The crows have come home to roost for Orange soccer.

Last year, Orange lost eleven games. Eight were by two goals or less.

A year later, the Panthers are in the midst of a 6-game winning streak, the longest since 2010. The last four wins have been by, you guessed it, two goals or less.

On Wednesday night, Orange roared out to a 4-0 lead over Northern Durham at James Armstrong Stadium off two goals from senior Luke Wirzba. Northern settled for two late goals, but the Panthers walked away with a 4-2 result to remain tied for first in the Big 8 Conference.

R.J. Pherribo and Rohan Kasthuri also scored for the Panthers. Senior Jamar Davis assisted on three of the goals, while Wirzba assisted on the other.

The win over Northern caps a dramatic series of games for the Panthers, one that started last week when Pherribo scored with three seconds remaining in regulation to defeat Chapel Hill 1-0. On Monday night, Wirzba scored in the 2nd overtime as Orange surged past Southern Durham 1-0.

Life in the new Big 8 Conference means beating one powerhouse and getting ready for another. Orange will host East Chapel Hill on Monday night in Hillsborough. The Wildcats handed Orange its only Big 8 loss thus far, a 2-1 result on September 7.

Our Orange Panther of the Week is Luke Wirzba. This week, Wirzba scored the game-winning goal against Southern Durham in the second overtime for a 1-0 Orange win. On Wednesday night, Wirzba followed it up with two goals as the Panthers won its sixth straight over Northern Durham 4-2.

Orange Panther of the Week: Luke Wirzba

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Orange scored four goals in the first half at James Armstrong Stadium in Durham on Wednesday night as the Panthers earned its sixth straight win by beating Northern Durham 4-2. After the game, seniors Justin Hutchins, Cameron Krogstad, Omar Landeros, Ewan McCallum, Luke Wirzba, Bryan Torres, Thomas Sikes, Jamar Davis, Malcolm Phillips, Noah Miller, Isaiah Dupre and Jesus Chavez lined up to talk about the win.

Orange’s 12 Boys Soccer Seniors (well, some of them) Discuss Win over Northern Durham

Orange scored four goals in the first half at James Armstrong Stadium in Durham on Wednesday night as the Panthers earned its sixth straight win by beating Northern Durham 4-2. After the game, seniors Justin Hutchins, Cameron Krogstad, Omar Landeros, Ewan McCallum, Luke Wirzba, Bryan Torres, Thomas Sikes, Jamar Davis, Malcolm Phillips, Noah Miller, Isaiah Dupre and Jesus Chavez lined up to talk about the win.

The Cedar Ridge boys soccer team entered the week aiming for a sweep against Hillside and Southern Durham.

Instead, they had to settle for a split.

The Spartans edged the Red Wolves 3-2 on Wednesday night at Spartans Stadium. Centerback Gavin Hughes scored the opener for the Red Wolves off a corner kick from sophomore Brandon Garcia. With the match even at the half, junior Frank Orellana evened the match on a feed from Samuel Wallace. The Spartans notched the game-winner with under 10:00 remaining.

On Monday night, the Red Wolves earned its third win of the season with a 5-0 win over Hillside at Russell Blount Stadium. Sophomore Brandon Garcia scored two goals, including the game-winner in the first half. Senior wingback Henry Mellor, junior midfielder Cameron Koehler and senior Jake Brown also scored goals for Cedar Ridge.

The Red Wolves are now 3-10, 2-5 in the Big 8. They host Northwood on Monday night at Red Wolves Stadium.

It had been five years since Orange volleyball won at Cedar Ridge High School, but the Panthers used leadership from five seniors to end that skid.

Bailey Lucas had twelve kills while sophomore Emma Clements added eleven as Orange swept the Red Wolves 3-0 on scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-18 on Tuesday night.

Cedar Ridge had a strong match from junior Sarah McCuiston, who finished with eight kills and two aces.

Orange improves to 11-6 overall, 5-5 in the Big 8. Cedar Ridge falls to 6-9, 2-8 in the Big 8.

Panther senior Elly Wilson added three aces and 14 digs. Senior Faith Foushee added 15 digs. Foushee’s classmate Caroline Compton served up 14 assists, while Lucas added 16.

It’s the first time Orange has swept the Red Wolves since 2012.

In the final two sets, the Panthers broke the match open with lengthy runs. Cedar Ridge led the 2nd set 8-7 after a kill by junior co-captain Macy Henry off an assist from senior Morgan Sellers. With Foushee serving, Orange scored six straight points, a run that included kills by  Lucas and Clements.

Cedar Ridge reduced its deficit to 16-14 after an ace by McCuiston. But Orange scored the next five points, including an ace by Wilson and kills by Liz LaNier, Lucas and Clements. Kaitlyn Werden’s spike earned Orange the 2nd set.

The Panthers jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the third set. Orange reeled off seven consecutive points to lengthen its lead to 15-6, a spree that included three consecutive kills from Lucas.

Orange senior Elly Wilson had 14 digs and three assists on Tuesday night as the Panthers swept Cedar Ridge 3-0. Wilson helped Orange get to 5-5 in the Big 8 and 11-6 overall with a match at Northwood coming up Thursday night.

Orange Defensive Specialist Elly Wilson Talks Win Over Cedar Ridge

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While the Cedar Ridge volleyball team lost to Orange on Tuesday, junior outside hitter Sarah McCuiston led the Red Wolves in kills against the Panthers. So far this season, McCuiston leads Cedar Ridge in kills and total blocks.

Cedar Ridge Junior Outside Hitter Sarah McCuiston Discusses Season So Far

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In its first Big 8 meet of the season, the Cedar Ridge boys and girls cross country teams each captured their respective races.

Running against a partial team from East Chapel Hill and a full team from Hillside on Tuesday afternoon at Cedar Ridge, the Red Wolves’ boys finished first with 15 points. The Wildcats came in 2nd with 55 while Hillside recorded 76 points.

The Cedar Ridge girls team finished with 6 points while Hillside had 44. East didn’t field a girls team for Tuesday’s meet.

In the boys race, Cedar Ridge had the top seven finishers. Senior Brian Finch continued his strong season, finishing the 5,000 meter course in 19:22. Alistar Stewart came in 2nd at 19:44. Junior Rory Legg-Bell cross the finish line 3rd at 20:09. Junior Eli Tilley was 4th with a time of 20:49. Zach Crane was 5th, ending his run at 21:02. Senior Joshua Goularte was sixth at 21:14, and Evan Paisley came in 7th at 21:28. Cedar Ridge sophomore Noah Draughon rounded out the top ten with a 10th place finish with a time of 21:32. Freshman Zach Gary’s was 11th.

Competing against only Hillside in the girls race, Cedar Ridge had its first four runners cross the finish line, as well as eight of the top ten. Three of them were freshman, including Anne Morrell, who set the pace with a time of 24:47. Cedar Ridge junior Abby Averette finished second at 25:07. Freshman Ariana Solis came in third at 26:20. Senior Noa Berman was 4th with a time of 26:26.

Red Wolf freshman Jill Myles finished sixth, completing the course at 26:50. Sophomore Sydney Reavely was 8th at 27:28. Finishing tenth was senior Alexandria Wirth at 27:58.

Another freshman, April Hunt, came in 11th at 28:03.

Our Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is Kate Milner, a senior on the Cedar Ridge girls tennis team. Kate was a vital part of Cedar Ridge winning its first girls tennis conference championship in school history last year. She’s involved in so many clubs at Cedar Ridge, it’s a wonder she finds time to rest. In this interview, she’s joined by Brianna Cellini after the Red Wolves defeated Orange 6-3 on Monday.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Kate Milner

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