Orange Football

STEM–Stem, North Carolina has been good to DeVante’ Pettiord.

It was where he won his first game in his senior year as an Orange football player in 2010. 12 years later, it was where he won his first game as a head coach.

Though Orange’s 45-0 win over Granville Central was the polar opposite of dramatic, there were tears in Pettiford’s eyes as his first win as a head coach quickly became apparent. It was a milestone moment for him, his assistants and many of his players.

Afterwards, defensive assistant Erick Villines dumped a cup of water over Pettiford’s head, which would have to do in place of the obligatory Gatorade bath. The team presented Pettiford with a commemorative game ball for his first win.

“It feels amazing,” Pettiford said. “I’ve seen these guys bust their butts, show up every day and go to work. They had a tough three games, but it all came together tonight. It was exactly what this team needed. We work hard everyday. We just needed to taste something good. Hopefully, it just gets keep rolling.”

It was a career night for several players. Sophomore quarterback Hank Nunnery threw for five touchdowns, a career-high. Running back Nathan Sorrells rushed for a personal best 157 yards and scored three touchdowns. Wide receiver Shaun Beasley made caught three touchdowns and finished with 103 yards receiving, his second straight 100-yard receiving game.

The Orange defense, led by returning senior linebacker Jabari Albright, held Granville Central to 55 yards total offense and two first downs. Senior Amare Morgan had a strong night on both sides of the ball. As a linebacker, Morgan had two tackles for loss. On offense, Morgan took a slip screen pass from Nunnery and dashed 33 yards down the Orange sideline for his first career touchdown.

“This is a team that, when we play with confidence, we’re pretty good,” Pettiford said. “Our issue is when something goes wrong, how do we respond? We do respond and we keep fighting, but we still take the hit and play bad for about five minutes. If we can start withstanding the blow better and being more resilient, that’s what will get us back on track.”

Orange scored touchdowns on each of its first five possessions and finished with season-best 498 yards. From the time that Sorrells took the opening handoff of the game for 21 yards, Orange wasn’t seriously challenged. After Beasley took an end around for 44 yards around left tackle, Sorrells scored on a three-yard carry up the middle. Sydney Rogers’ extra point put Orange ahead 7-0.

After a botched punt attempt by Granville Central, Orange inherited its second possession at the Central 20-yard line. Nunnery threw a tap pass to Sorrells for a seven-yard score.

Orange needed only one play to strike for its third score. Nunnery hit Beasley down the middle for a 55-yard score, Beasley’s second touchdown of the season to increase Orange’s lead to 19-0.

On the fourth Panther possession, Nunnery hit Beasley for 26 yards, then found Morgan for the screen pass and a 33-yard touchdown.

To open the second quarter, Nunnery hit Beasley again, this time for a 31-yard touchdown. Senior wide receiver Wynston Brown, who scored last week against Burlington Cummings, added another touchdown with a 25 yard touchdown catch in the left corner of the end zone.

The second half, which was played with a running clock, opened with Orange’s most lengthy drive of the night. After Sorrells started with a 16-yard carry, DeAndre Brown rumbled up the middle for a 21-yard gain. After a holding penalty deep in Granville Central territory, Sorrells scored his third touchdown of the game on a 24-yard run.

“This is definitely a memorable moment,” Pettiford said. “It was special seeing these guys win. It ain’t even about me. It’s about these guys that show up everyday and put the work in.”

It was Orange’s first road win since beating Northern Durham at Durham County Stadium in March 12, 2021.

The Panthers (1-3) start Central Carolina Conference play against Western Alamance on Friday night at Auman Stadium.

“We have a tough conference,” Pettiford said. “It’s full of good teams. Hopefully, we hit the ground running and we’re trying to get hot at the right time.”

ORANGE 45, GRANVILLE CENTRAL 0

ORA–25 13 7 0-45

GCN–0 0 0 0-0

ORA–Nathan Sorrells 3 run (Sydney Rogers kick)

ORA–Sorrells 7 pass from Hank Nunnery (kick blocked)

ORA–Shaun Beasley 55 pass from Nunnery (run failed)

ORA–Amare Morgan 33 pass from Nunnery (kick blocked)

ORA–Beasley 31 pass from Nunnery (run failed)

ORA–Wynston Brown 25 pass from Nunnery (Rogers kick)

ORA–Sorrells 24 run (Rogers kick)

RUSHING–ORANGE 23-295 yards 2 TD (Sorrells 9-157 2 TD, Jabari Albright 5-59, Beasley 1-44, Jaylan Starks 1-21, Deandre Brown 4-17, Nunnery 1-0, team 1-(-1), Brown 1-(-2))

GRANVILLE CENTRAL 21-(-11 yards): (Jamar Starter 5-10, Tashad Kearney 9-5, Uzias Cid-Sanchez 2-4, Fletcher Harvey 1-4, James Thorppe 1-(-4), Luke Sharon 3-(-30))

PASSING: ORANGE 10-13 203 yards 5 TD (Nunnery 9-12 196 yards 5 TD, Ty Walker 1-1 7 yards) GRANVILLE CENTRAL (Sharon 5-18 64 yards)

RECEIVING: ORANGE (Beasley 4-112 2 TD, Brown 2-32 TD, Sorrells 2-13 TD, Morgan 1-33 TD, Brandon Cummings 1-13)

GRANVILLE CENTRAL (James Thorpe 2-56, Kearney 2-10, Alex Terry 1-(-2))

It was a career night for many Orange Panthers in the football’s team first win of the season against Granville Central. The Panthers shut out Granville Central 45-0 in Stem on Friday night. It was DeVante Pettiford’s first win as the head coach of the Panthers. Sophomore quarterback Hank Nunnery threw five touchdown passes, all in the first half. Senior wide receiver Shaun Beasley had his second career 100-yard receiving game, going for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Nathan Sorrells rushed for a career-high 157 yards and scored three touchdowns. Sorrells had a receiving touchdown and opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run. The game also marked the return of senior linebacker Jabari Albright, who had a sack. Albright also rushed for 59 yards as the Panthers cruised to victory in its final nonconfence game of the season. Afterwards, the team presented Pettiford with a game ball to commemorate his first win as head coach. 

Keshawn Thompson: Now a graduate student, Thompson started at linebacker for the Campbell Fighting Camels in its 29-10 win over The Citadel at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Thursday night. Thompson, who led Campbell in tackles last season, had four tackles against the Bulldogs. Campbell travels to William & Mary on Saturday.

Payton Wilson: Wilson’s bad luck with injuries reared its ugly head in N.C. State’s season opener at East Carolina in Greenville on Saturday. In the first half, Wilson left the game with an upper-body injury. He returned to the sidelines without pads in the second half as the Wolfpack preserved a 21-20 win. N.C. State, which is now ranked #18 in the country by the Associated Press, will host Charleston Southern on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium. Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said that Wilson may return to play against the Buccaneers.

Braxton Mergenthal: A former Cedar Ridge defesnive lineman, Mergenthal played his first game for Division III Hampton-Sydney on Saturday. Wabash defeated Hampton-Sydney 52-48 in the Gentlemen’s Classic at Little Giant Stadium in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Mergenthal entered the game on special teams.

Lottie Scully: The former Orange High outside hitter made her debut for the Binghamton volleyball team last week. In her first college match, Scully played all five sets as the Bearcats defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 3-2 on scores of 25-13, 22-25, 20-25, 25-22 and 15-7 to open the Bearcat Classic at West Gym in Binghamton, NY. Scully finished with 22 assists and ten digs. On Saturday, Boston College swept Binghamton 3-0 on scores of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-17. Scully played three sets and registered eleven assists, one ace and six digs. Binghamton won its final match of the event by beating Siena College 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-21. Scully registered her first college kill, along with 13 assists, two aces and seven digs. Over Labor Day weekend, Binghamton won the Central Connecticut State Tournament in New Britain, CN. The Bearcats didn’t drop a set over three days. They opened with a 3-0 victory over Central Connecticut State (25-21, 25-22 and 25-23). Scully finished with two kills, 28 assists, two aces and five digs. Binghamton rolled past Columbia 3-0 last Saturday (25-23, 27-25 and 25-20). Scully had five kills, 19 assists, two aces and ten digs. In the final match, the Bearcats swept Saint Peter’s University (25-13, 25-12 and 25-13). Scully finished with one kill, 25 assists and eleven digs. Binghamton is 5-1 and will start play in the Georgetown Invitational in Washington, D.C. on Friday. The Bearcats will start against George Washington.

Avery Miller: On Saturday, the Pitt Community College volleyball team lost its Region X opener to Bryant & Stratton College 3-0 in Virginia. Miller started for the Bulldogs and finished with three kills, one ace and eight digs. Later on Saturday, PCC defeated the College of Southern Maryland 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 25-27, 19-25, 16-14). Miller played one set. Pitt CC is 4-1 overall.

Kayla Hodges: The Virginia Commonwealth University women’s soccer team earned its first win of the season leading into Labor Day weekend. Last Thursday, the Rams defeated William & Mary 1-0 at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, VA. Hodges made for first start for VCU and played all 90 minutes. On Sunday, VCU played to a scoreless tie with East Carolina. Hodges came off the bench to play 16 minutes. VCU is 1-1-4 and will host Pitt on Thursday.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team lost to #18 Florida Tech 2-1 in the Bears’ home opener at Moretz Sports Complex in Hickory on Friday night. Talley came off the bench and played 31 minutes for L-R. The Bears will travel to Harrogate, Tennessee to face Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday night.

PHOTO BY JACQUES MORIN

Even though his playing days ended long ago, there’s still a competitive fire within Erick Villines.

He played as a defensive tackle at Orange through three different head coaches in three years in the late 1980s. For the past decade, he’s served as a defensive assistant coach for some of the most successful Orange teams in school history.

All of that was a distant memory by late Friday night. As he sat on a bench along the visitor’s side of Culton-Peerman Stadium as the support staff cleaned up around him, Villines just stared at the ground like he was in a trance.

Chapel Hill had just beaten Orange 35-7, its third straight win over the Panthers. No matter what the personnel is, Villines’ competitiveness was a reminder that it’s never fun losing. And it certainly isn’t fun losing to Chapel Hill, a rivalry that dates back to when Orange and Chapel Hill where the only two public high schools in Orange County.

It was the most lopsided win for Chapel Hill over Orange since 2004, when the Tigers shutout the Panthers 48-0 in Issac Marsh’s first game as the Tigers head coach.

For the second week in a row, Orange didn’t score in the second half. Unlike last week, the Panthers looked lethargic offensively, committing six turnovers. Chapel Hill held Orange to 101 yards total offense and four first downs.

“We’ve got to do better in the second half,” said Orange football coach DeVante’ Pettiford. “We did start to get worn out so we’ve got to pick up our conditioning. We’ve got to get in better shape. A lot of our guys are going to start get cramping up. So we’ve got a lot of work to do in that. And I put that on me. We’ve got to do a better job in practice.”

The Panthers played without senior linebacker Jabari Albright, who was injured against South Granville last week. Albright is Orange’s only returning defensive starter.

“It always hurts when you don’t have your leader,” Pettiford said. “He’s the one who communicates and keeps everybody in check. That’s a tough one. Hopefully, he will be back next week.”

At kickoff, the humidity was so stifling that the press box windows grew foggier by the minute, but it sure didn’t prevent the officials from getting flags stuck in their pockets. The two teams combined for 227 yards in penalties. Chapel Hill had two touchdowns called back because of various infractions, including a 67-yard interception return by Maraki Abbo on the final play of the second quarter that would have vaulted the Tigers ahead 14-7 if it wasn’t for a block in the back penalty.

The game was tied 7-7 at halftime and continued the theme of entraining, if strange, games between the two longtime rivals. Late in the second quarter, Chapel Hill’s Isaiah Roberson intercepted a pass and returned It to the Orange 24-yard line. On the next play, Orange’s Hunter Albert picked off a pass at the goal line.

“We did a good job stopping the run early,” Pettiford said. “Then they started opening up and throwing it deeper.”

Earlier in the second quarter, Orange tied the game when quarterback Hank Nunnery threw to Wynston Brown for a 39-yard touchdown pass.

For its final drive of the second half, Chapel Hill junior backup Joshua Kelley was replaced Dylan Jones at quarterback, which proved vital.

Chapel Hill was 5-of-6 on third-down conversions in the second half. In its opening drive of the third quarter, the Tigers faced a 3rd-and-13 from the Orange 15-yard line. Kelly found junior Jeffrey Sims, who was pushed down at the one-yard line. Roberson put Chapel Hill ahead for a trail sweep around right end.

On the next play from scrimmage, Chapel Hill’s James Lunsford punched the ball away from an Orange running back, which was recovered by Dyllan Jones. Kelly converted a 3rd-and-13 when he found Jones for a 24-yard gain. After a 14-yard run by Roberson, Kelly found Dylan Evans for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Owen Korntein’s extra point put Chapel Hill ahead 21-7.

Meanwhile, Orange had four consecutive possessions end in turnovers. Late in the third quarter, Chapel Hill’s Idris Webb returned an interception 28-yards for a touchdown. Sachi Alston received a 13-yard pass from Kelley in the fourth quarter for the final score of the game.

Most of the first quarter was played in Chapel HIll’s end of the field. On its second drive, Orange had a 3rd-and-1 from the Tigers’ 45-yard line, but was called for a false start. Nunnery was pressured into an incompletion on the next play.

“I felt we matched up well,” Pettiford said. “I thought we were playing well. At the end of the game, they threw a lot of blitzes at us. We didn’t handle it very well. It’s growing pains, baby. We have a young team. A lot of sophomores and freshmen are starting. But the future is going to be bright.”

CHAPEL HILL 35, ORANGE 7

CH-0 7 21 7-35

OR-0 7 0 0-7

CH–Dylan Evans 29 pass from Dylan Jones (Owen Kornstein kick)

OR–Wynston Brown 39 pass from Hank Nunnery (Sydney Rogers kick)

CH–Isaiah Roberson 1 run (Kornstein kick)

CH–Evans 19 pass from Joshua Kelley (Kornstein kick)

CH–Idris Webb 28 interception return (Kornstein kick)

CH–Sachi Alston 13 pass from Kelley (Kornstein kick)

RUSHING–ORANGE 32-41 (Ja’Ki McDaniels 4-17, Nathan Sorrells 11-16, Derek Yanko 2-15, Wynston Brown 1-9, Jaylen Starks 1-7, Deandre Brown 3-3, Ty Walker 6-(-9), Nunnery 4-(-17)).

CHAPEL HILL 32-112 TD (Kelley 6-30, Roberson 9-27 TD, Drew Allen 4-27, Cayden Forbes 9-22, Joshua Roberson 1-8, Jones 2-1, team 2-(-3).

PASSING–ORANGE 6-17 62 yds TD 4 INT (Nunnery 5-13, 58 yds, TD, 3 INT, Walker 1-4, 4 yds INT)

CHAPEL HILL–15-24 192 yds 3 TD INT (Kelley 9-15 105 yds 2TD, Jones 6-9 87 yds TD, INT)

RECEIVING–ORANGE (Brown 2-46 TD, Nathan Sorrells 2-15, McDaniels 1-1, Shaun Beasley 1-0)

CHAPEL HILL (Evans 6-77 2 TD, Dyllan Jones 2-42, Jeffrey Simms 2-20, Ben Bollinger 2-14, Tarran Keyes 1-19, Alston 1-13 TD, Forbes 1-7

Bryse Wilson: Wilson had a quality start for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Friday night. Wilson allowed just three runs over seven innings. He surrendered only five hits with four strikeouts and zero walks. Wilson left with the game tied 3-3. Pittsburgh got a walkoff single from Michael Chavis to win 5-4. Wilson is now 2-7 with a 5.74 ERA. Since July, Wilson has had a 3.83 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched across eight starts. Wilson also announced on Facebook that his fiancee is expecting their first child in March.

Mia Davidson: In the fourth week of Athletes Unlimited softball, Davidson was briefly in the top ten of the overall individual standings. Last weekend, Davidson suited up for Team McCleney, which went 2-1 for the three-game series. On Saturday, Davidson hit her third home run of the season as Team McCleney routed Team Chidester 20-5 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, IL. Davidson went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. She finished the day with 198 points (40 for the home run, 40 for the double, 8 for a walk, 50 for the win and 60 for winning six innings, which count for 10 points an inning). The two-run homer in the second inning was Davidson’s third professional home run. On Friday, Team McCleney defeated Team Jaquish 3-2. Davidson went 1-for-2 with a walk. She finished with 118 points (50 for the win, 50 for inning points, 10 for a single and 8 for a walk). On Sunday, Team Mulipola defeated Team McCleney 3-0. Davidson went 0-for-1 with two walks and finished with 16 points (8 points for each walk). Going into the final weekend of the season, Davidson is 14th overall in the individual standings with 1,114 points. The overall leader is Dejah Mulipola, who has 1,462 points. On Monday afternoon, Davidson was drafted by Mulipola in the ninth round for this weekend’s final three game series of the year. Davidson is hitting .321 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 12 games. She has been a designated player in each game she’s played.

Trenton Gill: Gill took another big step towards earning the Chicago Bears permanent punting job in its second exhibition game last Thursday night. The Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-11 at Lumen Field. Gill landed four out of eight punts inside the 20-yard line. He finished with a 45.4 yard average on eight punts with one touchback. The Bears are now 2-0 in the preseason and will finish its exhibition slate against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night.

Kayla Hodges: The Virginia Commonwealth women’s soccer team had a heartbreaking loss to start its season. The #23 N.C. State Wolfpack defeated the Rams 2-1 at Dail Soccer Field in Raleigh on Sunday night. Hodges, in her first season with VCU, came off the bench to play eleven minutes. VCU will look to get back on track when they host UNC Wilmington at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, VA on Thursday night.

The fall sports season for college athletics will officially get underway this week. Here are some of the athletes from Hillsborough who will suit up in various sports.

Payton Wilson: Wilson, who is a redshirt junior, was a preseason All-ACC selection at linebacker as N.C. State is picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division. Last season, Wilson was injured in the Wolfpack’s second game of the season against Mississippi State and missed the rest of the year.

Keshawn Thompson: After leading the Campbell Fighting Camels in tackles last season, Thompson is back with the Camels as a graduate student this year. It will be his fifth season with Campbell. The Camels will travel to the Citadel to start the season on September 1.

Braxton Mergenthal: A former Cedar Ridge defensive lineman, along with being a member of the men’s basketball and lacrosse teams, Mergenthal is now in his third season as a defensive lineman at Hampden-Sydney College.

Darius Satterfield: After two years as a punter/kicker at Orange, Satterfield is now a freshman at Division II Elizabeth City State University.

Morgan Paschall: A former Orange High running back and linebacker, Paschall is now a defensive back at Louisburg College.

Lottie Scully: A 2022 Orange High graduate, Scully will play volleyball for the Binghamton Bearcats volleyball team as a freshman this fall.

Emerson Talley: The all-time leading scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history will start her sophomore season for Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University against Lees-McRae on Saturday. In her freshman year, the Bears reached the Final Four of the Division II National Tournament for the first time ever. Lenoir-Rhyne is picked to finish 2nd in the South Atlantic Conference.