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Photo courtesy of NBC Sports 

Payton Wilson: At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this weekend, the former Orange High linebacker was among the names who increased their stock for April’s NFL Draft. Wilson completed the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, the fastest among all linebackers. That placed him in the 98th percentile in terms of speed. Wilson also graded out in the 90th percentile in both on-field coverage and tackling. Wilson, Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and Michigan’s Junior Colson are considered the top off-ball linebackers coming out of the combine, according to NBC Sports.

Joey Berini:  The East Carolina baseball team went 2-1 at the LeClair Classic at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville over the weekend. The Pirates defeated Purdue 7-1 on Friday. ECU edged Cal State Fullerton 2-1 in eleven innings on Saturday. Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to a big lead early and held off the Pirates 11-9 on Sunday. Berini started all three games at shortstop. The Pirates are 7-4.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers dropped two out of three games in a weekend series to Old Dominion at Bud Metheney Park in Norfolk, VA. DeFranco entered Friday’s opening game as a reserve. a 4-2 Charlotte win, in right field. DeFranco started at 2nd base in Saturday’s game, which the Monarchs won 4-1. DeFranco played as a reserve on Sunday as Old Dominion took the series 3-0. The 49ers are 6-6.

Jackson Berini: The Gaston College baseball team is now ranked #3 in Division II of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Rhinos claimed two walkoff wins over Frontier Community College over the weekend. Berini went 1-for-1, starting at 2nd base as Gaston won 6-5 in six innings at Sims Legion Park on Saturday. The game was shortened to six innings because the opening game of the doubleheader went 17 innings, which the Rhinos won 8-7. Berini went 2-for-4 with a double and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 17th when he was driven in by Trent Murchison. Berini tied the game in the bottom of the 14th with an RBI ground out to first base. On Sunday, Gaston swept another doubleheader from the Bobcats. The Rhinos are 20-2 and have won eleven in a row.

Davis Horton: The Rockingham Community College Eagles salvaged a game against the Caldwell Community College Cobras on Saturday. The Eagles won 8-5 on Saturday. Horton scored three runs with a triple in the first inning, which put the Eagles ahead 5-0. Caldwell defeated Rockingham 8-0 on Sunday. Horton, starting at catcher, went 2-for-4. Rockingham is 5-14.

Owen Rasinske: The former Orange High swimmer is now a junior with Division II Barton College in Wilson. Last month, Barton’s men’s swimming team finished second in the Conference Carolinas Championships in Kingsport, Tennessee. Rasinske was part of the 400 yard freestyle relay team that was named All-Conference. Rasinske, Ethan Robinson, Ryan Mcanallen and Ethan Maddrey finished 3rd in the conference championships with a time of 3:04.97.

Roman Oguntoyinbo: After a year at a prep school, the former Cedar Ridge lacrosse midfielder has enrolled at Queen’s University in Charlotte, which is now a Division I school.

Chase Finley: The Division II Shorter University men’s lacrosse team improved to 7-1 with a 16-11 win over Thomas More University in Rome, GA on Saturday. Finley, starting as goalkeeper, made 12 saves for his seventh win of the season. On February 28, Shorter defeated Emmanuel 16-6. Finley earned another victory by making 13 saves. Shorter already has more wins this season than the 2022 and 2023 campaigns combined.

Tigh Metheney: The Division II Catawba College men’s lacrosse team defeated Tusculum 18-5 at Shuford Stadium in Salisbury on February 24. Metheney, a former Orange midfielder, scored two goals with four shots on goal. Catawba is 3-2 after an overtime loss to Barton College on Saturday.

Cy Horner: The Division III Methodist men’s lacrosse team defeated Warren Wilson 26-1 on Saturday at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. It was the first win for new head coach Ryan McKay. Horner had two goals and one assist on nine shots, seven of which were on goal. Methodist is 1-4.

Josiah Tisdale: The former Orange High defenseman is now a freshman with Methodist. He had two ground balls against Warren Wilson. Tisdale made his first college start against Randolph-Macon at Day Field in Ashland, VA on Wednedsay. The Yellow Jackets won 21-1.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore men’s basketball point guard Kai Wade. This season, the Orange men’s basketball team won the Central Conference championship, its first conference title since 2017. Wade’s explosive first step off the ball has become his trademark since he started as a freshman last season. His synchronicity with teammates Coleman Cloer, Xandrell Pennix and Freddie Sneed is evident with the way Wade runs the Orange offense. Another Wade wrinkle is his pull-up jumper, which he used to tie up the season-opener against Hillside in November, leading to an Orange win. On January 23, Wade had a season-high 20 points in the Panthers 75-67 win over Eastern Alamance, which put the Panthers in first place in the Central Conference for good. In Orange’s conference opener against Southern Alamance on December 14, Wade scored 15 points, but the Panthers wouldn’t have won without him. He stole the ball for a lay-in late in regulation as Orange erased a 5-point deficit in the final 28 seconds of regulation. Wade opened overtime with a 25-foot 3-pointer to put the Panthers ahead for good. Wade had seven assists in the rematch against Southern Alamance on February 9. Through 48 career games, Wade is at 572 points. He also won an OPAC Middle School championship at Gravelly Hill Middle School in Efland. He scored 20 points in 2020 as the Grizzlies defeated Phillips 45-37 in 2020.

Orange Panther of the Week: Kai Wade

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While the Orange and Cedar Ridge women’s basketball teams were several counties apart in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on Tuesday night, they both had their chances to win.

And both fell short in frustrating fashion.

Cedar Ridge, making the 3A State Playoffs for the first time since 2018, fell to Scotland County 56-42 in Laurinburg. The Red Wolves end the year 13-13, its best season since the 2017-2018 campaign when they were coached by Felton Page.

The Red Wolves led by four at halftime. Amiyah Ware, in her final game at Cedar Ridge, scored 18 points. Junior point guard Sarah Utley finished with 16 points and ten rebounds.

Fighting Scots junior Morgan Thompson finished with 25 points as Scotland County, the 9th-seed out of the Sandhills Conference, advanced to face Fike in the round of 32 in Wilson on Friday night.

Cedar Ridge led 37-33 at the end of the third quarter following a running-one hander from Utley. But Scotland opened up the 4th quarter with a 14-2 run to take control of the game. The Red Wolves shot just 24%.

The loss ended the careers of Ware, Cameron Copeland, Cierra Copeland, Addie Reid and Jordyan Delph. Reid has been a three-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge and won the 2021 3A State Championship in volleyball. Ware’s legacy will be remembered in the record books as she set the Orange County record for most points scored in a game when she registered 54 against Western Alamance last year. She is the only player in the history of Orange County to score 50 points twice in a season. She scored 51 against Durham School of the Arts just two weeks after the game against the Warriors.

Meanwhile in Rocky Mount, Orange struggled in the second half and fell 43-26. The Gyphons never trailed and advanced to the second round to face Big East Conference rival Franklinton on Friday night.

Rocky Mount’s Keysha Mizzell led all scorers with 15 points.  She opened the game by scoring the opening five points, including a three-pointer. Orange’s Evelyn George countered with a 3-pointer, but the Lady Panthers would never get that close again. The Gryphons went on a 9-2 run, which Kaitlin White capped off with a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 14-5.

Orange closed the first half with a 7-0 run. Shannon Murphy started with a 3-pointer off a feed from George. In the final minute of the second quarter, George drained two free throws, then scored off a lay-in while getting fouled by Candrice Davis. Orange trailed 22-18 at the half.

Rocky Mount (19-6) shut out the Lady Panthers in the third quarter 19-0 using a full-court press that resulted in ten Orange turnovers. Not only was Orange unable to score. They barely got off any shots. Orange was only 0-for-3 in the third quarter and just 3-of-8 from the field in the entire second half. In all, the Lady Panthers committed 12 turnovers in the second half.

Rocky Mount’s Candrice Davis, who came out for White after she picked up her third foul, sparked the Gryphons with six points and three steals in the second half. In all, Rocky Mount had 17 steals compare to just eight for Orange.

26 points is a season-low for Orange.

George and Murphy led the Lady Panthers with seven points. Natalie Roberson had six points as Orange ended the year 13-13 under first-year head coach Lamont Jones. After Orange defeated Western Alamance and Walter Williams to open 2024, they were tied for first place in the Central Conference. But Cedar Ridge swept the season series from the Lady Panthers for the first time since the 2013-2014 season and was unable to regain the momentum to catch up with Western Alamance in the race for the conference championship.

It was the final game for Orange senior Lily Crayton.

It’s the final season for several important players who have suited up for the Orange lacrosse team the past four years. On Monday night, they got off to a strong start, beating formidable 4A opponent Apex 13-8 at Auman Stadium. Senior Connor Kruse finished with three goals and six assists. Kruse is the all-time leading scorer in school history. He has 173 career goals and 339 points. Defenseman Alden Cathy had two ground balls and made several stellar defensive plays to keep the Panthers ahead for the entire game. Senior goalkeeper Katie Wolter played in the first and third quarters. Wolter, made two saves. In December, Wolter formally signed to play for the Elon women’s lacrosse team after being a starter for two Orange teams that have won the conference championship each of the last three years. Sophomore Brandon Williams started the year with four goals. Last season, Williams finished with 27 goals as a rookie. Freshman Jackson Runkle played the second and fourth quarters in his first career varsity game. Sophomore Matthew Macner won 15 face-offs. Orange was supposed to face Walter Williams on Tuesday night but the game was rained out in Burlington. The Panthers will face Cedar Ridge at Auman Stadium in Central Conference opener at Auman Stadium this Monday night. 

Orange lacrosse’s Alden Cathey & Katie Wolter discuss win over Apex

It’s the final season for several important players who have suited up for the Orange lacrosse team the past four years. On Monday night, they got off to a strong start, beating formidable 4A opponent Apex 13-8 at Auman Stadium. Senior Connor Kruse finished with three goals and six assists.

Orange sophomore men’s basketball forward Coleman Cloer added to his legacy in several ways on Tuesday night. He scored 38 points as the Panthers defeated Currituck County 85-62 to win in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Cloer also surpassed 1,000 career points. He become the first Orange player to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore. Cloer drained a 25-footer for career point 1,002. He surpassed the milestone in his 45th career game. This season, Cloer set a new career-high of 41 points against Southern Alamance on February 10, the night where Orange claimed the Central Conference regular season championship. Last week, he scored 36 points against Eastern Alamance as the Panthers won the Central Conference Tournament, the Panthers first conference tournament title since 2016. Cloer also had 31 in the regular season finale against Eastern Alamance in Mebane in the regular season finale. Orange shot 55% from the field against Currituck. He also grabbed eleven rebounds. Junior Xandrell Pennix added 21 points and four steals as the Panthers improved to 16-11. Kai Wade had eleven points. Orange advances to the second round of the 3A State Playoffs for the first time since 2017. They will face Northern Nash in Rocky Mount on Friday night. Northern Nash defeated West Brunswick in the opening round. 

Orange sophomore Coleman Cloer discusses surpassing 1,000 career points

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For the fifth time in six seasons, the Orange baseball team won its season-opener under head coach Jason Knapp. On Monday night, the Panthers defeated Northern Durham 7-3 at Panther Field. Senior Josiah Gibbs earned his 11th career win, allowing only four hits in four innings as the opening day starter. Gibbs, who led the team with seven wins in 2023, struck out four. Cameron Guentensberger, a senior centerfielder, drove in the Panthers opening run with a soft liner to right field, scoring Kayden Bradsher. Orange busted the game open with five runs in the fourth inning. Henry Hoffman reached on an error and scored off a single by Bradsher. Guentensberger added another RBI single with a liner to left field. Cross Clayton, Wyatt Hedrick, Hoffman, Guentensberger and Bradsher all scored in the fourth inning. Clayton finished out the game by striking out the side in the seventh inning. It was a good start for an Orange team that lost six starters from a squad that won the Central Conference championship last year and reached the 3A State Quarterfinals. Orange will face Eden Morehead, who won the 2A Eastern Regional championship last year, on Thursday night at 6PM in Hillsborough. It will be the second of six scheduled non conference games for Orange before the start of the Central Conference campaign against Western Alamance on March 19. 

Orange baseball’s Josiah Gibbs & Cameron Guentensberger discuss win on opening day

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It’s already customary to think that Coleman Cloer can’t do much to surprise a spectator or fans.

Until you look at the record books.

In just his 45th game, Cloer surpassed the 1,000 point barrier on Tuesday night. It just happened to help Orange win its first state playoff game since 2017.

Cloer finished with 38 points in Orange’s 85-62 win over Currituck County at Panther Gymnasium in the opening round of the 3A State Men’s Basketball Playoffs. He is Orange’s first 1,000 point scorer since Jerec Thompson did it in 2022. Cloer needed 33 points to reach 1,000. As the Panthers pulled away from the Knights in the 4th quarter, Cloer looked over to Orange’s scorers table, where he friends held up fingers to signal how many points he had to go.

He wanted to make the milestone basket something special. Just like Babe Ruth calling his shot at Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series or Michael Jordan shrugging his shoulders making six 3-pointers in the first half against Portland in the 1992 NBA Finals. So when he got to 999 points, Cloer peeked over to see his friends holding up one index finger.

Cloer pulled up from 25 feet.

Swish.

It sent the Orange crowd wild and the bench into hysteria. Cloer became the first Orange sophomore to score 1,000 points.

It’s believed that Eric English, who graduated in 1985, holds the school record. English didn’t surpass 2,000 points, according to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association record book. English only played three years because Orange didn’t add 9th grade until 1987, which was also the year the 3-point line was added in North Carolina high school basketball.

On the other hand, Cloer missed the first eight games of this year with a sprained ankle.

Orange (16-11), the 10th-seed in the 3A East Region, will travel to Rocky Mount to face the Northern Nash Knights on Friday night. Northern Nash, the champions of  the Big East Conference, defeated West Brunswick 87-50.

Orange’s last playoff win came against Triton on February 25, 2017 in the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs.

Junior guard Xandrell Pennix scored 15 points in the second half and finished with 21. The Panthers shot 55% from the field to build a 25-point lead in the second half.

The Knights (15-11) wouldn’t go away easily. Despite being heavily undersized, Currituck still managed to outrebound Orange 48-36, including 24 offensive rebounds. But the Knights shot just 28% from the field. Their top scorer, Luke Morgan, was held to ten points on 4-of-20 shooting. Jamie Dance, who averages 12.5 points per game, finished 1-of-12 from the field for eight points.

In the opening quarter, Orange sophomore guard Kai Wade aggressively drove the ball to the basket for an early 3-point play as he was fouled by Damon Duke. Orange center Mason Robinson, who finished with a single-game high of eight blocked shots, rejected a lay-up by Morgan to trigger a transition lay-in for Freddie Sneed to pull Orange ahead 9-5.

Wade finished with eleven points, six assists and five rebounds.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Morgan and Malcolm Cowell evened the game at 13-13 with 2:09 remaining in the first quarter. Robinson flushed down an ally-oop pass from Cloer to pull the Panthers back ahead, starting a 10-0 Orange run. Cloer scored off a feed from Sneed, then ended the quarter with a breakway dunk supplied by Pennix.

Orange never trailed again. They shot 7-of-9 from the field in the third quarter, including a trio of 3-pointers.

Currituck found an unlikely source of offense from senior Walter Bailey, who couldn’t stop draining shots from downtown late. Bailey, who appears to be set to become a future roadie for Luke Combs, shot 6-of-7 from 3-point range and led the Knights with 19 points. Orange already had the game in the bag by the time Bailey got hot, so even the Panthers student section started cheering for him. Bailey was fouled on a 3-point attempt with :0.6 remaining. As he attempted the free throws, the Orange students chanted “WAL-TER! WAL-TER!”