It’s FritzBall.
The style of offense that Orange football coach Fritz Hessenthaler employs, when it runs at peak efficiency, is meant to pound opposing interior lines into submission. It takes plenty of time off the clock that puts the pressure on the opposition to score. It’s meant to church up yards on the ground, even when the turf hasn’t been muddied from a week’s worth of rain and soccer games.
In other words, it looks like how Orange played at Red Wolves Stadium on Halloween night.
Now, the Panthers have its first three-game winning streak since 2019 and may return to the state playoffs for just the second time since Payton Wilson graduated in 2017.
Markus Thomas rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns while the Orange defense allowed only three first downs as the Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 50-0 on Friday night. The Panthers have defeated Cedar Ridge 14 straight times and retained the victory bell.
Orange finishes the regular season 3-8 overall, 3-3 in the Big 7 Conference. They improved their chances of reaching the 5A State Playoffs. The official field of 48 will be released on Sunday.
“I really feel like we’ve done enough to earn another game,” Hssenthaler said. “We have definitely gotten better. This is my 21st year as a coach and I can’t say that all of my teams have been at their peak at this time of the year. This team definitely is. We’re a completely different team than three, four weeks ago.”
The last time Orange won three straight games was when they defeated Northwood, Cedar Ridge and Chapel Hill to finish the 2019 season 5-6.
Cedar Ridge ends the year 1-9, 0-5 in the Big 7.
Orange junior Kayden Bradsher has now scored 12 touchdowns over the last five games. He opened Friday night with a fumble recovery when Cedar Ridge quarterback Matthew Asay kept the ball on 3rd-and-5 and appeared to have a first down, but coughed it up. Bradsher scooped it up and never hesitated, rushing 45 yards for Orange’s first defensive touchdown of the year just 1:53 into the game.
Cedar Ridge had its strongest drive of the game on its next series, the only time they crossed the 50-yard line. Asay opened with a 17-yard pass to Mason Hughes. Brian Tedder gained 13 yards, followed by a 10-yard gain by Asay to carry it into the Orange red zone. After the Panthers were called for a late hit penalty which moved the ball to the 3-yard line, Tedder was stopped for no gain by Jakai Torain. On 4th-and-goal, Isaiah Craig got the ball to the edge of the goal line. One official held his arms up for a touchdown, but he was overruled by the near side judge who said he failed to get in.
Orange proceeded to go on a 15-play, 99-yard drive where Thomas, Bradsher and Taylor Laparra took turns carrying the ball. Thomas got a 5-yard gain on 3rd-and-2. Laparra broke off an 11-yard run into the Cedar Ridge red zone. Thomas got five yards to the shadow of the goalposts to end the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Jackson Moody called his own number on a plunge into over center Ranen Pinnix for the touchdown on the opening play of the second quarter. Nalid Reddy’s extra point put the Panthers ahead 14-0.
Cedar Ridge gambled on its next drive. On 4th-and-7 from its own 36-yard line, Asay found an open Caden Thompson, but the pass was overthrown. Orange went on another time consuming drive that ended with Bradsher scoring from one yard away with 6:53 remaining in the first half.
Orange’s next drive started from the Red Wolf 30-yard line. Thomas scored his first touchdown on a five-yard carry with 1:11 remaining. Reddy’s extra point made it 28-0.
The Panthers received the second half kickoff and picked up where they left off. Thomas started the 8-play, 74-yard drive with an eleven-yard gain. After Owen Phillips gained 14 yards to put the ball at the Red Wolf one-yard line, Thomas scored his second touchdown of the game. Phillips took an errant PAT snap and rushed into the right corner of the end zone for a 2-point conversion with 7:59 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Phillips scored on a 21-yard run with 2:58 left in the third quarter.
On Orange’s final drive, Thomas started with a 34 yard run. Laparra scored his first varsity touchdown on a seven yard scamper where he went untouched.
