Month: March 2022

Darius Satterfield probably envisioned a day like Tuesday afternoon when he was a student at Gravelly Hill Middle School, where he was the captain of the men’s soccer team. He led the Grizzlies to its first undefeated regular season. However, on Tuesday, Darius signed to play football at Elizabeth City State University. Shortly after he started his Orange soccer career under head coach Palmer Bowman, injuries derailed his career on the pitch. So he transitioned to American football, where he trained under former East Chapel Hill head coach Bill Renner. In two years, Satterfield became an accomplished punter, where he caught the attention of numerous recruiters. In addition to punting for Orange last season, he also raised money to fight childhood cancer. During the official signing ceremony at Orange High Gymnasium on Tuesday, Satterfield was joined by his mother Tomeka Ward-Satterfield along with his father Daron. Darius spent two seasons with the North Carolina Olympic Development program playing soccer. He will now take his considerable talents to the CIAA, where he will be a Viking.

Wins at Northwood don’t come easy for any lacrosse team, and it’s no different at Orange High. On Monday night, the Panthers trailed 7-1 in the first quarter. The Panthers played a game of attrition against the Chargers and scored eight unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to win 14-9 and remain undefeated in the Mid-Carolina Conference. Junior Jake Wimsatt hat three goals in the fourth quarter, including the first goal of the frame to reduce the Chargers lead to 9-7. Junior Joe Cady notched the game-tying goal with 9: 47 remaining in regulation. The Panthers got the game-winning goal from Andrew Harris, while Brantley Porterfield added insurance a minute later. Sophomore Connor Kruse finished with five goals and three assists as the Panthers improved to 6-2, 4-0 in the Mid-Carolina Conference. Orange goalkeeper Katie Wolter had 10 saves, while Seth Hall won nine face-offs. Orange will host Eastern Alamance on Wednesday in Auman Staidum in Hillsborough.

Orange senior guard Aaliyah Harris officially signed with Randolph-Macon College on Friday afternoon at Orange High Gymnasium. There was no better location for the ceremony to be held than on the very floor where Aaliyah has shot, dribbled, fallen, dove on and spilled her sweat since she was a freshman playing varsity. This season, Harris was the leading scorer on an Orange team that finished with a 15-9 record. She was the leading scorer on the team with 13.7 points per game. Harris established her career high with 24 points against Cedar Ridge on February 9. This season, Harris had over 20 points in a game five times. On February 5, she scored 23 points in a 73-47 win over Western Alamance in Mebane. He also scored 23 against Person on January 27 in Hillsborough. Harris was joined in the ceremony by her mother Christy and her sister Alicia, who was a member of the first team that current Orange coach B.J. Condron coached in Hillsborough. Aaliyah has been interviewed more than any player we’ve ever covered at Hillsbroughsports.com and we’ll miss her gregarious personality and wonderful spirit. 

It’s a new world for Hillsborough’s softball teams.

In the old model known as the Big 8 Conference, a team was only as good as its defense. Now, in the Central Carolina Conference that has brought Orange and Cedar Ridge league rivals from Alamance County, the team with the best pitching will be at the top of the standings once mid-May rolls around.

Realignment has made pitchers Eastern Alamance’s Kenna Raye Dark (who committed to UNC as a freshman) and Western Alamance’s Taylor Apple (who has committed to East Carolina) league rivals, which makes the margin for error microscopically small.

It’s something Orange coach Johnny Barefoot and Cedar Ridge head coach Allan Byrd, and his players, knew before the season even started. That notion was only reinforced after the first week of conference play.

On Monday, Western Alamance’s Taylor Apple threw a one-hitter against Cedar Ridge in a 11-0 victory at Red Wolves Softball Stadium. In as solid an all-around game as humanly possible, Apple struck out 15 batters, including the first nine Red Wolves she faced. At the plate, Apple hit a two-run homer in the game’s second at-bat, then added a three-run inside-the-park home run in the third.

Cedar Ridge’s only put four balls in play. Shortstop Ava Lowry, who singled in the fourth, was the lone baserunner of the day for the Red Wolves.

The next day, Western Alamance defeated Orange 2-1 at Orange softball stadium in a nail biter. The Warriors scored both of its runs off of a Panther error, with two out, in the first inning. This time, Apple threw a two-hitter, but Orange pitcher Gracie Walker hit a solo homer in the sixth. Orange’s defense held the Warriors to seven hits, and despite the early miscue, kept the Warriors off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

On Friday, the offense returned for both Cedar Ridge and Orange. Sophomore Caden Robinson hit two home runs, including an inside-the-park grand slam, in a 17-1 win in five innings over Walter Williams. Junior shortstop Carson Bradsher, who has committed to USC-Upstate, added her first home run of the season. The first eight Lady Panthers to come up to bat all scored. Bradsher hit twice in the first inning, leading off with an infield single. She stroked a first-pitch fastball over centerfield later in the frame. Orange sent eleven batters to the plate in the first inning.

Robinson struck out ten to pick up her second win of the season. Centerfielder Serenity McPherson went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Alexa Latta-Harshaw went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Meanwhile in Pittsboro, Cedar Ridge earned its first conference win over Northwood 15-5 in six innings. Senior Takia Nichols finished 4-for-4 with and RBI double. Freshman Kimber Shambley went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Catcher Reagan Simmons, also a freshman, finished with a career-high four RBIs, going 3-for-5 with a double.

Cedar Ridge opened with four runs in the first inning. The Red Wolves loaded the bases following a leadoff walk by Anaya Cater, a line drive single to right by Nichols and another walk to senior Olivia Aitkin. Senior Ava Lowry sent a fly ball to left field that landed for a double to bring in Carter and Nichols. Shambley sent a two-run single on a grounder up the middle.

In the second inning, Nichols drove in Carter, who reached on a fielder’s choice. Lowry lined to left field to bring in Nichols. Simmons knocked in her first run with a liner to left, plating Aitkin, who has committed to Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Freshman pitcher Charlotte Lowry, who has split time in the circle with Hayley King, earned the complete game win. Lowry is 5-2 on the season.

The Red Wolves (6-2, 1-2 in the CCC) face Orange (4-2, 2-1) on Tuesday at Panther Softball park.