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Orange 3, Western Alamance 0: Two weeks into the season, the Orange volleyball team has had one demanding test after another.

There have been two matches with D.H. Conley and another against Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champion. It left the Lady Panthers with a 2-3 record, but Orange found its dominant form in its Central Conference opener on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 16 kills while Kaine Silcott registered six kills, 18 digs and 26 assists as the Lady Panthers swept Western Alamance on scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-21. Orange (3-3, 1-0 in the Central Conference) claimed its eleventh straight win over the Warriors since the two teams became conference rivals in 2021.

The Warriors, who came into the match with a 5-0 record, put the pressure on Orange early after junior Taliah Walker got back-to-back blocks in the first set that triggered a 7-1 Western Alamance run. A kill by sophomore Reese Walker put the Warriors ahead 14-11 and forced an Orange timeout. The Panthers reeled off eight straight points off the serve of senior Abby Silinski, who had consecutive aces. A kill by Mariah Poole assisted by Silinski put Orange ahead 19-14. Wilkerson had an ace on set point.

Orange had five aces in the second set, where they jumped out to an 9-3 lead. The Warriors closed its deficit to 11-10 after a kill by Haley Clayton, but Aubrey Jordan scored two straight kills, followed by another from freshman Aubrey Hodges to build Orange’s lead to 17-13. Hodges stuffed down a lobbed return to close out the second set.

Western Alamance led the third set 12-8, but Orange peeled off eleven straight points. Silcott had four aces in the run which vaulted the Panthers ahead 19-12. Jordan scored on a kill to put Orange ahead 24-18. Western Alamance scored four straight points before Silcott slammed down match point off a feed from White.

Orange will continue a challenging nonconference slate with a trip to Raleigh tonight (Wednesday) to face Millbrook.

Cedar Ridge 3, Person 0: Junior Kayla Stoll had a career-high 13 kills as Cedar Ridge won its Central Conference opener in Roxboro over the Rockets on Tuesday night. Sophomore Claire Hargett, who leads the team in kills, spent much of the night on the backline and had a team-high 23 digs. She also had 12 kills. Mia Marty, a setter, had 23 assists and 12 digs.

Cedar Ridge improved to 3-1, 1-0 in the Central Conference. Person falls to 2-3, 0-1 in the Centra.

Person scored the first three points of the opening set, which was also its largest lead of the night. Stoll had seven kills in the first game as the Red Wolves built a 17-10 lead following an ace from Marty. A finish by Hargett, assisted by Marty, put Cedar Ridge ahead 21-12. A return by Person went wide on set point.

Cedar Ridge had six aces in the second set, where Person had a 2-1 advantage. Stoll had an unassisted kill on a dunk at the middle of the floor to put the Red Wolves ahead. Cedar Ridge scored ten straight points to take control of the set, which included another ace from Marty and consecutive kills from Stoll. On set point, Stoll had an ace as Cedar Ridge won 25-12.

Cedar Ridge took a 5-2 lead to start the third set. Person fought back with five consecutive points, its longest run of the match, to briefly hold the lead at 7-6. Cedar Ridge responded with four in a row off kills from Marty, Hargett and a block from Charlotte Lowry to take a 10-7 lead. Hargett slammed down an attack from eleven feet away to give Cedar Ridge an 19-14 lead. Cedar Ridge scored the final three points of the match with Marty scoring match point off an assist from senior Ellie Miller.

Cedar Ridge will host Southern Alamance on Thursday night in Hillsborough.

When Orange and Cedar Ridge have been in the same conference for volleyball, one or the other has claimed the last four league championships. Orange, the defending Central Conference regular season champions, opened league play with a sweep of Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. Orange has won 16 consecutive Central Conference regular season matches. Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 16 kills and eight digs. Junior setter Katie Silcott finished with 18 digs, 26 assists, seven aces and six kills. Orange opened the season playing a rigorous nonconference schedule, facing D.H. Conley twice and Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champions, once. Orange, the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions, has had a strong start to the season from Wilkerson, a middle blocked who committed to play at UCF last month. Silcott alternates with sophomore Sawyer White as setter and had a triple-double in the season-opener against Roxboro Community School on August 13. The Lady Panthers will return to a demanding nonconference schedule with a trip to Raleigh to face Millbrook on Wednesday night. Orange will have another road trip to Burlington to face Williams in Central Conference play on Thursday. The Lady Panthers improved to 3-3 with the win over the Warriors. Orange has beaten Western Alamance eleven straight times.

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When Orange and Cedar Ridge have been in the same conference for volleyball, one or the other has claimed the last four league championships. Orange, the defending Central Conference regular season champions, opened league play with a sweep of Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

In the final days of summer vacation, Cedar Ridge and Orange made their annual trip to WakeMed Soccer Park for the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Kick-Off Classic. The Panthers and the Red Wolves each came away with stronger performances with the Panthers earning a win.

Orange 2, West Johnston 1: Yurim Tapia Mendez now has four goals on the season after notching the game-winning goal as Orange defeated West Johnston on Saturday.

Mendez scored the game-winning goal off a free kick as the Panthers improved to 3-2 and bounced back from a loss to Riverside. Mendez scored the opening goal off a cross from Kace McAuley in the first half. Famany Zogbelamou scored the only goal for the Wildcats, who fell to 4-2. West Johnston came into the game off a 4-1 win over Central Academy.

Sophomore goalkeeper Hector Garrido earned his third win of the season for Orange making eight saves. Orange’s backline of Dallas Johnson, Jay Parker and Eben Petrides did a strong job of fending off the Wildcats in the final 20 minute.

Orange will return home tonight (Wednesday) to face Eno River Academy in the second-ever matchup. Last year, the Panthers defeated the Bobcats 2-1 at Soccer.com Park in Efland.

Cedar Ridge 1, Cape Fear 1: Last Friday, the Red Wolves broke a two-game losing streak with a tie against the Colts. Andy Tarija scored his first varsity goal assisted by Edwin Huerta. Erik Galunas was the Red Wolf goalkeeper. Cedar Ridge is 0-2-1. They will play its fourth consecutive road game tonight when they travel to Northern Durham. It’s Cedar Ridge’s only game this week. The Red Wolves will play its first home game against Chapel Hill on September 9.

This week, college sports fall season gets underway. Here are some of the graduates from Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools that will continue or start their college careers in various sports this week. (There are other athletes who will start next week.)

Darius Satterfield: A former Orange High punter and kicker, Satterfield will start his junior season at Elizabeth City State University when the Vikings face Shaw University in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. Darius has also been selected as a student representative for the NCAA Division II Student-Advisory Committee. He currently serves as Elizabeth City State’s SAAC Vice President. He will lead a new CIAA SAAC Executive Board.

Nate Sorrells and Jaylan Sorrells: Nate is a former Orange High running back/defensive back. Jaylan is a former offensive and defensive lineman. They are now at Division II Mars Hill, who will start the season against Delta State at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill this Thursday night.

Malachi Justice: St. Andrew University, a NAIA team, will open against Erskine University, an NCAA Division II squad, at J.W. Babb Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. Justice led Orange in sacks last season and is a freshman.

Cameron Lloyd: The all-time kills leader in Cedar Ridge volleyball history, Lloyd starts her sophomore season for the Bucknell volleyball team. The Bison will open with two matches in the Bearcat Classic in Vestal, NY on Friday. They start with Toledo on Friday afternoon, then will take on Merrimack. To show how small a world it is, Lloyd will face a former Orange High product when Bucknell faces Binghamton on Saturday. As we’ll detail later, Binghamton’s setter is former Orange High product Lottie Scully. Last season, Lloyd had 168 kills for Bucknell, who finished 15-11.

Cameron Lanier: The former Cedar Ridge middle blocker will start her sophomore season at Elon University in the Wildcat Classic at Davidson on Friday. Last year, Lanier started 23 matches for the Phoenix and was second on the team with 223 kills in her freshman year. That included 14 kills against Georgia State on September 1. Elon finished 5-22 last season.

Lottie Scully: Binghamton will host the Bearcat Classic at the Bearcats Event Center starting on Friday. They will face Merrimack and Toledo in a doubleheader, then face Bucknell in the aforementioned matchup on Saturday. Scully is a junior from Hurdle Mills who was named second-team All-America East Conference last season. She was named the America East Setter of the Week four times and led the conference with 679 assists.

Addie Reid: The 2023 Cedar Ridge Homecoming Queen, Reid will start her freshman year at North Carolina Central against longtime rival North Carolina A&T at the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro on Friday. Reid was the middle blocker for the 2021 3A State Championship team.

Graylinn Serge: Serge, who was a starting outside hitter for Cedar Ridge last season, will start her freshman year at UNC Greensboro on Friday. UNCG will host the Spartan Classic and begin with Robert Morris. Later that day, the Spartans will face Missouri State at Fleming Gymnasium. Serge helped the Red Wolves win the 2023 Central Conference Tournament.

Julie Altieri: Along with Lloyd, Lanier, Reid, Serge and Grace Young, Altieri won the 2021 3A State Championship with Cedar Ridge. Altieri was the starting setter for Division III Salisbury Sea Gulls when they won the Coast to Coast Conference championship last season. Salisbury will start its season in the Margie Knight Classic in the Maggs Physical Activities Center against Catholic University on Friday. As a freshman, Altieri was second in the conference averaging 6.54 assists per set. She played in 29 matches and recorded 225 digs.

Grace Young: Last spring, Young transferred from UNC Asheville to Division III Greensboro College. The Pride will start its season in Atlanta in the Emory Invitational. Greensboro will open with Emory University on Friday.

Ivy Garner: After helping the North Carolina Courage U-23 team win the United Soccer League W League Championship, Garner has started her junior year at Liberty University with a flourish. The Flames are 4-0 after wins over Old Dominion, High Point, VCU and East Tennessee State. Garner scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute in a 2-1 win over VCU on Thursday.  Garner started and has six shots in the win over the Buccaneers on Sunday, a 3-1 Flames victory in Summers-Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, TN. Garner had two Scots on goal as the Flames defeated High Point 3-1 on August 15, which was the season-opener. Garner assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Hallie Engel in a 2-0 win over Old Dominion at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA.

Fiona Cunningham: The former Cedar Ridge volleyball coach is now an assistant coach at East Carolina. Cunningham was an assistant at North Carolina Central, where she recruited Reid, for one season. Cunningham led Cedar Ridge to three regular season conference championships, two Central Conference Tournament championships, the 2021 3A State Championship and Eastern Regional championship during her three seasons at Cedar Ridge from 2020-2023.

Our first Orange Panther the Week for the 2024-2025 academic year is senior tennis player Shannon Sollars. Last week, Sollars started her senior year with wins over Voyager Academy and Eno River Academy. Sollars defeated Carrington Foster of Voyager 8-1, then teamed with Molly Kruse to defeat Foster and Addie Baker in doubles. As a sophomore, Sollars was a member of the first Orange tennis team in school history to win a conference championship. She teamed with her sister Erin to reach the 3A State Tournament in doubles play. Since Shannon has been a part of the program, the Lady Panthers have reached unprecedented heights. As a freshman, Sollars played on a team that won in the opening round of the state dual tournament when Orange defeated Wilson Fike. On that day, Sollars won at #6 singles as the Lady Panthers defeated the Golden Demons 5-3. A year later, Orange defeated First Flight for another win in the state playoffs, though they had to drive all the way to Kill Devil Hills to do it. This year, Sollars isn’t playing alongside her sister, Erin. But Shannon is being coached by her. Erin has joined Coach Justin Webb’s staff as an assistant. Sollars will graduate next June as one of the most accomplished Orange tennis players in history. She plans to attend Alamance Community College. Shannon and Orange will face Cedar Ridge on Monday at the Mebane Tennis Center.

Orange Panther of the Week: Shannon Sollars

Our first Orange Panther the Week for the 2024-2025 academic year is senior tennis player Shannon Sollars. Last week, Sollars started her senior year with wins over Voyager Academy and Eno River Academy. Sollars defeated Carrington Foster of Voyager 8-1, then teamed with Molly Kruse to defeat Foster and Addie Baker in doubles.

HAW RIVER–An optimistic observer will walk away from Orange football’s season opener proud of two things.

Its defense, which threw Southeast Alamance off rhythm in the final three quarters. And the breakout performance from senior wide receiver Kingston Purefoy-Farrington, which gave Orange a fighting change in its first-ever trip to Southeast Alamance.

But opening night football games are synonymous with mistakes, and Orange made the biggest ones on Friday night.

Southeast Alamance’s Bubba Sims recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown with :19.6 remaining in the first half, shredding the momentum the Panthers had built in the latter parts of the second quarter. Orange flailed offensively for the remainder of the game, committing five turnovers in a 31-17 loss.

The Stallions’ scored 14 points off turnovers. Sophomore Drew Easter picked off a soft screen pass by Orange quarterback Hank Nunnery and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown with :58 remaining in the first quarter to put Southeast Alamance ahead 21-0.

The Stallions offense only produced 55 yards in the final three quarters.

Meanwhile, Purefoy-Farrington finished with 217 yards receiving and two touchdowns, which gave the Panthers a fighting chance despite a dismal first quarter. Purefoy-Farrington, who regularly competes in the 100 yard dash in track & field, had the first multi-touchdown game of his career.

“He’s the guy,” said Orange coach DeVante Pettiford. “We want to feed him the rock. He’s worked hard. He’s been waiting for his moment. His number got called and he answered.”

Through the course of any game, there are some mistakes that you don’t stop paying for. Orange’s cardinal miscue came late in the first half after a stellar 55-yard punt from the Stallions’ Cruz Nelms, which pinned the Panthers back to its own 2-yard line with :19.6 left.

At that point, Orange had momentum. Purefoy-Farrington hauled in a 89-yard touchdown pass off a go pattern from Hank Nunnery to cut the Stallions lead to 24-14. Orange linebackers DeAndre Brown followed with a sack of Stallions’ quarterback Ryan Dodson, leading to Nelms’ punt.

With the Stallions limited to one timeout, Orange opted to go from the shotgun out of its own end zone when they should have been trying to run out the clock and get to halftime. Instead, Nunnery fumbled the snap and Sims fell on the ball in the end zone.

“What happened down there is on the coaches,” Pettiford said afterwards. “That’s on the coaches.”

Fielding just its second varsity team with nine seniors, the Stallions moved like a veteran unit in rhythm offensively behind quarterback Landon Dodson, who shared time behind center with his cousin Ryan. Landon engineered a flawless opening drive of 55 yards over seven plays that ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Daniel Bunker. Nelms’ extra point put the Stallions ahead 7-0 and they were just getting going.

Orange went three-and-out in its opening possession. A penalty backed the Stallions up to its own 14-yard line, but they responded with three big plays. Backup running back D.J. Callis opened with a 23-yard run. Landon Dodson found his cousin for a 33-yard pass. Callis hit another one, this time for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Easter’s interception with :58 seconds remaining put the Stallions ahead 21-0, but that’s when Purefoy-Farrington went to work.

On the first play of the second quarter, Nunnery chucked a lateral across to senior Garett Sawyer, who is a relief pitcher for Orange baseball. Sawyer uncorked a fastball to Purefoy-Farrington, who outran the secondary for a 76-yard touchdown.

The Stallions responded with a run-heavy drive where Bunker started with a 15-yard carry, but couldn’t summon much else. After Mason Farmer sacked Dodson on 3rd-and-10, Nelms drilled a 37-yard field goal to increase the Stallions lead to 24-7. It turned out to be Southeast Alamance’s final offensive points.

On a third-and-nine in the shadow of its own goalposts, Nunnery hit Purefoy-Farrington in stride for an 89-yard touchdown pass. it appeared that free safety Josh Gant had an angle to run down Purefoy-Farrington, but the wide receiver turned on the afterburners and left him with no chance.

The difference in the end was the ground game. The Stallions rushed for 118 yards while Orange was held to 13. Nunnery was sacked four times.

“The beginning of the game was first-game jitters,” Pettiford said. “They’re isn’t anything we did to finish this game that we didn’t do in the first quarter. We executed better later in the game. The defense played lights out. I just think we start too slow. If we can play well from the first whistle, we’ll be in a lot better position. I’m proud of what I saw tonight. We did a lot of good things tonight that we weren’t successful at doing in years past.”

SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE 31, ORANGE 14

ORA—0     14   0   0-14

SEA—21     10   0    0-31

SEA–Daniel Bunker 6 run (Cruz Nelms kick)

SEA–D.J. Callis 37 run (Nelms kick)

SEA–Drew Easter 49 interception return (Nelms kick)

ORA–Kingston Purefoy-Farrington 76 pass from Garrett Sawyer (Carson Tucker kick)

SEA–Nelms 37 FG

ORA–Purefoy-Farrington 89 pass from Hank Nunnery (Tucker kick)

SEA–Bubba Sims fumble recovery in the end zone (Nelms kick)

RUSHING: ORANGE 27-13 yards (Ja’Ki McDaniels 18-34, Purefoy-Farrington 1-5, DeAndre Brown 3-1, team 1-(-7), Nunnery 4-(-20).

SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE: 30-126 yards (Bunker 11-66 TD, Callis 7-61 TD, Ryan Dodson 3-3, Aiden Pak 1-1, Landon Dodson 1-(-4), Sims 1-(-4) Marquis Burnette 1-(-5).

PASSING: ORANGE 10-25 2 TD, 4 INT 232 yards (Nunnery 9-24, 146 yards, TD, 4 INT; Sawyer 1-1 76, TD)

SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE: 7-19 78 (L. Dodson 6-18 73, R. Dodson 1-1 5)

RECEIVING: ORANGE (Purefoy-Farrington 5-217 2 TD, McDaniels 4-11, Kayden Bradsher 1-4)

SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE (R. Dodson 2-37, Sims 2-8, Easter 1-24, Josh Gant 1-5, Damonte Corbett 1-4)

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