For two schools not in the same conference, Orange and Southeast Alamance sure have built a connection over the past three years.
This Friday in Haw River, the Panthers and the Stallions will meet for the fourth time since 2023. It will be in the opening round of the 5A State Playoffs.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its final pairings for the state football playoffs on Sunday afternoon. Orange was the last team to make the 48-team field in the 5A bracket and received a #24 seed in the East Region.
The Panthers were paired against #9 seed Southeast Alamance. The winner of Friday’s game will face #8 seed Southern Nash on November 14.
Orange and Southeast Alamance opened their respective seasons against each other on August 22 in Hillsborough. The Stallions defeated the Panthers 55-22. Quarterback Tyler Jackson finished 12-of-13 for 178 yards and two touchdowns. D.J. Callis ran for three touchdowns for the Stallions.
Orange is in the state playoffs for the second time since 2018. After a 0-7 start, the Panthers finished the season with its first three-game winning streak since 2019. The Panthers defeated Carrboro, South Granville and Cedar Ridge to earn the trip to the postseason.
Since Orange started Big 7 Conference play against Seaforth on October 3, junior running back Kayden Bradsher has been on a touchdown spree. He has scored 12 touchdowns, including four against Carrboro to lead the Panthers to its first win of the season. He also scored four touchdowns against J.F. Webb on October 10, including a 48-yard onside kickoff return for a touchdown at the end of the first half.
Orange sophomore running back Markus Thomas has registered three 100-yard rushing games this season, including two over the past three weeks. In the regular season finale against Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium on Friday, Thomas had 156 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas also had 96 yards and two touchdowns in a win over South Granville on October 24, which was Orange’s Senior night.
Thomas will enter the Southeast Alamance game with 874 rushing yards on the season. Orange had a season-high 300 yards rushing in the win over Cedar Ridge.
Since Southeast Alamance opened in 2023, they’ve practically been joined at the hip with Orange. Former Orange women’s basketball coach B.J. Condron left to become the Stallions athletic director upon the school’s opening in 2023, where he’s made hires that have led the Stallions to immediate success. Last March, Southeast Alamance’s women’s basketball team won the 2A State Championship in just its second year.
As far as the gridiron goes, Southeast Alamance’s first game was at Orange. In a game that dragged on for over three hours, the Panthers won 33-20 at Auman Stadium behind 181 yards rushing from running back Nate Sorrells, who is now at Mars Hill. Orange quarterback Hank Nunnery threw for four touchdowns, the highest amount of his career, Two were caught by Brandon Cummings. It’s the only time in the last five years that Orange defeated a team from Alamance County.
Before this season, Orange played in the Central Conference, comprised mostly of teams from Alamance County. The Panthers have lost its last eleven games against teams from Alamance County, including their first trip to Southeast Alamance to start the 2024 season. The Stallions jumped out to a 31-7 lead and cruised to a 31-14 victory.
Southeast Alamance plays in the Mid-Carolina Conference, predominately made up of the same opponents Orange faced in the Central Conference. The Stallions, under third-year head coach Tony Aguilar, finished 7-3 overall. They came in fourth place in the Mid-Carolina Conference at 4-3.
The Stallions started the year 3-0, but dropped its conference opener to Southern Alamance 35-6 in Graham on September 12. Southeast Alamance also lost to Western Alamance and Walter Williams. The Stallions ended the regular season with wins over Person and Eastern Alamance.
