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Last month, Coltin and Wyatt Hedrick each signed letters of intent to play baseball at Wake Technical Community College. In 2023, the Orange baseball team won its third consecutive conference championship and they did it with their depth. The Panthers top two pitchers were injured for lengthy period of time, which forced all hands to be on deck against a challenging schedule. Coltin Hedrick, who was a junior last year, earned the win in relief against Walter Williams on March 24 in Hillsborough. Hedrick threw four-and-two-thirds innings to close out a 1-0 Panther win. He struck out four and allowed just one hit. The win would eventually propel the Panthers to the Central Conference championship. Wyatt Hedrick shared time with Cross Clayton at second base. The most memorable moment for Wyatt came in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs when Orange trailed Triton 8-3 going into the bottom of the tenth inning. Hedrick reached base twice during a six-run tenth inning. In his first trip, he walked and eventually scored when Ryan Hench was hit by a pitch. Moments after Neo Best tied the game at 8-8 with a bases-loaded walk, Hedrick delivered the game-winning hit with a single up the middle to complete the greatest comeback in school history. In that state playoff game, Wyatt went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Wyatt and Coltin will be instrumental parts for Orange this spring as it aims to repeat as Central Conference champions. The baseball season will start for Orange on February 28 against Northern Durham at Panther Field.

Orange baseball’s Coltin and Wyatt Hedrick officially sign with Wake Tech Community College

Last month, Coltin and Wyatt Hedrick each signed letters of intent to play baseball at Wake Technical Community College. In 2023, the Orange baseball team won its third consecutive conference championship and they did it with their depth. The Panthers top two pitchers were injured for lengthy period of time, which forced all hands to be on deck against a challenging schedule.

Orange Wrestling: Four Orange wrestlers went undefeated during its annual trip to Oakboro for the West Stanly Duals on Saturday.

In five dual matches, Orange went 4-1 on the day. The Panthers defeated Albermarle 47-27; defeated North Stanly 54-28; won over Scotland County 57-21 and rolled past West Stanly 50-27. Porter Ridge handed Orange its only loss 48-35.

Andre Hill, at 175 pounds, improved to 28-2 with five wins on the day. He pinned three opponents, finishing Kaine McLendon of Albermarle, Krizangel Flores of Porter Ridge and Wesley Shutt of West Stanly. Hill is now 28-2 with 20 pins this season. Hill was coming off a third-place finish at the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School on December 22 and 23.

At 126 pounds, Braden Crawford also collected five wins to improve to 23-1 with 14 pins. Crawford pinned Maddox Cheek of Porter Ridge, Darius West of Scotland County and Mason Hyatt of West Stanly. He started the day with a technical fall over Andrew Weizer of Albermarle 17-2. Crawford has won his last nine matches.

At 138 pounds, Jared Hutchins earned three pins and two technical falls. He pinned Armando Popca of Albermarle, Max Montleleone of North Stanly and Donerio Graham of Scotland County. Hutchins also defeated Asland Demurchivev of Porter Ridge 15-0 in a tech fall. Hutchins earned another tech fall win over Kahle Martin of West Stanly 18-3. Hutchins who finished sixth at 138 pounds in the Tiger Classic, is 25-7 with 20 pins.

At 113 pounds, Logan Scarantino won four matches on the day, three by pinfall. Scarantino pinned Moises Carrillo of Albermarle, Henry Smith of North Stanly and Jared Gladden of Scotland County. He also had a forfeit victory over Porter Ridge. Scarantino is 18-4 with 12 pins this season.

Orange competed the whole day while having to forfeit in the 215 and 285 pound weight classes in each match.

Cedar Ridge Wrestling: Cedar Ridge was one of dozens of teams to compete in the Gate City Grapple at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex last weekend. The event moved to the Triad this year after residing in Charlotte since 2011.

57 teams from four states competed in the final event of the 2023 calendar year. Cedar Ridge placed four competitors en route to a 17th place finish.

The highest placer of the day was Pierce Prescod at 120 pounds. Prescod reached the consolation final, where he fell to Amir Wray-Hill of Deep Creek (VA) in a 9-2 decision. Prescod scored four wins in the event, including a thrilling victory over Hudson Catullo of Green Hope. Prescod won 7-6 in the opening round of sudden victory.

Prescod scored pins over Cody Michael of Northern Guilford and Faroq Busesou of Athens Drive. He reached the consolation final by beating George Coleman of Fred T. Foard. On the season, Prescod is 32-6 with 24 pins.

Kaden Tatro finished in sixth place at 175 pounds. Tatro opened by pinning Ricky Cedeneo of Riverbend (VA) in 1:01. Connor Reese of T.C. Roberson edged Tatro 4-2 in the second round, dealing the senior just his second loss of the season. In the consolation round, Tatro pinned Karvin Magwood of New Bern, and scored decision wins against Carson Wince of Shelby Crest and Ian Harris of Greensboro Page. James Ellison of Lumberton defeated Tatro in the fifth place match 5-0. Tatro is 32-4 this season with 16 pins.

Junior Ryan Rakouskas finished in eighth place at 157 pounds. Rakouskas opened with a Gurshan Singh of Deep End for his 19th pinfall of the season. After falling to Jacob Crump of North Pitt in the quarterfinals, Rakouskas pinned Reilly Berger of Woodmont in the consolation round. Rakouskas is 23-10 with 20 pins this season.

Angus Pritchard finished in eighth place at 150 pounds. Pritchard won his opening two matches to reach the quarterfinals. He started by pinning Jonathan Nguyen of Northeastern in the opening round, then pinned Trevon Waters of Central Cabarrus. Carson Main of Riverbend defeated Pritchard in the quarterfinals. In the consolation round, Pritchard defeated Patrick Martin of Catholic High School.

It was a strong start to 2024 for the Orange men’s basketball team. The Panthers had two wire-to-wire wins over Western Alamance and Walter Williams. On Friday night, Orange rolled past Walter Williams 77-40 in Hillsborough in a game that had a wide assortment of dunks, blocked shots and sharp interior passing. Junior Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Pennix finished 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Against Western Alamance, senior center Ryan Honeycutt came away with a double-double, registering 12 points and eleven rebounds. Against Williams on Friday night, Honeycutt finished with ten points and six rebounds. Honeycutt and forward Mason Robinson helped Orange block nine shots compared to only two for the Bulldogs. The Panthers defense forced 21 turnovers. Orange is the only undefeated team in league play in the Central Conference at 3-0. Nest week, the Panthers will have two crucial battles. On Tuesday, the Panthers host crosstown rival Cedar Ridge, who upset Person last week. On Friday night, the Panthers face their Highway 57 rival, the Person Rockets. Person defeated Orange three times last season, including once in the Central Conference Tournament. Overall, the Rockets have beaten Orange five straight times. Last year in Hillsborough, the Rockets got a field goal with two seconds remaining to beat Orange and finish second in the Central Conference behind Northwood.

Orange men’s basketball’s Xandrell Pennix & Ryan Honeycutt discuss win over Walter Williams

It was a strong start to 2024 for the Orange men’s basketball team. The Panthers had two wire-to-wire wins over Western Alamance and Walter Williams. On Friday night, Orange rolled past Walter Williams 77-40 in Hillsborough in a game that had a wide assortment of dunks, blocked shots and sharp interior passing.

The Orange women’s basketball team has had three close games to open its Central Conference season with three big wins. On Friday night, the Panthers held on to defeat Walter Williams 46-44 at Panther Gymnasium. After Williams built a six-point lead early in the third quarter, Orange went on a 20-4 run behind balanced scoring from Evelyn George, Maura McMurtry, Shannon Murphy and Mariah Poole. George scored off a strip and steal and scored on a lay-in with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter. McMurtry started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, followed by another lay-in from Georgia with 6:37 remaining in regulation, Orange’s final field goal of the game. McMurtry finished with nine pints and three assists while Addie Atkins had eight points and seven rebounds. Orange is atop the Central Conference with a 3-0 record with wins over Southern Alamance and Western Alamance. During the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla Tournament in the final days of 2023, McMurtry was named to the All-Tournament team after she scored 12 points in a 48-39 win over Eastern Alamance in the 7th place game. Murphy also scored 12 points for Orange, who won despite not having George in the lineup. The Lady Panthers, under first-year head coach Lemont Jones, are 8-4 and goes into the Cedar Ridge game on a three-game winning streak.

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The Orange women’s basketball team has had three close games to open its Central Conference season with three big wins. On Friday night, the Panthers held on to defeat Walter Williams 46-44 at Panther Gymnasium. After Williams built a six-point lead early in the third quarter, Orange went on a 20-4 run behind balanced scoring from Evelyn George, Maura McMurtry, Shannon Murphy and Mariah Poole.

At first glance, Katie Wolter’s path to playing college lacrosse at Elon University would seem unorthodox. For the past two years, she has been a woman playing men’s lacrosse at Orange High School because the Panthers don’t have a women’s program. But Wolter was born to be a goalkeeper, regardless of gender. Her brother, Tyson, played the position at Orange and eventually suited up for Division III Pfeiffer. From the time she started playing against the boys in her sophomore year at Orange, she has been viewed as a Division I prospect. And she has been the starting goalkeeper for the most successful teams in Orange lacrosse history. In 2022, Wolter had a .536 save percentage as the Panthers claimed the Central Conference championship. She held Carrboro to four goals in the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals in a 13-4 Orange victory, the first time ever that Orange won a game in the round of eight. In 2023, Wolter had 128 saves in 478 minutes of action facing some of the best 4A teams in the state like Green Level, Wilmington Laney and Holly Springs. Just before Christmas, Wolter joined five of her teammates in signing with various colleges. Before she leaves for Elon, Wolter will play her senior year starting next month as Orange tries to win the elusive 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional championship.

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