Month: March 2018

The first Orange Panther of the Week for the spring sports season is Orange softball pitcher/1st baseman Jaden Hurdle. A sophomore, Hurdle has pitched in victories over Eastern Alamance and Roxboro Community School this season. On Thursday against RCS, she led off the game with a home run. Last season, Jaden started at 1st base as a freshman, helping the 2018 Orange softball squad become the first team in OHS history win a female team sports state championship. Jaden also accepted an invitation to the prom after Thursday’s win over RCS, but it turns out she was prepared before she was even asked.

Koren Mangal and Wyatt Jones each scored four goals on Thursday night as Orange defeated Riverside 16-4 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on Wednesday night.

The Panthers improved to 2-2 under first-year head coach Chandler Zirkle.

Dylan Boyer added a hat trick, while Caleb Davis and Jeremy Carter each scored two goals. Andy Sollars added another goal for Orange.

It was the 2nd straight win for the Panthers, who defeated Eastern Alamance last Thursday at Auman Stadium for its first win under Zirkle.

After winning the 3A Eastern Regional Dual Team Championship for the 2nd straight year, the Orange Wrestling team swept the Big 8 Conference Honors for the 2017-18 season.

In his first season at the helm, Orange’s Spenser Poteat was named the Big 8 Coach of the Year. Last year, Poteat replaced his mentor Bobby Shriner as head coach after Shriner coached Payton Wilson and Josiah Ramirez to individual state championship matches in their respective weight classes.

This season, Poteat led Orange to a 22-1 record, winning its tenth Eastern Regional Championship and its 16th consecutive conference championship. Like Shriner in his final season, Poteat led two Orange wrestlers to state championship matches at the Greensboro Coliseum.

After going 41-1 during the season, Orange senior Braden Homsey was named the Big 8 Wrestler of the Year. Homsey claimed the Big 8 Conference and 3-A Mideast Regional Championships at 220 pounds. He advanced to the 3A state championship match, where he fell to Weddington’s Tyrie Houghton, who finished 59-0 on the season. As a junior, Homsey went 38-14 with 22 pins. This season, Homsey led the team with 346 points scored and 28 pinfall victories.

After winning the 182-pound state championship, Orange’s Josiah Ramirez also was named All-Conference. Ramirez ended his Orange career 139-19 after winning the state title at the Greensboro Coliseum by pinning Terry Sanford’s Finley Allen in 3:59.

Seven other Orange grapplers made the All-Big 8 team:

Mitchell Askew: Finished the season 31-10 with 15 pins. In his final match for Orange, he won his 100th match at the 3A Mideast Regionals, completing a bout where he injured his left shoulder in the 2nd period. He still finished the bout to earn a decision victory, which proved to be his final one at Orange.

Gavin Wiggins: Finished the season 35-8 with ten pins. Clinched his 100th career win at the Mideast Regionals at Chapel Hill High with a 9-6 decision over Lydell Canady. Captured the 126 pound championship at the King of Kings Tournament in Charlotte. Also finished 2nd at 126 in the Eastern Alamance Eagle Classic On December 16th. Finished 3rd at the Tiger Holiday Championship and the Jim King Invitational.

Bailey Hawkins: Finished 4th in the state at 132 pounds after edging Northern Guilford’s Ethan King 4-3 in Greensboro. Qualified for the 3A State Tournament after a 38-9 season where he scored ten pins. Captured the 132-pound championship at the Jim King Invitational, as well as the Eastern Alamance Eagle Classic. Finished 2nd at the King of Kings Tournament in Charlotte. Ended career with a record of 141-45.

Levi Anderson: A junior, Anderson finished 3rd in the state at 138 pounds after a 2-0 win over Mason Fisher of Piedmont. Also finished 3rd in the Mideast Regionals. Went 32-6 on the season with ten pins. Finished 2nd in the King of Kings in Charlotte.

Avery Jenkins: Shuttling between 160 and 170 pounds, Jenkins went 33-10 with 20 pins. Qualified for the state tournament at 160 pounds after finishing 3rd at the Mideast Regionals. Finished runner-up at the Tiger Holiday Classic, where he lost a 7-2 decision in the championship match. Finished runner-up at the Eastern Alamance Eagle Classic and the Jim King Invitational.

Trey Jones: After an injury-plagued junior season, Jones fought back to go 26-8 in 2017-18. He earned 18 pins. The highlight of the season was coming in 2nd at the Tiger Holiday Classic. Finished 3rd at the Jim King Invitational and the King of Kings Tournament, and 5th at the Eastern Alamance Eagle Classic.

Daylen Alston: The Mideast Regional Heavyweight champion, Alston won his 100th career match at the Tiger Holiday Classic. He also won the heavyweight championship at the Eastern Alamance Eagle Classic in Mebane, as well as the heavyweight championship at the Jim King Invitational. Finished 2nd in the King off Kings Tournament in Charlotte and 4th in the Tiger Holiday Classic. Also tied for the team lead for fastest pin scored this season at seven seconds. Ends his Orange career with a record of 118-32.

In addition, two Cedar Ridge wrestlers were named all conference. Darius McLeod made the team at 132 pounds.

Making the squad as an at-large selection was Cedar Ridge’s Colin Davis, who qualified for the state tournament at 182 pounds. Davis finished sixth in the state, ending the season 22-9.

After six days between games, the Orange softball team was hungry to play again.

With 15 days since its last win, the Lady Panthers were also ready to taste victory again. On Thursday night in Hillsborough, they did both.

Jaden Hurdle led off the game with a solo homer and went on to throw a complete game five-hitter to help Orange (2-3) defeated Roxboro Community 7-2 at Orange High Softball Field.

Hurdle, who played first base last season during Orange’s march to the 3A State Championship, earned her second win of the season by striking out eleven Bulldogs, walking only one.

It was a double win night for Hurdle. After she left the locker room after the game, she found an unique prom proposal waiting for her, which she accepted.

Orange jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings. Following Hurdle’s solo blast in the first inning, the Panthers racked up five runs in the second inning. Alyssa Heilman laced a double and finished 1-for-3. Emma Packett went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Alisa Pettiford went 1-for-2 with an RBI and drew two walks. Alaysia Sanford, a freshman who is now catching after the projected starter Hunter Balog sufferered a broken hand and wrist following an ATV acccident, went 1-for-3.

Orange ended a three-game losing streak that started when they fell to Eastern Alamance on March 7th. East Chapel Hill swept a doubleheader from Orange last Friday.

On Friday, Orange will host Hillside for a doubleheader at Orange High Softball Field starting at 5. The original game at Hillside was rained out on Tuesday.

The training that Cedar Ridge sophomore Tori Dalehite received playing in Oak Grove has come back to benefit her so far in her fledgling high school career. After missing her freshman season because of a torn ACL, Dalehite is 8-for-10 in her first three games of her sophomore season, including a home run in her varsity debut against Eastern Alamance. Dalehite also leads Cedar Ridge with seven RBIs as they prepare to face Western Alamance on Thursday night in Elon.

Our first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week for the spring sports season is softball pitcher Rivers Andrews. This was an anticlimactic choice given Andrews’ start to the season. Andrews is 3-0 with one five-inning no-hitter. Last week against Northwood, Andrews threw two shutouts. Through 18 innings, Andrews has surrendered only four hits, one run, walked two and struck out 34. She’s also hitting .333, starting the season 3-of-9 with an RBI. Rivers is a senior who has big goals in the year ahead, including trying to take over the top of the Big 8 Conference.

Mia Davidson: Last week, Davidson was named the SEC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. Davidson knocked eight hits, six of which went for extra bases, as the Bulldogs earned wins over Boston College, Illinois and UMass Lowell. Davidson is the first Bulldog to be honored with the award twice in a season since pitcher Alexis Silkwood in 2014. Over the weekend, Mississippi State took two of three games in its opening conference series against Missouri in Columbia, MO. In the Bulldogs’ 4-0 victory on Friday, Davidson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. In Sunday’s 6-3 Mississippi State win, Davidson hit her 10th homer of the year in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning, she drew a bases-loaded walk for her 29th RBI, tied for the team lead.

Brad Debo: For the first time in program history, N.C. State completed a three-game sweep at Clemson over the weekend. N.C. State is now 18-3, 5-1 in the ACC. Former Orange catcher Brad Debo started all three games, drawing two walks in Friday’s 4-0 win over the Tigers. Last Tuesday in an 15-11 win over UNC Asheville, Debo went 2-for-2 with an RBI single.

Mackenzie Cates: The Lenoir-Rhyne softball team went 6-0 last week, running its winning streak to 13. Former Orange catcher Mackenzie Cates hit .347 for the week, including a home run during the second game of a 3-1 doubleheader win over Tusculum in Greensville, Tennessee. In the opening game of the doubleheader against Pioneers, Cates went 2-for-4. On Thursday, the Bears swept a doubleheader from USC-Aiken in Aiken, South Carolina on scores of 9-0 and 5-0. In the opening game of the doubleheader, Cates went 2-for-4 and scored three runs. In the final game, Cates again went 2-for-4. This season, Cates is hitting .351 with seven doubles. She leads the team with five home runs and 21 RBIs.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge Goalkeeper made eight saves while facing 41 shots against Huntingdon in a 5-4 loss in a USA South Athletic Conference (Division III) match in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday. Tanner has started eleven games this season, recording a 6-4 record. He is 5th in the South Atlantic Conference with an 8.21 Goals Against Average and 7th with a 48.9% save percentage. Greensboro is 7-4 on the season.

Brandon Andrews: In his freshman year with Nicholls, Andrews threw two-thirds of an inning in the first game of a doubleheader against Houston Baptist in a 13-4 loss on Saturday. Andrews gave up two hits and an earned run. On Friday, Andrews threw 1 and two-thirds innings of middle relief, giving up one hit and striking out one as the Colonels defeated HBU 5-4.

Rachel Peel: Rachel Peel had a double as Meredith rallied to defeat Averett University 8-7 on Saturday. Peel also started in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Greensboro College.

Bowen Collins: The former Orange High star assisted on a goal as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Tusculum 14-10 on Saturday. On the season, Collins has played in five games, scoring two goals and two assists. The Bears are now #3 Division II team in the country with an 8-1 record, 2-0 in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne has won 18 consecutive South Atlantic Conference regular season games.

Jordan Toney: In UNC Pembroke’s 12-6 win over Winston-Salem State on Friday, Toney threw a shutout inning of relief. The Braves are now ranked #25 in Division II.

Cole Churchill:  A former Cedar Ridge defenseman, Churchill saw action for Randolph-Macon on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets lost to Washington & Lee 12-6.

In the span of five days, the Cedar Ridge Red Wolves have gone from being blown out in Pittsboro to beating two state playoff teams in consecutive games.

Last Wednesday, Cedar Ridge junior pitcher Phillip Berger was ripped by Northwood for eleven hits  and 13 runs in a 19-7 loss to Northwood.

Then came Monday. Pitching a day earlier than originally scheduled due to rain forecasts, Berger returned to the poised, calm hurler that posted a 8-2 record in 2017.

On Monday, Berger threw a complete game four-hitter, striking out four while walking just one. Berger also laced an RBI double to left field on a day when hits were at a premium.

The Red Wolves defeated Chapel Hill 3-1 at Red Wolves Stadium Monday afternoon, its second straight win over a Big 8 team that made the state playoffs. The victory followed Friday’s 3-2 victory over Northwood in Hillsborough.

Chapel Hill left nine runners on base in losing its first conference game of the season. The Tigers (6-2, 2-1) had a three-game winning streak snapped.

CHHS starter Jake Smith suffered his first loss of the sesaon despite giving up only three hits in five innings. Smith, a senior, went 6-2 with a .58 ERA last season.

In their first at-bat, Chapel Hill put leadoff batter Tyler Tachman (who reached on an error) at third and Anthony Castellanon at second with two out, but Berger struck out designated hitter Ryan Lonegan to end the inning. The Tiger wouldn’t have another baserunner until the fourth inning as Berger set down nine Tigers in a row.

Sophomore second baseman Jake DeFranco got the first of Cedar Ridge’s three hits in the bottom of the third inning when he singled to left field to score Adam Chnupa for the opening run of the game. It was the first of three straight innings where Cedar Ridge scored.

In the fourth, designated hitter Sailor Ramos drew a one-out walk. Berger followed by lacing a double to left field that reached the fence, scoring Ramos to push Cedar Ridge’s lead to 2-0.

Red Wolves catcher Cooper Lamb led off the fifth inning with a double to left field, the only time all day Cedar Ridge put the leadoff batter on board in an inning. Nicholas Starr replaced Lamb as a courtesy runner. After Starr went to third on a throwing error, DeFranco drew a walk. After Dante DeFranco popped out to the catcher, Smith was called for a balk, allowing Starr to score.

Chapel Hill’s only run came in the 7th when Adam Guskiewicz drew a leadoff walk. Tachman roped a one-out single to left to send pinch-runner Troy Capalbo to second. After Tyler Hansen flew out to centerfielder Landon Badgett, Colin Liebe looped a single to right field to bring in Capalbo. However, on the next at-bat, Castellano grounded a fielder’s choice ball to shortstop Dante DeFranco, who flipped over to Jake DeFranco at second to retire Liebe and end the game.

Cedar Ridge is slated to travel to Chapel Hill on Friday to conclude the series.

Phillip Berger nearly had his first shutout of the season against Chapel Hill on Monday. He yielded only four hits as the Red Wolves won its second straight, defeating the Tigers 3-1. Berger retired nine in a row during the middle innings. In the 3rd inning, Berger laced a double to left field to drive in the game’s opening run. Cedar Ridge is now 2-1 in the Big 8 Conference as they prepare to travel to Chapel Hill on Friday.

In the midst of a difficult schedule, Cedar Ridge found a way to win on Monday against Chapel Hill. Red Wolves 2nd baseman Jake DeFranco laced an RBI single in the 4th, and also drew a walk against Chapel Hill’s Jake Smith, who surrendered only three hits. Cedar Ridge has won two in a row and is 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big 8.