Orange Football

Joey McMullin: Former Orange basketball guard Joey McMullin has announced his transfer to Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst. This winter, McMullin played at Bryn Athyn College, a Division III school in Philadelphia. McMullin scored over 1,000 points in his Orange career. He was a regular starter for Orange’s 2016-17 team that captured the Big 8 Regular Season Championship and advanced to the 3A State Quarterfinals. In his final win at Orange, McMullin rolled up 36 points against Northern Durham. Sandhills Community College plays in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. On Monday night, the Flyers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NJCAA National Championship with a win over John Wood Community College.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team swept a doubleheader over Jackson State on Tuesday. Davidson hit home runs in both games, bringing her career total to 65. She is now tied for fourth in Southeastern Conference history with 65 career home runs. In Mississippi State’s opening 8-0 win in five innings, Davidson went 1-for-3. In the second game, Davidson launched a solo blast in the 3rd inning. The Bulldogs captured the nightcap 10-3. Davidson went 1-for-4. Also in the second game, Davidson split time at second base and at first base. She has now played every infield position for her career at Mississippi State. 10 of Davidson’s last 12 hits have left the ballpark.

Montana Davidson: Montana came off the bench to play third base for Mississippi State in both ends of the doubleheader against the Tigers. She went 1-for-2 in the opener. In the nightcap, Montana scored off a single by Chloe Malau’ulu in the fourth inning. Montana also went 1-for-2 in the second game. Mississippi State is 23-19 and will host Texas A&M for a three-game series starting Friday in Starkville.

Grace Andrews: On Monday, the Catawba Valley Community College softball team split a doubleheader against Florence-Darlington Tech at Highland Recreation Center in Hickory. In the opening game, Florence-Darlington edged the Red Hawks 3-2. Andrews went 0-for-3, which ended her nine-game hitting streak. In the second game, Andrews rebounded in the second game, going 2-for-3 with her seventh home run of the season as the Red Hawks whitewashed the Stingers 6-0. Through 28 games, Andrews leads or is tied for the team lead in four offensive categories: a .478 batting average with 44 hits, seven home runs (tied with Alleigh Himes for the team lead) and 32 RBIs. Andrews is second on the team with ten doubles.

Landon Riley: It took two-thirds of the season, but Riley finally surrendered a run for the Liberty Flames–albeit an unearned run. Duke defeated the Flames 7-0 on Tuesday at Worthington Field. It was Liberty’s first home loss of the season. In the eighth inning, Riley faced four batters. He surrendered one run off two hits and one walk. LIberty is 5-2 against the ACC this year. The Flames are still in first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-2 mark, one game ahead of Kennesaw State. Liberty hosts Coastal Carolina starting Friday for a three-game nonconfernece series.

Kayla Hodges: After winning the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Championship on Saturday, the Elon women’s soccer team will face Milwaukee to open the 48-team tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. The winner will face Florida State, the #1 overall national seed, on May 1. Hodges has started all nine of the Phoenix’s games this season and was named 2nd-team All-Colonial Athletic Association last week.

Kate Burgess: The UNC Rowing team competed at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina last Saturday. The Tar Heels competed against Clemson and Oklahoma. The Tigers won with 81 points, while the Sooners finished with 70 points. The Tar Heels registered 65. Burgess was on UNC’s 2V4 crew, which defeated Clemson’s third and fourth boats with a time of 8:11.0.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team won its eighth straight game on Sunday, rolling past Methodist 27-12 at Monarch Stadium in Fayetteville. Jaylin Jones, a former Orange High star, scooped up one ground ball for the Falcons. Pfeiffer’s eight consecutive home wins matches the school record set by the 1994 team. The Falcons host William Peace to wrap up the regular season on Friday.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A four home run first-inning turned out to be more than enough for Bryse Wilson to earn his fourth Major League victory.

On a weekend where the notorious Chicago wind blew out of Wrigley Field, Wilson calmed down after a shaky start to help the Atlanta Braves rout the Chicago Cubs 13-4 on Sunday night.

Wilson actually had a plate appearance before he threw his first pitch. That’s because the Braves hit four home runs in the first inning. All of the dingers came off of Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks, who came the first pitcher in the 145-year history of the franchise to surrender four home runs in the first inning. Freddie Freeman, Travis d’Arnaud, Ehire Adrianza and Guillermo Heredia all hit dingers in the first inning.

It was the first time the Braves hit four home runs in the first inning since May 28, 2003 against Cincinnati.

Wilson allowed three runs over five innings, including two homers to Anthony Rizzo. The five home runs in the first inning was the most in a Major League game since a Houston-Baltimore game on August 19, 2016.

“Bryse kept it together and righted himself after a shaky first inning,” said Atlanta Manager Brian Snitker, a member of the Durham Bulls during its Carolina League days in the mid-1980s. “He throws the ball really well.”

After Rizzo’s homer, Chicago’s Kris Bryant scored after a throwing error by Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley to narrow Atlanta’s lead to 6-2.

Wilson required 31 pitches to get out of the first inning, but he needed just 38 pitches over the next four innings to earn the win.

In the second inning, Wilson allowed a leadoff double to Chicago’s David Bote, who was immediately thrown out at third after Hendricks attempted a sacrifice bunt. Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman retired Bote. Ian Happ flew out to Heredia and Willson Contreas grounded out to Riley to end the inning.

Rizzo hit his second homer of the game to lead off the third and cut Atlanta’s lead to 6-3. Wilson retired the rest of the Cubs’ order in just seven pitches, striking out Javier Baez on three tosses to end the inning.

Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a lower abdominal injury as he slid into first base during a pickoff attempt in the fourth inning. Acuna eventually scored off a sacrifice fly from d’Arnaud to extend the Braves lead to 7-3, but left the game shortly afterwards.

Wilson retired the Cubs in order in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Contreras reached on an infield single, but Rizzo lined into an unassisted double play by Freeman, who doubled Contreras off first. It turned out to be the final pitch of Wilson’s night.

In the top of the sixth, Heredia put the game on ice with a grand slam to center to vault the Braves into a 13-3 lead. Wilson got another at-bat before he was replaced in the bottom of the inning. He struck out swinging.

It was Wilson’s first start since Game 4 of the 2020 National League Championship Series, where he outdueled Los Angeles Dodgers Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw to win 10-2 and bring the Braves on the brink of its first National League Championship since 1999.

Wilson’s background in football at Orange High was a constant source of discussion for ESPN play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian and colorman Alex Rodriguez during Sunday night’s broadcast. Vasgersian mentioned that Wilson originally committed to play baseball at UNC before opting to sign with the Braves organization straight out of Orange High, where he led the Panthers to four consecutive Big 8 Conference Baseball Championships. He was also a member of Orange’s varsity football team from 2013-2016, where he was a linebacker, running back, wide receiver and backup quarterback under head coach Pat Moser.

There are games that come and go just as quickly as time passes, making it all seem so random.

Then there are days like Saturday morning at Culton-Peerman Stadium, where the combination of history, good fortune and incredible drama may leave one feeling that a guiding hand of fate may be paying attention, after all.

After some dominant Orange wins over Chapel Hill in recent years, local football fans were due for a classic between the two rivals on Saturday at Culton-Peerman Stadium. And after going 0-10 against Orange since 2009, Chapel Hill was set to benefit from a storybook finish.

Nolan Westrom kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired, clearing the crossbar by inches, to vault Chapel Hill past Orange 24-22 and claim a share of the Big 8 Championship on Saturday morning at Culton-Peerman Stadium. Tiger quarterback Caleb Kelley threw a 44-yard pass to wide receiver Kyhlil Jones to set up the field goal.

It was Westrom’s second field goal of his varsity career. The other was a 37-yarder against Northern Durham on March 19.

Chapel Hill defeated Orange for the first time since 2004, which was Issac Marsh’s first win as a head coach. His latest one may be the most gratifying. In 2019, Chapel Hill went 1-10, ending with a 30-6 loss to Orange. The year before that, the Tigers didn’t field a varsity team due to a lack of players.

Through a decade of dominating its archrival, Orange had found one miraculous way after another to break the Tigers’ hearts. On Saturday, it appeared they would find one more.

With less than one minute remaining and Orange trailing 21-14, Panther quarterback Jayce Hodges found Eric Brooks for a 49 yard pass to the Chapel Hill 22-yard line. In its double wing offense, the Panthers pounded the ball to the one-yard line, where senior Jackson Wood scored on 4th-and-goal with 25 seconds remaining. Orange then took a 22-21 lead with a 2-point conversion run by Brooks, who ran around right end past blocks set by Darius Matkins, Hayden Horne and wingback Elliott Woods.

Brooks was set to join some lofty company. In 2014, Orange quarterback Garrett Cloer threw to wide receiver Ky Muller to score a 55-yard touchdown against Chapel Hill on the final play of the game to break a scoreless tie. A year later, after Chapel Hill led 34-14 at halftime at Auman Stadium, the Panthers rallied for two touchdowns in the final two minutes. After current Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryse Wilson recovered an onside kick, Tay Jones scored on a touchdown run in the final minute, then scored on a 2-point conversion (sound familiar?) to win 38-37.

After all that heartbreak, in its final game against Orange as a Big 8 Conference rival, it was Issac Marsh’s Tigers smiling at the end.

That was about all the smiling that took place between two teams that simply don’t like each other. If Orange’s first trip to Culton-Peerman Stadium since 2016 had been any more nasty, the coaches could have sent the game tape to multiplexes and entitled it “Longest Yard 2.” The game featured no less than ten 15-yard penalties, including a roughing the passer call moments before Kelley’s pass to Jones.

Chapel Hill romped down the field on its opening drive after a big return by Jones on the opening kickoff. Kelley hit Malachi Corbett for a 19-yard touchdown.

Orange responded with its ground control offense chewing up yards on the ground. Eric Brooks converted a 3rd-and-1 with a six-yard gain. Trey Grizzle, in his final Orange game, scored his first varsity touchdown off a 25-yard pass from Hodges. Darius Satterfield’s extra point tied the game.

Chapel Hill’s defensive line of Amir Lassiter, Gabe Bollinger and Marquette Bowers provided a goal line stand late in the first quarter. After J.J. Torres was stopped at the 2-yard line, Wood was stopped short on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Kelley then engineered a 99-yard drive for the Tigers. He converted two third-downs on scrambles, then hit Jones for a 58-yard gain. Jones would score off a jet sweep from six-yards away to put the Tigers ahead.

Three consecutive offside penalties helped Orange start its next drive in Tiger territory late in the second quarter. After Torres kept the possession alive with a 4-yard gain on 4th-and-1, Brooks snapped free of several tackles and scored a 20-yard touchdown to even the game 14-14.

It stayed even into the fourth quarter, but both teams had their chances to score. Orange opened the second half with a 12-play drive where Woods crossed midfield with a 21-yard pickup. The Panthers would penetrate to the Chapel Hill 14-yard line, but the Tigers’ Ta’vonne Page came up with an interception.

Once again, Kelley hooked up with Jones, this time for a 44-yard gain to kickstart the subsequent Chapel Hill drive. After running back Jaylen Mitchell ran to the Orange 10-yard line, he received another carry, but Torres knocked the ball free and it was recovered in the end zone by Orange linebacker Connor Ray.

The Panthers started the fourth quarter with another strong drive, going from its own 20-yard line to the Chapel Hill 15. Woods had a 20-yard gain off a double handoff from Torres. As with every Orange drive in the game, the Panthers crossed the 50-yard line. But the Panthers fumbled in the Chapel Hill red zone, which was recovered by Tigers’ linebacker Jamazia Williams.

Jones had the big plays on Chapel Hill’s only touchdown drive of the second half, starting with a 22-yard run around left end. On a 3rd-and-10 from the Tiger 39-yard line, Kelley hit Jones with an 11-yard pass. After runs of 19 and ten yard by Anthon Enoch, Mitchell put the Tigers ahead with a 2-yard touchdown with just over 4:00 minutes remaining.

The game was played hours after a 3-hour lightning delay on Friday night, For whatever reason, the scoreboard at Culton-Peerman Stadium, all of two-years old, was left on during a thunderstorm. It’s believed that the scoreboard may have been struck by lightning because when game officials showed up Saturday morning, it was busted. That forced officials to keep time on the field, leaving players, coaches and game staff in a constant state of confusion as to how much time was left in the game and what the score was.

As the two teams split apart into new conferences in August, there’s no word on if Chapel Hill and Orange will resume the series. As a reporter, you can only go on what you know for sure. Saturday’s game was a classic, and for once, Chapel Hill was the one smiling at the end.

For now, that is the end of the story.

CHAPEL HILL 24, ORANGE 22

CH-7 7 0 10

OR-7 7 0 8-

CHAPEL HILL-Malachi Corbett 19 pass from Caleb Kelley (Nolan Westrom kick)

ORANGE-Trey Grizzle 25 pass from Jayce Hodges (Darius Satterfield kick)

CHAPEL HILL-Kyhlil Jones 6 run (Westrom kick)

ORANGE-Eric Brooks 20 run (Satterfield kick)

CHAPEL HILL-Jaylen Mitchell 2 run (Westrom kick)

ORANGE-Jackson Wood 1 run (Brooks run)

CHAPEL HILL-Westroom 40 FG

RUSHING: ORANGE 53-289 (Brooks 18-109 TD, Elliott Woods 11-73, J.J. Torres 11-52, Wood 8-31 TD, Nate Hecht 4-13, Jayce Hodges 1-11)

CHAPEL HILL (Mitchell 18-80 TD, Anthon Enoch 4-47, Kelley 5-25, Jones 3-31 TD)

PASSING: ORANGE (Hodges 2-4 74 TD, INT) Kelley (10-13 221 TD, team 0-1)

RECEIVING: ORANGE (Brooks 1-49, Grizzle 1-25 TD)

CHAPEL HILL: (Jones 6-174, Williams 1-20 TD, Ta’vonne Page 1-16, Mitchell 1-11)

The biggest regular season football game at Chapel Hill High since 2008 isn’t supposed to happen in the middle of April. But the past year has been anything but normal.

Neither has Chapel Hill’s ascent to the top of the Big 8 Conference.

Less than two years ago, Chapel hill didn’t have a football team. The school that produced Bernardo Harris, who went to become a Super Bowl Champion with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, Brett Farve’s only world championship. The same school that produced Matt Stevens, who went on to play on a Southern Conference Championship team at Appalachian State and ended his career on the first New England Patriots team to win a Super Bowl in 2002. If you don’t know Matt, perhaps you’ve heard of his teammate who became starting quarterback at midseason that year. His name is Tom Brady.

Chapel Hill Coach Isaac Marsh has had the ultimate emotional roller coaster since replaced Joe Wolfe as Chapel Hill head coach in 2004. Three months after he accepted the job his father, L.C., died. The day of the funeral, Chapel Hill upset Jordan and went to the 4A State Playoffs. There was a win at Middle Creek in 2007, the Tigers’ first playoff victory since the school was located on Franklin Street in the 1960s. The following August, 17-year-old defensive lineman Atlas Fraley died of natural cases after a scrimmage in Cary. The Tigers’ dedicated that season to his memory, playing inspired all the way to winning the PAC-6 Championship, ending their run as a 4A team with a dominant performance at Jordan in November 2008. The following week, Westover stunned the Tigers in Culton-Peerman Stadium in the opening round of the state playoffs, dashing the dreams of some Chapel Hill fans who thought they could make a run to nearby Kenan Stadium for all the marbles.

The next night, defensive lineman/fullback Rodney Torain was killed while riding home in the backseat of a car.

So, yes, Isaac Marsh has seen some things, some of which he would rather forget.

Certainly football can’t compare with the loss of human life. But as an exceptional student instructor since he arrived at Chapel Hill, Marsh lives to teach and coach. When he didn’t have a varsity team at all in 2019, a vital part of his life was taken away, at least on Fridays (Chapel Hill did field a JV team, which only fueled the rivalry with Orange).

That’s what made last Thursday night so surprising.

When a school hits the reset button on football, it’s like warming up a car on a snowy day. The heat isn’t supposed to come on right away. It takes time to get the engine warm again.

Yet after finishing 1-10 in 2019, Chapel Hill stunned Southern Durham 43-38 at Spartan Stadium to improve to 4-1. They were the first team to beat the Spartans this season.

Overnight, the entire shape of the Big 8 Conference race changed.

It also raised the stakes of Orange’s final regular season game.

Coming into tonight, Southern Durham is in the clubhouse with a 5-1 Big 8 Conference record. Chapel Hill is 4-1, while Northwood is 3-1. The Chargers’ game against Vance County never took place last week, and Northwood officials are under the impression that it will be declared a forfeit victory in their favor. But that’s not official yet.

As far as tonight goes, Chapel Hill is playing for a share of the Big 8 Conference championship. It would be its first league title since the 2008 title.

Then there’s the added wrinkle of the Orange-Chapel Hill rivalry, which has been one-sided since Chapel Hill returned to 3A. Since 2009, Orange is 10-0 against the Tigers. They have been games like their last meeting in November 2019, when Orange had the talent advantage, they knew it, and they won 30-6. There was 2009, when Chapel Hill was going for a playoff spot, and Orange was struggling in the early days of Pat Moser. But the Panthers, coming off consecutive losses to Cardinal Gibbons and Southern Vance, stunned the Tigers 42-23 at Culton-Peerman Stadium to end the season, ruining Chapel Hill’s playoff chances.

Then there was 2015, possibly the greatest game ever between the two longtime rivals. The Tigers roared out to a 34-14 halftime lead behind quarterback Connor Stough. But Tay Jones and Bryse Wilson would not let Orange lose. After Jones caught a touchdown pass from Garrett Cloer in the fourth quarter, Wilson perfectly timed his jump on the subsequent onside kick and recovered it. The following play, Jones scored on a 46-yard touchdown run, then cashed in the two-point conversion to pave the way to a 38-37 Orange win.

As easy as it would have been, Marsh didn’t let that crushing loss destroy his team. They stunned defending 3-AA State Champion Southern Durham, in Spartans’ QB Kendall Hinton’s last high school game, during the 3rd round of the state playoffs. They went all the way to the Eastern Regional Championship game, where they fell to Northern Guilford in Greensboro.

(BTW, why hasn’t Southern Durham retired Kendall Hinton’s number yet?)

Much like Chapel Hill dominated the rivalry in the 1990s, Orange has dominated it since 2009. Tonight will be their final meeting as conference rivals for the foreseeable future.

It will possibly be the final football game for Orange seniors Elliott Woods, Dari’us Matkins, Jayce Hodges, J.J. Torres, Hayden Horne, Will Crabtree, Will Torian, Trey Grizzle, Zahmir Watkins, Daniel Champion, Malachi Hooker, and Johnny Weddle. With a win, Orange will keep its playoff chances alive.

So it is spring. And some teams have had a live and let live mindset for this unusual season.

But for one April night, the Friday Night Lights will shine brightly at Culton-Peerman Stadium because the stakes can’t get much higher.

After weeks of near misses, the Orange junior varsity football team finally earned a victory in its season-finale on Wednesday night. The Panthers defeated Northwood 34-28 in a thriller at Auman Stadium. Freshman running back Nate Sorrells scored the game winning touchdown with 43 seconds remaining. It was Sorrells third touchdown of the game. Orange quarterback Wynston Brown found Sorrells for a 25-yard gain on a 3rd-and-8 with time running out to get the ball down to the Northwood 3-yard line. Brown also scored a rushing touchdown for Orange. Orange’s Ronald Cooper had a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. Sorrells finished with 117 yards from scrimmage, with 40 yards rushing and three receptions for 77 yards. Both Brown and Sorrells have already played some varsity games for Orange this season and will be a big part of the Panthers’ future, starting in just a few months for the start of training camp.

Photo by Bernard Thomas

No intricate Xs and Os. No pep talks. No diagnosing hours of game tape.

Orange simply outmanned Cedar Ridge to retain the victory bell at Auman Stadium on Thursday night. One only need look at the Panthers’ rushing personnel, in addition to rushing yards, to understand why Orange continues to have the upper hand against its crosstown rivals on the gridiron.

In its fourth game under the double wing alignment installed by offensive coordinator Marty Scotten after a season-opening loss to Southern Durham, the Panthers had no less than 13 players receive carries against the Red Wolves. Cedar Ridge had two.

Naturally, five different Panthers scored touchdowns in Orange’s 36-6 win on Senior Night. The Panthers scored 21 points off turnovers and piled up 257 rushing yards to improve to 3-2. Senior wingback Elliott Woods, in his final game in Hillsborough, and freshman Nate Sorrells each had 58 yards rushing to pace an Orange attack that completed only one pass.

It was Cedar Ridge’s first trip to Auman Stadium since 2015.

“Coach Scotten said I was going to get the next run, so I’m glad the clock ran out,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “For years, our model has been defense. We want to play really good defense and play good offense and establish ball control. Control the clock and control the pace of the game. That hasn’t changed since we’ve been here.”

Orange didn’t allow a first down until Cedar Ridge’s final drive of the first half. By that point, the Panthers were comfortably ahead 29-0.

The Panthers also had notable senior contributors who made big plays. Cornerback Daniel Champion suffered a separated shoulder in the first quarter against Southern Durham on March 5. Champion didn’t return to practice until this week, where he was allowed to practice only without contact.

He was cleared to play on Thursday night, though he was cautioned that he would endure some pain. Champion wound up making two interceptions, the first two of his career, both in the third quarter.

Champion’s first pick led to another senior night success story. On 4th-and-7 from the Cedar Ridge 13-yard line, backup quarterback Wynston Brown found tight end Will Crabtree, who hauled in the first varsity touchdown of his career. Crabtree, who was on the Homecoming Court during halftime, is a volunteer firefighter with the Cedar Grove Department and plans to become a fireman in Durham after graduating from Appalachian State.

“I think we’re better in some positions than last year,” Smith said. “We have more depth in other positions than last year. We’re a little better off than we were last year.”

Cedar Ridge, which lost its top ball carrier when running back Isaiah McCambry transferred to Walter Williams last fall, received its only touchdown from Aiden Seagroves on its final drive of the game.

Orange’s Elijah Danley made his team-leading third interception of the year on the second play from scrimmage. After Woods converted a 3rd-and-10 with an 11-yard carry, Jackson Wood scored his first varsity touchdown with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Orange’s Nate Hecht and Brandon Worsham sacked Cedar Ridge quarterback Elijah Whitaker for a safety on the next Red Wolves possession. After the free kick, senior Eric Brooks notched his team-leading fourth touchdown of the year with a 4-yard carry. Darius Satterfield’s extra point pushed Orange’s lead to 15-0.

Orange overcame three penalties on its next drive to score again. After Woods ran for nine yards on a 3rd-and-8, J.J. Torres crossed the goal line on a six-yard scamper.

After Woods recovered a fumble with 4:03 remaining in the first half, Brown replaced Jayce Hodges at quarterback. After Hecht started the drive with a 15-yard carry, Brown scored his first varsity touchdown on 4th-and-goal on a 5-yard keeper.

Cedar Ridge quarterback Elijah Whitaker went 10-of-19 for 91 yards.

At the end of an eventful Thursday across the sports landscape, Orange season-ending matchup grew larger in magnitude. Chapel Hill upset Southern Durham, creating a three-way tie for first place in the Big 8 Conference. The Tigers, who didn’t field a football team two years ago, can clinch a share of the conference title with a victory over Orange next week.

It would be the first time since 2008 that Chapel Hill has won a share of a conference title in football.

Cedar Ridge is scheduled to have its senior night game next Friday against Vance County.

ORANGE 36, CEDAR RIDGE 6

CR—0 0 0 6-6

OR–15 14 7 0-36

ORA–Jackson Wood 15 run (kick failed0

ORA–SAFETY, quarterback tackled in end zone

ORA–Eric Brooks 4 run (Darius Satterfield kick)

ORA–J.J. Torres 6 run (Satterfield kick)

ORA–Wynston Brown 5 run (Satterfield kick)

ORA–Will Crabtree 13 pass from Brown (Satterfield kick)

CR–Aiden Seagroves 3 run (kick failed)

RUSHING–CEDAR RIDGE 21-45 (Elijah Whitaker 14-37, Seagroves 7-8 TD)

ORANGE-48-257 (Nate Sorrells 7-58, Elliott Woods 7-58, Torres 7-49, Brown 3-19, Wood 5-18 TD, Ronald Cooper 3-18, Brooks 6-17 TD, Nate Hecht 3-17, Jabari Albright 1-7, Connor Ray 2-1, Zahmir Watkins 2-0, Jayce Hodges 2-(-5).

PASSING-CEDAR RIDGE (Whitaker 10-19 81 3 INT) ORANGE (Brown 1-2 13 TD)

RECEIVING-CEDAR RIDGE (A.J. Richmond 4-26, Desi Raspberry 2-31, Mitchell Bonner 2-16, Johntez Raspberry 2-8.)

ORANGE (Crabtree 1-13 TD)

Orange seniors Daniel Champion and Will Crabtree both went extra lengths to win on their senior night over Cedar Ridge on Thursday night. Champion, a cornerback, made two interceptions, both in the third quarter. Champion had not played since the season opener against Southern Durham on March 5. Instead of sitting out the final two games, Champion practiced with some pain in his shoulder this week, and returned for what turned out to be a special night. Crabtree made the first touchdown catch of his career off a pass from backup quarterback Wynston Brown. Instead of waiting for graduation, Crabtree has already started his professional career. He currently serves with the Cedar Grove Fire Department. After attending Appalachian State, Crabtree plans to work in Durham as a fireman. Champion and Crabtree will look to clinch Orange’s first winning season since 2017 next week when they travel to Chapel Hill.

Orange wingback J.J. Torres scored a touchdown on his senior night. Torres opened the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown run as the Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 36-6 in the final game of the abbreviated year at Auman Stadium. It was his second career touchdown. Torres was one of 13 Panthers to carry the ball in Marty Scotten’s new double wing offense. Torres finished with 49 yards on seven carries. In addition to playing football at Orange, Torres is a member of the outreach group called Fathers on the Move, which prepares young people for life outside of high school. In August, Torres will leave Hillsborough to become a student at UNC-Charlotte. Torres has one game, at least, remaining in his high school career when Orange travels to Chapel Hill next week.