Photo by Jacques Morin
“Love ya. Mean it.”
The words that Rickey Bailey said throughout his coaching career were adorned on a banner draped beyond the end zone at Orange Middle School on Thursday. It honored the longtime defensive coordinator for the Chargers in its previous incarnation of Stanford Middle when he worked with head coaches Earnie Price, Aaron Carr and Rob Hanlin.
He also greatly influenced his son, Jamie, who had no intention of going coaching when he started playing college football at Mars Hill after graduating from Orange High.
Jamie Bailey is now the head coach of Orange Middle football, which hasn’t lost a game in over two years and has won consecutive Orange Person Athletic Conference championships.
“I wouldn’t be here without him,” Bailey said. “It was being around him and influencing me that led to me getting into coaching. And he did it at this school, too. He made so much of an impression on so many people’s lives.”
Last spring, Bailey was suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer. He passed away on June 19.
“It was tragic,” Bailey said. “It was unexpected. He was here one day and gone the next day. It was hard for us, hard for the family.”
A tribute to Bailey took place at midfield before kickoff of the Charger’s game against Northern Middle School on Thursday.
It took place exactly 729 days after Northern Middle defeated Orange in triple overtime, the last time the Chargers lost.
On his 8th grade day, Jameson Torain made sure there would be no upsets in his last game at Chargers Football Field.
Torain scored four touchdowns on 188 yards from scrimmage while quarterback Beckett Kinlaw threw four touchdown passes as the Chargers defeated the Raiders 34-0 in Hillsborough. Kyleed Royster caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and scored a pair of two-point conversions.
Northern’s best drive was its opening series when they moved the ball to the Chargers’ 25-yard line. Jakaih Rawles came up with a tackle for loss, which sent the Raiders spiralling backwards. Following consecutive penalties, the Chargers’ Malcolm Jones and Alex Elliott teamed for another tackle for loss. On 4th-and-32, Rawles made another tackle to force a turnover on downs.
It appeared that Torain would score on the first play from scrimmage off an end around from Kinlaw, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. After Kinlaw found Kyleed Royster for 13 yards, Torain caught a middle screen pass and roared up the field for a 53-yard touchdown with :40 remaining in the first quarter. Kinlaw found Rawles for the two-point conversion to put the Chargers ahead 8-0.
The Raiders didn’t get a first down the rest of the afternoon. On the subsequent drive, Elliott got a sack on 3rd-and-12.
Torain’s second touchdown appeared to be a carbon copy of the old Bo Jackson cheat code runs on Super Tecmo Bowl from the early 1990s Nintendo. Pressured after taking a handoff from Kinlaw from the Raiders 37-yard line on 3rd-and-14, Torain actually ran backwards to his own 35-yard line. It appeared to be a retreat, but Torain was just making room for himself as no one on the Raiders could match his speed. Once he gained the corner, Torain couldn’t be touched as he raced for a 33-yard touchdown run where he actually ran closer to 70 yards to put the Chargers ahead 14-0.
Northern had a 4th-and-3 from the Chargers 38-yard one, but Wesley Detwiler hauled down the Raiders ballcarrier a yard shy of the first down.
It led to Kinlaw throwing another screen pass to Torain, who raced 64 yards for a touchdown with :38 remaining in the first half.
Leading 20-0 at halftime, the Chargers focused on running down the clock with Jayden Gutierrez-Mendez getting runs out of the wildcat.
Torain caught a swing pass from Kinlaw to open the fourth quarter and raced 34 yards for a touchdown.
Royster ended the scoring on a 15-yard pass from Kinlaw. On the 2-point conversion, Royster took an end around handoff and used his speed to beat coverage and break into the left corner of the end zone.
Orange Middle is 5-0 going into next week’s showdown with Culbreth in Chapel Hill in what will be a battle of undefeated teams. The winner will likely host the OPAC Championship game next month.
On Thursday, it wasn’t just another win to celebrate another perfect home season for the Chargers. It was a tribute to a man who helped make Charger football a name synonymous with success.
“We’re keeping the tradition alive,” Bailey said. “I know he would be proud. He’s looking down on us right now.”
