Month: June 2025

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is swimmer Ayden Twiddy. Last winter, the Orange men’s swimming team had its best season in team history under head coach Ron Geib. For the first time ever, Orange won the Central Regional Championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Twiddy teamed with Luke Roman, Noah Jones and Alex Andre won the regional title at 400 freestyle relay, setting the school record. The following week, the quartet would win the 3A State Championship at the Cary Aquatic Center. They became the first men’s relay team in school history to win a swimming state title. It was the final race in Twiddy’s Orange career. Twiddy has been swimming since he was six years old. His older brother was a swimmer at Orange and went on to compete at Catawba College. Twiddy was a big contributor to Orange winning the Central Conference championship for the fourth straight season at the Orange County SportsPlex in Hillsborough. Twiddy finished runner-up in the 200 yard freestyle. He was a member of the 200 yard medley relay team that won the conference championship. He also was a member of the 400 yard freestyle relay conference championship team with Roman, Andre and Nick Baczara. Twiddy finished ninth in the 200 yard individual medley in the state championships.

Orange Panther of the Week: Ayden Twiddy

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is swimmer Ayden Twiddy. Last winter, the Orange men’s swimming team had its best season in team history under head coach Ron Geib. For the first time ever, Orange won the Central Regional Championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior pitcher/centerfielder Aidan Ryan. This season, Ryan helped the Cedar Ridge baseball team host a state playoff game for the first time since 2018. On March 19, Ryan hit two doubles and drove in two runs in a win over Clover Garden School in Hillsborough. Ryan also earned the win on the mound against the Grizzlies, allowing just four hits over four innings. On April 1, Ryan had two hits and two runs scored in a win over Chatham Central. On April 11, Ryan earned a pitching win over Western Alamance, striking out three. Ryan had a double in Cedar Ridge’s 6-1 victory over Orange on April 15, it’s first win at Panther Field since 2012. Cedar Ridge also swept a two-game series from Walter Williams. On March 11, Ryan had a two-run single in a win over Williams in Hillsborough. Ryan’s contributions helped the Red Wolves finish 7-5 in a Central Conference where all seven teams wound up making the state playoffs. This was Ryan’s second season on the varsity. He will be one of the leaders for Cedar Ridge in 2026 for a Red Wolf team that is only losing one senior from this year’s team. 

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Aidan Ryan

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior pitcher/centerfielder Aidan Ryan. This season, Ryan helped the Cedar Ridge baseball team host a state playoff game for the first time since 2018. On March 19, Ryan hit two doubles and drove in two runs in a win over Clover Garden School in Hillsborough.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is Freddy Sneed. Last week, Freddy graduated after being a member of the Orange men’s basketball team for four years. Last year, Sneed had the best season of his career, averaging 10.3 points per game. He also had career-highs with 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for an Orange team that won 19 games, it’s most since the 2016-2017 season. Sneed had seven consecutive games scoring in double-figures at one point this season, including tying his career-high with 21 points in a 79-57 win over Walter Williams on January 28. He also scored 21 points in a win over East Chapel Hill on December 17. Sneed opened this season by scoring 12 points against Voyager Academy on November 15. The following day, he scored eleven points in a victory over Riverside at Voyager Academy, where he also registered a season-best four blocks. Sneed helped Orange’s full-court press a dangerous force throughout the season. He led the team with 76 steals. He had seven steals against Southern Alamance in the Central Conference Tournament. In his junior year, Sneed was a regular performer for an Orange team that won the Central Conference regular season and tournament championships. He also racked up six steals against East Chapel Hill. Though Freddy has graduated, he plans to continue his love of basketball in the coaching world.

Orange Panther of the Week: Freddy Sneed

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is Freddy Sneed. Last week, Freddy graduated after being a member of the Orange men’s basketball team for four years. Last year, Sneed had the best season of his career, averaging 10.3 points per game.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior runner John Ngunjiri Jr. For the past three years, Ngunjiri has been a constant for the Cedar Ridge cross country and track & field teams. Last October, Ngunjiri finished tenth in the 3A Mideast Cross Country Regionals at Owens Recreation Park in Louisburg. It helped Cedar Ridge finish second in the region and qualify as a team for the 3A State Championships. Ngunjiri finished in the top 50 at the state championships, held at the Ivey Redmond Sports Complex in Kernersville. He registered a time of 17:22.89, finishing 46th as the Red Wolves finished 10th in the state. Last winter, Ngunjiri finished fifth in the 1,600 meters at a indoor track & field meet at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane. Last spring, Ngunjiri qualified for the Mideast Regionals in outdoor track & field. He finished eighth in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:51.65. He also ran on the 4×800 meter relay team, which finished sixth in the region. Last month, Ngunjiri was honored at the third annual Pack Awards at Cedar Ridge Auditorium. A rising senior, Ngunjiri will join teammates Henry Alexander, Isaiah Craig, and Jaiden Lytle to help the 2025-2026 Red Wolves reach for the top of the new Big Seven Conference.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: John Ngunjiri

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior runner John Ngunjiri Jr. For the past three years, Ngunjiri has been a constant for the Cedar Ridge cross country and track & field teams. Last October, Ngunjiri finished tenth in the 3A Mideast Cross Country Regionals at Owens Recreation Park in Louisburg.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior lacrosse midfielder Grant Thole. This spring, the Red Wolves won its first game in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs since 2022. Thole finished with a goal in the Red Wolves win over Voyager Academy on May 16. He finished the season with 22 goals and ten assists for a Red Wolf team that wound up with a non-losing record for the first time in three years. One of the Red Wolves’ breakthrough wins was on March 10 when they defeated Northwood 6-5. Thole finished with a season-high four goals against the Chargers at Red Wolves Stadium in Hillsborough. Against Western Alamance on March 19, Thole scored four goals as the Red Wolves won 18-7 at Prime Stadium in Elon. In a rematch against the Warriors on May 2, Thole finished with three goals, his third hat trick of the season, as the Red Wolves claimed an 18-7 win in Hillsborough. Against Riverside on April 14, Thole registered one goal and three assists as Cedar Ridge won 13-7 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham. Thole was a co-Captain on this year’s Red Wolf team. They will look to greater things in 2026 in the new Big Seven Conference with its top two scorers, Thole and Joshua Hart, returning.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Grant Thole

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior lacrosse midfielder Grant Thole. This spring, the Red Wolves won its first game in the 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs since 2022. Thole finished with a goal in the Red Wolves win over Voyager Academy on May 16.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior golfer Keaton Westbrook. The son of former Orange High cross country runner Russell Westbrook, Keaton tried something different for his senior year. Westbrook was an established basketball player who even saw action as a freshman in a state playoff game at West Carteret. After three years on the hardwood, Westbrook played golf this spring and had the lowest average on Orange’s team. In the Central Conference Tournament match in Burlington, Westbrook finished with an 84, tops on the team. In a meet against Person and Cedar Ridge in April, Westbrook finished second in the field with a 9-hole score of 43, just two strokes behind Person senior Grant Phillips. Westbrook also had a 43 earlier this year. Westbrook has played at Occoneechee Golf Course in Hillsborough for home matches and teed it up as we recorded the video that accompanies this piece. Westbrook also played golf during his junior year and it was the most fun he had playing any sport. Westbrook graduated on Friday at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. In August, he will attend UNC Wilmington and plans to play on the club team. He plays to study Coastal Engineering at UNCW.

Orange Panther of the Week: Keaton Westbrook

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior golfer Keaton Westbrook. The son of former Orange High cross country runner Russell Westbrook, Keaton tried something different for his senior year. Westbrook was an established basketball player who even saw action as a freshman in a state playoff game at West Carteret.

DURHAM–George Benson can get used to Durham.

A resident of costal North Carolina, Benson took a joyous bus ride from Durham County Stadium to Carteret County on May 30 when his Croatan Cougars won the N.C. High School Athletic Association Men’s Lacrosse 3A/2A/1A State Championship. The Cougars ended the three-year dynasty of Lake Norman Charter 13-12 when Dain Sparks scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

It was the Cougars first state title in men’s lacrosse.

Five days later, Benson was back in Durham coaching a team that would provide another dramatic win. Once again, a Cougar would come up big in the clutch.

David Contreras scored with 1:35 remaining in regulation to lead the White squad over the Blue squad 14-13 to win the Bull City All-Star Cullen Classic for Cancer Men’s Lacrosse game at Koskinen Stadium inside Duke University last Wednesday. Trailing 13-11 with five minutes remaining, the White squad scored three unanswered goals to earn the victory.

Cullen Trent of Willow Spring High started the White squad rally with an overhand goal with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Exactly one minute later, Cody Keller of First Flight tied the game.

Croatan’s Graham Myers, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the State Championship game, earned the win in net.

Croatan’s Drew DeGeorge, who had a goal and three assists against Lake Norman Charter, played against his usual teammates on the Blue Squad.

“They got to compete against each other a little bit,” Benson said. “It was nice to see them out there running with some high-caliber players. What a great event this is and it’s for a great cause.”

The Bull City All-Star Game is a doubleheader of men’s and women’s games contested annually at Koskinen Stadium. It’s a benefit for the Tony Cullen Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Duke Cancer Institute. This year, the game donated $17,000 to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association to create more scholarships during a presentation between the two games.

Both of the Most Valuable Players in the men’s game came from the Blue Squad. Justin Conly of Cardinal Gibbons, who finished with one goal and four assists, was named the offensive MVP. Goalkeeper Wesley Little of Pinecrest was the Defensive MVP. Little came away with 13 saves.

Myers was presented the Tony Cullen Scholarship.

Tony Cullen played lacrosse at Duke for three seasons and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in total points in 1978 and 1979. He served nine seasons as the Blue Devils head coach. Afterwards, he started a successful communications company while serving as a college official for 12 years. He was part of the inaugural class of the North Carolina Lacrosse Hall of Fame in April 2002. A month later, he died after an extended battle with cancer.

Evan Friend of Cardinal Gibbons scored a hat trick in the opening quarter for the Blue team, which led 6-3 at the end of the first 15 minutes.

The White squad scored four straight goals in a span of 2:52 to tie the game in the second quarter. Croatan’s Matej Roth, Carrboro’s Leland Robinson, East Chapel Hill’s Griffin Galloway and Zach Kerner all scored for the White squad. Cameron Exley of Seaforth, also suiting up for the White team, tied the game off an assist from Green Level’s Harrison Murray with :24 remaining in the first half to give the White squad a 9-8 lead going into halftime.

Overall, there were nine ties in the men’s game.

Brower Evenhouse of Athens Drive put the Blues ahead with 13:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. Robert Saums of Northwest Guilford, who finished with a hat trick, put the Blue squad ahead 13-11 off a pass from Durham Academy’s Merritt Schultz.

Robert Crawford of Apex played goalkeeper for the White squad in the first and third quarters. Jack Altman of Wakefield played goalkeeper for the Blue team.

“I like playing in Durham,” Benson said with a wide smile on his face. “I’ll have to buy some lottery tickets before I go home.”

In the women’s game, the Blue Squad won 17-16. The offensive MVP was Lexi Mullahy of Cardinal Gibbons, who is going to play at the University of Michigan. Mullahy was also the MVP for Gibbons when they defeated Weddington to win the 4A State Championship on May 31.

Millbrook goalkeeper Allyson Gouveia, playing for the White Squad, was the defensive MVP. Laken Wright of Willow Spring scored the game-winning goal off a free position shot with :47 remaining.

Ashton Beale of Chapel Hill tied the game for the White team with 5:00 remaining off a pass from Cuthbertson’s Olivia Brooks.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior striker Caroline Cathey. This season, the Orange women’s soccer team hosted a game in the state playoffs for the first time since 2017. Fittingly, in her final game in Hillsborough, Cathey scored a goal as the Lady Panthers defeated Southern Nash 7-0 in the opening round of the state playoffs. In her freshman year, Cathey was a member of the first Orange team to advance to the third round of the state playoffs. She assisted on a goal in a first round playoff win at Harnett Central. This season, Cathey scored 16 goals for a Lady Panther team that finished 8-3-1 in the Central Conference. On March 3, Cathey scored four goals in a 9-3 win over Durham School of the Arts. Later that month, Cathey scored two goals in a 7-0 victory over DSA. Against Cedar Ridge on April 23, Cathey scored two goals and dished out two assists. Cathey finished her career with 44 goals and 27 assists across four varsity seasons. In her junior year, she scored a hat trick in a victory over Southern Alamance. Her older brother, Alden, is a lacrosse player at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania. Cathey will graduate next week having been an important part of some of the most successful teams in Orange women’s soccer history.

Orange Panther of the Week: Caroline Cathey

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior striker Caroline Cathey. This season, the Orange women’s soccer team hosted a game in the state playoffs for the first time since 2017. Fittingly, in her final game in Hillsborough, Cathey scored a goal as the Lady Panthers defeated Southern Nash 7-0 in the opening round of the state playoffs.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior baseball pitcher Quinn Finnegan. From the start of his freshman year, Finnegan has been a leader for Cedar Ridge baseball team. In his final three season, Finnegan was a co-Captain for some of the most successful Red Wolf teams in history. Last month, Finnegan ended his career as the starting pitcher for Cedar Ridge’s first home state playoff game since 2018. On April 15, Finnegan earned the complete game win as Cedar Ridge defeated Orange 6-1, the Red Wolves first win at Panther Field since 2018. Finnegan punctuated a six-run 7th inning with a three-run homer to ensure Cedar Ridge’s first win over its crosstown rival since 2018. Finnegan was the leadoff batter during his senior season and hit .263. On March 21, Finnegan threw a complete game two-hitter with nine strikeouts in a win over Person. In his final regular season game, Finnegan threw a complete game in a win over Southern Alamance, who went on to reach the state quarterfinals. In December, Finnegan signed to play with Division I Wagner College of the Northeast Conference. As part of his senior night ceremony, Finnegan rounded the bases after the Southern Alamance win and made sure to tuck some dirt from Cedar Ridge’s home plate in a bottle. He wanted to make sure that a little piece of Cedar Ridge will stay with him during his travels in life.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Quinn Finnegan

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior baseball pitcher Quinn Finnegan. From the start of his freshman year, Finnegan has been a leader for Cedar Ridge baseball team. In his final three season, Finnegan was a co-Captain for some of the most successful Red Wolf teams in history.