Orange Football

Photo from Will Okin

The storybook ending for the eight Cedar Ridge seniors that embodied patience and courageousness will come eventually.

It just didn’t come on Friday night.

Not at this point in time when Orange is too talented, too deep and too experienced.

After a one-year interruption in the rivalry when Cedar Ridge didn’t field a varsity team in 2018, the series continued Friday night as Orange scored four unanswered touchdowns to defeat the Red Wolves 43-14 on Senior Night at Red Wolves Stadium. Panthers’ sophomore running back Omarion Lewis rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns as Orange (4-6, 3-3 in the Big 8) beat its crosstown rival for the seventh straight time.

In the absence of starting wingback Machai Holt, who missed the game, Lewis now leads Orange with 682 rushing yards and eleven touchdowns.

Cedar Ridge played without leading rusher Isaiah McCambry, who injured his right shoulder against Southern Durham last week. Despite that, the Red Wolves scored touchdowns on its first two possessions. Sophomore quarterback William Berger hit Desi Raspberry for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Berger found Zachary Holmes on a crossing pattern on the two-point conversion to give Cedar Ridge an 8-7 lead.

On its second drive, Berger led Cedar Ridge down the field on a 7-play, 77-yard drive, its only sustained drive of the game. Berger connected with Raspberry on a 29-yard pass to five midfield. After Baxter Mergenthal reached the edge of the goal line for a first down, Berger scored on a quarterback sneak with :56 remaining in the first quarter.

After that, the Red Wolves were held to two yards total offense and zero first downs during the middle two quarters.

“I was real proud of my team for how we handled the storm,” said Orange coach Van Smith. “They (Cedar Ridge) came out excited and fired up because it was a crosstown rivalry and their senior night. They had a good game plan for how to attack us. But we answered and settled in and started playing better defense.”

The Red Wolves (1-9, 1-5) will conclude its season next week at Vance County.

“I think we came out energized,” said Cedar Ridge coach Torrean Hinton. “My hat is off to Orange. They came out here and played hard. Our guys came out and tried things a little different and it was working. Usually when you get down into the trenches of the game, bodies start to fall, fatigue plays a factor. And the better team won today.”

Orange started the game with a 57-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Wyatt Jones to senior wide receiver Zyon Pettiford. it was the longest touchdown catch of the year for Pettiford.

Following Raspberry’s touchdown, the Panthers responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Elliott Woods scored on a four-yard run up the middle. Senior wide receiver Joe Kiger hooked up with Jones on the ensuing two-point conversion to boost Orange’s lead to 15-8.

Orange rolled up a season-best 414 yards total offense to snap a five-game road losing streak. They defeated Northwood in Pittsboro on October 17, 2018.

“Joe made some big plays in the second half,” Smith said. “That one touchdown was a fantastic catch. I thought that first half was as good of a half as he’s played all season.”

Oranges wingback Elliott Woods, who also had a season-high with 87 rushing yards, scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter.

Caulin Fansler blocked a punt on the following Cedar Ridge drive, which led to Kiger’s second touchdown catch of the night from Jones on a 19-yard fade. Orange led 29-14 at the half.

Lewis crossed the goal line on Orange’s first series of the second half. On a 10-play, 82-yard drive, orange kept the ball exclusively on the ground. After Jones ran for 19 yards on a read option to jump start the drive, Lewis ended it with a 12-yard touchdown.

Lewis scored on a two-yard run early in the fourth quarter for his eleventh touchdown of the year.

It wasn’t the ending that Mergenthal, Braden Thompson, Zachary Holmes, Matthew Hinton, Brandon Poteat, or K.J. Barnes wanted. But just as no football dynasty lasts forever, no struggling program stays lean on wins forever, either.

Whenever Cedar Ridge football gets back to where it once was, the unsung heroes will be the ones for played its final home game at Red Wolves Stadium on Friday night.

“We had that conversation earlier this week,” Hinton said. “I told them that whatever happens after this year, when we start to pull this thing together, these guys will be the cornerstones of that. They’re the guys we build around. All of them are going to be great kids moving forward. I just hate it that the outcome of this game was what it was. But those guys are our strength and they exemplify what it means to be a Cedar Ridge football player.”

ORANGE 43, CEDAR RIDGE 14

ORA-15 14 7 7-43

CR—14 0 0 0-14

ORA-Zyon Pettiford 57 pass from Wyatt Jones (Nigel Slinkier kick)

CR–Desi Raspberry 55 pass from William Berger (Berger to Zachary Holmes)

ORA–Elliott Woods 4 run (Jones to Joe Kiger)

CR–Berger 1 run (run failed)

ORA—Woods 10 run (Slanker kick)

ORA-Kiger 19 pass from Jones (Slanker kick)

ORA—Omarion Lewis 19 run (Slanker kick)

ORA—Lewis 2 run (Slanker kick)

RUSHING: ORANGE 40-295 4 TD (Lewis 19-170 2 TD, Woods 15-87 2 TD, Jones 3-22, Kiger 3-11, Courtney Edwards 1-5, Connor Ray 2-4)

CEDAR RIDGE: 24-8 (Aidan Seagroves 15-34, Brandon Poteat 1-6, Braxton Mergenthal 1-1, Elijah Whitaker 2-(minus 9), K.J. Barnes 2-(minus 11), Berger 3-(minus 16) TD)

PASSING: ORANGE: Jones 6-11 119 TD

CEDAR RIDGE: BERGER 6-15 115 TD

RECEIVING: ORANGE: (Kiger 5-62 TD, Pettiford 1-57 TD)

CEDAR RIDGE: (Raspberry 3-69 TD, Barnes 3-46)

The Orange Panthers rolled up a season-high 414 yards total offense in beating Cedar Ridge 43-14 on Friday night. Left guard Dari’us Matkins had a strong game as the Panthers registered 185 rushing yards. Matkins has also played defensive line for Orange this season. Now, Matkins wants to help the Panthers reach the state playoffs. Orange will host Chapel Hill for senior night next Friday at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. With the win over Cedar Ridge, Orange has surpassed its win total from last year and they retained the victory bell for another year. 

Sophomore Omarion Lewis had a career-high 170 yards on 20 carries as Orange pulled away from Cedar Ridge 43-15 on Friday night. The Red Wolves took a 15-14 lead after quarterback William Berger scored on a quarterback sneak late in the first quarter. After Elliott Woods opened the second quarter with a touchdown, Lewis controlled the second half. Lewis scored on a five-yard touchdown run to complete a 10-play, 82-yard drive on Orange’s first series of the second half. Lewis also had a 59-yard run to conclude the third quarter, and ended the scoring with a two-yard run. Brimmer who has been a varsity player since his sophomore year, will play his final game at Auman Stadium next Friday against Chapel Hill. He’s looking to beat Chapel Hill and potentially put Orange into the state playoffs. 

The fall sports season is drawing to a close with some playoff intrigue in football and men’s soccer. On Monday night, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to Southern Durham on senior night at Red Wolves Stadium. The Spartans scored in the opening minute and largely packed in its defense the rest of the game to hold Cedar Ridge scoreless.

It was a costly loss to Cedar Ridge’s playoff chances. On Tuesday, the Red Wolves’ MaxPreps ranking fell to #68. They’re 7-12-1 overall, 5-9 in the Big 8 Conference. While Southern Durham’s MaxPreps ranking is #67, they can’t make the state playoffs ahead of the Red Wolves because Cedar Ridge finished ahead of them in the Big 8 standings.

Last week, the Orange football team kept its playoff hopes alive with a dramatic 31-30 overtime win over Northwood. Machai Holt scored in overtime for the game-winning score. Sophomore Omarion Lewis scored three touchdowns.

On Saturday, the season ended for the Cedar Ridge and Orange High volleyball teams. Terry Sanford defeated the Red Wolves 3-1 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Clayton swept Orange. Two nights later the Comets stunned previously undefeated Grey’s Creek 3-0 to advance to the Round of 16.

The Big 8 Conference Cross Country Championships were held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary last Thursday. We’ll have more details on the results in a post coming up later tonight.

Now, here’s the Magnificent 7 from Week 9 of the Fall Sports Season:

Anne Morrell: Finished 10th in the Big 8 Women’s Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:52.70. Helped Cedar Ridge finish 3rd in the Big 8. The Red Wolves will compete in the 3A Mideast Regionals at Northwood High School in Pittsboro on Saturday.

Allison Musty: This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week, Musty was also named to the All-Big 8 Conference team in women’s cross country (Morrell was, as well). Musty finished 15th overall in the Big 8 Championships, crossing the finish line at 20:34.30.

Reese Weaver: Scored a hat trick in Cedar Ridge’s 9-0 win over Vance County on October 23. Weaver has eleven goals for the Red Wolves this season.

Levi Draughon: A sophomore, Draughon finished 19th in the Big 8 Men’s Cross Country Championships for Cedar Ridge. He was the highest finisher among Cedar Ridge runners. Cedar Ridge finished 4th as a team.

Omarion Lewis: The sophomore Orange running back was named the Orange Panther of the Week after rushing for 95 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers 31-30 win over Northwood in overtime last Friday night. Lewis leads the team in rushing.

Machai Holt: Made an interception in the fourth quarter of the Northwood game. Two plays later, Holt scored off a 32-yard touchdown pass from Wyatt Jones to tie the game against Northwood. Holt scored on a 10-yard touchdown run in overtime. Holt leads the team with eight touchdowns.

McKenzie Hawks: Hawks competed in the 3A Central Regional Women’s Golf Championships at Greensboro National Golf Club last week. Hawks, a senior, shot 107. Sarah Durham, an Orange sophomore, were the only Hillsborough representatives in the Central Regional Championships.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore running back Omarion Lewis. On Friday, Lewis scored three touchdowns as the Panthers came back from a 24-6 deficit to defeat Northwood 31-30 in overtime. On September 6, Lewis played in his first varsity game against South Granville and ran for 113 yards, even though he only played in the second half. He now has 510 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season through eight games. Lewis was originally slated to play on the junior varsity team this year, but after his performance against South Granville, those plans changed.  Lewis and the rest of the Panthers travel to Cedar Ridge on Friday night in the Battle of Hillsborough. The game can be heard on Hillsboroughsports.com starting at 6:45 with the C&R Ski Outdoor Pregame Show with Tim Hackett and Jason Knapp. 

On September 13, Orange rallied from a 13-0 deficit to defeat Williams 21-13. It was Orange’s largest come-from-behind victory since stunning Chapel Hill in 2015, when they trailed 20-7 only to win 38-37.

So Friday’s night victory over Northwood set a new standard. Orange trailed 24-6 with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter before Elliott Woods sparked a comeback with an interception of a Jack Thompson pass. After that, the Orange defense went to work as they shut out the Chargers for the rest of regulation.

As the old football cliche goes, 12 plays decide every game. It was no different here. So with help from Thompson Team Films, here’s the Dire Dozen from Orange’s sixth win over Northwood in the last seven years.

1. Northwood, 3rd-and-1 from the Orange 21-yard line, Orange’s Khaleb Smith with an interception.

Looking back at the game notes, it’s amazing how close Northwood came to blowing Orange out. After Aaron Ross scored on an 8-yard touchdown run, the Chargers led 17-0. Orange went backward on the subsequent drive and Auman Stadium seemed lifeless. Northwood had the ball at the end of the red zone and could have gone ahead 24-0 if it wasn’t for Khaleb Smith making his first interception of the year.

2. Orange ball late in the 2nd quarter, 3rd-and-7 from the Northwood 39-yard line, Wyatt Jones throws to Elliott Woods for 26 yards.

Quite a catch by Woods, who caught this ball over the back of Northwood cornerback Jack Vail. Jones had to rush his throw because Northwood defensive tackle Antawn Edwards broke free and had a free path to the QB. If Woods doesn’t make this catch, Orange is probably still at two wins.

3. Orange ball, 2nd-and-9 from the Northwood 12, Omarion Lewis scores his first TD.

Owen Aquino started at left tackle for Orange. He supplied a good block on outside linebacker Pierce Cook to free up Lewis for his 7th touchdown of the season.

4. 3rd quarter, Northwood 2nd & 11 at the 50 yard line. Elliott Woods with an interception.

This was the play of the game. Woods pick led to an Orange touchdown. It was the second of Orange’s three takeaways. Coming into the game, 35% of Orange’s points came off turnovers. In this game, they had 12. This started a string of 24 unanswered Panther points.

5. Orange ball, 2nd & 10 from the Northwood 24. Lewis scores his 2nd touchdown.

Another quality block from pulling guard Dari’us Matkins helped Lewis score his 2nd touchdown of the game. This score gave Orange life after some fans left the stands following a touchdown run by Northwood’s Aaron Ross on the previous drive put the Chargers ahead 24-6.

6. Northwood 3rd-and-4 from its own 26-yard line, Orange’s James McAdoo with a sack of Northwood quarterback Jack Thompson.

As mentioned above, Ross scored a touchdown on Northwood’s first possession of the second half. Then the Chargers went six consecutive possessions without a first down. James McAdoo met Will Torain to the quarterback on this sack that led to a Northwood punt.

7. Orange ball, 3rd-and-4 from the Northwood 24-yard line, Lewis scores his final touchdown.

Believe it or not, this was Orange’s final 3rd down conversion of the game and it happened late in the 3rd quarter. If Matkins didn’t get credit for a pancake block on this run, he should have. Pulling to the left after Lewis sprang outside, Matkins sent a Charger flat up his back, leading Orange to reduce Northwood’s lead to 24-18.

8. Northwood ball, 1st-and-10 from the Northwood 36, Orange linebacker Jackson Wood with a sack of Thompson.

On Thursday night, the Orange junior varsity team defeated Northwood 27-0 in Pittsboro. Several of the players who suited up for Orange on Thursday also played on Friday. Not only that, but some played at key points with Orange trailing 17-0. Jackson Wood was in the game as Orange trailed 24-17. He made this key sack on Thompson on a big play that would get much bigger soon.

9. Northwood ball, 2nd-and-18 from its own 28, Machai Holt with an interception.

Machai Holt has come up big down the stretch in big games before for Orange on the gridiron and on the hardwood. This game may have been his masterpiece. He took over in the final six minutes, starting with this interception.

10. Orange ball, 2nd & 8 at the Northwood 36, Jones to Holt for a 32-yard touchdown.

Jones had a 65-yard pass to Zyon Pettiford called back because of a ineligible man downfield penalty in the third quarter. This time, Jones found the right connection as Holt scored his first receiving touchdown of the year to tie the game.

11. Caulin Falser blocks a would-be game-winning field goal with 12 seconds remaining.

Northwood’s final drive set new standards for gutsy play calling. After Jack Spotz was stopped at the Charger 49-yard line on 3rd down, punter Aidan Laros came out on 4th-and-3 with :53 remaining. Instead of punting, Laros ran a designed fake around right end for a first down by six inches. Thompson completed passes to Jalen McAfee and Ross to move the ball to the Orange 28-yard line. With 12 seconds remaining, Laros came back out to attempt a 40-yard field goal to win the game. He drilled a 42 yarder from nearly the same spot to open the game. This time, Caulin Fansler got his six-foot frame up to deflect the ball and send Auman Stadium into a frenzy.

12. Holt scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime from 10 yards

Holt scored his eighth rushing touchdown of the year in the first possession of overtime. Even more importantly, Nigel Slanker kicked the extra point to sew up a win on Homecoming night and keep Orange’s state playoff chances alive.

Orange senior Cameron White is looking to end his high school football career in style. On Friday night, White stepped in for the injured Jake DeFranco at punt returner. In the third quarter, White had a 33-yard return to set up an Orange touchdown as the Panthers rallied from a 24-6 deficit to defeat Northwood 31-30 in overtime. On the season, White has three pass breakups. On offense as a wide receiver, he had three receptions against Vance County. White and the rest of the Orange seniors have two games remaining in the regular season, against Cedar Ridge on Friday at Red Wolves Stadium. Then they host Chapel Hill for senior night. If the Panthers pull out wins in those final two games, they could reach the postseason. You can hear Orange vs. Cedar Ridge on Friday night starting at 6:45 with the C&R Ski Outdoor pregame show with Tim Hackett and Jason Knapp. 

The Orange football team trailed 24-6 midway through the third quarter against Northwood on Friday night.  The Panthers stormed back to win 31-30 in overtime. Elliott Woods played three different positions for the Panthers. He led the team with 52 receiving yards. Woods also had an interception that led to 24 unanswered Orange points in the third quarter.  Plus,  he had to fill in at long snapper for Joe Kiger, who injured his hand in the first half. Woods led the team with eleven tackles. Orange defensive tackle Courtney Edwards played offense and defense. The Panthers are 3-6 and will go for consecutive wins for the first time this season when they travel to Cedar Ridge on Friday night. You can hear that game with Tim Hackett, Jason Knapp and Jmari Graham starting at 6:45 with the C&R Ski Outdoor Pregame Show live from Red Wolves Stadium. 

Adam Chnupa: On Saturday, the Elon football team came from behind to defeat Rhode Island 38-13 in Meade Stadium in Kingston, RI. Chnupa, a former Cedar Ridge All-Big 8 football and baseball player, played on special teams as the Phoenix won its second straight game. This season, Chnupa has played in four games for Elon, who are now 4-4 overall, 3-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix host William & Mary for Homecoming next Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.

Keshawn Thompson: Among the wild games throughout the country on Saturday was Campbell’s 49-47 triple overtime win over Gardner-Webb at Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs. Thompson, a redshirt sophomore who graduated from Orange in 2017, assisted on two tackles for the Camels. He also had a tackle for loss. Campbell is 6-1, 3-0 in the Big South. They travel to North Alabama next Saturday for a nonconference game.

Rodney Brooks: In the CIAA on Saturday, Winston-Salem State shutout Livingston 21-0 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks entered the game as a safety, made one tackle and assisted on two others. The Blue Bears fell to 4-4, 1-4 in the CIAA. They host Fayetteville State next Saturday.

Kevin Wright: In Rocky Mount, Division III Brevard defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 26-20 at Rocky Mount Stadium. Wright had one solo tackle and assisted on two others as the Battling Bishops fell to 3-4, 2-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Wright has played in four games for Wesleyan this season. The Bishops travel to Methodist next Saturday.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: On senior day for the Division III Dickinson men’s soccer team on Saturday, Reid-Shaw started at centerback as the Red Devils defeated Haverford 2-1 in Carlisle, PA. Reid-Shaw fired a shot on goal as Dickinson improved to 9-6, 5-2 in the Centennial Conference. On Wednesday, Reid-Shaw will play his final home game for Dickinson, who will host Muhlenberg on Wednesday night. Dickinson is in 3rd place in the Centennial Conference, one game in the loss column behind Franklin & Marshall.

Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team suffered a tough loss on Thursday. Delaware defeated the Phoenix 2-0 at Grant Stadium in Newark, DE. Hodges, who had goals in three consecutive games coming into the game, started at midfield and fired a shot on net. The Phoenix had only three shots on net in the game. Elon is 11-4-2 overall, 5-2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Elon is now tied with Delaware for third in the loss column in the CAA.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team defeated Southern Wesleyan University 2-0 at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Saturday. Jean posted her seven shutout of the season. She started and played 52 minutes before being replaced by Paige Renkosik, who was among eight seniors who played their final home game. Jean is 8-6 as the goalkeeper of the Saints this season. Limestone is 7-2 in Conference Carolinas. They’re in 3rd place in the league, two games behind Mount Olive for 1st place.

Brittany Daley: On Senior Day for the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 2-0 at Pride Field on Saturday. Daley started again at centerback. She has started all 17 games for Greensboro. The Pride ended the regular season 12-4-1, 6-1-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference. They will be the top seed for the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament, which starts later this week.

Jordan Rogers: The William Peace women’s soccer team defeated Averett University 3-0 at Campbell Stadium in Danville, VA on Saturday. With the victory, the Pacers set the program record for most wins in a season. Rogers, who graduated from Orange in 2018, started her 18th game of the season for Peace. The Pacers are now 7-10-1, 3-5 in the USA South. The Pacers will also start play in the USA South Conference Tournament this week.

Lili Henry: On Friday night, two former Hillsborough volleyball players squared off against each other again. Lili Henry, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2018, suited up for Division III Methodist against Meredith. The Avenging Angels defeated the Monarchs 3-1 on scores of 21-25, 25-13, 25-22 and 25-7. Henry had 15 assists, one ace, one kill and two digs. Methodist is 6-16, 5-9 in the USA South.

Bailey Lucas: Lucas played all four sets for Meredith against Methodist. She finished with 16 assists and five digs. The Avenging Angels are 16-7 overall, 10-2 in the USA South. Meredith is tied in the loss column with Averett for 1st place in the conference.

There was more than a cruel irony in Orange’s largest comeback victory since 2015 on Friday night.

It was downright eerie.

On October 20, 2017, Orange bolted out to a 14-0 lead against Northwood after Hunter Pettiford scored on a 35-yard touchdown run. The Panthers didn’t score again in regulation. Ultimately, the game went to overtime. Northwood scored first. Orange followed suit, but usually reliable kicker Francisco McKinley hooked an extra point right and the Chargers stunned the Panthers 21-20 in overtime.

With 7:06 remaining in the third quarter on Friday night, Northwood’s Aaron Ross danced untouched into the end zone to give the Chargers a 24-6 lead. At that point, some Orange fans left the stadium, and why not? Homecoming festivities had ended and it appeared Orange’s state playoff chances were gone, as well. This was a Northwood team that trailed for much of the first half against East Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge, but they were blowing Orange out of their own stadium—on Homecoming. At that moment, the last thing anyone thought was another overtime game was on the horizon, especially when Orange went three-and-out on its next drive.

Elliott Woods had other ideas.

His interception of Northwood quarterback Jack Thompson’s pass sparked 24 unanswered Orange points. In a rally as zany and unpredictable as the team itself, the Panthers pulled off a stunning 31-30 overtime victory over the Chargers at Auman Stadium. Machai Holt scored the game-winning touchdown in the only extra session. Nigel Slanker booted through the extra point, concluding a night reminiscent of Seinfeld’s opposite episode where Slanker missed his previous four extra points after starting 19-of-20 on the year.

On the first play of overtime, Thompson threw to Aaron Ross for a 10-yard touchdown. But kicker Aaron Laros, who looked as reliable as possible earlier, shanked the extra point wide right.

It was Orange’s (3-6, 2-3 in the Big 8 Conference) first overtime win since October 2, 2009, when they defeated South Granville in Pat Moser’s first year as head coach.

It appeared that Laros would be the hero of the night after an incredibly gutsy call by first-year Chargers’ coach Cullen Homolka in the final minute of regulation. With the game tied 24-24, Northwood (4-5, 3-2) faked a punt on 4th-and-3 with 47 second remaining at midfield. Laros dashed to the Orange sideline around right end and earned the first down by the nose of the football.

Thompson completed passes to Jalen McAfee and Ross to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by Laros with 12 seconds left, but the kick was blocked by Orange’s Trey Grizzle to force overtime.

Orange sophomore running back Omarion Lewis scored three touchdowns and finished with 95 yards rushing. It was his highest total since going for 119 yards against South Granville in his first varsity game on September 6.

The Panthers came into the game on a three-game losing streak. In response, Orange coach Van Smith vowed changes to the lineup before Friday night. He wasn’t kidding.

Three regular starters never got off the bench in the first half. During one possession in the second quarter with Orange trailing 10-0, the wide receiver corps consisted of Connor Ray, Jayce Hodges and Jared Weaver, two of whom are junior varsity players who played the previous night in a 27-0 win over Northwood in Pittsboro.

“I never lost hope,” Smith said after trailing 24-6. “I knew what we had coming in later. We started the game with some guys that don’t normally get a lot of playing time. We were relying on them to make plays when they don’t have a lot of experience making plays at the varsity level. Sometimes, young teenage boys make poor decisions. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. Sometimes you have to suffer the consequences of your actions.”

With 5:51 remaining in the third quarter, Woods returned an interception 27 yards. Two plays later, Lewis scored his second touchdown on a 24-yard run.

Orange’s defense held Northwood without a first down on the next five Charger drives. Lewis scored on a 24-yard run on the Panthers’ next possession to draw within 24-18.

Penalties killed potential big plays for both teams late in the third quarter. Laros appeared to have scored on a 63-yard fake punt for a touchdown where he was never touched, but it was called back for a holding penalty. Orange quarterback Wyatt Jones hit Zyon Pettiford on a perfectly executed misdirection pass for 59 yards, but the Panthers were flagged for ineligible man downfield.

Fittingly, it was Holt who sparked the two biggest plays of the fourth quarter. He picked off a Jackson pass and returned it 14 yards. Two plays later, Jones found Holt for a 32-yard touchdown. Slanker had the extra point blocked to keep the game tied 24-24. Orange was 0-for-4 on points after touchdowns during regulation. By that point, Woods replaced regular long snapper Joseph Kiger, who injured his hand in the first half. Even Jones, Slanker’s holder, left the game in the third quarter because of an injury. He later returned.

For the third week in a row, Orange got off to an awful start. Laros kicked a 42-yard field goal to open the scoring with 9:31 left in the first quarter after Orange muffed a punt return. Laros converted the kick from nearly the exact spot on the field where he was later miss with the game on the line.

After Orange missed a field goal on its opening drive, the Chargers moved effortlessly down the field on a 10-play, 80-yard drive. Thompson found Ross for an 11-yard touchdown.

Ross scored on an eight-yard run with 6:32 remaining in the second quarter to push Northwood ahead 17-0. On the play, Chargers running back Dedric Powell injured his left leg and didn’t return. Northwood’s offense didn’t get another first down the rest of the half and largely struggled the rest of the game.

Orange scored on its final drive of the first half. After Jones found Woods on a 26-yard pass on 3rd-and-7, Lewis scored on a 12-yard run to narrow Northwood’s lead to 17-6 going into the locker room.

“My hats off to my young team,” Smith said. “I think we made a lot of strides tonight.”

ORANGE 31, NORTHWOOD 30 OT

NWD—10 7 7 0 6-30

ORA—0 6 12 6 7-31

NWD–Aidan Laros 42 FG

NWD–Aaron Ross 7 pass from Jack Thompson (Laros kick)

NWD–Ross 8 run (Laros kick)

ORA–Omarion Lewis 12 run (kick failed)

NWD-Ross 5 run (Laros kick)

ORA–Lewis 24 run (run failed)

ORA–Lewis 24 run (kick failed)

ORA–Machai Holt 32 pass from Wyatt Jones (kick blocked)

ORA–Holt 10 run (Nigel Slanker kick)

NWS-Ross 10 pass from Thompson (kick failed)

RUSHING:NORTHWOOD 19-8 2 TD (Ross 8-15 2 TD, Dedric Powell 2-13, Laros 1-3, Thompson 8-(minus 23)

ORANGE: 34-122 (Lewis 12-95 3 TD, Holt 8-26 TD, Elliott Woods 8-14, J.J. Torres 2-6, Joe Kiger 1-4, Jones 3-(minus 23).

PASSING: NORTHWOOD (Thompson 32-49 333 yards 2 TD, 3 INT) ORANGE (Jones 9-26 134 yards TD, INT)

RECEIVING: NORTHWOOD: (Jalen MCAfee 10-99, Ross 8-99 2 TD, Jack Spotz 7-77, Chris Lawson 5-49, Powell 2-9)

ORANGE: (Woods 3-52, Joe Kiger 2-43, Holt 2-34, Torres 1-4, Lewis 1-1)