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Two instrumental parts of the Orange softball program signed to play with the Mars Hill Lions on Wednesday night. Senior shortstop Sadie Cecil and catcher Allie Carden were honored during a ceremony at the Orange High School Library. Carden, accompanied by Mike Carden, Carla and Justin, joined Orange last season after two years at Person. She tied for the team lead with 33 RBIs as the Lady Panthers finished 16-7 and reached the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs. It was the deepest playoff run for Orange since they won the 2017 3A State Championship. Carden and Cecil played for the Carolina Elite travel team coached by John Warf. Cecil’s contributions for Orange athletics isn’t limited to the softball diamond. An aspiring athletic trainer, Cecil has been a regular at Orange football practices, where her brother Luke is the starting center. She sits in the golf cart alongside trainer Emily Gaddy and assistant Alicia Harris from August to November. Last year, Cecil was the leadoff batter and starting shortstop. She has a lifetime batting average of .354 over 50 games. In 2024, Cecil was tied for the team for second on the team with 32 hits. She also scored 34 runs and hit .410 on the season. Sadie was joined by her father Anthony and mother Robin during the ceremony, which included many members of the Orange softball and baseball teams.

Orange softball’s Sadie Cecil & Allie Carden discuss signing with Mars Hill Lions

Two instrumental parts of the Orange softball program signed to play with the Mars Hill Lions on Wednesday night. Senior shortstop Sadie Cecil and catcher Allie Carden were honored during a ceremony at the Orange High School Library. Carden, accompanied by Mike Carden, Carla and Justin, joined Orange last season after two years at Person.

It was another dominant meet for the Orange women’s relay team at the Central Conference Swimming championships last Saturday at the Orange County SportsPlex. Orange won the 200 yard medley and the 400 yard freestyle relay races. Senior Zoe Jones, juniors Piper White and Ainsley Rasinske and freshman Addison Moore won the 200 yard medley relay at 2:02.68. They also teamed to win the 400 yard freestyle relay at 4:09.98. Last year, Jones and White were members of the 3A State Champion 200 yard medley relay team, along with Katie Belle Sikes and Riley White. Rasinske and White were members of the 200 yard freestyle relay state championship team last year. Piper White would go on to win two individual conference championships. White won the 50 yard freestyle title for the second year in a row with a time of 26.51 seconds. White also won the 100 yard freestyle at 59.63 seconds, holding off Sophia Shideler of Walter Williams. Piper White and Rasinske were members of the first relay team in school history to win a state championship in 2023. It was also Senior Day for Orange swimming. It was the final home meet for Jones, Kayleigh Karkoski, and Madeline Dutton. Jones finished 2nd in the 500 yard freestyle. The Lady Panthers will prepare for the Central Regional Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Saturday.

Orange swimming’s Piper White, Zoe Jones, Ainsley Rasinske & Addison Moore talk relay championships

It was another dominant meet for the Orange women’s relay team at the Central Conference Swimming championships last Saturday at the Orange County SportsPlex. Orange won the 200 yard medley and the 400 yard freestyle relay races. Senior Zoe Jones, juniors Piper White and Ainsley Rasinske and freshman Addison Moore won the 200 yard medley relay at 2:02.68.

It was a bittersweet Senior Day for the Cedar Ridge women’s swimming team. On Saturday, the Red Wolves won the Central Conference Championship at the Orange County SportsPlex. It was also the final home meet for Cedar Ridge seniors Sophia Stinnett and Quinn McCrimmon, where they have practiced and competed for years. Stinnett, who won two Central Regional championships last year, successfully defended her Central Conference championship in the 500 yard freestyle. She also won the 100 yard backstroke. Stinnett won five individual conference championships in her Cedar Ridge career. McCrimmon captured the conference championship in the 200 yard freestyle, beating out Elizabeth Merlette of Walter Williams by .18 seconds in the most narrow race of the day. Stinnett, McCrimmon, freshman Natalie Kunz and Hala Zafar finished 2nd in the 200 yard medley relay. Stinnett and McCrimmon, the senior co-Captains, won their first conference championship under head coach Amanda Jones and ended Orange’s string of three consecutive titles. On Saturday, Stinnett and McCrimmon will compete at the Central Regional championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. On Friday, February 7, the 3A State Championships will take place at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. Last year, Stinnett finished 3rd in the state in the 100 yard backstroke, her first medal in the state championships.

Cedar Ridge’s Quinn McCrimmon, Sophia Stinnett & Natalie Kunz discuss winning the conference title

It was a bittersweet Senior Day for the Cedar Ridge women’s swimming team. On Saturday, the Red Wolves won the Central Conference Championship at the Orange County SportsPlex. It was also the final home meet for Cedar Ridge seniors Sophia Stinnett and Quinn McCrimmon, where they have practiced and competed for years.

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ELON–From McLeansville to Creedmoor to Burlington to Hillsborough to Roxboro to Graham to Reidsville to Elon.

All told, it’s been ten consecutive games away from home for the Orange men’s basketball team since they last played inside Panther Gymnasium on December 20. Five of them were conference games and the team knew before Christmas the long stretch would make or break their hopes of winning a second consecutive Central Conference regular season championship.

The Panthers are now set for the stretch run tied with Eastern Alamance for first place.

On Friday night, Kai Wade scored 23 points to lead a wire-to-wire 79-57 win at Western Alamance on the Coach Evans Court. From the time Wade fired a 18-footer that kicked high off the back iron and fell through the net, it was possibly Wade’s finest performance of the season.

Senior Xandrell Pennix added 12 points, placing him at 932 career points as Orange improved to 14-5. Freddy Sneed added 14 points for the Panthers, who are 7-1 in the Central Conference. Orange has defeated the Warriors seven consecutive times.

In its last home game, Orange rolled past Western Alamance 73-48. The rematch on Friday held the potential for more intrigue because Warriors guard James Newton didn’t play against the Panthers in Hillsborough. Newton, who has committed to play football at Gardner-Webb, was in South Carolina for the Shrine Bowl.

Newton had a huge scoring game in the Warriors upset of Eastern Alamance on January 3. On Friday night against Orange, he was limited to ten points, going scoreless in the second half.

After Newton banked in a 3-pointer to cut Orange’s lead to 8-6, Wade and Pennix responded with consecutive 3-pointers. Newton found Matt Huffman for a lay-in, but Hector Garrido found Jalen Crayton for a monster stuff directly in the face of Camden Oliveira.

Sneed increased Orange’s lead to 18-13 after a strip and steal, but Oliveria responded with a 3-pointer. Wade took the drama out of it when he drained a 27-foot 3-pointer as the quarter wound to a close to give the Panthers a 27-16 lead.

Newton scored an early 3-pointer in the second quarter, but the Warriors had an inability to cash in second-chance points that could have kept the game close. The Panthers shot out to a 9-2 run to put the game away. Wade finished the first half with 18 points.

In the fourth quarter, senior Ethan Ellis drained two 3-pointers. Kamaal Smith would finish with seven points.

Orange will face Walter Williams tonight (Tuesday) to start a string of five consecutive home games to conclude the regular season.

Women’s Basketball: Western Alamance 60, Orange 48: 

Orange played Western Alamance to its closest conference game of the season, but the Warriors claimed its 18th consecutive win against a Central Conference opponent. Looking for its second consecutive league title, senior Allie Sykes led the Warriors with 18 points.

Orange’s Evelyn George scored 22 points. It was her fifth 20-point game of the season and the 13th of her career.

The Warriors didn’t trail but Orange played a much more competitive contest than their previous matchup on December 20. In the fourth quarter, Orange center Marshea Byrd had a personal 10-0 run for Orange.

Once again, the Warriors excelled with 3-point shooting. Emma Johnson finished with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Sykes knocked down four 3-pointers as Western Alamance improved to 14-2 overall, 6-0 in the Central Conference. The Warriors snapped the Lady Panthers six-game winning streak.

Western Alamance’s bench outscored Orange 10-5.

Orange falls to 10-7, 4-3 in the Central Conference. The Lady Panthers will return home to face Walter Williams on Tuesday (tonight) in Hillsborough. It will be the start of a two-game homestand for Orange women’s basketball. On Friday night, they will host crosstown rival Cedar Ridge.

The Roman era may be winding down for Orange swimming, but it’s still leading to familiar results.

For the third year in a row, Orange’s Luke Roman was named the Central Conference Male Swimmer of the Year after he paced the Panthers to the Central Conference championship at the Orange County Sportsplex on Saturday afternoon.

In an event he has dominated, Roman won the 500 yard freestyle for the fourth consecutive year, setting the pace for Orange to take the Orange the conference title for the fourth straight season.

It was also the end of an era for Orange swimming. It was the final home meet for Roman, Alex Andre, Nick Baczara, Ayden Twiddy and Noah Jones, five swimmers who have propelled the Panthers swimming program to new heights. Together, Orange has won four conference championships and a runner-up finish in the Central Regionals last year at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Once again, Roman, Baczara, Andre and Jones would team together to take two relay conference championships. In the past two years, the quartet has won four conference championships.

Roman, Baczara, Andre and Jones would win the 200 yard medley relay and the 400 yard freestyle relay.

Roman became the second Orange men’s swimmer in school history to win a state championship last year. At the Triangle Aquatic Complex in Cary, Roman won the 500 yard freestyle. He joined Ben Scott, who won the 2018 100 yard freestyle state championship.

Alex Andre would finish 2nd in the 500 yard freestyle behind his own teammate.

Roman has received interest from several colleges about swimming at the next level, along with balancing his aspirations to attend medical school.

Orange finished with 402 points to take the team championship. Cedar Ridge finished 2nd at 326 points.

In addition to winning the 500 freestyle, Roman also repeated as champion of the 200 yard freestyle, where he held off Twiddy, who finished in 2nd place.

Andre also captured two individual championships. He repeated as the champion of the 200 yard individual medley as he touched the wall at 2:04.08. Cedar Ridge senior Philip Cauwels finished 2nd at 2:15.75. He also came away with the 100 yard butterfly championship with a time of 55.33 seconds. Andre has won three individual conference championships in his Orange career.

In 2024, Andre won the 200 yard individual medley regional championship, edging Carrboro’s Matt Strada by .22 of a second for the title.

It was a solid meet for Cedar Ridge’s younger swimmers. Sophomore Christopher Seawell earned his second individual conference championship in the 100 yard backstroke. Seawell finished at 59.78 seconds, holding off Jones, who came in at 1:07.03. Orange junior Colin Wuthrich finished third at 1:13.00. Last year, Seawell won the 50 yard freestyle.

Cedar Ridge freshman J.E. Sandor continued an outstanding rookie campaign by winning the 100 yard breaststroke. In the closest men’s race of the day, Sandor beat Walter Williams sophomore Liam Miller to the wall by less than one second. Sandor finished at 1:07.91, while Miller finished at 1:08.26. Baczara, the defending champion, finished third at 1:13.28.

Orange’s 200 yard freestyle relay team also captured a conference championship. Baczara, Twiddy, sophomore Jason Spey and Wuthrich finished at 1:44.31. Cedar Ridge’s team of Jacob Olmstead, Landon Rogers, Zion Green and Davis Golden came in second at 1:57.77.

Walter Williams junior Eamon Hipps swept the 50 yard and 100 yard freestyle races. Hipps held off Seawell in the 50 yard freestyle, finishing at 22.64 seconds. Seawell came in at 23.51 seconds. Hipps won the 100 yard freestyle at 50.53 seconds, beating Orange’s Ayden Twiddy, who touched the wall at 51.81 seconds. Wuthrich finished third (1:03.03).

Orange and Cedar Ridge will set their sights to the Greensboro Aquatic Center for the 3A Central Regionals on Saturday night.Last year, Orange had its best-ever showing as a team finishing second behind Carrboro, who claimed its third straight regional title.

Individual success is nothing new for Sophia Stinnett.

Going into Saturday, she had already won three individual championships at the Central Conference Championships, starting with the 200 yard freestyle in her freshman year.

This year, Stinnett and fellow senior Quinn McCrimmon added a team conference title to their lengthy list of achievements.

Stinnett won two individual gold medals as the Cedar Ridge women’s swimming team won the Central Conference championship at the Orange County Sportsplex on Saturday afternoon. For the second year in a row, Stinnett won the 500 yard freestyle and also captured the 100 yard backstroke, where she is the defending 3A Central Regional champion.

McCrimmon won her second individual conference championship in the 200 yard freestyle during the tightest race of the day. McCrimmon beat Western Alamance’s Elizabeth Merlette by .22 of a second, finishing at 2:08.45. Last year, McCrimmon won the 100 yard butterfly.

Cedar Ridge won the women’s team championship with 382 points. Orange, the two-time defending conference champions, finished second at 361 points. Western Alamance came in third with 310 points.

“It’s a little bit of a story arc,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve always been trying to beat Orange for some reason and we finally did. It was such a shocker that we won but I’m really proud of everyone for how hard we’ve worked this season.”

In addition to swimming in the morning with her teammates, McCrimmon usually returns to the pool for a two-hour workout after a full day of school.

The Red Wolves likely would have likely earned more points, but the event was in limbo because of Tuesday night’s snow cancelling school on Wednesday and Thursday. With the Mid-State Conference Championships booked for the SportsPlex on Friday night, the only other time the Central title meet could fit in was Saturday.

It led to twelve Cedar Ridge swimmers missing the event.

“I’m really proud of the ones that came,” said Cedar Ridge swimming coach Amanda Jones. “They had a really great meet today.”

Stinnett captured two Central Regional championships last year at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. She came in the 3A State Championships in the 100 yard backstroke, but had never won a team conference championship until Saturday.

“It’s been really great having them as seniors,” Jones said. “They are really able to do well behind the blocks on relays. I’m really proud of them and I’m honored to see how far they’ve come since they were freshman.”

In December, Stinnett formally signed to swim at Le Moyne College in DeWitt, New York.

It wasn’t just the end of the Central Conference season for Stinnett and McCrimmon, but it was also their final meet inside the Orange County SportsPlex. Stinnett has swam in the SportsPlex pool since she was six years old. She practices at the SportsPlex with her teammates, as well as competitors from Orange, every weekday morning at 6AM.

“It’s definitely bittersweet knowing this is the end of my career here,” Stinnett said. “It’s really exciting because we had never won a conference championship before at Cedar Ridge.” Zoe

Orange junior Piper White repeated as champion of the 50 and 100 yard freestyles. White, who had won three state championships in relay events over the past two years,  won the 50 at 26.51 seconds, beating out Walter Williams Sophia Shideler. Cedar Ridge freshman Eden Pollard finished third.

White captured the 100 yard freestyle at 59.63 seconds, again beating out Shideler. Cedar Ridge junior Hala Zafar came in third at 1:02.87.

White, Ainsley Rasinske, Zoe Jones and freshman Addison Moore won two relay championships. They took the 200 yard medley at 2:02.68. Cedar Ridge’s team of Stinnett, McCrimmon, Zafar and Natalie Kunz finished 2nd at 2:05.38.

White, Rasinske, Jones and Moore also claimed the 400 yard freestyle relay at 4:09.98. McCrimmon, Kunz, Zafar and Stinnett got another runner-up finish (4:16.79).

Orange freshman Reilly Jermyn won the 100 yard breastroke. Jermyn, who was the top runner for Orange’s women’s cross country team last fall, earned her first conference title at 1:18.74, well ahead of Ale Gonzalez Palacios of Williams (1:23.94).

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior wrestler Pierce Prescod. On Saturday, Prescod won his third consecutive Central Conference championship at 120 pounds at Williams High School in Burlington. Earlier this month at Williams High, Prescod won his 150th career match. During the past four years, Prescod has been a vital part of unprecedented success for the Cedar Ridge wrestling team.  During his sophomore season, Cedar Ridge won the Central Conference Tournament at Orange High School, where he pinned Person’s Taveon Moss for his 1st individual conference title. In his junior year, Cedar Ridge won the Central Conference regular season championship. On December 6, 2023, Prescod earned a pinfall victory as the Red Wolves defeated crosstown rival Orange for the first time in school history. In February 2024, Prescod and his teammates made the long trip to Currituck County and defeated Carrboro and Person to reach the state quarterfinals of the 3A State Dual Team Tournament. In the beginning of his junior season, Prescod won the Red Wolf Invitational. He ended his junior year with 48 wins. Next month, Cedar Ridge will once again compete in the state dual team playoffs after finishing 2nd in the Central Conference this season. Prescod will compete in the Mideast Regionals at Cedar Ridge High School and will aim to earn an elusive trip to the 3A State Individual Tournament at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Pierce Prescod

This week’s Cedar Red Wolf of the Week is senior wrestler Pierce Prescod. On Saturday, Prescod captured the Central Conference championship at 120 pounds at Williams High School in Burlington. It continues a season of milestones for Prescod, who secured his 100th career pinfall victory earlier this month.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior golfer Shannon Murphy. This season, Murphy qualified for the 3A State Championships at Longleaf Golf and Family Club in Southern Pines. Murphy was the top placer for the Orange women’s golf team this season and finished among the top 75 3A players in the state. She qualified at the Central Golf Championship at The Valley Golf Course in Burlington in October. For the past four years, Murphy has been a member of the Orange varsity women’s basketball team. Murphy has had to battle knee injuries throughout her career after suffering a torn ACL as a freshman. This year, she has helped Orange to a strong start under new head coach Josh Underwood. On December 27, Murphy scored a career-high 18 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range in a double overtime loss to Southeast Alamance in the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla Tournament in Haw River. Murphy had the top nine-hole average on the Orange women’s golf team this season. It was her third year playing golf for Orange. Next month, Murphy will be honored for Orange’s senior night in a game against Eastern Alamance. She aims to help the women’s basketball team reach the state playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Orange Panther of the Week: Shannon Murphy

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior golfer Shannon Murphy. This season, Murphy qualified for the 3A State Championships at Longleaf Golf and Family Club in Southern Pines. Murphy was the top placer for the Orange women’s golf team this season and finished among the top 75 3A players in the state.