For the sixth year in a row, the Orange lacrosse team has won the Big 7 Conference Championship. On Wednesday night, the Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 16-5 at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. Junior Jackson Eakes scored a career-high five goals to pace the Panthers. Eakes won ten of eleven face-offs against the Red Wolves. Over the course of the season, Eakes has been the Panthers top face-off man. He has won 68% of face-offs, including winning 95% against Northern Guilford in Greensboro on February 27. Junior Owen Wimsatt scored a hat trick against Cedar Ridge and finished with five points. This season, Wimsatt has scored 23 goals. He has three hat tricks, including one in the season-opening win over Pinecrest. Against Carrboro, Wimsatt had three goals in a 11-7 win over Carrboro on April 7 at Jaguars Stadium, which paved the way for the Panthers to win the conference championship. Orange head coach Chandler Zirkle, since he took over the program in 2018, has shifted the power of lacrosse across Orange County and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Districts. Zirkle has led Orange to a playoff win each of the last six season and have reached the state quarterfinals the past five years. Orange will return to action to face Chapel Hill at Culton-Peerman Stadium on Tuesday night. They will wrap up the regular season against Corinth Holders at Auman Stadium on Thursday.
