauley was a tremendous supporter of our tennis program,” Webb wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning. “He helped us secure funding for numerous projects, no questions asked. He helped install signs to support our most recent successes. His service to the school and the athletic community was incredible.”

In May 2018, Dean Dease retired as Orange baseball coach. Jason Knapp, who served as a head coach at Walter Williams High in Burlington, was named Dease’s replacement.

“When he brought me in, he told me about how they expect uphold a program of integrity here,” Knapp said on Tuesday morning. “He told me about the expectations at Orange High, but he wanted to maintain a standard of excellence. Mike was a gentle giant. He was tall and muscular. But he didn’t need to raise his voice to get his point across. That’s why he was so well liked.”

Dease left Orange after winning 503 career games and the 2008 2A State Championship. Knapp has won three consecutive conference championships and just finished a 25-3 season, the most successful campaign since 2013.

Knapp’s first interaction with McCauley actually came years before both arrived at Orange. They talked on the football field whenever Williams and Graham squared off. Knapp was a position coach with the Bulldogs while McCauley was the head coach of the Red Devils.

They lived two miles from each other in Burlington.

“It’s a hard time right time now,” Knapp said as he sat watching the baseball field on Tuesday. “Everyone is devastated. You try to focus on work and exams, but then you walk past his office.”

Funeral arrangements for McCauley are incomplete at this time.

It was the greatest comeback in Orange baseball history. The Panthers were down 8-3 after they surrendered five runs in the top of the 10th inning to Triton. But Orange rallied for an incredible six runs in the bottom-of-the-10th to win 9-8 in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Wyatt Hedrick smacked the game-winning single to score Cameron Guentensberger. Earlier in the inning, with Orange trailing 8-3, Horton drew a one-out walk, which started the comeback. Horton eventually scored when Ryan Hench was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Guentensberger had an RBI single in the first inning. In the 10th, he smacked a two-run single to left field. Guentensberger finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs. He also picked up the win on the mound. Hedrick had his first career three-hit game. He finished 3-for-5 with an RBI. Hedrick has been a part-time starter for most of this season, but now appears likely to see more time at second base. Orange will look ahead to Cape Fear on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. The Colts defeated West Carteret in Morehead City. Orange is now 24-2. That’s the most wins for the team in a single season since the 2013 squad when Bryse Wilson was a freshman. It was a special day for the Guentensberger family. In Boone, Cameron’s brother Colin, a former Orange High right fielder, graduated from Appalachian State.

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It was the greatest comeback in Orange baseball history. The Panthers were down 8-3 after they surrendered five runs in the top of the 10th inning to Triton. But Orange rallied for an incredible six runs in the bottom-of-the-10th to win 9-8 in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs.

For the third year in a row, the Orange baseball team has won a conference championship. And that may not be the only milestone the Panthers achieve this year. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 10-1. It secured Orange’s 19th win of the season. The last Orange team to win 20 games in the regular season was the 2014 squad, which played 23 games in the regular season. This Orange team will end the regular season with 22 games. Senior pitcher Ryan Hench made his return to the mound against the Eagles after being injured on March 8 against Greensboro Grimsley. Hench blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning to put the Panthers ahead 7-1. Junior centerfielder Cameron Guentensberger had another strong night at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Guentensberger also had five catches in centerfield. Josiah Gibbs earned his team-leading sixth win of the season, throwing three innings and allowing only one hit. Orange will finish its regular season tonight (Thursday) against Eastern Alamance. With the conference championship, Orange will have a bye into the semifinals of next week’s CCC Tournament. They will also have home-field advantage for the tournament.

Orange baseball’s Ryan Hench and Cameron Guentensberger discuss winning the CCC Championship

For the third year in a row, the Orange baseball team has won a conference championship. And that may not be the only milestone the Panthers achieve this year. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 10-1. It secured Orange’s 19th win of the season.

Baseball: Cedar Ridge 11, Eastern Alamance 5:  After a gallant but disappointing loss to Orange last week, the Cedar Ridge baseball team got a big effort from senior B.J. Thornton on the mound and at the plate to roll past Eastern Alamance.

Thornton earned his third win of the season with a season-best ten strikeouts over five-and-two-thirds innings. At the plate, Thornton went 3-for-5 with five RBI as Cedar Ridge (7-6, 4-5 in the Central Carolina Conference) scored four runs in the first inning to take control early.

Thornton also knocked in the first run off a sacrifice fly to score Issac Anderson, who opened the game with a single to centerfield. Mason Cats, who reached on an infield single, scored off a base hit by Landon Dalehite to left field. Nick Aitkin drove a single up the middle to bring in Dalehite and Grant McGuffey.

Cedar Ridge loaded the bases to open the second. Cates and Quinn Finnegan each walked. Thornton lined a single to left field to bring in Tippin.

Eastern Alamance reduced its deficit to 5-3 at the end of the third inning, but Cedar Ridge recovered in the top of the fourth. Tippin walked and Anderson got aboard off a single to left field. Thornton looped a single to right field to score Tippin to put Cedar Ridge ahead 6-3.

Thornton set the Eagles down in order in the fourth. Aitkin lined a one-out double to right field to start the fifth. With two out and Tippin at bat, Aitkin scored off a passed ball. Tippin went on to single on a hard grounder to centerfield. Anderson and Cates walked to load the bases. Finnegan lined a single to centerfield to bring in Tippin and Anderson.

The Red Wolves added two more runs in the seventh. Anderson was hit by a pitch. Cates reached on an infield single. With two out, Thornton sent a double that one-hopped the left field wall that brought in Anderson and Cates.

Cedar Ridge put up 12 hits. Aitkin, a sophomore, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a double. Anderson, hitting leadoff, scored three runs. He finished 2-for-2 with a walk.

It’s the second straight year that the Red Wolves have won at Eastern Alamance. Last year, the Red Wolves opened a doubleheader against the Eagles by rallying from a 5-2 deficit in the seventh inning The Red Wolves scored six runs in the final inning to pull away with a 8-5 win. Quinn Finnegan earned the save as Cedar Ridge eventually earned the sweep of the doubleheader, which helped them reach the state playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Softball: Falls Lake 14, Cedar Ridge 4: For the second straight night, the Falls Lake Firebirds came to Hillsborough and emerged victorious.

On Monday, Falls Lake defeated Orange. On Tuesday, they puled up 19 hits in a win over Cedar Ridge. Freshman Mia Best hit an inside-the-park home run to lead off the first inning. Sophomore Kimber Shambley went 2-for-2 with a triple. Senior Anaya Carter, playing centerfield, went 2-for-4 with a run scoresd.

Reagan Simmons finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Falls Lake’s Kennedy Teasley. who hit two home runs against Orange, had two doubles. Ashbee Standrige homered for the Firebirds, who improved to 7-5.

Men’s Tennis: Northwood 5, Cedar Ridge 4: In a tight match in Pittsboro, the Chargers held off the Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge senior Josh Mayhew improved to 9-1 on the season with a 6-0, 6-0 win. In doubles, Mayhew teamed with Bowen Wood to win 8-2, which put the Red Wolves ahead in the dual match 4-3.

Mayhew, who played for the 3A State Singles championship last year, was the CCC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year in 2022.

Senior Walker Richards-Baker also won at #3 singles 6-4, 6-4. Sophomore Colin Fulcher defeated Northwood’s Colt Tudor 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 in a 10-point tiebreaker.

The Red Wolves are 3-7 overall, 2-5 in the CCC.

WILSON–For a change, Orange baseball’s ride home from Wilson was a pleasant one.

Games inside Historic Fleming Stadium haven’t simply been loses for Orange. There have been ugly performances. Last year’s 13-0 loss to Perquimans, the eventual 1A State Champions, was so ignominious, it led Coach Jason Knapp and his staff to do some soul searching that eventually led to a conference championship.

This year, Knapp came into Fleming Stadium with a sour taste in his mouth following a tight 4-2 loss to Western Alamance last Thursday. The obstacles going into Saturday were high ones for Orange. It was their third game in five days with their top two pitchers still battling nagging injuries.

Knapp called up a junior varsity hurler to start, used a senior who had never pitched in a varsity game to carry the middle innings, relied on a senior making his first appearance on the mound this season for the final six outs and somehow came away with a victory over the defending Big East Conference champions.

Junior Connor Nordan lined a two-run single to left field to score Elijah Santos and Jackson Berini to carry a three-run fourth inning and the Panthers held on to win 7-6 over South Central. It was a strong all around performance from senior Cameron Guentensberger, who went 2-for-4 at the plate and finished the game with his first career save after he threw two perfect innings in the sixth and seventh.

It would be erroneous to say that there was a joyous Orange dugout afterwards. Neither the Panthers not the Falcons could sit in their respective dugouts because Fleming Stadium in under renovations. Teams were required to sit on benches along the first and third base lines. The grandstand was also blocked off, forcing fans to watch from picnic areas.

It was still a joyous moment for Knapp, who had lost in two previous trips to Wilson.

“I looked at (Jackson) Berini and (Ryan) Hench and Guentensberger and (Ty) Walker and (Ryan) Horton and told them they all did something their older brothers couldn’t do. Get a win here,” Knapp said. “It feels good.”

Joey Berini, Cooper Hench, Colin Guentensberger (who was in attendance on Saturday), Will Walker and Cooper Hench played on Orange’s 2019 team that was thumped by Wilson Fike 6-0 at Fleming Stadium. Davis Horton, now a catcher at Rockingham Community College, was on last year’s team.

It was the first carer win for Walker, a senior threw the second and third innings after the Falcons scored two runs in the opening inning.

South Central (5-4) reached the 3A Eastern Regional Championship series last spring, where they lost to South Brunswick.

Trailing 2-0, Orange loaded the bases in the second inning against South Central starter Nicholas Mayo. Connor Nordan drew a walk while Guentensberger lined a single to left filed. Cross Clayton walked, leading to Ryan Horton lining a single to the game in left field to tie the game. With two out, Jackson Berini smoked a double over the head of shortstop Dalinh Nguyen-Brown to bring in Clayton and Joey Pounds, who was running for Horton, to put Orange ahead 4-2.

Berini, Orange’s leadoff batter, is second on the team with ten RBIs through eight games.

Walker, in his first pitching performance, calmly set down the Falcons in the second courtesy of a strong play by Ryan Honeycutt, making his season debut at first base. With one out, Honeycutt snatched a grounder hit by Falcon designated hitter Jackson Brunch, flipped it to Berini to retire Mayo and threw to Walker covering first for a 3-6-1 double play.

Orange (7-1) pushed its lead to 7-2 with four runs in the fourth inning. Clayton drew a leadoff walk and went to second after a sacrifice bunt by Horton. With two out, Berini reached on an effort. Elijah Santos, batting second, lined a single to left field to score Clayton. Following a walk to David Waitt, Nordon sent a hard grounder to left field for a two-run single.

Nordan has RBIs in seven of Orange’s eight games.

The Panthers had to hold on as the Falcons mounted a comeback. They started with a two-out rally in the fourth when pinch-hitter Marcus Byrd was hit by a pitch. Bunch walked and catcher Josh Britt singled. Nguyen-Brown drew a bases-loaded walk.

In the fifth, Mason Hobbs lined a leadoff single to left against Orange’s Josiah Gibbs. After a strikeout of David Horvath, Brody Stallings lined a single to left. Scooter Waters belted a double that would have left most high school ballparks, but not in Fleming Stadium with a 335-foot right field line. Waters had to settle for a double and Hobbs scored. New pitcher Carter Hale grounded out to Best, which brought in Stallings. Waters then made it a one-run game on a throwing error and the Panthers lead was reduced to 7-6.

Guentensberger came in cold from centerfield to throw the sixth inning, but induced three long flyouts to retire the Falcons in order for the first time all night. Knapp could have gone with Pounds, who replaced Guentensberger in centerfield, to throw the seventh. But he stuck with Guentensberger, who delivered another 1-2-3 inning in the 7th against the heart of the Falcons order.

It was Guentensberger’s first career save.

“He’s got great poise,” Knapp said. “He just seems to be around the strike zone every time we go to him since he was a freshman. He’s mature beyond his years. We weren’t to him in the sixth and things went smoothly. We went right back to him because you don’t want to give that team an opportunity.”

Orange will resume conference action in Burlington tonight to face Walter Williams.