Month: February 2024

It is the final week of swimming season and several Orange Panthers are going for state championships. In the case of Orange senior Katie Belle Sikes, she will complete her legacy as the most accomplished swimmer in the history of Hillsborough. On Saturday, Sikes claimed two more individual regional championships at the Central Regional Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Sikes won the 50 yard freestyle regional championship for the fourth year in a row, ending with a time of 23.11 seconds. For the third consecutive year, Sikes captured the 100 yard freestyle title at 51.17 seconds. In both races, Orange sophomore Piper White finished runner-up behind Sikes. It helped the Orange women finish second in the Central Regional championships, its best-ever showing. On the men’s side, Orange had the top two finishers in the 500 yard freestyle. Junior Luke Roman won his first regional championship  at 4:45.59. His teammate, Alex Andre, finished 2nd at 4:50.54. Later that night, Andre won his first regional championship in the 200 yard individual medley. He touched the wall at 2:01.50 in the tightest race of the night. Carrboro’s Matt Strada finished second at 2:01.72. Sikes, Roman and Andre will join their teammates in the 3A State Swimming Championships on Thursday at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. It will be Sikes final meet as an Orange Panther. She has three individual state championships in her career, as well as a relay championship with Riley White, Ainsley Rasinske and Piper White. In 2023, Sikes was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer of the 3A State Championships. 

If last week felt odd around wrestling circles, it was. For only the second time since the State Dual Team Wrestling tournament was instituted by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in 1990, Orange wasn’t in the field of 32. Orange, Cary, Davie County and St. Stephens shared the record for most appearances in the state dual team tournament with 33 appearances each. Nonetheless, the seniors for Orange wrestling celebrated Senior Night in style with a 57-24 win over Eastern Alamance on January 18. Andre Hill and Jared Hutchins were honored for 100 career victories. Also honored were Colton Jones, a starter at 144 pounds who has 13 wins this year; Rylan Brummer, a starter at 215 pounds; Talan Pearley, who was injured last month after starting the season with seven pinfall wins, Canaan Graphics, a starter at 165 pounds, and Chris Winstead, who is 20-15 at 106 pounds this season. Orange will venture to Cameron this weekend to the 3A Mideast Regionals at Union Pines High School. The opening round starts on Friday. The top four wrestlers from each weight class will qualify for the 3A State Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum, starting on February 15. The championship rounds will be held on February 17. Last year, Orange’s Acoya Isley wrestled for the state championship at 195 pounds. 

Jackson Berini: The Gaston College Rhinos baseball team opened its season 6-1. On Saturday in the opening game of a doubleheader against Walters State, Berini hit a three-run homer to lead a comeback after the Senators jumped out to a 6-0 lead at Sims Legion Park. The following inning, Berini tied the game with a sacrifice fly to score Seth Christmas to make the score 6-6.  Walters State would go on to win 7-6 in eight innings. It was the first start for Berini, who played second base. Berini went 1-for-3 with an RBI single as the Rhinos took the second game 9-3 in six innings. Berini made his first college appearance against Guilford Technical Community College on January 27. The Rhinos won 13-1 in five innings. Berini appeared as a pinch hitter. Berini scored his first college run in a 16-0 win for the Rhinos. He drew a walk and touched home plate after a double by Brandon Crabtree.

Davis Horton: Former Orange catcher Davis Horton started his sophomore season at Rockingham County Community College by splitting a doubleheader with Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, VA. Patrick Henry won the opener 10-0. Horton, who started at catcher, went 0-for-3.

Lauren Jackson: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne softball season started its season by splitting a doubleheader against Lander at Bears Field in Hickory. The Bears won the nightcap 9-1 in five innings. The Bearcats won the opener 10-7. The Bears will host UNC Pembroke in Hickory for a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.

Abby Dease: Former Orange High softball player Abby Dease is now swimming at Smith College, a Division III school in Northampton, Massachusetts. On January 27, Wellesly College won a dual meet over Smith 198-94. Dease finished eighth in the 1000 yard freestyle at 12:01.75. She came in seventh in the 100 yard butterfly. In the 50 yard freestyle, Dease came in ninth in the 100 yard freestyle. Dease, the daughter of longtime Orange baseball coach Dean Dease, is in her junior season.

Mia Davidson: Last week, Davidson officially re-signed with Athletes Unlimited for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Last year, Davidson earned a third-place medal with AUX. Over 12 games, Davidson had five home runs, tied for the league lead. Her slugging percentage of .615 was the best in Athletes Unlimited. Davidson frequently visits her old stomping grounds for hitting clinics with her sister, Montana Davidson. The two played together at Mississippi State.

This Thursday, softball season will officially get underway for Division I schools. Here are the five former Cedar Ridge and Orange players who will start their respective seasons this weekend.

Takia Nichols: After the North Carolina Central Eagles won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship last year, Nichols returns for her sophomore season. The all-time home run hitter in Cedar Ridge history, Nichols was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week twice last season. She hit .338 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. The Eagles will open in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The Eagles will open against South Alabama on Friday morning and will face Central Arkansas later that morning. They will also face Iowa, Utah and Indiana during the event.

Tori Dalehite: a senior at UNC Greensboro. The Spartans are picked to finish first in the Southern Conference. Dalehite has played in 72 career games and has scored 24 runs. UNCG starts its season against Virginia in the Carolina Classic at Beckham Field in Columbia, South Carolina on Friday morning. The Spartans will also face Jacksonville State and South Carolina this weekend.

Mary Moss Wirt: A sophomore for Elon University, Wirt played in 28 games last season, starting six. Elon will open with a doubleheader against Kent State in the Elon Classic at Hunt Softball Park on Thursday. The Phoenix will also welcome Appalachian State, Kent State, Evansville and Miami (Ohio) for the multi-team event.

Carson Bradsher: Bradsher will start her freshman year at South Carolina Upstate on Friday morning. Bradsher was a four-year starter for Orange at shortstop, where she won the Big 8 Conference championship in 2021. South Carolina Upstate will start its season in its own tournament, the Spartan Classic, against Loyola University of Chicago on Friday morning. Later that day, the Spartans will face Toledo. South Carolina State will face the Spartans this weekend.

GREENSBORO–Luke Roman and Alex Andre have finished on the brink of winning state championships for Orange men’s swimming in recent years. This week, they each hope to reach that elusive milestone after breaking through with regional championships for the first time.

On Saturday, Roman and Andre led the way for Orange swimming as its finished runner-up to Carrboro in the 3A Central Regional championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Saturday night. Carrboro claimed its third straight regional title with 353 points. Orange edged Oak Grove for second place with 239 points. Oak Grove came away with 232.

It was the third straight year that Orange finished as regional runner-up behind the Jaguars. Last week, the Panthers claimed its third consecutive Central Conference championship at the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough.

Roman won his first career regional championship in the 500 yard freestyle. He finished at 4:45.59, a new personal best. Andre finished second at 4:50.54 to also qualify for the 3A State Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center on Thursday.

Last year, Andre finished third in the state in the 500 yard freestyle.

Later in the night, Andre would claim his first regional title in the 200 yard individual medley. In the closest race of the 3A championships, Andre edged Carrboro’s Matt Strada by .22 of a second for the championship. Andre touched the wall at 2:01.50.

This was the first time that Andre had competed in the individual medley during the regional championships. In addition to finishing 4th in the regionals in the 500 freestyle last year, he came in fourth in the 200 yard freestyle.

Roman also qualified for the state championships in the 200 yard freestyle. Andrew Commins of Carrboro, a senior who won the 500 yard freestyle championship last year, claimed the 200 freestyle regional title at 1:43.01. Roman finished runner-up at 1:45.98.

Cedar Ridge’s Nikhil Agans, who won the 100 yard freestyle conference championship last week. came in 3rd in the 200 yard freestyle at 1:49.41. Agans also finished third in the 100 freestyle at 49.82 to qualify for the state championships. Lucca Battaglini of Durham School of the Arts claimed the gold medal in the 100 free.

In 2023, Agans finished fifth in the state in the 200 yard freestyle. It will be his third straight appearance in the state championships.

Orange’s relay team of Andre, Roman, Nicholas Baczara and Ayden Twiddy qualified for the state championships in two events. They finished third in the 200 yard medley at 1:48.86. Durham School of the Arts’ Battaglini, Carson Sheehan, William Gray and Vincent Battaglini claimed first place (1:43.53).

In the final event of the night, Andre, Baczara, Twiddy and Roman finished first in the 400 yard freestyle relay. Baczara, who swam the second leg, held a narrow lead at the end of his run, but Carrboro’s Grey DeWalt and Commins squeezed out a strong finish to propel the Jaguars to the championship with a time of 3:24.87. Orange finished at 3:29.13.

Baczara qualified for the state championships in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard butterfly. In the individual medley, Baczara finished fifth at 2:13.46. In the butterfly, Baczara came in fifth at 57.62 seconds. Commins, who won two individual championships, claimed the butterfly title at 50.69.

Cedar Ridge freshman Christopher Seawell, who won the conference championship in the 50 yard freestyle last week, claimed a spot in the state championships in the 100 yard backstroke. Seawell finished fifth at 1:03.78. Lucca Battaglini won the state title at 49.50 seconds.

In regards to Orange and Cedar Ridge, there has only been one swimmer to ever win a state championship at any level. In 2018, Orange’s Ben Scott won the 3A State Championship in the 100 yard freestyle, finishing at 45.95 seconds. Scott made All-Big 8 Conference his senior year when Orange was coached by Mark Alford.

Ron Geib, the current coach of the Panthers, steered the Panthers to another strong finish on Saturday.

GREENSBORO–The Katie Belle Sikes farewell tour made its latest stop in Greensboro, where she achieved her first individual success.

On Saturday, she helped Orange women’s swimming reach its greatest achievement as a team.

Orange came in second in the 3A Central Regional championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, its best-ever finish in the team standings. Orange came away with 239 points. Carrboro rode four first-place finishes to take the regional championship with 353 points.

Sikes won her sixth and seventh career individual regional championships on Saturday. For the fourth year in a row, she won the 50 yard freestyle at 23.11. Her own teammate, sophomore Piper White, earned the silver medal at 25.41.

As a freshman in 2021, Sikes won her first regional championship in the 50 yard freestyle. Sikes will go into the 3A State Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary as the two-time defending state champion in the 50 free. Last year, Sikes broke the state championship record, regardless of classification, with a time of 22.17 seconds.

Sikes also repeated as the 100 yard freestyle regional champion for the third year in a row. She touched the wall at 51.17 seconds. Once again, White claimed the runner-up spot at 55.82 second. Alexis Krzyzaniak of Durham School of the Arts finished third at 56.94.

In 2023, Sikes won the 100 yard freestyle at 50.99 seconds. She is the defending 100 freestyle state champion, as well.

On the day, Sikes claimed four gold medals, two individual and two relay titles. While she has won individually since her freshman year, Sikes said helping Orange to its best-ever showing as a team meant a lot to her.

“I’ll remember the team culture and getting to be here with all my friends,” Sikes said. “I’ll remember making some fond memories with them and making my coaches proud.”

Cedar Ridge junior Sophia Stinnett, coming off winning the 500 yard freestyle in the Central Conference championships last week at the Orange County Sportsplex, won the first two regional titles in her career. Stinnett claimed the regional championship in the 500 yard freestyle by over seven seconds. Stinnett touched the wall at 5:15.59, beating Carrboro’s Avery Shuping, who finished at 5:22.86.

Stinnett surprised herself with the individual championships.

“I just wanted to have fun and race the people around me,” Stinnett said. “I really didn’t expect to win either of my races. I just had fun and had a good time with my friends.”

Last week, Stinnett won the conference title in the 500 at 5:31.96. She will go into the state championships in the third and final heat. She will look to become Cedar Ridge’s first female state swimming champion since Becca Churchill, who won the 2014 3A title in the 100 backstroke.

Stinnett also won the 100 yard backstroke  at 1:01.17. Last week, Stinnett didn’t participate in the 100 backstroke in the conference championships. She qualified for regionals in the 100 backstroke on January 4 during a quad meet with Northern Durham, Chapel Hill, Riverside and Woods Charter.

Orange’s 200 yard freestyle relay team of Sikes, White, Ainsley Rasinske and Riley White captured its second straight regional championship. They finished at 1:41.63. Carrboro’s team of Maya Lambert, Anna Wesley, Frances Reed and Avery Shuping came in second at 1:47.90.

Cedar Ridge’s 200 freestyle team of Stinnett, Hala Zafar, Quinn McCrimmon and Sarah Latham qualified for the state championships with a fourth place finish. Stinnett swam the anchor leg and completed the race at 1:53.06.

Sikes, White, Rasinske and White are the defending 3A State Champions in the 200 yard freestyle. They are the only relay team in school history to win a state championship.

Orange also claimed the 200 yard medley relay regional title. Zoe Jones, White, Sikes and White finished at 1:53.45. Carrboro’s team of Wesley, Reed, Kyla Conner, and Ellie Hill came in second at 2:01.87.

Orange’s Riley White and Cedar Ridge’s Quinn McCrimmon both qualified for the state championships in the 200 yard individual medley. White came in second (2:13.07), behind Carrboro’s Lambert. McCrimmon finished third (2:22.17).

Riley White also finished runner-up in the 100 yard butterfly at 1:00.21. Carrboro’s Lambert took the gold at 58.83. McCrimmon also qualified for the state championships in the butterfly with a fourth place finish (1:03.32).

Orange’s Jones finished 5th in the 500 yard freestyle.

Cedar Ridge also finished 2nd in the 400 yard freestyle relay. McCrimmon, Zafar, Godfrey and Stinnett completed the race at 4:08.14. Carrboro earned the gold medal at 3:52.44.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. Last fall, Wilkerson was the middle blocker for the most successful Orange volleyball team in history. The Panthers became just the second team in school history to win a regional championship in volleyball after beating Carrboro for the title inside Panther Gymnasium. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, led the team with 79 total blocks. Wilkerson opened the year with a bang by racking up seven blocks in the season-opening win over Jordan in Hillsborough. The following night, Wilkerson had seven blocks in a four-set loss to Carrboro, a team that Orange would get very familiar with. Wilkerson was also a quality attacker. She had 19 kills in a sweep of Person on October 3. In a span of three matches in late September, Wilkerson had double digit kills against Falls Lake, Western Alamance and Walter Williams. Wilkerson is the younger sister of former Orange outside hitter Allie Wilkerson, who is now playing at Division III Averett University. This year, Orange won the regular season conference championship for the first time since 2005. Wilkerson had a season-high eight blocks in the 3A State Championship match against Kings Mountain at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. With the Lady Panthers losing two starters, Wilkerson has even bigger goals in mind for next season.

Cedar Ridge junior Sophia Stinnett has won three Central Conference championships over the past three years. She wasn’t expecting the same level of success as she went into the Central Regional championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Saturday night. Yet Stinnett came away with her first two regional titles in her career. Stinnett won the 100 yard backstroke regional championship, finishing at 1:01.17. She beat out Alexis Krzyzaniak of Durham School of the Arts, who clocked in at 1:03.42. Stinnett also captured the gold medal in the 500 yard freestyle, finishing the longest event in swimming at 5:15.59. Avery Shopping of Carrboro was the runner-up at 5:22.86. Stinnett won the 500 freestyle in the Central Conference championship last week at the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough, where she finished at 5:31.96. Also on Saturday, Stinnett claimed the silver medal with in the women’s 400 yard freestyle relay. Stinnett swam the anchor leg with Quinn McCrimmon, Hala Zafar and Sierra Godfrey. They finished with a time of 4:08.14, which earned them a spot in the 3A State Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary on Thursday. This will be the third year in a row that Stinnett has participated in the state championship meet. This time, she will go as a two-time Central Regional champion.

For the first time since 2013, the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team has swept a season series from crosstown rival Orange. On Friday night, the Red Wolves defeated the Panthers 37-32 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night. The Red Wolves trailed 26=17 with 4:58 remaining in the third quarter, but the Red Wolves outscored the Lady Panthers 13-5 in the fourth quarter. Senior Amiyah Ware led the Red Wolves with 15 points, but senior center Addie Reid added eight points and four rebounds. Junior point guard Sarah Utley registered eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Cedar Ridge is looking to make the state playoffs for the first time since 2018, when they went 14-11. This season has been the most successful year for Cedar Ridge women’s basketball since the 2018 campaign, when they won 14 games. After beating Orange on Friday, Cedar Ridge has won eleven and are gunning for more. For Reid, she’s looking forward to the next chapter after an eventful school year. She was named Homecoming Queen last September. In October, she won the Central Conference Tournament championship, beating Orange in four sets. It was her seventh championship in volleyball. Last week, Reid announced she was going to play volleyball at North Carolina Central. Former Cedar Ridge head coach Fiona Cunningham is now an assistant at Central. Cedar Ridge will travel to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night.