The latest Orange lacrosse player to reach a career milestone is Brett Clark
It has helped Orange capture its latest conference championship.
Clark became just the second player in Orange lacrosse history to surpass 300 career points in the Panthers’ 8-5 win over Chapel Hill at Culton-Peerman Stadium on May 14 to end the regular season. Clark registered two goals and three assists as the Panthers finished the regular season 15-5.
Owen Quinn and Daylon Smalls each had two goals for the Panthers, as well. Clark also had three assists while goalkeeper Jackson Runkle scored on a coast-to-coast goal after he engineered his own clearance followed a save in the first half.
Runkle, a sophomore, made 16 saves to earn the win.
Clark is the second player in school history to surpass 300 points. The all-time scoring leader in Orange lacrosse history is Connor Kruse, now at Lenoir-Rhyne. Kruse tallied 246 goals and 543 points from 2021-2025 as the driving offensive force for head coach Chandler Zirkle that transformed Orange from an afterthought into the most formidable lacrosse brand locally.
Orange officially closed the conference championship after Seaforth defeated Carrboro 10-9 on April 28 in Jaguars Stadium. In the final week of league play, Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 16-5, then rolled past Seaforth 18-10 in Hillsborough. Daylon Smalls and Jay Parker each scored four goals against the Hawks as Orange finished 7-1 in conference play.
That’s despite a litany of injuries on both sides of the ball that have plagued the Panthers from the very start of the season, when they defeated Pinecrest 15-14 in Hillsborough.
“I think we’ve gained composure and experience,” Zirkle said following the win over Seaforth. “I think there are players on this team who have had to step up into different roles. I think there’s been a learning process and a learning curve to try to get evenly distributed offense. I think there’s been more poise and more valuing the ball.”
In the conference finale against Seaforth, the Panthers scored four goals in the opening 3:05. Parker scored twice after Owen Wimsatt tallied the first goals. Wimsatt also assisted on Clark’s first goal. Orange’s defense held the Hawks without a marker for the first 7:57 before Bennett Powell scored for the Hawks off an assist from Oscar Ditter.
The Panthers reeled off three straight goals in the second quarter to push its lead to 7-2. Daylon Smalls, Jack Eakes and Matthew Macneir all scored. In the final 65 seconds, Quinn scored his second goal off an assist from Clark. Smalls added his second marker with 28 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Panthers a 10-4 halftime lead.
Orange’s 18 goals was its second-highest total this year. They scored 19 in a win at Cedar Ridge on March 20.
Eakes, a junior, won 23 faceoffs and had numerous free releases off draws that the Hawks couldn’t keep up with. Against Chapel Hill, Eakes earned seven face-off wins against Issac Pendergraft, a college prospect.
“The more we’re able to use Jack, the more we can value the ball,” Zirkle said. “We can slow things down and not have to play an 18-10 game.”
Orange earned the #3 seed for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 6A-1A State Playoffs, a new format in the new eight classification system. For the first time since the NCHSAA started sanctioning lacrosse, there will be three state champions. The addition of the 6A classification (Orange is a 5A school) means the Panthers could potentially have playoff games against teams that were classified as 4A, the highest possible, in previous years.
One such team, Middle Creek, is the #1 seed in the East Region for the 6A/1A Playoffs. East Chapel Hill, where Zirkle’s father Franklin coached two state championship teams, is also in the 6A/1A field.
“We have to get ready to play teams that don’t have limitations,” Zirkle said.
