Orange Track and Field

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior swimmer Noah Jimison. On Saturday, Jimison swam his final meet for Orange in the 3A State Swimming Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. Jimison finished 12th in the state in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.76. He also came in 14th in the state in the 100yard backstroke at 55.96 seconds. Jimison was also a part of two relay teams that qualified for the state championships. He joined Matthew Geib, Cross Roman and Owen Rasinske in finishing 8th in the State in the 200 yard medley, coming in with a time of 1:41.55. Jimison, Geib, Roman and Rasinske also finished 12th in the 400 yard freestyle relay. Swimming has been a big part of Noah’s life since he was ten. He has constantly trained at the Orange County Sportsplex and hopes to continue swimming at the next level after he graduates from Orange in June.

With the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Indoor Track & Field Championships only two weeks away, several Hillsborough athletes will be included in the festivities.

After qualifying for the NCHSAA 3A Outdoor Track & Field Championships last year, Cedar Ridge sophomore Caroline Fowlkes has qualified for the Indoor State Championships in the pole vault. In the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #1 on December 3, Fowlkes clear nine feet. The NCHSAA standard is 8’6″ to qualify for the state championships.

Since then, Fowlkes has reestablished for career-high with an attempt of 9’6″ in the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #2 on December 18. On Tuesday, Fowlkes peaked at nine feet, once again, at the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #3, which concluded the Red Wolves regular season.

Joining Fowlkes in the indoor state championships will be Cedar Ridge sprinter Elijah Horne. In the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #1, Horne qualified for the 500 meters after he finished first with a time of 1:07.81. The NCHSAA state qualifying standard is 1:08.5.

In the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #2, Horne won the 300 meters and barely missed qualifying for the state championships. He crossed the finish line at 37.85 seconds, just behind the state mandate of 36.4 seconds.

Meanwhile, Orange’s Keanu Mims attained a goal he had been shooting for throughout the winter: qualifying for the 300 meter state championships. Last Saturday at East Chapel Hill High School inside Dave Thaden Stadium, Mims finally qualified by winning the East Polar Bear #5. Mims competed the race in 35.94 seconds, finishing first.

The previous weekend at the East Polar Bear #4, Mims finished at 37.24 on the same track.

Mims narrowly missed qualifying in the 55 meter dash last Saturday. He finished fifth at 6.84 seconds, below the state mandate of 6.4 seconds.

Fowlkes’ has been a pole vaulter since the sixth grade. She started her career in Mobile, AL, where she was allowed to pole vault in middle school. Her mother and father were also pole vaulters at Tolland High School in Alabama. Her father went on to compete at the University of South Alabama, while her mother competed at the University of Florida.

Mims qualified for Orange’s 4×400 relay team in the state Outdoor Championships last May. In the final event of the day at North Carolina A&T’s Belk Track in Greensboro, Mims, Thomas Kaltenbach, Jose Torres and Cameron Michalski completed the race with a time of 3:28.63. They finished tenth in the state.

Running individually last outdoor season, Mims won two meets in the 100 meter dash. On March 7, 2019 he set a new personal best of 11.39 seconds in a meet against East Chapel Hill. He also finished first in a tri-meet against Chapel Hill and Southern Durham on March 14, 2019.

Last weekend at Eastern Alamance, Cedar Ridge’s Sarah Tucker won the women’s 1000 meter race, finishing at 3.24.60. Tucker, who ran cross country and outdoor track for the Red Wolves, just missed qualifying for the state championships.

The Red Wolves’ Kennedy Kelsey won the 55 meters hurdles at 10.47 seconds. The state mandate is 9.1 seconds.

Orange’s Erin Mink won the high jump at East Chapel Hill with a jump of 4’8″. Mink has captured the high jump in back-to-back weekends at East.

The 3A State Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held at JDL Fast Track indoor facility in Winston-Salem on February 14 and 15.

Icez Barnett: The 2019 Orange graduate was the first player off the bench for the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team in its 81-55 win over Southern Wesleyan at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro on Saturday. Barnett scored a career-high ten points as the Hawks defeated the Warriors 81-55. Barnett also played 14 minutes, her longest sting since November 30 against UNC Pembroke. The Hawks are 4-14 overall, 4-10 in Conference Carolinas. They host #25 Belmont Abbey in the Helms Center tonight (Tuesday).

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team is on a five-game winning streak. On Sunday, the Bantams defeated MCLA 43-31 in Hartford, CT. It was the second-fewest amount of points the Bantams have allowed this season. Campbell played eight minutes and grabbed three rebounds and made a steal. Trinity is now 14-4 overall, 3-1 in the New England Small Conference Athletic Conference. On Saturday, Trinity rallied to defeat Connecticut College 60-57 in Posting Gymnasium in Hartford. Campbell came off the bench to play six minutes. She finished with two points and one rebound. Trinity travels to Middlebury on Friday.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team has won nine of its last ten games. On Saturday, the Eagles defeated Southwest Virginia 73-50 in Raleigh. Cates scored four points off 2-of-6 shooting from the field. She also had three rebounds and a steal. The Eagles are 14-4 overall, 7-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. On Thursday, the Eagles defeated Spartanburg Methodist 63-62. Cates finished with eight points off 3-of-5 shooting from the field. Cates finished 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The Wake Tech school record for wins in a season is 18.

Jamar Davis: A week after he clinched a spot in the ACC Track & Field Indoor Championships, Davis won his first indoor meet of the 2020 season on Saturday. Davis won the long jump with a leap of 7.43 meters to take the championship of the Hokie Invitational at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, VA. Davis also won the triple jump championship with a jump of 15.67, which was three inches better than North Carolina’s Jaren Holmes. On Friday and Saturday, the Wolfpack men’s and women’s teams will journey to Lubbock, TX to compete in the Texas Tech Invitational. Davis qualified for the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships during the Gamecock Opener at the University of South Carolina on January 17 & 18.

Marvin Jones: The North Carolina Central junior finished 2nd in the high jump in the Liberty Kickoff indoor track & field event in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday. Jones had a jump of 2.05 meters. Tequann Claitt of Indiana Tech finished first with a jump of 2.21 meters. Jones’ performance was one of five top-5 finishes for the Eagles last weekend. Central will continue its indoor season on Friday and Saturday in the Camel City Invitational. The meet will take place at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.

Braden Homsey: Washington & Lee defeated the Division III Ferrum wrestling team 21-18 on Saturday in the W&L Student Activities Pavilion in Lexington, VA. Homsey scored a major decision for Ferrum. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Homsey defeated Brad Basham 12-1. It’s been a solid sophomore season for Homsey, who is now 19-7 with one pin.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is track & field sprinter Keanu Mims. Last Saturday, Mims finished first in the 300 meters at the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear at Dave Thaden Stadium in Chapel Hill. Mims finished with a time of 37.24 seconds, just short of qualifying for the 3A State Indoor Track & Field championships. Mims finished 2nd in the 55 meter dash at 6.94 seconds. Last spring, Mims joined Jose Torres, Thomas Kaltenbach & Cameron Michalski as Orange qualified for the 3A NCHSAA Outdoor State Track & Field Championships in the 4×400 relay at North Carolina A&T University. Mims competed in three different relay teams for Orange last season, his first at Orange. A junior, Mims still hopes to qualify for the indoor state championships this season before the outdoor schedule starts in March.

Jamar Davis: The 2018 Orange High graduate has qualified for the long jump in the 2020 ACC Indoor Track & Field championships. On Saturday, Davis had a jump of 23’11” at the Gamecock Opener in Columbia, S.C. He finished 5th. Davis’ teammate, freshman Chris Alexander, won the event with a leap of 25’02.50″. In the triple jump, Davis finished 2nd. He had a leap of 50’03.50″, behind only Marc McCoy of Bethune-Cookman. Davis has also qualified for the ACC Championships in the triple jump. While Payton Wilson has been named to the All-Decade team by the Raleigh News and Observer, Davis’ resume at Orange may have been the most versatile in school history. He qualified for the Penn Relays in track & field, winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Association MVP for the 3A State Championship meet. Davis won four state championships. He also won the leading scorer for the Orange men’s soccer team his senior year, leading them to a victory in the state playoffs. Plus, he was a wrestler for three years, where Orange won three Big 8 Conference and two 3A Eastern Regional Championships. Alternating between 182 and 195 pounds, Davis went 73-28 with 40 pinfall victories.

Marvin Jones:  Former Cedar Ridge star Marvin Jones won the high jump event at the JDL January College Kickoff in Winston-Salem on Saturday. Jones leaped 2.06 meters for North Carolina Central for the victory. It was Central’s first event since winter break. In December, Jones finished 2nd in JDL Kickoff Classic. He has now qualified for the MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Landover, MD starting February 20.

Icez Barnett: On Monday, the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team lost to North Greenville 73-59 inside Hayes Gymnasium in Tigerville, S.C. Barnett came off the bench to score two points and grab five rebounds in eight minutes. She also fouled out. Chowan is now 3-14, 3-10 in Conference Carolinas.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team is on a three-game winning streak and is 12-4 overall. On Friday, the Bantams defeated Wesleyan (Connecticut) 77-58 in Silloway Gymnasium in Hartford, CT. Campbell came off the bench to play 13 minutes and had two points, two assists and one rebound. In a 61-52 victory over Babson on January 14 in Babson Park, MA, Campbell had two points in ten minutes. She added two assists and two rebounds.

Lauren Cates: On Saturday, the Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team defeated USC Salkehatchie 81-63 in Raleigh. Cates started for the Eagles and scored 14 points off 5-of-8 shooting. She was 2-of-4 from 3-point range. On January 15, Wake Tech romped past Brunswick Community College 77-43, its seventh win in eight games. Cates scored ten points. She was 3-of-6 from the field with two 3-pointers. On January 13, Wake Tech defeated Caldwell County College & Technical Institute, Cates scored three points. Wake Tech is 12-4, 7-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They host Spartanburg Methodist on Thursday. The Eagles are tied for 2nd in Region X with Bryant & Stratton. Catawba Valley Community College, who defeated Wake Tech earlier this month, is in first place in the region with a 6-0 record.

Orange senior Cam White won his 2nd race in the indoor track & field season on Saturday. White won the 200 meters on Saturday in the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear event at Dave Thaden Stadium. Cam was a 2-year starter for the Orange football team, where he played wide receiver and cornerback. After being encouraged for years, White started running track & field two years ago. White will try to qualify for the State Indoor Track & Field Championships next week in Orange’s next meet. Saturday’s meet was Orange’s 2nd of the year. It also included East Chapel Hill, the North Carolina School of Science & Math, Riverside and Northern Durham.

Orange’s Ava Zinn was the highest finisher for the Panther’s women’s cross country team at the Big 8 Conference championships. She crossed the finish line at 21:56.70. Zinn also was the top finisher for the Orange women in the 3A Mideast Regionals at Northwood High School in Pitttsboro. She crossed the finish line at 22:43.13. On September 21, Zinn was Orange’s top finisher in the adidas XC Challenge, also at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, which is a grueling course that includes an uphill run in the final quarter-mile. Zinn ran for Coach Heath Wrenn and looks forward to indoor track & field season. 

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior cross country runner Bennett Fleming. This season, Fleming was the top runner for the Orange men’s cross country team. During a dual meet against Cedar Ridge at the Red Wolves Course, Fleming finished with, crossing the finish line at 18:53.86. That was 27 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. In the West Point on the Eno event on October 15 against Northern Durham and Vance County, Fleming finished first overall with a time of 20:09. Orange had the top seven runners, including Joshua Frank, Ethan Horton and Charles Damon. In the Big 8 Conference Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on October 24, Fleming finished 24th at 18:09.50, and qualified for the 3A Mideast Regionals. Fleming started the season with a 19th place finish at the Northwood Five Meet in September. 

The Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team was the only local representatives at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 3A State Championship meet at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville on November 2.

Unlike last year, the Cedar Ridge women didn’t qualify as a team. Instead, three Red Wolf runners reached the state meet based on their individual finishes at the Mideast Regional Championships at Northwood High School on October 26.

Junior Anne Morrell finishes with the fastest time among Cedar Ridge runners with a time of 19:41.50, good enough for 35th place. Last year, Morrell ran the same course at 20:11.33.

The other two Cedar Ridge runners also improved from their times at the Redmon Complex from 2018.

Sophomore Zoe Wade came in 74th at 20:35.61. Last year, Wade finished 101st with a time of 21:37.10.

Wade’s classmate, Ruby Lapham, finished 84th with a time of 20:50.28. In 2018, Lapham came in 113th at 21:50.78.

All three runners had personal bests times.

The state championships completed a grueling postseason stretch that started with the Big 8 Conference Championships, which was held on October 19 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Morrell finished tenth in the Big 8 Championships, the highest among runners outside of Chapel Hill.

Morrell won a sprint to the finish line to edge East Chapel Hill’s Sara Oren for a spot in top ten. Senior Allison Musty finished 15th and joined Morrell on the All-Big 8 Conference team.

“Allison had a great race,” said Cedar Ridge women’s coach Paul Lockwood. “This was her type of race. The weather’s cooler. It’s nice out. You can’t always have nice weather. Anne had a great day and ran really well.”

In addition, Lockwood was voted as the Big 8 Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Lockwood, who is in his second year, led the Cedar Ridge women to three dual match victories this year. Cedar Ridge also captured the Greensboro Cross Country Invitational race at Hagan State Park on September 28.

“It all goes back to the kids,” Lockwood said. “If I can’t have them, I don’t have anything. They’re awesome. I enjoy being around them. They work hard and I enjoy being around that.”

In addition to Morrell and Musty, Wade finished 16th at 20:36.60. Right behind her was teammate Ariadna Solis, who finished 17th. Junior Jill Myler came in 18th.

The top Orange finisher in the women’s race was junior Ava Zinn, who crossed the finish line 28th with a time of 21:56.70.

In the men’s race, Cedar Ridge senior Noah Draughon finished 17th with a time of 17:47.30. The Red Wolves Drew Gillespie came in 28th at 18:12.80.

Orange senior Bennett Flemming finished 24th at 18:09.50.

At the Mideast Regionals, the Cedar Ridge women’s team finished 5th among 15 teams. Morrell came in 12th at 20:16.14. Last year at the regionals, Morrell finished 19th at 20:26.21. Wade came in 24th, while Musty finished 28th.

Orange’s Zinn came in 49th at 22:43.13. Senior Hailey Bullard, in her final race, finished 58th.

In the men’s race, Orange’s Flemming was the highest finisher among Hillsborough runners, finishing 32nd.

Levi Draughon came in 34th for Cedar Ridge. Noah Draughon finished 42nd.

The fall sports season will officially end in Hillsborough on Saturday—unless Orange football can make the state playoffs.

The possibility of that appears remote, at best, as of Wednesday night. Orange’s current MaxPreps ranking is #69. Assuming that Orange beats Chapel Hill on Friday night, three of Orange’s five wins will have come against teams ranked in the bottom ten of 3A football, according to MaxPreps.

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team narrowly missed the state playoffs. The field of 64 was announced on Monday morning. Cedar Ridge was on the bubble, but missed out after losing to Southern Durham in the season finale.

Cedar Ridge ended the season 7-12-1, 5-9 in the Big 8 Conference.

The Cedar Ridge women’s cross country team has a good showing in the 3A Mideast Regionals at Northwood High School in Pittsboro. While Cedar Ridge didn’t qualify for the state championships as a team, like last year, there are several individual Red Wolves who will participate in the states on Saturday at Ivey Redmon Park in Kernersville.

Here is this week’s Magnificent 7, which will be the next-to-last edition for the fall sports season. We’ll begin focusing on winter sports next week.

Anne Morrell: Finished 12th at the 3A Mideast Regional Cross Country Championships at Northwood High. Morrell, a junior, qualified for the state championships for the third year in a row with a time of 20:16.4.

Zoe Wade: Finished 24th at the Mideast Regional Championships. Crossed the finish line at 21:05.84. Wade also qualified for the 3A State Championships. A sophomore, Wade will have participated in the state championships each of her first two years at Cedar Ridge.

Desi Raspberry: Cedar Ridge junior wide receiver had three receptions for 69 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass from William Berger against crosstown rival Orange on Friday night. Raspberry had the most yards from scrimmage for the Red Wolves.

Elliott Woods: Had 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Orange in a victory over Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium. Woods also had two tackles. Coming into the game, Woods led Orange in receptions and tackles. He was named this week’s Orange Panther of the Week.

Omarion Lewis: A sophomore, Lewis had a career-high 173 yards rushing against Cedar Ridge. Lewis added two touchdowns. He now leads the team in rushing yards and touchdowns this season, even though he missed the season-opener against R.J. Reynolds because it appeared he would spend this season on the junior varsity team.

Joseph Kiger: Led Orange in receiving with a career-high five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Kiger led the team with six tackles. He also had ten rushing yards. Kiger also was the long snapper on extra points for kicker Nigel Slanker. He will play his final game in Hillsborough against Chapel Hill on Friday.

Bennett Fleming: The top finisher for the Orange men’s cross country team last week at the Mideast Regionals. Fleming came in 32nd with a time of 18:08.88. At the Big 8 Cross Country Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Fleming was also the top finisher for Orange.