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Dynasties are more common in high school sports than at other levels of sports.

Orange wrestling is very likely to win its 15 consecutive conference championship by month’s end. Northern Durham football won 18 consecutive PAC-6 Championships from 1984-2001. East Chapel Hill boys and girls tennis won seven consecutive 3A state championships from 1998-2004 under coach Lindsey Linker, who also coached six state championship boys’ squads.

So when the apple cart gets turned over, people take notice.

Perhaps Cedar Ridge Girls Tennis Coach Lennie Corbett knew that was going to happen before anyone else did this year. Chapel Hill has ruled the Big 8 Conference in 2015, rolling to a 10-0 record. In fact, they had a combined 67-2 record against their conference rivals.

In August, Corbett said “I’m looking for big things from these girls this year.”

Did that include winning the school’s first-ever conference championship in girls tennis? Yes, it did. Corbett just didn’t say so at the time.

There was already core leadership returning in top singles player Tess Johnson, a returning All-Big 8 performer who advanced to the 2nd round of the 3-A Mideast Regionals in 2015. Johnson would remain the top singles player throughout the championship season. There was also Leah Thompson, who qualified for regionals in doubles with Maddie Allen in 2015.

But there was also the secret weapons. Freshman Olivia Ward, the daughter of Person High tennis coach Lynn Ward, went 14-4 during the season. Senior Serena Sauers finished 15-1, while Thompson registered a 14-2 mark. Senior Hanna Spear finished 8-0, while junior Kate Miller went 14-1.

Of course, every championship season has to have a defining moment. For Cedar Ridge, that came on September 7th, when they traveled to Chapel Hill and stunned the Tiers 6-3.

Milner clinched the victory with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 victory over Rachel Thomas at #6 singles. Sauers defeated Sarah Combs 6-2, 6-4 at #3 singles, while Spear grinder out possibly the most important victory of the day, beating Megan Wu 3-6, 6-2, 10-8.

Ward clinched Cedar Ridge’s opening win with another three-set affair, beating Hailey Polska 6-4, 2-6, 11-9.

Thompson captured her match at #3 singles over Lauren Bolzan 6-4, 6-4, then teamed with Lutz to defeat Polska and Wu 7-7 (7-5).

On September 28, Cedar Ridge would clinch the Big 8 Championship by beating Chapel Hill again 5-1 in Hillsborough. The highlight of that day was Ward defeating Lauren Bolzano 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 to improve to 10-3 on the season.

Things would only get better during the Big 8 Tournament at Orange High Tennis courts. The Big 8 Doubles Championship match was an all-Cedar Ridge affair. Miller and Sauers captured the conference title by beating their teammates, Thompson & Lutz, 8-2.

In the most successful season in team history, the Red Wolves won its first playoff dual team match over Swansboro 9-0, then defeated Burlington Williams 5-3 to advance to the state quarters,. Ultimately, Terry Sanford ended the Red Wolves season.

Johnson, Thompson, Miller and Ward were all named to the Big 8 All Conference Team.

Cedar Ridge finished the most successful season in school history 19-2, 12-0 in the Big 8. They won 18 matches in a row, truly overturning conventional thinking, even if Corbett seemed to know before anyone else.

Two weeks away from the state dual playoffs, the Orange wrestling team appears to have learned the lessons from last year’s crushing postseason loss to Eden Morehead very well.

In Eden last February, the two sides met for the fifth consecutive year in the postseason. It was the most intense and dramatic match yet, with Morehead rallying to win 31-29 despite Orange jumping out to a 12-0 lead. Morehead, trailing 29-28 going into the final individual match, won the final bout to advance. The following week, they would claim its third consecutive Eastern Regional Championship.

Bobby Shriner’s Panthers always wrestle with a purpose, but this year there’s something extra.

Orange is 19-0 after taking all five matches at the Havelock Duals over the weekend at Havelock High School. The Panthers defeated New Bern 51-20, Swansboro 44-19, Southwest Onslow 60-20, North Pitt 67-3 and Havelock 61-9.

Though 19 matches, the closest anyone has come to defeating the Panthers so far came during the Thanksgiving Quad on November 23, when the Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 46-35. The Patriots led that match 23-12 before the Panthers scored pins in five of the last eight bouts.

In Havelock, the closest match of the day was against New Bern. The Bears led 20-6 after five individual matches, but the Panthers won the final eight bouts, six by pinball. After Avery Jenkins edged Sage Carroll 9-8, Charlie Fitzpatrick, Caleb Brimmer, Josiah Ramirez, Braden Homsey and Jamar Davis all scored pins. Heavyweight Daylan Alston finished the match off in style by pinning Chauncey Swann in 1:06.

The only Orange wrestler to earn four victories without a forfeit on the day was Homsey at 182. He pinned Southwest Onslow’s Ethan Brown in 1:58, pinned North Pitt’s Marco Najar in 1:05, scored a  technical fall over Swansboro’s Tristen Gee 20-5 and pinned New Bern’s Dontrayal Hil in 2:59.

Coming off his first individual tournament championship at the Roselle Park Invitational in New Jersey, Alston scored three wins in Havelock. After pinning Swann, he decisioned Swansboro’s Patrick Peterson 7-3 and pinned Southwest Onslow’s Kyle Williams in 1:01.

Payton Wilson, currently #1 in the state at heavyweight, made his season debut at heavyweight against North Pitt’s Jeffrey Davis. The result was the fastest pin of Orange’s season, lasting all of eight seconds. Wilson also pinned Christian Smith of Swansboro in 2:36.

At 195, Jamar Davis also scored four wins, including pins of Daniel Rawson (1:37) of New Bern, Marvin Wigfall of Swansboro (2:29), and Juan Perez (:36) of North Pitt. He received a forfeit win against Southwest Onslow.

Charlie Fitzpatrick scored three pins at 152. He pinned North Pitt’s Cameron Jones in 1:46; Swansboro’s Logan Aloof in :46 and New Bern’s Sage Carroll in 3:25.

The only thing standing between Orange and its 15 consecutive conference championship appears to be a dual match against Chapel Hill on January 26th in Hillsborough. The match starts at 6.

The cliche “A battle of two teams moving in opposite directions” doesn’t fit Orange’s 88-57 rout of Cedar Ridge on Saturday.

Really, it was a game between two teams at different stages of their programs.

At the very least, Orange has as much talent as its 2013-14 squad, which went 26-6 and advanced to the 3A Eastern Regional Final, where they lost to Wilson Hunt 66-60 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville. That team, featuring Tay Jones, Jawad Chambers and Keegan Crabtree, was among the best in Greg Motley’s 20 years as Panthers head coach.

On Saturday, Orange started two seniors who have anchored the program the past two seasons. Connor Crabtree put the game away early in the third quarter when he stole a pass leading to a breakaway slam dunk, then fired in a 22-foot three-pointer which PA announcer Coach Charles Walker bellowed “was from the Tennessee state line” over the PA system. Crabtree finished with 31.

On the other hand, Cedar Ridge Coach Clay Jones is balancing life without all-time leading scorer Peyton Pappas, who graduated in May and is now at Catawba. By his own admission, Jones and Pappas had their ups and downs through a four-year relationship. Jones grudgingly accepted the occasional ill-timed technical foul or one-legged off-balance jumper, just as long as Pappas showed up ready to play…which he always did.

In Pappas’ absence, Cedar Ridge doesn’t have a coach on the floor, the thing that Jones loved about Pappas.

With only two seniors on the roster, Cedar Ridge started well against Orange. Center Colby Cashaw scored eight of his ten points in the first quarter and drew two fouls on Panthers center Logan Vosburg. Crabtree was held to five points, yet Orange still led 21-13 going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Crabtree found room to create off the dribble, which was bad news for the Red Wolves. Crabtree stuck a three-pointer with 2:42 remaining to put Orange ahead 39-26 at the half.

It would only get worse after a lazy Cedar Ridge turnover led Crabtree to a strip steal and dunk. Seconds later, Crabtree swished a three-pointer to send Motely’s Crew into a frenzy.

Freshman Joey McMullin finished with 16 for Orange, while Vosburg added 12. Junior Mitch Portman added ten.

Freshman center B.J. Freeman led Cedar Ridge with 13 points,. Another freshman, Mekai Collins, added twelve.

Orange (12-4, 5-0) remains in first place in the Big 8 at 5-0. They’re 12-4 overall. With exams this week, they play again Saturday at home against Northwood at 3:30.

Cedar Ridge (6-9, 1-4) will host J.F. Webb Thursday at 7:30 in an effort to keep its playoff hopes alive.

CEDAR RIDGE: Khalil Barnett 4, Terrence Crawford 8, Tahjai Hill-Wells 3, Mekai Collins 12, Colby Cashaw 10, Dmonte Kinney 6, B.J. Freeman 13, Khalil Hill 2.

ORANGE: Mitch Portman 10, Connor Crabtree 31, Joey McMullin 16, Logan Vosburg 12, Marquis Phelps 5, Ryan Sellers 5, Matt Atherton 4, Treshon Richardson 5.

Logan Vosburg Scored 12 points as the Panthers scored the most lopsided victory in its 16-year rivalry with Cedar Ridge on Saturday, 88-55 at Jim King Gymnasium. Orange has now won seven in a row and ten of its last eleven.

Orange’s Logan Vosburg Discusses the Panthers’ Win over Cedar Ridge

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Kaylen Campbell found her shooting stroke in the second half against Cedar Ridge on Saturday afternoon. Campbell scored nine of her eleven points in the final two quarters as the Panthers swept the season series from the Red Wolves 59-43. Campbell has scored in double-figures eleven times so far this season.

Orange’s Kaylen Campbell Talks the Panthers Victory Over Cedar Ridge

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Continuing a string of impressive performances, Orange forward Jazlyn Watson led all scorers with 15 points on Friday night as the Lady Panthers maintained an undefeated record with a 64-37 win over J.F. Webb. It was a season-high for Watson, and her third game in double-figures this year.

Orange’s Jazlyn Watson Talks the Win over J.F. Webb

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Orange defeated J.F. Webb 64-37 on Friday night in a show of force from the Lady Panthers’ bench. Orange got 31 points from its reserves, including ten from Icez Barnett. Enzyah Holt added eight while Lauren Cate added seven and Adalyn Fleming scored four. Coach B.J. Condron discussed the Panthers 14-0 start, which became a 15-0 start following Saturday’s win over Cedar Ridge.

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Orange has nearly doubled its win total from last season after beating J.F. Webb on Friday night. A day before the Lady Panthers defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge, Coach B.J. Condron talked about Friday’s 64-37 victory over the Warriors.

In an already solid year for athletics at Orange, there are some teams whose dominance isn’t the least bit surprising.

Orange football went undefeated during the regular season, which was practically a foregone conclusion after beating Southern Durham 49-7 on September 23rd, midway through the year.

Orange wrestling is now 19-0 after winning five dual matches at the Havelock Duals on Friday. All that stands between the Panthers and a 15th conference championship is a showdown with Chapel Hill later this month.

On the other side of the expectations aisle are the Orange girls basketball team, who are now 15-0 after beating Cedar Ridge 59-43.

Not only have the Lady Panthers surpassed last year’s win total, they’re one win away from doubling it (8-17 in 2015-16).

The previous three years, they won 19 games. They’ve already secured its first winning season since 2009-10, when they went 12-11 under Don Herbert.

Perhaps it’s just a team that has come of age. Starters Kaylen Campbell, Mia Davidson, Bethlyn Early, Jazlyn Watson are all seniors, as are reserves Enzyah Holt, MaryBeth Dobbins, and Adalyn Fleming.

Playing its second game in 19 hours on Saturday, the Panthers used its depth to wear down Cedar Ridge. Davidson, who never saw a rebound she couldn’t contest, led Orange with 12 pints. Campbell added eleven, while Icez Barnett came off the bench for nine.

Cedar Ridge was shackled by foul trouble in a game that had no less than four players report to the locker room for various injuries in the first half. Late in the second quarter, Red Wolves leading scorer Carrie Davis suffered a cut over her left eye after colliding with Holt for a loose ball. Miniature drops of blood were scattered across the floor, causing a five-minute delay where Orange principal Eric Yarbrough and athletic director Mark McCauley wiping up the hardwood with paper towels.

CRHS’s Yolanda Simpson suffered a bloody nose during a similar scrum in the first quarter, while Orange’s Grace Dively limped off the floor after getting tangled up going for a rebound.

Cedar Ridge opened with a 3-1 lead, but Orange used its depth to quickly take the lead for the game’s duration. Barnett, Holt and Janae Myers all came off the bench to score field goals as Orange led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Leading 29-20 at the half, the Panthers kept the lead in double digits after Davidson notched eight points in the third quarter. Campbell, who averages 12.9 point per game but was held without a field goal in the first half, scored nine points in the second half. Orange’s bench out scored Cedar Ridge’s 19-9.

Madison Wardlow, who couldn’t get into the flow of the game in the first half because of foul trouble, scored 13 to lead all scorers. Davis finished with ten.

Cedar Ridge (8-6, 2-3) goes into exams with its playoff future uncertain. Currently in 4th place in the Big 8 Conference, they host J.F. Webb on Thursday at 6 PM.

Meanwhile, Orange is tied for first in the Big 8 with Northwood, who is 5-0 despite losing three starters at the beginning of the season with torn ACLs. The Panthers travel to Pittsboro to face the Chargers next Saturday.

Gabe Walker had a successful senior day for Orange Swimming against crosstown rival Cedar Ridge.

Orange captured the boys and girls meets over Cedar Ridge. The boys won 164-111, while the girls prevailed 185-76.

Sam Rasinske was part of the 400 yard freestyle relay team that was victorious. He teamed with Conor Towell, Cross Roman and Noah Jamison. Rasinske also finished 2nd in the 100 yard breastroke, behind Orange’s Collin Montague. He finished fourth in the 200 yard intermediate, a race that Noah Jimison won.

Walker and Montague were the most successful male swimmers of the day for Orange. Walker finished first in the 200 yard medley relay with Montague, Noah Jimison and Thomas Sikes. That quartet also captured the 200 yard freestyle relay.

Walker also won the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:02.45, ahead of Cedar Ridge’s Devin Bunner. He finished runner-up in the 100 yard freestyle, just behind Cedar Ridge’s Christian Fischer.

Orange’s Sam Rasinske and Gabe Walker Discuss Senior Day vs. Cedar Ridge

Walker finished first in three events against Cedar Ridge on Thursday. Rasinske has his sights set on the future after finishing 2nd in the 100 yard breaststroke and winning as a part of the 400 yard freestyle relay team.