Month: January 2024

Last month, Coltin and Wyatt Hedrick each signed letters of intent to play baseball at Wake Technical Community College. In 2023, the Orange baseball team won its third consecutive conference championship and they did it with their depth. The Panthers top two pitchers were injured for lengthy period of time, which forced all hands to be on deck against a challenging schedule. Coltin Hedrick, who was a junior last year, earned the win in relief against Walter Williams on March 24 in Hillsborough. Hedrick threw four-and-two-thirds innings to close out a 1-0 Panther win. He struck out four and allowed just one hit. The win would eventually propel the Panthers to the Central Conference championship. Wyatt Hedrick shared time with Cross Clayton at second base. The most memorable moment for Wyatt came in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs when Orange trailed Triton 8-3 going into the bottom of the tenth inning. Hedrick reached base twice during a six-run tenth inning. In his first trip, he walked and eventually scored when Ryan Hench was hit by a pitch. Moments after Neo Best tied the game at 8-8 with a bases-loaded walk, Hedrick delivered the game-winning hit with a single up the middle to complete the greatest comeback in school history. In that state playoff game, Wyatt went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Wyatt and Coltin will be instrumental parts for Orange this spring as it aims to repeat as Central Conference champions. The baseball season will start for Orange on February 28 against Northern Durham at Panther Field.

Orange Wrestling: Four Orange wrestlers went undefeated during its annual trip to Oakboro for the West Stanly Duals on Saturday.

In five dual matches, Orange went 4-1 on the day. The Panthers defeated Albermarle 47-27; defeated North Stanly 54-28; won over Scotland County 57-21 and rolled past West Stanly 50-27. Porter Ridge handed Orange its only loss 48-35.

Andre Hill, at 175 pounds, improved to 28-2 with five wins on the day. He pinned three opponents, finishing Kaine McLendon of Albermarle, Krizangel Flores of Porter Ridge and Wesley Shutt of West Stanly. Hill is now 28-2 with 20 pins this season. Hill was coming off a third-place finish at the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School on December 22 and 23.

At 126 pounds, Braden Crawford also collected five wins to improve to 23-1 with 14 pins. Crawford pinned Maddox Cheek of Porter Ridge, Darius West of Scotland County and Mason Hyatt of West Stanly. He started the day with a technical fall over Andrew Weizer of Albermarle 17-2. Crawford has won his last nine matches.

At 138 pounds, Jared Hutchins earned three pins and two technical falls. He pinned Armando Popca of Albermarle, Max Montleleone of North Stanly and Donerio Graham of Scotland County. Hutchins also defeated Asland Demurchivev of Porter Ridge 15-0 in a tech fall. Hutchins earned another tech fall win over Kahle Martin of West Stanly 18-3. Hutchins who finished sixth at 138 pounds in the Tiger Classic, is 25-7 with 20 pins.

At 113 pounds, Logan Scarantino won four matches on the day, three by pinfall. Scarantino pinned Moises Carrillo of Albermarle, Henry Smith of North Stanly and Jared Gladden of Scotland County. He also had a forfeit victory over Porter Ridge. Scarantino is 18-4 with 12 pins this season.

Orange competed the whole day while having to forfeit in the 215 and 285 pound weight classes in each match.

Cedar Ridge Wrestling: Cedar Ridge was one of dozens of teams to compete in the Gate City Grapple at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex last weekend. The event moved to the Triad this year after residing in Charlotte since 2011.

57 teams from four states competed in the final event of the 2023 calendar year. Cedar Ridge placed four competitors en route to a 17th place finish.

The highest placer of the day was Pierce Prescod at 120 pounds. Prescod reached the consolation final, where he fell to Amir Wray-Hill of Deep Creek (VA) in a 9-2 decision. Prescod scored four wins in the event, including a thrilling victory over Hudson Catullo of Green Hope. Prescod won 7-6 in the opening round of sudden victory.

Prescod scored pins over Cody Michael of Northern Guilford and Faroq Busesou of Athens Drive. He reached the consolation final by beating George Coleman of Fred T. Foard. On the season, Prescod is 32-6 with 24 pins.

Kaden Tatro finished in sixth place at 175 pounds. Tatro opened by pinning Ricky Cedeneo of Riverbend (VA) in 1:01. Connor Reese of T.C. Roberson edged Tatro 4-2 in the second round, dealing the senior just his second loss of the season. In the consolation round, Tatro pinned Karvin Magwood of New Bern, and scored decision wins against Carson Wince of Shelby Crest and Ian Harris of Greensboro Page. James Ellison of Lumberton defeated Tatro in the fifth place match 5-0. Tatro is 32-4 this season with 16 pins.

Junior Ryan Rakouskas finished in eighth place at 157 pounds. Rakouskas opened with a Gurshan Singh of Deep End for his 19th pinfall of the season. After falling to Jacob Crump of North Pitt in the quarterfinals, Rakouskas pinned Reilly Berger of Woodmont in the consolation round. Rakouskas is 23-10 with 20 pins this season.

Angus Pritchard finished in eighth place at 150 pounds. Pritchard won his opening two matches to reach the quarterfinals. He started by pinning Jonathan Nguyen of Northeastern in the opening round, then pinned Trevon Waters of Central Cabarrus. Carson Main of Riverbend defeated Pritchard in the quarterfinals. In the consolation round, Pritchard defeated Patrick Martin of Catholic High School.

It was a strong start to 2024 for the Orange men’s basketball team. The Panthers had two wire-to-wire wins over Western Alamance and Walter Williams. On Friday night, Orange rolled past Walter Williams 77-40 in Hillsborough in a game that had a wide assortment of dunks, blocked shots and sharp interior passing. Junior Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Pennix finished 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Against Western Alamance, senior center Ryan Honeycutt came away with a double-double, registering 12 points and eleven rebounds. Against Williams on Friday night, Honeycutt finished with ten points and six rebounds. Honeycutt and forward Mason Robinson helped Orange block nine shots compared to only two for the Bulldogs. The Panthers defense forced 21 turnovers. Orange is the only undefeated team in league play in the Central Conference at 3-0. Nest week, the Panthers will have two crucial battles. On Tuesday, the Panthers host crosstown rival Cedar Ridge, who upset Person last week. On Friday night, the Panthers face their Highway 57 rival, the Person Rockets. Person defeated Orange three times last season, including once in the Central Conference Tournament. Overall, the Rockets have beaten Orange five straight times. Last year in Hillsborough, the Rockets got a field goal with two seconds remaining to beat Orange and finish second in the Central Conference behind Northwood.

The Orange women’s basketball team has had three close games to open its Central Conference season with three big wins. On Friday night, the Panthers held on to defeat Walter Williams 46-44 at Panther Gymnasium. After Williams built a six-point lead early in the third quarter, Orange went on a 20-4 run behind balanced scoring from Evelyn George, Maura McMurtry, Shannon Murphy and Mariah Poole. George scored off a strip and steal and scored on a lay-in with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter. McMurtry started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, followed by another lay-in from Georgia with 6:37 remaining in regulation, Orange’s final field goal of the game. McMurtry finished with nine pints and three assists while Addie Atkins had eight points and seven rebounds. Orange is atop the Central Conference with a 3-0 record with wins over Southern Alamance and Western Alamance. During the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla Tournament in the final days of 2023, McMurtry was named to the All-Tournament team after she scored 12 points in a 48-39 win over Eastern Alamance in the 7th place game. Murphy also scored 12 points for Orange, who won despite not having George in the lineup. The Lady Panthers, under first-year head coach Lemont Jones, are 8-4 and goes into the Cedar Ridge game on a three-game winning streak.

At first glance, Katie Wolter’s path to playing college lacrosse at Elon University would seem unorthodox. For the past two years, she has been a woman playing men’s lacrosse at Orange High School because the Panthers don’t have a women’s program. But Wolter was born to be a goalkeeper, regardless of gender. Her brother, Tyson, played the position at Orange and eventually suited up for Division III Pfeiffer. From the time she started playing against the boys in her sophomore year at Orange, she has been viewed as a Division I prospect. And she has been the starting goalkeeper for the most successful teams in Orange lacrosse history. In 2022, Wolter had a .536 save percentage as the Panthers claimed the Central Conference championship. She held Carrboro to four goals in the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals in a 13-4 Orange victory, the first time ever that Orange won a game in the round of eight. In 2023, Wolter had 128 saves in 478 minutes of action facing some of the best 4A teams in the state like Green Level, Wilmington Laney and Holly Springs. Just before Christmas, Wolter joined five of her teammates in signing with various colleges. Before she leaves for Elon, Wolter will play her senior year starting next month as Orange tries to win the elusive 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional championship.

Time will tell if the first game of 2024 was the point where Orange found its basketball legs.

But for the first time this season, the Panthers finally displayed a show of dominance.

In just its third home game, the Panthers roared out to a 15-0 lead and cruised to a 81-42 victory over Western Alamance on Wednesday night at Panthers Gymnasium. Coleman Cloer scored a season-high 30 points as the Panthers built a double-digit lead just 2:45 into the game. The Warriors didn’t get any closer than 14 points the rest of the game.

Josh Long, Hamilton Plunkett and Christian Hester paced the Warriors with six points each.

Orange was coming off three straight losses in the John Wall Invitational in Raleigh. The Panthers fell to Northwood and Jordan at Broughton High School, then fell to Broughton at William Peace University on Saturday in the 7th place game.

For the first time this season, Orange got off to a strong start. They shot 11-of-14 from the field in the opening quarter, draining all three of its 3-pointers. Cloer sliced through the Warriors’ repeated double teams and scored 15 points in the opening quarter, often absorbing contact while finishing drives to the basket.

Orange senior center Ryan Honeycutt scored 12 points and grabbed eleven rebounds. Sophomore Kai Wade added eleven points, including a deep three-pointer early in the third quarter.

The Warriors couldn’t get anything going on the interior because of Orange’s size. Sophomore forward Mason Robinson finished with five blocks. Late in the third quarter, Cloer lofted an ally–oop to Robinson, who flushed it down with vigor to increase Orange’s lead to 66-36 at the end of the third quarter.

While the starters didn’t play in the fourth quarter, that didn’t mean the highlights were over. Freddy Sneed shot down the court and scored a thunderous one-handed dunk that sent the gym reeling. Sneed then scored again off a strip and steal. He finished with seven points.

It was the second time in his Orange career that Cloer reached the 30-point barrier. Last January, Cloer set his career-high with 35 points against Person in Roxboro.

Though the Panthers are only two games into the Central Conference season, they’re already alone atop the league. Walter Williams fell to Southern Alamance on Tuesday.

The Panthers will host Williams on Friday night in Hillsborough. The Bulldogs are under the direction of new head coach Jimmy Lloyd, who replaced legendary coach Tommy Cole last year. Cole coached the Bulldogs for 28 years and led them to two state championships.

For the second time in two Central Conference games, the Orange women’s basketball team had a game that wasn’t decided until the final minute.

Once again, Evelyn George had the answers for an Orange victory.

George scored a career-high 31 points in Orange’s 45-42 victory over Western Alamance on Wednesday night. Orange improved to 2-0 in the Central Conference in beating the Warriors for the second straight time.

Western Alamance (5-6, 1-1 in the Central Conference) played most of the game without long-range threat Allie Sykes, who averages 15 points per game. Sykes, who averages 26.5 minutes per game, was limited to five minutes.

That didn’t stop the Warriors from reeling off eleven straight points to take a 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Guards Emma Johnson and Bri Pullium each drained 3-pointers while reserve Kayra Benitez Dorantes knocked down another shot from downtown to end the first quarter.

The Panthers used a 2-3 zone to shutout the Warriors in the second quarter, but Orange could only muster eight points and trailed 17-14 at halftime.

George had a personal 12-0 run in the third quarter to put the Lady Panthers ahead for the first time. After scoring on a baseline drive to put in a five-footer, George put Orange ahead with a straightaway 3-pointer off a feed from Alexis Stephens. Then George drained another 3-pointer on Orange’s next possession.

The Warriors scored seven straight to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Xiomara Moser, who led the Warriors with 12 points, scored on a breakaway lay-in from Kiva Shavers. George scored Orange’s next three field goals to put Orange ahead 38-35. After Western’s Tina Bowers drained a running one-hander to cut the Panthers lead to 38-37, Panther guard Shannon Murphy does for a loose ball and threw a pass while laying on the floor to Marshea Byrd, who scored from point-blank range.

Byrd added another field goal following a steal by George with 2:09 remaining to increase Orange’s lead to 42-37. Sykes reported late into the game to insert some drama, hitting a 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining. The Warriors had a chance to tie on its final possession, but a 3-pointer by Sykes rimmed out.

Orange will host Walter Williams in a battle for first place on Friday night at 6PM in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge 46, Person 43: Without Amiyah Ware in the lineup, the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team got a huge game from freshman for its first conference win of the season.

Finnegan, in just her third varsity game, scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a grinding win over the Rockets where the two teams combined for 45 fouls and 54 free throws.

Person jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the Red Wolves responded with a 9-2 run to finish the quarter. Finnegan capped the frame with a 3-pointer to put the Red Wolves ahead 9-7.

Cedar Ridge stretched its advantage to 18-9 at halftime following a jumper by Cameron Copeland off a feed from Finnegan. The Red Wolves defense held the Rockets to one field goal in the second quarter and forced 12 turnovers.

Cedar Ridge freshman Sarah Ultey, who finished with ten points, eight assists and five steals, knocked down two free throws to increase the Red Wolves lead to 20-9 with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter. The Rockets chipped away at the advantage behind four straight points from forward Cassie Jay and a lay-in by Nayahana Marner, who scored in transition to cut the Red Wolf lead to 26-22. Cedar Ridge’s Jamee Watson ended the third quarter with a three-pointer to put the Red Wolves cushion at 36-26.

Marner hit two field goals to open the fourth quarter, followed by a jumper from Paige Jay to cut Person’s deficit to 36-32.

Late in the game, Person had two chances to tie the game, but Finnegan came up with a huge steal off a pass, which led to a free throw from Addie Reid with 55 seconds remaining to put the Red Wolves ahead 43-40.

Cedar Ridge will host Southern Alamance at Red Wolves Gymnasium at 7PM on Friday night.