There’s not much of an offseason in softball nowadays.

Last week, Cedar Ridge third baseman Takia Nichols and shortstop Ava Lowry suited up for the Region 3 team for the North Carolina State Games in Durham. Playing five games over three days, Region 3 finished with the bronze medal after beating the Region 4 squad 2-1 at Duke Softball Stadium on Thursday.

The Region 3 squad, which was coached by Western Harnett’s Stephen Hales, finished 3-3 in the event. The team included players from Western Harnett, Jordan, Cleveland, Harnett Central, Apex, Wake Forest and Cape Fear Christian.

It was just another instance where Nichols and Lowry were teammates. It has been that way since they were together at Stanback Middle School, and carried through to Cedar Ridge High, where they won the 2019 Big 8 Conference Championship.

After the State Games, Nichols and Lowry found themselves paired together again on Friday. The North Carolina Softball Coaches Association named Nichols and Lowry to the 2021 3A All-State team.

Nichols was the 2021 Big 8 Conference Player of the Year. She led the league with 13 home runs, adding to her career total of 26, a school record in softball and baseball. Earlier this month, Nichols announced her commitment to play at North Carolina Central.

Nichols, who has started at third base since she was a freshman on Cedar Ridge’s 2019 team, concluded her junior season with home runs in each of her last six games. In a 8-3 win at Vance County on April 27, Nichols hit two dingers. The following outing against Southern Durham, the opener of a doubleheader, she also hit two home runs. Nichols led the Big 8 with 38 RBIs in 2021, pushing her career total to 86. That broke the school record held by Tori Dalehite, now playing at UNC Greensboro, who had 73 in her career that was cut short because of various injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the 2021 season, Lowry announced her commitment to play at Division III North Carolina Wesleyan. Shortly after making her college intentions clear, Lowry started a season for the Red Wolves that left their coaches exasperated, thrilled, frustrated, joyous and confused.

But never, ever bored.

It started on March 17 with a 17-16 loss in eight innings to Northwood in Pittsboro, a game where Cedar Ridge trailed 11-4 at the end of four innings, only to take a 16-14 lead into the bottom of the seventh before the Chargers scored two runs in the final frame of regulation to send the game to extra innings.

In the opener, Lowry went 3-for-4 with a double and 4 RBIs.

Two weeks later, Lowry hit two home runs against East Chapel Hill in a 18-5 win at Wildcat Softball Stadium. Lowry finished 4-for-5 with six RBIs, which also included a double.

In a classic game against Orange on April 15, Lowry went 2-for-4, but that only tells a portion of a long, memorable story. Lowry had Cedar Ridge’s first hit, a double down the left field line. She eventually scored on a wild pitch with Marlee Rakouskas at the plate.

With Orange leading 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Lowry came up to bat with ShiLi Quade on base with two out. In an epic at-bat, Lowry fouled off five pitches to eventually draw a walk. It led to Quade scoring off a wild pitch, which triggered an incredible Cedar Ridge comeback.

Trailing 9-2 against an Orange team that had not surrendered more than three runs all season, the Red Wolves scored seven runs in the seventh inning to tie the game. Lowry reached on an error and scored off a wild pitch to narrow the Orange lead to 9-8, leading to Reagan Ruhl scoring the game-tying run off an RBI groundout by Alexandria Matthews.

In the eighth inning, Lowry hit a two-out triple to dead center that would have likely gone over the fence at any other park in the league.

Lowry concluded the season with an 11-game hitting streak. She went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 8-3 win over Vance County on April 27 in Henderson.

If there was ever a clearer sign of how bright the future of the Orange softball team is, one simply needs to look at the list of All-State honors from the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association.

Released Friday, the Lady Panthers placed three players on the 3A All-State team. None of them are seniors. Two are sophomores.

Junior catcher Lauren Jackson joined shortstop Carson Bradsher and centerfielder Serenity McPherson on the squad

All three players were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team last month, when Orange won the Big 8 Conference Championship with the first undefeated regular season in school history. The Lady Panthers hosted Southwestern Randolph in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs, a 7-5 loss that was its only defeat of the season. Orange finished 12-1, 7-0 in the Big 8.

Jackson led Orange with five home runs in 2021, including four in her final four games. In the regular season finale, Jackson knocked two over the fence in a 12-0 win at Northern Durham on April 29. For the season, Jackson hit .526 with 17 RBIs. In Orange’s closest game of the regular season, a 12-9 extra innings win over Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Softball Field on April 15, Jackson reached three times and had an RBI single that scored Bradsher in the sixth inning. At the time, it put Orange ahead 8-1 and felt like an extra layer of icing on the cake. It turned out to be crucial when Cedar Ridge tied the game with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In Orange’s 11-1 victory over Vance County on April 14, Jackson had a two-run triple in the fourth inning. She also knocked in Bradsher after she reached on an error in the third inning.

Bradsher, in her full varsity season, led Orange in eight offensive categories. She hit .700, scored 24 runs, registered 28 hits, knocked in 20 runs, hit seven doubles and four triples. She also drew five walks, tied for the team lead with senior Emma Puckett.

Though McPherson almost always hit first for Orange, Bradsher had the numbers of a classic leadoff hitter. She led the team with a 1.814 on-base percentage and had 16 stolen bases. Against Northwood on April 23, Bradsher went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in a 13-2 Orange victory in five innings. In Bradsher’s first game against Northwood on March 25, she went 4-for-4 with two doubles and four runs scored. Against the Chargers, the Lady Panthers piled up 12 runs in the 2nd inning, a frame where Bradsher had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice.

In her first full varsity season, McPherson was third on the team with a .533 batting average. She had 24 hits, second on the team behind Bradsher. She also scored 22 runs. In Orange’s first tilt against Cedar Ridge on March 23, McPherson went 3-for-3 with three runs scored in a 20-0 Lady Panther win. In the third inning, McPherson had an RBI double to bring in Grace Colley.

Despite hitting leadoff, McPherson was still fourth on the team with 16 RBIs. In the season-opener against East Chapel Hill, only the fifth game of McPherson’s varsity career, she hit a three-run homer. McPherson hit safely in all 12 games she played in 2021. She will enter her junior season with a 15-game hitting streak, which includes the final three games of her freshman season, where she registered hits against Person, Roxboro Community School and East Chapel Hill.

McPherson, Jackson and Bradsher were all instrumental parts of an Orange team that clinched the Big 8 Championship outright for the first time since the 2017 3A State Championship season. Despite playing a reduced schedule because of the pandemic, Orange dominated the Big 8 Conference, winning eleven of its 12 games by either run-rule (ten run lead after five innings) or forfeit.

Bradsher, McPherson and Jackson are all slated to return to the Lady Panthers next season as they enter a new conference full of traditional softball powers, including 2019 3A State Champion Eastern Alamance, Western Alamance, Cedar Ridge and Person.

GREENSBORO–As Spencer Hampton prepared to run the biggest race of his life, there was a rainbow overhead.

The threatening clouds that had permeated the afternoon at Truist Stadium inside North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro had yielded to a rare but glorious sight. If someone believed in omens, they may have thought that Orange was about to have its first long-distance running state champion since 1998.

For eight minutes and 3,100 meters, Hampton reinforced that belief.

But it was the 3,200 meters that Hampton was running in. Walter Williams Ryan Motondo passed Hampton about 90 meters from the finish line to overtake the lead and beat Hampton to win the 3A State Championship on Saturday afternoon.

Motondo finished the race at 9:22.50. Hampton earned the second spot on the medal stand at Belk Track at 9:26.07. It is the best finish by any Orange runner, regardless of gender, since Bradsher Wilkins won the 4A Men’s 3,200 meter championship in 1998.

“I kind of knew what was going to happen,” Hampton said. “He (Motondo) has a really phenomenal kick. He’s a really phenomenal runner. I knew from the start I was going to have to take it out from the front if I was going to have to have a chance because a lot of these kids have a lot more of a kick that I do. We came down the stretch and I hoped that he didn’t have in him, but he did. I’m still super happy with how I did.”

At the outset, Hampton established the lead and turned back challenger after challenger through eight laps. Jack Dingman, a senior from Northern Guilford who won the 1,600 meter state championship earlier in the day, stayed just behind Hampton on the opening laps, but faded to the back. Chapel Hill’s Emil Arangala was a few strides back on the third and four laps, but couldn’t continue that pace. Weddington sophomore Caden Townshend also posed a threat before he was passed by Motondo.

Hampton and Motondo are no strangers to one another, and they’ll only get better acquainted as time goes on. Motondo was the 3A State Champion in men’s cross country in January, a race where Spencer finished 24th. In August, Orange and Williams will become league rivals in the brand new Central Conference.

Hampton won the 3A Mideast Regional Championship in the 1,600 meters at Southern Lee High School in Sanford on January 19. He opted not to run in the 1,600 meters state championship race on Saturday in order to focus on the 3,200 meters.

Orange was well-represented throughout the 3A State Track and Field Championships on a warm, but not oppressively hot, Saturday afternoon in Greensboro. Orange’s 4×400 relay team of Devin Goss, Keanu Mims, Jeffrey Faulkner and Elijah Danley finished 7th in the state. The Panthers won the opening heat on the strength of a great anchor run by Faulker, who surged past competitors from A.C. Reynolds and Union Pines at the finish line at 3:31.80. Cuthbertson won the state championship at 3:19.40.

The men’s 4×200 relay team of Faulkner, Mims, Danley and Gasiah Drewery came in 10th in the state at 1:32.82. Cuthbertson won another state championship at 1:26.41.

Orange’s 4×800 relay squad, which included Alden Cathey and Nicholas Pell, finished 11th at 8:39.04. Weddington won the 3A State Championship at 7:58.66

Orange’s Erin Mink was the only female state qualifier. A senior who also competed in the long jump and the triple jump this season, Mink finished eighth in the pole vault when she cleared ten feet. Emma Stone of Marvin Ridge won the 3A State Championship at 12-feet, six-inches.

This was the last official team event for Orange and Cedar Ridge as members of the Big 8 Conference. On August 16, when men’s soccer and women’s tennis officially start, the Panthers and the Red Wolves will become members of the new Central Conference.

If the 3A State Championship meet had been 3,100 meters, Orange’s Spencer Hampton would have won it all. Instead, Walter Williams Ryan Motondo passed Hampton on the backstretch with 80 meters remaining to win the 3,200 meters at the 3A State Track and Field Championships at Truist Stadium inside North Carolina A&T State University on Saturday. Hampton, who won the 1,600 meter regional championship last week at Southern Lee High School, led the entire race, fending off challenges from Jack Dingman of Northern Guilford, Emil Arangala of Chapel Hill and Caden Townsend of Weddington. Hampton concluded a successful season where he claimed ten 1st places finishes, along with being the only individual runner from Hillsborough to qualify for a state championship. Motondo and Hampton will continue their rivalry again in August. Last fall, the two competed in cross country. Next year, Orange will join Williams in the new Central Conference, where Hampton and Motondo will dual on the track in the spring and the cross country courses in the fall.

The biggest success story of Orange’s unusual wrestling season became its only placer in the 2021 state championships.

Hayden Horne, who had only five varsity matches entering his senior season, finished fourth at 220-pounds in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville.

Horne was one of six Panthers who qualified for the state championships, which ordinarily takes place 20 minutes away at the Greensboro Coliseum. Cedar Ridge’s Daina Pritchard also competed at 145 pounds on Saturday morning.

Horne, who was an all-Big 8 Conference right tackle with the Orange football team, competed in only the second individual tournament of his varsity career. He started the day with a wild win over Dylan Donaldson of South Iredell, who led for most of the match.

Trailing 4-2, Horne nearly wound up getting pinned on a quick cradle to open the third period. Horne scored a quick reversal, but Donaldson escaped to go ahead 9-6 with 36 seconds remaining. With 15 seconds left, Horne tripped Donaldson to send him up his back and immediately got three near fall points, which sent the Orange coaches and reserves seated mat side into a frenzy. Horne nearly forced Donaldson’s shoulder on the mat as the buzzer sounded and Horne advanced with an 11-9 decision.

Horne’s quarterfinal match against Eastern Regional Champion Derek Waiau of Havelock was more tactical. Waiau, who appeared to outweigh Horne by at least 25 pounds, never could score a takedown. Scoreless going into the third period, Horne got an escape point early in the third period. Both men had been assessed stall warnings in the second period, but Horne’s elusiveness kept him from being put on his back and he held on for a 2-1 win.

North Iredell’s Elijah Hurt defeated Horne 12-3 in the semifinals. Eastern Guilford’s Jacob Vickers, who pinned Horne in the Mideast Regionals last week in the same gym, pinned Horne in the 3rd place match.

Horne became the first Panther to place in the state championships since Levi Anderson finished runner-up at 145 pounds in 2019 at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The successful career of Orange senior Kessel Summers ended in crushing fashion in the 132-pound quarterfinals. After Summers defeated Northern Guilford’s Cohen Beane in the opening round, he faced Statesville’s Antonio Caldwell. Summers led 10-3 going into the third period. Caldwell started the final frame from the top. As Caldwell held on to a waist lock, Summers attempted a shoulder roll to escape, but Caldwell caught his foot and put Summers on his back. Summers tried in vain to escape, but Caldwell scored the pin at 5:09.

It was an agonizing loss for Summers, who ended his Orange career with a record of 115-41. If Summers had won, he would have faced Andrew Clark of Union Pines in the semifinals. Last week, Summers defeated Clark 8-6 in the regionals.

Will Lewis of Western Harnett, who captured the Mideast Regional championship, claimed the 3A State Championships at 138-pounds.

Of the six Hillsborough wrestlers who qualified for the state championships, Horne and Summers were the only ones who advanced beyond the first round. Because of COVID protocols, there were no consolation rounds.

At 145 pounds, Pritchard wound up losing to the eventual state champion, Zack Karagias of Stuart Cramer, who finished 26-0 this season. Pritchard was scoreless with Karagias going into the final period of their match, but Karagias escaped from the bottom on a reversal and eventually scored the pin at 5:40. Pritchard ended his season at 24-4. He had a career record of 77-49.

Also at 145 pounds, Eli Foster of Enka pinned Orange’s Matthew Smith-Breeden in 2:51. Smith-Breeden, a senior, was tied 2-2 at the end of the first period before the finish. He ends the season 15-8. For his career, Smith-Breeden was 82-41. In a standard season of individual tournaments with consolation rounds, more team matches and a state dual team tournament, Smith-Breeden likely would have been the 49th wrestler in Orange history with 100 wins. For comparison’s sake, Smith-Breeden wrestled 52 times as a junior.

At 170 pounds, Henry Joubert-Stanzel of Orange was pinned in the opening round by Stuart Cramer’s Jonathon O’Shea in 4:28. Joubert-Stanzel got the opening takedown, but O’Shea gained a quick reversal, scored near fall points and didn’t trail again. Joubert-Stanzel ends the year 17-3 and ends his Orange career with a mark of 62-49.

Orange junior Brendon Worsham, at 182 pounds, was pinned by Samuel Cowher of Cox Mill in 2:58. Worsham led 2-0 at the end of the first period, but Cowher notched a takedown early in the second period. Worsham, a junior making his second appearance in the state championships, ends the season 16-4.

At 113 pounds, Cox Mill freshman Cooper Davis pinned Orange sophomore Dillon Heffernan in 1:13. Heffernan ends the year 18-4.

With the conclusion of the 2021 season, Orange ends its eight-year association in the Big 8 Conference. Through eight years, Orange had a dual match record of 52-1 with seven conference titles.

A 15-game hitting streak and being the most reliable presence behind the plate for Orange baseball since Brad Debo has to count for something.

For Davis Horton, it has led to being named the Big 8 Conference Player of the Year.

The junior was officially honored after a vote of the Big 8’s coaches at the conclusion of the regular season last Friday. Horton, who transferred to Orange from Riverside last summer, led the Panthers in three offensive categories in 2021. He had a .490 batting average with 24 hits and 15 RBIs. Horton also tied for the team lead with six doubles.

Horton had a base hit in every regular season game. It started with a three-run homer in his second at-bat as a Panther against East Chapel Hill on April 27, an 15-5 Orange win in six innings. In his first game with Orange, Horton went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs with two doubles and the home run.

Horton’s hitting streak, which ended in last week’s opening round loss in the 3A State Playoffs at Asheboro, actually extended all the way back to his freshman year at Riverside. In the final game of the 2019 season, Horton went 2-for-3 as the Pirates defeated Southern Nash 18-0. In 2020, Horton played in two games before the season shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He had hits against Wake County Home School and Green Level.

This season was Horton’s first full season as a catcher at the varsity high school level. He proved to be a steady presence for Orange pitchers Ryan Hench, Pierson Kenney, Jordan Underwood, and Joey Pounds. Horton didn’t concede a passed ball all year and only committed one error.

Horton supplied consistent offense throughout the season for the Panthers, who stormed out to a 5-0 start to secure a birth in the state playoffs for the 19th consecutive year. In a 19-9 win over Cedar Ridge on May 5, Horton reached in each of his first three plate appearances. In the first inning, he singled to left field to score Jackson Berini. Usually, senior Jacob Jones was the courtesy runner for Horton, which limited Horton’s total output to four runs. Horton went 2-for-4 against Cedar Ridge.

In Orange’s 10-1 win over Northwood in Hillsborough on May 7, Horton went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs. The Panthers immediately took control with five runs in the first inning, which included Horton knocking in Conner Funk with a single down the left field line. In the second, Horton lined to right field to bring in Jackson Berini. Horton finished the night with a two-run single in the fourth.

Against Chapel Hill on June 4, Horton had a single in the first inning, which led to Jackson Berini scoring off a throwing error. Horton rounded the bases off another throwing error to put Orange ahead 2-0. They would go on to win 3-2.

There were three games where the hitting streak was in jeopardy with Horton was down to his final at-bat. In Chapel Hill on June 23, Horton was 0-for-3 when he had a two-out single, which later led to Jones scoring off a hit by Hench. Against Northwood on June 1, Horton was 0-for-2, but reached on an infield single to lead off the 7th inning. In the regular season finale against Northern Durham, Horton singled to right field in the sixth inning against the Knights’ Matthew Lombard, the co-Big 8 Pitcher of the Year.

Horton is the second consecutive Orange player to earn Big 8 Player of the Year honors. In 2019, shortstop Joey Berini earned the honor after he hit .541 with 33 hits, 26 RBIs and 12 doubles. Berini, whose younger brother Jackson starts at shortstop for the Panthers, now plays for the East Carolina Pirates.

The last Orange catcher to be named Big 8 Conference Player of the Year was Brad Debo in 2016. Debo, who would go on to play at N.C. State for four seasons, hit .446 with 29 hits and 24 RBIs in his senior season.

Phillip Berger: The Elizabethton River Riders of the Appalachian League, now a summer, wooden-bat collegiate league, faced the Burlington Sock Puppets on Tuesday night at Burlington Athletic Stadium. It was a near-homecoming for former Cedar Ridge pitcher Phil Berger, who now pitches for Elizabethton, as well as with William Peace University in Raleigh. The Rivers Riders defeated the Sock Puppets 4-3 on Tuesday. The two teams will play again tonight. Elizabethton is 7-9 and Berger currently is 3-0. Last Tuesday, Berger picked up his team-leading third win of the year when the River Riders cruised past the Kingsport Axmen 6-1 at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, TN. Berger relieved starter Drew Gillespie and threw two innings. He gave up one run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk. On Saturday, the Bristol State Liners defeated the River Riders 9-4. Once again, Berger relieved the starter, Andy Quintana, in the bottom of the second inning. In two-and-one-thirds-innings, Berger gave up two hits and one run with one walk and one strikeout. In five appearances this season, Berger has a 3.00 ERA in nine innings pitched. He has eight strikeouts and three walks. After leaving Burlington on Wednesday, the River Riders will continue its six-game road trip against the Pulaski River Turtles on Thursday.

Bryse Wilson: On Sunday, Wilson made his first start for the Atlanta Braves since May 22. He struggled in a 9-1 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals at Truist Park in Atlanta. In four inning, Wilson surrendered five runs on eight hits. He had four strikeouts. This season in Atlanta, Wilson is 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA. After the game, Wilson was reassigned back to Gwinnett of Triple-A East. On June 15, Wilson earned the win for Gwinnett in a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Sounds at Coolray Field in Gwinnett, GA. Wilson struck out nine batters in six innings. He gave up just one runs on five hits with one walk. Wilson threw 86 pitchers, with 57 of them strikes. This season with the Stripers, Wilson is 4-1 with a 4.36 ERA with 29 strikeouts and ten walks. Wilson could return to action this weekend for Gwinnett’s road trip to Norfolk.

Joey Berini: After East Carolina’s season ended in the Super Regionals of the NCAA Baseball Tournament against #4 Vanderbilt, Berini ventured into the Coastal Plain League, another summer collegiate, wooden-bat league. Berini will spend the summer with the Asheboro Copperheads, which call McCrary Park home. Ironically, McCrary Park is where Berini’s high school team, the Orange Panthers, has its season end against the Asheboro Blue Comets last week. Berini has come out of the gates strong for the Copperheads with hits in each of his first four games. He’s hitting .615. On Tuesday, Asheboro defeated the High Point-Thomasville HiToms 4-2. Berini had an RBI single in the second inning. Berini opened the season in a doubleheader against the Martinsville Mustangs at Hooker Field in Martinsville, VA. In the opening 4-2 loss, Berini went 2-for-3 with a stolen base. In the nightcap, the Copperheads won 6-5. Berini started at second base and went 3-for-4 with a double. On Monday, Asheboro defeated Martinsville 16-7. Berini went 3-for-6 with a double and four RBIs. After hitting 9th against the Mustangs on Sunday in the closing game of the doubleheader, Berini led off on Monday. Asheboro will return home to face the Forest City Owls at McCrary Park Thursday night.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team announced its year-end awards after the completion of its first full season. Andrews, a freshman who played second base for Orange, was presented with the Silver Slugger Award. This season, Andrews finished with a .442 batting average, a .750 slugging percentage, 53 hits and 41 RBIs.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior runner Spencer Hampton. On Saturday, Hampton captured the 3A Mideast Regional Championship in the 1,600 meters at Southern Lee High School. Hampton finished at 4:22.10, a full six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. He became Orange’s first regional champion in outdoor track and field, regardless of gender, since 2018. Hampton also qualified for the 3A State Championships in the 3,200 meters after a 4th place finish at Southern Lee. This season, Hampton has ten 1st place finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters as a individual runner. He also has finished first as a member of various Orange relay teams. The 3A State Track and Field Championships will be held on Saturday at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro on the Belk Track. Hampton will look to become Orange’s first state champion since Jamar Davis in 2018 and only the second in the past decade.