Orange Football

Going into its third game of the season against Williams on September 13, Orange was 0-2 on the heels of a loss at South Granville.

The good news was they had stumbled upon their new top running back who would go on to become their workhorse for the rest of the season. Sophomore Omarion Lewis was originally penciled in for the junior varsity team this season. After the Panthers had early fumbles against Granville, Lewis was inserted into the game against the Vikings by Coach Van Smith for the 2nd half.

It wasn’t much of a gamble. The junior varsity season hadn’t started yet and if Lewis struggled, he would spend the fall playing mainly on Thursdays instead of Fridays.

Playing only in the second half, Lewis ran for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings.

He didn’t play on Thursdays this year.

Both Williams and Orange went into its game at Auman Stadium with skill position problems. Williams lost its starting quarterback, Kennedy Miles, suffered a torn ACL against Western Alamance. The Bulldogs’ second-string quarterback, freshman Jaelen Brown, also suffered a season-ending injury the previous week against Eastern Alamance.

Orange was without Machai Holt, its most dynamic playmaker as a wingback on offense and as a safety on defense.

The Bulldogs used four different players at quarterback against Orange, including All-Mid Piedmont Conference linebacker Shane Whitter. Williams jumped out to a 13-0 lead after Kendrel Briggs, Williams’ top receiver, threw to Whitter for a 26-yard touchdown pass on a trick play.

Whitter committed to Wake Forest shortly after this game.

After Williams’ Dalton Little picked off a Wyatt Jones pass, William’s Alijah Richmond bolted down the field on an 80-yard touchdown run. But the extra point was wide right and the Bulldogs lead was only 13-0.

Orange was a good takeaway team in 2019. They finished +13 giveaway-takeaway and scored 35% of its points off turnovers. Against the Bulldogs, they scored 14, starting when Orange linebacker Owen Brimmer picked off a pass by Evan Breedlove at the Williams 20-yard line.

The tide of the game turned in a quirky way. It didn’t come on a 80-yard bomb or a pick-six. It came when Orange’s Nigel Slanker tried to kick a field goal, but Williams was whistled for back-to-back offside penalties.

Now faced with a 4th-and-1 from the Williams’ 4-yard line, the Panthers opted to go for it. Fullback Courtney Edwards used his 270-pound frame to barrel behind offensive linemen Dari’us Matkins and Kalen Moore for a touchdown with :47 second remaining in the first half. It was Edwards first touchdown since his Pop Warner days.

Joe Kiger came up with another big interception on Williams’ opening possession of the second half. The Panthers put together a 10-play, 46-yard drive. Quarterback Wyatt Jones hit Elliott Woods for a 19-yard completion on 3rd-and-4. On 4th-and-2 from the Williams 9-yard line, Jones called his own number and ran around left end for five yards. On the next play, Lewis gave Orange the lead for good with a 4-yard touchdown run.

Orange’s defense took over after halftime. They held the Bulldogs to 86 yards and three first downs in the second half.

Jones scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on a quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter to put Orange ahead 21-13. The Bulldogs crossed midfield on its final drive of the game when Whitter found Briggs for a 35-yard pass. But that would be William’s final first down as J.J. Torres picked off a pass to secure the win and end Orange’s four-game home losing streak.

While he’s been the starting quarterback for the Orange football team for the past two seasons, Wyatt Jones has had a goal of playing professional lacrosse.

Over the past year, the Premier Lacrosse League has become the latest underground darling among the sport’s faithful who hope it will fully establish lacrosse at the professional level.

While Jones’ professional hopes are still years away from being resolved, on Friday he officially achieved another milestone that will forever be his own.

Jones committed to Mercer University in Macon, GA. At the same time, he became the first Orange lacrosse player to commit to a Division I program.

“Wyatt is a special player,” said Orange Lacrosse Coach Chandler Zirkle, who also coached Jones on the Carolina Hilltoppers travel team. “He’s extremely competitive and works incredibly hard. I expect that he will do very well at the next level.”

Last season, Jones was voted third-team All-State as a midfielder. He helped the Panthers win a game in the state playoffs for the first time since 2015. Wearing his signature #19, Jones led the team with 39 goals. He added 17 assists and was second on the team with 56 points.

In Orange’s 17-13 victory over Northside-Jacksonville in the NCHSAA 3A/2A/1A State Playoffs, Jones scored four goals. It was the second state playoff win in team history.

In his sophomore season, Jones started as a midfielder as the Panthers finished 8-7 in Zirkle’s first year as head coach. Among the highlights that season was a 16-4 win over Riverside at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham, a game where Jones finished with four goals.

Jones’ announcement came one week to the day after his last football game, where he threw for two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 30-6 victory over Chapel Hill on Senior Night at Auman Stadium. Jones went 9-of-15 for 154 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers. His final touchdown pass was a 44-yard strike to Elliott Woods, who was Jones’ favorite target this season.

This season, Jones threw for 1,164 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also ran for three touchdowns for an Orange team that finished 5-6.

Jones started all eleven games for the Panthers this season on the gridiron. In the season opener against R.J. Reynolds, Jones went 9-of-19 for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Against Vance County, Jones set a career-high with 13 completions for 141 yards and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Lewis.

He also scored the game-winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak against Walter Williams on September 13. Jones added rushing touchdowns against Southern Durham and East Chapel Hill.

Mercer started a men’s lacrosse team in 2011. It was the first such program in the state of Georgia. The Bears play in the Southern Conference against Jacksonville, Richmond, High Point, Furman, Air Force, Bellarmine, and VMI.

There are seven North Carolina prospects currently on the Mercer roster. The Bears are coached by Kyle Hannan, who will start his eighth season in February.

“Having a kid go on to do great things like that is huge for us in trying to grow a program,” Zirkle said. “It shows younger guys what is possible if they work hard.”

After the Orange junior varsity football team defeated Northwood in Pittsboro on October 24, Panther football coach Van Smith said there would be changes to the varsity team’s lineup the following night.

Smith didn’t go into specifics, but after three straight losses, he wasn’t making empty promises.

As Smith made that vow, several junior varsity players had just finished playing (albeit ten minute quarters). Some of them, like Connor Ray, Eli Danley and Jackson Wood would play extensively against Northwood’s varsity only hours later.

They had no idea they would be vital parts in Orange’s most dramatic game of the year.

Not that it paid immediate dividends, but that wasn’t the message that Smith wanted to communicate at that point. He was ready to build for the future, starting with the ninth game of the regular season.

If you didn’t review the game notes, it’s easy to forget how close Northwood was to going ahead 24-0 in the first half. Midway thought the second quarter, Orange was flat and there was no buzz inside Auman Stadium whatsoever. The Panther offense had consecutive three-and-outs with Northwood leading 17-0. The Chargers started a drive from the Panther 30-yard line after a poor punt.

Northwood faced a 3rd-and-1 from the Orange 21-yard line when senior defensive end Khaleb Smith extended his 6-foot-1 frame and tipped a pass from Northwood quarterback Jack Thompson straight up in the air, then pulled it down for a critical interception.

Orange ended the first half with a 12-yard touchdown run by Omarion Lewis, his first of three touchdowns.

The Panthers scored 35% of its points off turnovers this season. On this night, two critical interceptions paved the way for Orange’s largest come-from-behind victory since 2015. With Northwood in possession leading 24-6 and 6:02 remaining in the third quarter, Elliott Woods picked off a pass by Thompson at midfield and returned it 26 yards.

Two plays later, Lewis scored his second touchdown on a 24-yard gallop. Orange’s defense summoned the momentum with its best stretch of the season. They held the Chargers to two first downs in their final six drives of regulation.

At the end of the third quarter, Lewis scored off a 24-yard touchdown run.

By the end of the night, Machai Holt would have his most Machai Holt game ever. He didn’t play in the first half. He played sparingly in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, he picked off a Thompson pass. Two plays later, quarterback Wyatt Jones hit Holt in stride on a 32-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

The drama at the end was tense and eerie. Ross intercepted a Jones’ pass with 1:51 remaining. Northwood Coach Cullen Homolka made the ultimate gamble by calling for a fake punt on 4th-and-three from midfield. Punter Aidan Laros rushed around right end and barreled into the Orange sideline to get the first down by the nose of the football.

At this point, Laros had been as reliable as a three-way kicker that also played linebacker could be. Earlier, he drilled a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the scoring. After the fake punt, Northwood gained 25 yards and relied on Laros to attempt a 40-yard field goal and win the game from nearly the same spot on the field where he converted earlier. This time, Orange’s Trey Grizzle got an incredible vertical jump at the line to block the field goal and force overtime.

Holt scored on a 10-yard run in Orange’s opening possession. Nigel Slanker, who had missed the previous four extra points on the night, converted to give Orange a 31-24 lead. After Ross caught a touchdown pass from Thompson, Laros pulled the extra point wide left.

It was a downright weird finish that brought back similar memories from two years prior, when Northwood upset Orange 21-20 in overtime. On that night, it was the Panthers’ reliable kicker, Francisco McKinley, who missed an extra point that would have sent the game into a second overtime.

On this night, Orange would come from behind for a win that propelled them to a three-game winning streak to close the year.

The fall sports season for Hillsborough middle schools ended with two local team appearing in the Orange-Person Athletic Conference Championship games.

On October 30, Southern Middle School led Stanford 14-0 in the OPAC Football Championship game in Roxboro. The game was stopped a few minutes into the third quarter after Stanford linebacker Jeremy Morrow suffered a concussion following a hard hit. According to Kelly Snow of PersonCountySportsNow.com, one of Southern’s assistant coaches is an ER nurse who treated Morrow immediately. After staying at Duke Children’s Hospital for one night, Morrow was released and returned home. Stanford ends the year 5-3.

On the same day, the Gravelly Hill football team defeated the Stanback Bulldogs 16-6 to conclude its season. Maliky Poole opened the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Derick Yanko. On the subsequent 2-point conversion, Yanko scored to push the Grizzlies lead to 8-0.

Gravelly’s other touchdown came when Yanko threw to Mason Cates. Yanko added another 2-point run on the point after.

Running back Tyler Fields had a strong all-around game for the Grizzlies. He had several strong runs on offense and made big tackles on defense as a linebacker.

In addition to his touchdown, Cates had an interception, a fumble recovery and several big tackles on defense. Christian Moore also had a solid day for the Grizzlies to conclude the season at 3-4.

Boy’s Soccer: The Gravelly Hill boys soccer team claimed its 3rd straight OPAC Northern Division championship when they defeated Phillips 5-1. Nathan Sorrells had a hat trick for the Grizzlies, while Konnor Johnson and Carson Condon each scored for the Grizzlies. Smith Middle School defeated the Grizzlies for the OPAC Championship.

Also in the final week of October, the Stanback Bulldogs defeated Stanford 4-0 to conclude its season. It was a special night for the Stanback 8th graders who won its final home game. The Bulldogs were coached by J.P. Joubert and Mary-Kathryn Scheppegrell.

Kevin Wright: In Sunday’s Alumni Update, we didn’t include Kevin Wright’s latest game because he was erroneously reported as having not played during North Carolina Wesleyan’s game against Huntingdon on Saturday. In fact, Wright did play as Wesleyan won 23-7 at Samford Stadium in Montgomery, AL. Wright was credited with three tackles as the Battling Bishops improved to 5-4 overall, 4-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Wesleyan will conclude its season against Maryville on Senior Day in Rocky Mount on Saturday.

Finally, last week during a column I wrote regarding the Chapel Hill-Orange rivalry, I mentioned that Orange High School never received a golden football from the National Football League despite the fact that 1993 Orange graduate Alvis Whitted had played in Super Bowl XXXVII for the Oakland Raiders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That was incorrect. In fact, Orange did receive a gold football from the NFL in 2016 for the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl and is, in fact, in the trophy case outside the Orange High Gymnasium. I apologize to the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell for the error.

Speaking of which, Whitted is now the wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers. Whitted left Colorado State last year and joined the Packers over the summer. He actually started he coaching career at Orange before reaching the college ranks.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is quarterback Wyatt Jones. In his final football game on Friday night, Jones threw for two touchdowns as Orange defeated Chapel Hill 30-6 at Auman Stadium. Jones was one of 21 seniors honored before the game. He came out throwing tap passes to wide receivers Zyon Pettiford and Cam White. To conclude the opening drive of the game, White carried around left end for a 17-yard touchdown, his first of the year. Jones also threw to Elliott Woods on a 44-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Wyatt was joined by classmate Joe Kiger and offensive line coach Eric Stephens for this interview. In his final two games in an Orange football uniform, Jones threw for two touchdowns each in games against Cedar Ridge and Chapel Hill. Kiger had a career-high five receptions against Cedar Ridge. Jones’ athletic career at Orange is far from done. He will spend the winter getting ready for the start of lacrosse season in February. 

A three-game winning streak to end the season wasn’t enough for the Orange football team to make the state playoffs this year.

The Panthers were omitted from the 3A and 3AA state playoff brackets released by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association on Saturday afternoon.

Orange’s final MaxPreps ranking was #68.

Of Orange’s five wins, three of them came against teams ranked among the bottom eleven of 3A football (there are 109 football teams in 3A). The Panthers didn’t beat any teams that made the state playoffs.

Judging from the final 3A brackets, Orange appeared to have been the fourth team left out of the field. E.E. Smith, ranked #65, was the last team to get in. Ranked one spot ahead of Orange was Walter Williams, who the Panthers defeated 21-13 in Hillsborough on September 13.

In the end, Orange only played two nonconference teams that made the playoffs. Riverside, who finished 8-3 and in a three-way tie for 2nd in the Triangle 8 Conference, received a 9-seed in the 4A tournament.

South Granville, who held off Orange 20-15 on September 6, won the championship of the Northern Carolina 2A/1A Conference and also ended up 8-3. The Vikings will be in the 2AA State Tournament and opens with North Lenoir in Creedmoor.

R.J. Reynolds, who defeated Orange 47-24 in the season opener, missed the 4A state playoffs, which has 48 teams. The Demons finished 3-8.

After making the state playoffs for seven straight seasons from 2011-17, the Panthers will watch the postseason from home for the second year in a row.

At the end of Friday night’s 30-6 win over Chapel Hill, the Orange coaches planned to have practice on Monday despite their playoff future being murky, at best. On Saturday, that practice was canceled at plans were made to collect equipment on Tuesday.

“I’m proud of how, after a disappointing season last year for a variety of reasons, this group of seniors kind of got everybody together and refocused them during the offseason,” Orange Coach Van Smith said on Friday night. “We didn’t get as many wins as we wanted. But most of the losses we had were were in the games and competitive and had our chances. If a couple of things go our way, a turnover here or there…a penalty here or there…a lot of those game could have turned out different. I think finishing near .500 was a big improvement from one year to the next.”

The two teams who received the Big 8 Conference’s two automatic bids each have home games this Friday night. Southern Durham, who won its first Big 8 Conference Championship since 2014 after going 7-0 in the league, will host Gray’s Creek. The Spartans received a 3-seed in the 3AA State Tournament. Gray’s Creek was one of the six teams to make the playoffs from the 4A/3A Patriot Athletic Conference. The Bears finished 7-4, 4-4 in the PAC.

Northern Durham, who ended the year with six consecutive wins, also wound up in the 3AA State Tournament. The Knights received an 8-seed and will host Southern Alamance at Durham County Stadium on Friday night.

Vance County was the final team from he Big 8 to make the playoffs. The Vipers were placed in the 3A State Tournament and received a 9-seed. They will travel to Northern Nash.

Keshawn Thompson: The Campbell Fighting Camels of the Football Championship Subdivision suffered its first Big South Conference loss of the season to #11 Kennesaw State, 38-35, at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. Thompson, who wasn’t credited for a tackle last week against North Alabama, made a career-high seven tackles against the Owls. A redshirt sophomore, Thompson had five tackles in a season-opening loss to Troy of the Sun Belt Conference. Campbell is 6-3 overall, 3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. They return to action against Monmouth next Saturday.

Payton Wilson: #4 Clemson defeated N.C. State 55-10 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday night. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, left the game with a sprained left shoulder in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return. Wilson had two tackles up to that point. He emerged from the locker room with his left arm in a sling on the sidelines during the 2nd half. After the game, Wolfpack Coach Dave Doeren said he didn’t know how long Wilson would be out. N.C. State has three games remaining, starting with Louisville next Saturday in Raleigh.

Trenton Gill: Against Clemson, Gill had five punts for an average of 52.2 yards per punt. On a brisk night, his longest was 75 yards. Three of the punts were over 50 yards, two were downed inside the 20-yard line and one was a touchback. Gill also had three kickoffs, one of which was a touchback.

Adam Chnupa: The FCS Elon Phoenix’s hopes making the FCS playoffs took a drastic hit on Saturday after losing 31-17 to Maine at Rhodes Stadium in Elon. Chnupa, redshirt freshman, played special teams for Elon, who falls to 4-6, 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Rodney Brooks: In CIAA action on Saturday, Fayetteville State defeated Livingston 32-0 at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. Brooks, who suited up for Livingstone, had three tackles, including one for a loss. Brooks is classified as a junior, according to the Livingstone website. The Blue Bears haven’t scored in eight quarters and have lost five straight. They’re 4-5 overall, 1-5 in the CIAA. They conclude the season next week against Johnston C. Smith in Salisbury next week.

Chandler Compton: After four years on the Wofford men’s soccer team, Compton’s college career came to an end on Friday night. The Terriers lost to Mercer 3-0 in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament at Stone Soccer Stadium in Greenville, S.C. Wofford finished the year 4-13-1. Compton played in two games. He played 17 games in his Wofford career. He scored one goal in 2018 against VMI.

Lionel Reid-Shaw: The college career of Lionel Reid-Shaw also ended on Saturday. Division III Johns Hopkins defeated Dickinson 2-0 in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament at Franklin & Marshall University in Lancaster, PA. Reid-Shaw scored his only college goal last week in his final home game against Muhlenberg. Reid-Shaw concludes his career with the Red Devils with 67 games played. He started 45 with one goal and one assist. Dickinson ends the year 10-8.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone Saints women’s soccer team defeated North Greenville University 2-1 in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Saturday at Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C. Jean started at goalkeeper for the Saints and earned the win after she made three saves. Limestone, who is a #4 seed in the tournament, will face regular season champion Mount Olive on Thursday in the semifinals.

Brittany Daley: The season of the Division III Greensboro College women’s soccer team ended in the semifinals of the USA South Athletic Conference on Friday. Covenant College defeated Greensboro 3-1 on penalty kicks after the two sides played to a scoreless tie in regulation. Greensboro lost despite outshooting the Scots 22-3 in regulation. As she has done every game this season, Daley started at center back for the Pride. Daley didn’t attempt a penalty during the shootout. Greensboro, which went undefeated in the regular season last year only to lose in the USA South Conference Tournament and were denied a trip to the Division III National Tournament, end the year 13-4-2. Daley, a sophomore, started all 19 games for the Pride.

Bailey Lucas: The Division III Meredith volleyball team had its season come to an end in the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday. Maryville defeated Methodist 3-1 in the USA South semifinals at the Grant Center in Danville, VA. Lucas started again for Meredith and finished with 25 assists, eleven digs, and one kill. In the quarterfinals, Meredith defeated William Peace 3-1 at Weatherspoon Gym in Raleigh on Wednesday. Lucas started and had 28 assists, 10 digs and one kill. Meredith ends the year 20-9. Lucas was 2nd on the team this season with 267 assists.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team had an exhibition game against Gardner-Webb last week. The Running Bulldogs won 69-33. Barnett came off the bench and played three minutes. She grabbed one rebound. The Hawks will officially start its season on Friday against North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA.

Lauren Cates: Wake Tech Community College improved to 2-0 on the season with a 117-24 win over Fayetteville Technical Community College at Reid Ross Gymnasium in Fayetteville on Wednesday night. Cates scored 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Cates also had three rebounds, three steals and two assists. On Saturday, the Eagles suffered its first loss of the season to South Carolina-Salkehatchie 58-50. Statistics from that game weren’t immediately available.

While it’s impossible for a whole season to be played in one night, Orange’s Senior night game against Chapel Hill sure felt like you could.

In an interminable two hours and 57 minutes, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 30-6 at a frigid Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. The Panthers (5-6, 3-3 in the Big 8 Conference) ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak on a bizarre night.

In terms of completion percentage, Orange senior Wyatt Jones had the best night of his career in his final home game. Jones used early tap passes to classmates Zyon Pettiford and Cam White to score on the opening possession. He finished 9-of-15 for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

“We add little wrinkles as the season goes along,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “(Offensive coordinator) Coach (Marty) Scotten has added it in lately. It was something that worked early and it opened up some other things, too.”

Junior Elliott Woods added 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Now Orange will sit back and wait for Saturday when the North Carolina High School Athletic Association releases the brackets for the eight state championship tournaments. Going into Friday night, Orange had a #68 ranking from MaxPreps among 3A teams.

Orange finished the decade 9-0 against Chapel Hill, and its unlikely the two schools will be on each other’s Christmas card lists next month. In an heated battle marred by four separate instances of offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, the two teams combined for an ungodly 253 yards in penalties and one ejection (that’s not counting the personal foul penalties which offset). That led to a game that proceeded with glacial deliberation, one that nearly stretched past 10 p.m. in front of fans, cheerleaders and band members already bundled up with temperatures barely above freezing.

Fortunately, the Orange students in the “O Zone” were dressed for the occasion since it was deemed “camouflage night,” where the stands looked more appropriate for the Outdoor Channel than the NFL Channel.

That included an aiding the runner penalty in the first quarter when a Chapel Hill lineman yanked running back Tyler Woody up just as he was about to fall to the ground. In the second quarter, Orange’s chain crew got ejected over something someone said to the line judge. Orange Athletic Director Mike McCauley and baseball coach Jason Knapp had to brave the cold to handle the chains the rest of the night.

Orange scored on its first three possessions, then was stymied by Chapel Hill’s defense during the second and third quarters. After White scored his first touchdown of the season on a tap pass from Jones from 17 yards, Orange led 7-0.

Jones hit senior Joe Kiger with a 26-yard pass on a 4th-and-14 to break into the Tiger red zone. Junior Elliott Woods scored a six-yard touchdown on the following play.

After Chapel Hill had a misguided snap during a punt on its next possession, Nigel Slanker kicked his seventh field goal of the season, a 28-yarder to put Orange ahead 17-0 with 10:53 remaining in the second quarter.

Chapel Hill invaded the Orange red zone each of its next three possessions and failed to score. The Tigers were down to the Orange 3-yard line after sophomore Caleb Kelly threw to Kyhili Jones. On the next play, the snap went over Kelly’s head and was recovered by Orange’s Caulin Fansler.

Slanker was forced to punt after consecutive holding penalties against Orange. The Tigers took over from the Panther 38-yard line and drove 34 yards. Then Chapel Hill was hit with a delay of game and a false start. Kelly’s pass on fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line sailed over Jones’ head.

Late in the first half, the Tigers got another chance when Kelly threw to Cameron Walker, who fumbled at the Orange 8-yard line. It was recovered by senior linebacker Owen Brimmer.

The Tigers had five turnovers. Seniors Zyon Pettiford, Machai Holt and Wyatt Jones all had interceptions in the second half. Another senior, Khaleb Smith, recovered a fumble on Chapel Hill’s final possession.

Tyler Woody scored the Tigers’ only touchdown on a six-yard run late in the third quarter.

Orange put the game away when Woods scored on a two-yard run on the first possession of the fourth quarter.

Jones later hooked up with Woods for a 44-yard touchdown pass. Woods finished the regular season with a team-high 18 receptions.

ORANGE 30, CHAPEL HILL 6

CHP–0 0 6 0-6

ORA–14 3 0 13-30

ORA—Cam White 17 pass from Wyatt Jones (Nigel Slanker kick)

ORA–Elliott Woods 6 run (Slanker kick)

ORA–Slanker 28 FG

CHP–Tyler Woody 6 run (kick failed)

ORA–Woods 2 run (Slanker kick)

ORA—Woods 44 pass from Jones (kick failed)

RUSHING: CHAPEL HILL 24-79 TD (Elijah Ayankoya 5-35, Caleb Kelley 7-21, #20 3-21, Khalil Jones 1-13, Woody 7-7 TD, Luke Roeber 1-(minus 18).

ORANGE—48-234 2 TD (Woods 14-80 2 TD, Omarion Lewis 17-74, Machai Holt 10-55, Joe Kiger 4-16, Courtney Edwards 1-5, Wyatt Jones 2-4)

PASSING: CHAPEL HILL 13-31 136 4 INT (Kelley 13-30 136 3 INT, Ayankoya 0-1 INT)

ORANGE: (Jones 9-15 154 2 TD INT)

RECEIVING: CHAPEL HILL (Jones 6-60, Cameron Kelly 4-34, Milad Aghaiepour 2-13, Roeber 1-11, Cameron Clegg 1-(minus 2))

ORANGE: (Woods 3-56 TD, Pettiford 3-49, White 2-23 TD, Kiger 1-26)

Orange senior defensive end Khaleb Smith played his final game at Auman Stadium on Friday night. He had a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter as the Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 30-6 to finish the season on a three-game winning streak. Smith was second on the team in tackles this season with 57. Entering Friday’s game, he was tied with classmate James McAdoo with 20 tackles for loss. On October 25, Smith made a huge interception to thwart a Northwood drive with the Chargers driving for a touchdown ahead 17-0. The Panthers would go on to win 31-30 in overtime. Smith played offense and defense the past two years. A big influence was Orange defensive line coach Eric Villines, who joined Khaleb on this interview. In a related note, Villines will become a grandfather next week, which will likely impact his ability to watch his beloved Dallas Cowboys. 

The Orange football team ended its regular season with a 30-6 win over Chapel Hill at Auman Stadium on Friday night. Senior wide receiver Zyon Pettiford tied his season-high of three receptions for 49 yards. In his final regular season game, Pettiford also had his first career interception. Orange’s Machai Holt ended his season with 55 rushing yards on ten carries. Holt had 337 rushing yards for eight touchdowns in the regular season. He also had 168 receiving yards for two touchdowns. Among the most memorable moments of Holt’s career will be the interception he had against Northwood two weeks ago, which led to him scoring the game-tying touchdown pass. Holt also scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Pettiford and Holt hope to play one more game together when the state playoff brackets are unveiled on Saturday morning.