It was a typical scene for preseason.
On an unusually grey August day, members of the Orange men’s soccer team ran around the track at Auman Stadium, a standard conditioning chore that every team across the state must endure.
As Malcolm Jenkins stood and watched on the football grass, his mind flashed back to eight years ago.
He took part in those August running drills in 2017, when the weather was much, much hotter. The fresher legs those laps produced may have led to the greatest win in Orange soccer history.
On November 1, 2017, White Oak led Orange 2-0 in Jacksonville with ten minutes remaining in regulation. Led by Jamar Davis, Orange would score two goals to send the game into overtime, then added four goals in two, 10-minutes overtimes for a resounding 6-2 win.
After the players finished their laps, Jenkins told the players about that game and where the seemingly innocuous drills eventually led him and his team.
“I think that is the mindset we want to have,” said Orange men’s soccer coach Palmer Bowman. “Just never say die and take it to the opponent as long as we can. Whether it’s 80 or 90 or 100 minutes, however long it takes.”
Jenkins made a special trip to talk to the team because there’s potential for this Orange squad to eclipse what his 2017 team did. Last year, Orange hosted a state playoff game for the first time in the 37-year history of the program. They won a school-record 16 games. Yurem Tapia Mendez set the tone early when he scored the only goal in Orange’s 1-0 win over Carrboro to open the season.
In the final home game, Mendez score on a penalty kick in overtime as the Panthers defeated Swansboro 1-0, it’s only home state playoff win ever.
“We were strong across the board,” Bowman said. “We had a lot of good glue guys. Guys that may not have stuffed the stat sheet, but did a lot of the dirty work. They won 50-50 balls and were great leaders.”
Sanchez finished the season with 19 goals and 40 points.
The Panthers will return its top four scorers from last season. In addition to Sanchez, Daniel Toledo (eight goals), Demetrius Holmes (seven goals) and Brendan McDonald (six goals) are all back.
Also returning is centerback Dallas Johnson, who anchored a backline that helped goalkeeper Hector Garrido earn eight clean sheets last year.
“He’ll be a centrepiece for us,” Bowman said.
It was the first season of organised soccer for Garrido, who started on the varsity men’s basketball team as a freshman.
Orange has left the Central Conference, which included 2024 3A State Champion Western Alamance, the only team to beat Orange in Hillsborough last year. The Panthers are now in the Big Seven Conference, which includes Carrboro, Durham School of the Arts and crosstown rival Cedar Ridge.
“I think it’s going to be a really challenging conference,” Bowman said. “I think it’s gonna challenge us to bring our best every game. It’s interesting to see. I think it’s pretty wide open. I think you have your traditional powers like Carrboro and Durham School of the Arts. There’s a good in-town rival in Cedar Ridge. Seaforth has proven they’re really good. In Granville County, they’re doing a lot to change things. South Granville and Webb are going to be strong. Every game is going to be tough.”
With ten seniors, there’s plenty for Bowman to look forward to when the season starts against Chapel Hill on Wednesday night. The Panthers will face Northern Durham in its home opener on August 25.
“Everybody has a different skill set,” Bowman said. “Everybody out here among this group has shown us something that we’re going to call on as the season begins. Whether that’s goal scoring, ball-winning, possession, communication…we have a lot of people who can step up.”
