Orange Wrestling

The past two years have been a time of transition for Orange wrestling.

Like Northern Durham football, UNC women’s soccer and Charlotte Independence football, Orange wrestling had a dynasty. They didn’t lose a conference match from 2010-2019. They won 16 consecutive conference championships across three different classifications and five State Championships under legendary head coach Bobby Shriner. It continued under his successor, Spenser Poteat.

And like every sports dynasty, there’s destined to be a drop-off simply because the highest level of achievement can’t sustain itself forever.

That’s where Orange finds itself as its transitions into a new era of high school sports in North Carolina, which isn’t to say there hasn’t been success stories.

Last Wednesday, Orange honored a group of seniors Braden Crawford, Jayden Medley, Adrian Sierra, Max Molinar, Eben Petrides, Andrew Pavalonis. Also honored were the lone senior on the women’s team, Ava Lytle.

Bolstered by pins from Crawford and Conner Harward and a sudden victory decision from Sierra, Orange defeated Southern Alamance 57-18 at Panther Gymnasium last Wednesday. Orange, which had its annual trip to the Havelock Duals canceled because of snow over the weekend, improved to 8-3 overall, 3-2 in the Central Conference.

Medley, who was an all-conference linebacker for Orange last year, won his final home match by forfeit at 215 pounds. Medley is 25-9 this season and is aiming to reach the 3A State Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum next month.

Crawford is no stranger to Greensboro. He has qualified for the state championships his first three years at Orange. The latest member of Orange’s storied 100 wins club, Crawford won his final home match over Aiden Cameron to improve to 25-7 with his 18th pin of the season.

As a freshman, Crawford went 31-5 and finished 4th in the Mideast Regionals at Union Pines High School in 2022. He likely would have been the favorite to win the Central Conference Tournament at 120 pounds, but the event was canceled due to snow in the forecast.

In his sophomore season, Crawford won the Central Conference championship for an Orange team that claimed the league regular season title. He went on to finish 2nd in the Mideast Regionals at Cedar Ridge High School. He won two matches in the consolation bracket at the state championships beating Matthew Mehaffey of Pisgah 7-5 in a sudden victory round, then scoring a major decision over Skyler Oxford of West Carteret 20-7. He finished the year 32-6.

Last year, Crawford won the 126-pound  Central Conference championship at Williams High School in Burlington. He qualified for the state championships after a fourth place finish in a stacked weight division, beating Jazzmen Hall of Fayetteville 71st in the consolation semifinals. Crawford ended his junior season 31-5.

Against the Patriots, Logan Scarantino scored Orange’s first pin of the night over Dawson Pittard to put the Panthers ahead 12-6. Orange’s Brady McAdams earned a forfeit win at 106 to begin the evening. Southern Alamance’s Bennett Teague earned a pin at 113 pounds.

Orange’s Renn Van Hoose improved to 14-11 by pinning Dakota Jones. Sierra defeated Riley Neil 8-3.

At 144 pounds, Orange’s Sebastian Guardia pinned Hamden Wagner. It was Guardia’s third pin of the season. Markus Thomas earned a forfeit win to put the Panthers ahead 36-6.

In the most competitive match of the night, Pavalonis ended regulation against Southern’s William Coletrane tied at 1-1. In the opening sudden victory round, Pavalonis scored the match-winning takedown for a 4-1 victory. It was Pavalonis fifth win of the season.

At 175 pounds, Orange’s Conner Harward pinned Price Ivie. Harward earned his 12th win of the season after his fourth pin.

Orange freshman Jordan Barbee pinned Ashton Seagroves. Barbee scored five wins during Orange’s victory at the Rumble in the Jungle dual meets at Carrboro High School last month.

Lytle finished second at 126 pounds during the Jim King/Orange Invitational in December.

Orange senior Braden Crawford won his third Eagle Invitational wrestling championship at the Mebane Arts Center on Saturday afternoon. Crawford scored three pins to earn his first individual championship of this season. He pinned East Chapel Hill’s Cole Shutter in the championship match of the 138 pound tournament. In the semifinals, Crawford pinned Grayson Collins of Cedar Ridge. Crawford is 16-4 with 12 pins thus far in a senior season that has been marred by injury. He was unable to compete in the Jim King/Orange Invitational two weeks ago because of a shoulder injury. Crawford is aiming to the 3A State Tournament once again this year. He finished 4th in the 3A State Championship last winter. In February at the Greensboro Coliseum, Crawford pinned Person’s Emanuel Garcia in the opening round of the 126 pound tournament. Crawford reached the state semifinals after he defeated Shawn Bass of Dudley 4-1. He reached the consolation finals after he defeated Jazien Hall of Fayetteville 71st 5-0. Last season, Crawford finished 32-4 with with 23 pins. Crawford has earned over 100 career wins. This year, Crawford is a twi-captain on a young Orange team, along with Jayden Medley. After a drop-off last season, Crawford looks to lead the storied Panther wrestling team forward as they move into the winter.

Orange senior Braden Crawford discusses winning the Eagle Invitational

Orange senior Braden Crawford won his third Eagle Invitational wrestling championship at the Mebane Arts Center on Saturday afternoon. Crawford scored three pins to earn his first individual championship of this season. He pinned East Chapel Hill’s Cole Shutter in the championship match of the 138 pound tournament.

In a period of rebuilding for the Orange wrestling program, the Panthers had two freshmen lead them to its biggest sign of progress this season.

Jordan Barbee won all five of his matches while Markus Thomas earned wins in four matches as Orange won the Rumble in the Jungle championship at Carrboro High School on Saturday. The Panthers won all five of its dual matches for its first team championship since the 2022-2023 season.

Orange’s closest match came against Ashley, based out of Wilmington. With two matches remaining, the Screaming Eagles led 38-29 after Carson Lane edged out Orange’s Adrian Sierra at 132 pounds. After Orange senior Braden Crawford earned a forfeit win at 138 pounds, Thomas pinned Elijah Allinen in 52 seconds to secure a 41-38 win for the Panthers.

Orange overcame an 18-0 deficit after the Eagles scored pins in the opening three matches. Sophomore Conner Harward secured the Panthers’ first win with a technical fall over Liam Morrow 15-0. It was the first of five straight Orange victories that included bonus points. Barbee pinned Arturo Cuellar in 1:03 at 190 pounds. Senior Jayden Medley pinned Aidan Weilarcher in 52 seconds. At heavyweight, sophomore Eli Clayton pinned Cason Walker in 1:49.

In all five of its dual matches, the Panthers had competitors in each of the 13 weight classes, which was enough to defeat Bartlett Yancey 51-27. Orange earned five forfeit wins over the Buccaneers. At 138 pounds, Albert Fuentes earned his first varsity win, a pinfall over Jaray Pugh in 3:33, which opened the dual match. Thomas followed with a pin of BY’s Jamir Woods in 29 seconds. After the Buccaneers won three straight matches to take a 15-12 lead, Harward earned a 13-7 decision over Jeshua Garland to even the dual match. After Barbee earned a forfeit win, Medley pinned Tayson Watlington in 35 seconds.

Orange also defeated Greensboro Page 65-12, where they scored pins in four of the opening five matches. Sierra opened with a victory over Joshua Rivera in 1:27. Sierra, a senior, is 11-10 with nine pins this season. Crawford pinned Alan Hoang in 32 seconds. Crawford has the top win percentage on the team so far with a 12-4 record with eight pins.

In a 46-28 victory over Southern Nash, senior Max Molinar earned his first pin of the season at 106 pounds. Molinar defeated Jesus Monroy in 1:11.

Barbee finished the day with four pins. He defeated Southern Nash’s Ryland Robinson in 5:56; Leesville’s Road’s Jesse McArthur in 2:49 and Page’s Luke O’Reilly in 1:33.

The Panthers closed out the day with a 42-27 victory over Leesville Road. At 165 pounds, Andrew Pavalonis started the dual match with a 9-7 win over Milo Wegmann. Brady Mcadams, Medley, and Logan Scarantino all scored pins for the Panthers.

Orange will be in the Eagle Invitational in Mebane this weekend.

Cougar Duals: Senior Ryan Rakouskas came away with five wins as Cedar Ridge finished 3-2 as a team during the Cougar Duals at Apex High School on Saturday.

Competing at 157 pounds, Rakouskas pinned four of his five opponents to improve to 25-2. He leads the team with 19 pins this season.

The Red Wolves ended the day with wins over Northern Durham (66-13), Wllow Spring (53-27) and Apex 41-30. Hoggard edged the Red Wolves 40-39. Topsail also knocked off the Red Wolves 58-15.

Red Wolf senior Alejandro Briones won all five of his matches. He earned a decision over Hoggard’s Thomas Ponce 10-3. Briones also pinned Charles Strickland of Topsail in 2:50. Briones is 26-4 with 15 pins this season.

At 120 pounds, Favio Jaramillo came away with four victories on the day, including a pin over Kellan Needle of Apex. Jaramillo also earned a 9-4 decision over Topsail’s Jacob Pope. Jaramillo ended the day with a forfeit victory over Willow Spring to improve to 25-5.

Senior Pierce Prescod pinned Hoggard’s Corban Barton, his 12th pin of the year. Prescod, competing at 126 pounds, started the day with a technical fall over Ans Issa of Apex 18-2. Prescod is 26-4.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Jared Hutchins. This year, Hutchins was named the Central Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler from 106-to-144 pounds. He finished 3rd in the state at 132-pounds, defeating Gavin Cryderman of Enka 1o-8 in the 3rd place match at the Greensboro Coliseum. He ended his senior year with a 35-5 record, surpassing 100 career wins in January. In December, Hutchins won the Eastern Alamance Eagle Invitational in Mebane. He defeated Cameron Stokes of Bartlett Yancey via pinfall in the championship match. Hutchins finished the season with 25 pins. Hutchins finished sixth in the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School. Hutchins won the Mideast Regional championship at 144 pounds. he defeated Logan Mitchell of Union Pines 14-6 in the championship match. Leading up to that point, Hutchins had pins over Cristian Ramos of Douglas Byrd, Chasen Phillips of Eastern Alamance and he also pinned Jameer Farmer of Person to qualify for the state championships. Hutchins was one of the leaders for the Panthers on a young team. Hutchins also claimed the championship of the Joe Via Memorial Tournament at South Stokes High School in December. Hutchins will graduate in June after winning three conference championships in wrestling for Orange under head coach Spenser Poteat.

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This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Jared Hutchins. This year, Hutchins was named the Central Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler from 106-to-144 pounds. He finished 3rd in the state at 132-pounds, defeating Gavin Cryderman of Enka 1o-8 in the 3rd place match at the Greensboro Coliseum.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Andre Hill. This season, Hill won the 175-pound Central Conference championship at Walter Williams High School. It was the third individual championship that Hill won this season. In December, Hill won the championship of the Jim King/Orange Invitational when he defeated Giancarlo Evans of Hough 4-3. He also claimed the championship of the Eagle Invitational in Mebane on December 16. He defeated Zeke May of Western Alamance 14-10 in the championship match. Hill started off 2024 by winning the championship of the Quentin Crosby Invitational at Dudley High School in Greensboro. Hill defeated Bruce Dudley of Southern Guilford 8-3 in the championship match. On Saturday, Hill reached the 3A State Championship match at 175 pounds, wrestling inside the Greensboro Coliseum. On Friday, Hill defeated Mason Kincaid of West Rowan in the state semifinal match. He ended the year with a mark of 47-4 with 30 pins. Hill was also an offensive lineman for the Orange football team the past three years. He surpassed the 100 win mark for his career last month. Andre will graduate in June after a successful career in wrestling and on the gridiron. He is the second straight Orange wrestler to finish runner-up in the 3A State Championships. 

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This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior wrestler Andre Hill. This season, Hill won the 175-pound Central Conference championship at Walter Williams High School. It was the third individual championship that Hill won this season. In December, Hill won the championship of the Jim King/Orange Invitational when he defeated Giancarlo Evans of Hough 4-3.

Andre Hill has survived the Mideast Regional championships and being an offensive lineman for the Orange football team the past three years.

On Saturday, he will try to become Orange’s first state wrestling champion in six years.

At the Greensboro Coliseum on Friday night, Hill pinned Mason Kincaid of West Rowan, the Midwest Regional champion, in 3;40 to earn a trip to the state championship match in the 175-pound tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. It was Hill’s 25h pin of the season.

Hill will face Brock Sullivan of Union Pines, who finished as the runner-up in the 160-pound championship last year, in the 175-pound final. Sullivan, who won the Mideast Regional championship last week, defeated Kai Reece of First Flight 9-5 to improve to 53-2 on the season.

Hill, who finished 3rd in the 175-pound regionals last weekend at Union Pines High in Cameron, defeated two regional champions on Friday. To start the day, Hill earned a major decision over Landon Pope of Pisgah, the West Regional champion. Hill won the match 12-2 scoring six back points in the first period and conceding only one takedown, which happened when he was leading 11-0.

The last Orange wrestler to win a state championship was Josiah Ramirez, who won the 182-pound crown in 2018.

Last year, Orange’s Anoya Isley finished 2nd in the 195-pound championship match, where he lost to Dylan Smith of Fred T. Foard 10-4.

On Thursday, Hill defeated Kamar Brown of Northside-Jacksonville 9-4 in the opening round. Hill ended the match with six of the last seven points.

In the opening round on Thursday, Hill defeated Kamar Brown of Northside-Jacksonville. Hill avoided a single leg trip takedown attempt in the opening minute to force a restart, but Brown still got a double-leg takedown for the opening points with 43 seconds remaining in the first period. Hill earned an escape on the bottom, then notched a single-leg with four seconds left to take a 3-2 lead just before the opening period ended.

Hill worked from the top to start the second period, but Brown worked a reversal to retake the lead. Hill got fret even the match at 4-4, and nearly earned points with a double-leg but ran of room along the edge of the coliseum floor. Hill dodged Brown’s shot attempt and eventually gained his back for two points to go ahead 6-4 with 33 seconds remaining. Hill almost maneuvered Brown into a pinning predicament as the buzzer sounded. Brown appeared to have injured his neck and was checked on by a trainer between periods.

Hill worked free for an escape from the bottom to take a 7-4 lead to start the third period. He stuffed Brown’s takedown attempt and gained a takedown wrapping his hands together around Brown’s head. Brown had to be checked out again for an injury with 12 seconds remaining.

Orange senior Jared Hutchins, who won the 132-pound Mideast Regional championship, was the second Panther grappler to advance to the semifinals on Friday night. Bentley Sly of Stuart Cramer, the Western Regional champion, pinned Hutchins in 3:27 to reach the final.

Hutchins is now 32-8 on the season. In the opening round on Thursday, Hutchins pinned Gabe Smith of Ashe County in 5:33. Smith led 5-2 with 1:10 remaining in regulation before Hutchins earned an escape, then scored two takedown in the final minute. The last of which led to his 25th pin of the season.

On Friday, Hutchins earned a wild win over Andrew Fucci of Dixon. Fucci led 4-1 going into the third period. Hutchins scored three takedowns in the final frame, including two near fall points with seven seconds remaining that proved to be the margin of victory.

At 126 pounds, Orange junior Braden Crawford reached the 100 win mark in school history. Crawford defeated Takota Tala of Parkland 5-3 in the consolation round, scoring the final points with nine seconds remaining following a reversal. Gavin Nipper of Jacksonville defeated Crawford to eliminate him in the consolation round. Crawford ends the year 33-6 with 23 pins.

Cedar Ridge’s only representative to qualify for the state championships, Kaden Tatro, will not wrestle in the tournament after finishing 3rd in the 165-pound Mideast Regional Tournament. Tatro, a senior, ends his season with a 52-7 record, including 25 pins and 17 technical falls. Tatro concludes his Cedar Ridge career with 159 wins, second all-time in school history. The all-time record holder is still Chandler Collins, who had a career record of 166-31.

The 3A Mideast Wrestling Regional was an industrial shredder this year.

Of the 16 regionals across the state, the 3A Mideast was the only one that had both a dual team state champion (Union Pines) and the state runner-up (Eastern Guilford) in the same tournament. Throw in traditional powerhouses like Orange, Greensboro Dudley and Cape Fear and you have the makings of a field so deep, seeding nightmares became inevitable.

Orange senior Jared Hutchins earned the top-seed in the 132-pound tournament and survived, to the truest sense of the term, to win his first regional title at Union Pines High School in Cameron on Saturday.

In three dominant performances, Hutchins mowed through a deep field and scored a major decision over Logan Mitchell of Union Pines 14-6 in the championship match. Hutchins will be the #1 seed from the Mideast for the 3A State Championships, which will start Thursday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum.

This season, Hutchins won individual championships at the Eagle Invitational in Mebane and the Joe Via Memorial at South Stokes High in Walnut Cove.

It will be Hutchins third trip to the state championships. Hutchins, who is now 31-4 with 24 pins this season, finished 5th in the 2023 3A State Tournament. He reached the semifinals in the championship round after pinning Luke Connick, the 3A Eastern Regional champion, in the second round.

As a sophomore, Hutchins finished 28-10 and won two matches in the state tournament.

Hutchins, who eclipsed 100 career wins earlier this month, pinned Cristian Ramos of Douglas Byrd in 1:54 in the quarterfinals. On Saturday, Hutchins pinned Jameer Farmer of Person in 3:13 to advance to the final.

This season, Hutchins was a senior on an Orange team that had ten new starters. As a veteran, he remembered what it was like to receive daily lessons in the school of hard knocks from early days as a Panther.

“It made me better,” Hutchins said during the Tiger Holiday Classic in December. “It’s helped me get to where I am now. I want to place in the top three in the state tournament.”

Hutchins is one of three Orange grapplers to qualify for the state championships. At 126 pounds, junior Braden Crawford qualified for the second year in a row. At 175 pounds, senior Andre Hill also reached the state tournament for the second time.

Cedar Ridge, which had four wrestlers reach the state tournament in 2023, had a difficult day. Senior Kaden Tatro finished third in the in the 165-pound tournament, beating Hunter Macklin of Dudley 10-1 in the consolation final. It will be Tatro’s third trip to the state tournament.

Overall, Tatro won four matches in the regional tournament to put his career wins total at 159. He is now in sole possession of 2nd place in school history, having surpassed Josh Collins total of 151, set from 2001-2005. Chandler Collins holds the record of 166 wins.

Tatro reached the 182-pound regional final last year.

On Saturday, Tatro, seeded #2, faced Troy Shannon of Terry Sanford in the semifinals. Tatro led 4-2 going into the third period, but was penalized twice for stalling in the final two minutes. The second warning came with nine seconds remaining, which tied the match 4-4. Shannon got a takedown with five seconds remaining for the decisive points.

Hill, the #2 seed at 175 pounds, pinned Trenton Westbrook of Cape Fear in 2:34 in the opening round. Cameron Perryman of Dudley upset Hill in the quarterfinals. Hill had to win four matches on Saturday in order to take third place.

He scored two pins and two technical falls to punch his ticket to Greensboro. He pinned NaZiah Rice of Westover in 2;50 in the consolation final. Hill is 44-3 on the season with 29 pins.

Crawford reached the semifinals at 126 pounds after pinfall wins over Emanuel Garcia of Person and Hunter Hill of Harnett Central. Shawn Bass of Dudley never trailed in beating Crawford 4-1 in the semifinals. Crawford bounced back to defeat Jazten Hall of Fayetteville 71st 5-0 to officially reach the state tournament. In the 3rd place match, Joseph Lloyd of Union Pines defeated Crawford via pinfall in 2:42.

The depth of the field worked to the detriment of numerous competitors from Cedar Ridge and Orange.

Cedar Ridge junior Pierce Prescod came into the 120-pound tournament with a 44-9 record. If Prescod was in, say, the 3A West Regional, that record would have likely earned him a #3 seed (which is what Aydan Mull of Tusculum received with a 43-12 mark).

In the Mideast, Prescod got a #5 seed, where he faced Eastern Guilford’s Tremayne McNeely in the second round. McNeely won 5-1.

In 2023, Prescod controversially fell one match short of the state championships when his opponent, Carson Cori of South Johnston, claimed he couldn’t continue due to an injured back after it was returned that Prescod illegally slammed him. Prescod, with a 44-11 record, didn’t make it to Greensboro.

This year, Prescod also fell one match short of the state tournament. Facing Keaton Crawford of Union Pines, Prescod led 8-3 going into the final period. Crawford scored a takedown with 35 seconds remaining to even the match, then got a takedown 44 seconds into sudden victory to move on to Greensboro.

It was the final tournament for Cedar Ridge senior James Este-Wittinger, who reached the state tournament in 2023. Este-Wittinger reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Chevelle Cade of Westover 3-2 in the consolation quarterfinals.

If last week felt odd around wrestling circles, it was. For only the second time since the State Dual Team Wrestling tournament was instituted by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in 1990, Orange wasn’t in the field of 32. Orange, Cary, Davie County and St. Stephens shared the record for most appearances in the state dual team tournament with 33 appearances each. Nonetheless, the seniors for Orange wrestling celebrated Senior Night in style with a 57-24 win over Eastern Alamance on January 18. Andre Hill and Jared Hutchins were honored for 100 career victories. Also honored were Colton Jones, a starter at 144 pounds who has 13 wins this year; Rylan Brummer, a starter at 215 pounds; Talan Pearley, who was injured last month after starting the season with seven pinfall wins, Canaan Graphics, a starter at 165 pounds, and Chris Winstead, who is 20-15 at 106 pounds this season. Orange will venture to Cameron this weekend to the 3A Mideast Regionals at Union Pines High School. The opening round starts on Friday. The top four wrestlers from each weight class will qualify for the 3A State Championships at the Greensboro Coliseum, starting on February 15. The championship rounds will be held on February 17. Last year, Orange’s Acoya Isley wrestled for the state championship at 195 pounds. 

Orange wrestling seniors discuss Senior night win over Eastern Alamance

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Orange senior wrestler Andre Hill captured the 175-pound championship at the Central Conference Tournament at Walter Williams High School in Burlington on Saturday, January 20. Though Hill was the first to admit that it was a controversial win. Facing Western Alamance’s Zeke May, Hill scored an escape point to go ahead 3-2 in the final period. After a restart with ten seconds remaining, May shot in for a takedown. It appeared to many that May scored a takedown, which would have put him ahead 4-3. But the referee ruled there was no change in position as the clock faded to zero. Hill preserved a 3-2 win despite protests from the Western Alamane bench and many fans in attendance. Afterwards, Hill admitted that May scored the takedown and consoled him. Nonetheless, Hill captured his first conference championship and improved to 39-2 on the season. In January, Hill celebrated his 100th career win as a Panther. Hill played offensive line for three seasons on the Orange football team. After winning the conference title, Hill will now focus on the Mideast Regionals at Union Pines High School in Cameron on February 10. Hill will look to qualify for the 3A State Championships. This season, Hill has already won the Jim King/Orange Invitational, the Quentin Crosby Invitational and the Eagle Invitational.

Orange’s Andre Hill talks winning the 175-pound championship of the Central Conference Tournament

Orange senior wrestler Andre Hill captured the 175-pound championship at the Central Conference Tournament at Walter Williams High School in Burlington on Saturday, January 20. Though Hill was the first to admit that it was a controversial win. Facing Western Alamance’s Zeke May, Hill scored an escape point to go ahead 3-2 in the final period.