Orange High School

Things came around in Hillsbrough on Senior Night.

It started going around back on December 13 in Mebane, where the Eastern Alamance women’s basketball team led Orange 37-34 at Tal Jobe Gymnasium. Orange’s Evelyn George took a last-second pass and attempted a 3-pointer. She appeared to be hit on the arm, but there was no call. Instead of the Lady Panthers’ best free-throw shooter going to the line with three tosses to potentially tie the game, the Eagles defeated the Lady Panthers for the third straight time.

On Friday night, it looked like fortune would favor the Eagles again. With Orange leading 62-61 and trying to run out the clock, Eastern’s Aliya Trollinger stole a pass and rocketed down the floor, getting fouled by Maura McMurtry with :10.7 remaining. Trollinger, who led all scorers with 23 points, missed both free throws. But she got the offensive rebound and found a wide-open Marion Scott on the left block for a lay-in to put the Eagles ahead 63-62 with seven seconds remaining.

That’s when the swing around started.

On her senior night, Orange’s Shannon Murphy took off up the floor after throwing the inbounds pass to McMurtry. Murphy took the ball back along the near sideline, stopped 20 feet from the basket in front of the Orange bench.

Just as Murphy let the shot go, Eastern’s M’Khylah Zapata-Jones hit her across the arm.

It wasn’t called two months ago.

It was on Friday night–with one second remaining.

Several Eastern Alamance players rushed off the bench to the floor thinking they had secured its fourth straight win over Orange. Instead, Murphy was awarded three free throws and the scoreboard went out amidst the confusion.

“I just wanted to knock them down for the team,” Murphy said. “I wasn’t really nervous.”

Murphy practically grabbed the ball from the official and barely took a dribble before she attempted her first free throw. Nothing but net to tie the game.

Her second attempt rimmed out.

Murphy took a little more time on the attempt that would decide the game. It drew a slight bit of rim but dropped through the net.

The last, and winning, point on senior night was scored by an Orange senior.

“Shannon never makes those in practice,” McMurtry joked afterwards.

Orange reserves Natalie Roberson and Rhiley Crabtree rushed onto the floor, but there was one problem–there was still one second left.

Fortunately for Orange, they weren’t called for a technical. Eastern couldn’t get a shot off on the subsequent inbounds and the Lady Panthers defeated their crosstown rival 64-63. It was Orange’s first conference win over the Eagles since February 10, 2023. The Lady Panthers did beat Eastern in the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla Tournament in December 2023, a nonconference matchup.

Orange ended the regular season 15-8, 8-4 in the Central Conference, tied for 2nd with the Eagles. The Lady Panthers will be the #3 seed in next week’s Central Conference Tournament and will face Cedar Ridge in the quarterfinals at Panther Gymnasium on Monday night at 6.

Trollinger led the Eagles (12-11, 8-4) with 23 points.

Senior Evelyn George paced the Lady Panthers with 19 points.

The final few minutes of regulation was practically a duel between Murphy and Trollinger, just without the pistols after 50 paces.

Murphy scored on a reverse lay-up with a light kiss off the window to go ahead 52-46 with 5:32 remaining in regulation. Trollinger drained a free throw, then scored off a steal and score to cut the Panther lead to 52-49.

Trollinger put the Eagles within a point at 56-55, concluding a four-point possession after she grabbed an offensive rebound following missed free throw from Makayla Scott, who had scored on a drive down the lane and got fouled by Orange center Marshea Byrd.

On the next possession, Murphy went behind-the-back on the dribble and tossed in a 3-pointer, one that will go on her senior night highlight reel, putting Orange back ahead 59-55.

Trollinger charged right back and scored while getting fouled by Kylee Allen with 2:49 remaining. Zapata-Jones tied the game off a steal of an inbounds pass and scored on a lay-in to tie the game at 59-59. Makayla Scott scored off a midland jumper to put the Eagles ahead 61-59.

Then Murphy delivered another huge shot, taking the ball off a pass from McMurtry and fired in a 3-pointer to put the Lady Panthers ahead, setting up the wild final minute.

Eastern Alamance will face Southern Alamance in the quarterfinals of the Central Conference Tournament on Monday. The semifinals will take place at Western Alamance on Tuesday.

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Orange senior Jayden Medley won’t have to go far for his final regional championship meet. On Friday, Medley will journey across Hillsborough to Cedar Ridge for the start of the Mideast Regionals. It will be his final chance to qualify for the 3A State Championships, held annually at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. This season, Medley is 28-8 for an Orange team that finished third in the Central Conference. In December, Medley won the Eagle Invitational in Mebane. Medley pinned all four of his opponents to win the event. In the championship final, Medley pinned Stephen Silhan of Chatham Central in 4:22. Last month, Medley finished 2nd in the Quenten Crosby Invitational at Dudley High School in Greensboro. Medley started the year with a third-place finish in the Wolverine Challenge at Wakefield High School in Raleigh. Last fall, Medley was an all-confernece linebacker for the Orange football team. He had a crucial interception in the Panthers win at Chapel Hill at Culton-Peerman Stadium, Orange’s first victory over the Tigers since 2019. Medley is the #4 seed in the 215-pound regional tournament, which is comprised of 15 competitors. He will open against Dakota Rodriguez of Cape Fear on Friday. The top four finishers will advance to next week’s state tournament.

Orange senior Jayden Medley discusses final regional championship wrestling meet

Orange senior Jayden Medley won’t have to go far for his final regional championship meet. On Friday, Medley will journey across Hillsborough to Cedar Ridge for the start of the Mideast Regionals. It will be his final chance to qualify for the 3A State Championships, held annually at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.

Last week, Orange baseball’s Dominic O’Keefe managed to pull off a rare feat. He united the Orange and Cedar Ridge baseball communities for his signing ceremony at Orange High Library. O’Keefe formally signed with Lenoir Community College, which plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association. O’Keefe has grown to be close with both Orange Panthers and Cedar Ridge Red Wolves over his years in Hillsborough. He played with players from both teams on the Hillsborough Hawks travel team. There were also members of the Orange football team on hand, as well as Panthers head football coach DeVante Pettiford. Four years ago when O’Keefe expressed interest in football, he hardly had the size to compete at the varsity level. So he started waking up early for weight training. To prepare for the demands of baseball, he would wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning during Christmas vacation for workouts. His dedication has led to him reaching the next level in baseball. O’Keefe was a starting defensive back for Orange football last season. Joining O’Keefe for his ceremony last week was his father Ryan, who is the public address announcer for Orange baseball, along with his mother Wendy and his brother Bentley. O’Keefe will start his senior season when Orange faces West Johnston on opening day February 24 in Hillsbrough.

Orange’s Dominic O’Keefe discusses signing with Lenoir Community College baseball

Last week, Orange baseball’s Dominic O’Keefe managed to pull off a rare feat. He united the Orange and Cedar Ridge baseball communities for his signing ceremony at Orange High Library. O’Keefe formally signed with Lenoir Community College, which plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

After winning the 3A State Men’s Cross Country Championship last fall, several member of Orange’s title team will compete in the 3A State Indoor Track & Field Championships at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem this weekend.

Plus, Naomi Dyreng of Cedar Ridge, the most accomplished female cross country runner in school history, will also be in competition.

Orange junior Adelyn Alvis, a three-sport athlete, qualified in the long jump. Alvis, who was a starter for the Orange women’s tennis team last fall, qualified for the state championships during the Fast Track Invitational in Winston-Salem on January 25. Her leap of 16-feet, 6.5 inches is her personal best and beat the state championship minimum standard of 16-feet, 2-inches. Alvis also could have qualified for the triple jump after she cleared 34-feet, one-inch during the Southeast Alamance Polar Bear in Haw River on January 28.

Alvis also qualified in a running event. She is in the 500 meter dash with a personal best time of 1:18.66.

Orange sophomore Clark Flowkes is one of five finalists in the pole vault. Throughout the winner, Flowkes had several first place finishes. Last week at the final Eastern Alamance Polar Bear, she earned a personal best 10-feet. The minimum state qualifying standard is nine-feet.

Cedar Ridge junior Ender Buchanan qualified in the men’s pole vault. Buchanan reached 13-feet, 6-inches last week in Mebane. Also earning a spot in the pole vault is Orange junior Owen Grant, who reached 11-feet, 6-inches last week, as well.

In running events, the Orange women’s 4×800 relay team of Carolina Cathey, Sullivan Gaddy, Evelyn Gover, Kayla Willey, Samantha Gover and Joia Ubia qualified for the state championship. Their season-best time is 10:30.86, which happened earlier this month during the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear at Dave Thaden Stadium.

The Orange women’s 4×400 relay team of Alvis, Gianni Burnette, Asia Whitsett and Kayla Willey are also in the state championships.

Orange’s men’s 4×400 relay team of Hunter Albert, Riley Potter, Gabe Yen and Neal recorded a season-best time of 3:35.27 to reach Winston-Salem.

Orange men’s 4×800 meter relay team of Myles Jermyn, Cyrus Neal, Lucas Van Mater and Grant Schmid are the #3 qualifiers with a season-best time of 8:22.65. Jermyn, Neal, Van Mater and Schmid were all members of the state championship cross country team.

Individually, Jermyn qualified for the 1,600 meters at 4:24.89. He’s also in the 3,200 meters with a personal best time of 9:31.67. Van Mater is also in the 3,200 meters field, recording a season-best time of 9:29.04.

Neal reached the 1,000 meter final recording a personal best of 2:38.06.

Cedar Ridge’s Naomi Dyreng, who has won three Mideast Regional Outdoor Track & Field championships, qualified for the state championships in the 1,600 meters. Her top time of the season is 5:20.40. She is also in the 3,200 meters at 11:33.07.

Connor Kruse: The all-time leading scorer in Orange lacrosse history, Kruse wasted no time getting his college career going with a bang. Kruse scored a goal in his first college game as Lenoir-Rhyne, ranked #3 in Division II, defeated #12 Maryville 13-12 in overtime at Pope Saint John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, TN on February 1. Kruse’s first college goal came with 5:38 remaining in the first half off an assist from Robert Walker to put the Bears ahead 5-3. It was Kruse’s only shot on goal. Last Saturday, Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Barton 18-8 at Truist Stadium in Wilson. Kruse unleashed one shot. The Bears will host Rollins in its home opener on Saturday morning at 11AM.

Sascha Van Praag: The former Orange defenseman is also on the roster for Lenoir-Rhyne as they start the season.

Josh Mauer: Another former Panther, Mauer is a redshirt season at Mt. Olive, where’s he the top face-off man. Last weekend, Mauer won 17 out of 22 faceoffs as the Trojans defeated Virginia State 12-6 at Ray McDonald Complex. He was credited with one shot. In the season-opener, Catawba defeated Mt. Olive 14-11 at Shuford Stadium in Salisbury. Mauer won 7 out of 17 faceoffs.

Jacob Driver: The leading scorer for Cedar Ridge last season, Driver is starting his freshman season at Mount Olive. Driver was an All-Mid Carolina Conference selection last year. Mt. Olive faces Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.

Cy Horner: The Division III Methodist men’s lacrosse team opened its season with a 18-6 loss to Sewanee at McGee Field in Sewanee, TN on February 8. Horner, a former attacker for Orange, was credited with seven shots.

Josh Crabtree: A freshman who played on Orange’s 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship team last year, Crabtree had one shot in his debut for Methodist against Sewanee. Methodist will face Goucher College in Baltimore on Saturday.

Josiah Tisdale: A former Orange defenseman, Tisdale is starting his sophomore season at Methodist. Last year, Tisdale played in five games with the Monarchs. He recorded two ground balls and caused one turnover against Warren Wilson College.

Nick Cardone: A former All-Conference defenseman at Orange, Cardone has started his sophomore year at Division II Catawba. As a freshman, Cardone played in one game against Virginia State.

Tigh Metheney: Another former Panther who is now a sophomore at Catawba.

Katie Wolter: Wolter will be the first player who played at a Hillsborough high school to suit up in a women’s lacrosse game for Division I Elon. Last week, the Phoenix opened its season against Duke. The Blue Devils won 16-7 at Koskinen Stadium in Durham.

Mary Moss Wirt: The Elon softball team opened its season by going 1-4 in the Elon Softball Classic at Hunt Softball Park last weekend. Wirt, a former shortstop for Orange, started four games as catcher. Saturday’s game against North Carolina Central matched up two former Hillsborough products as Wirt faced Takia Nichols, Cedar Ridge’s all-time home run hitter. Wirt, a junior, went 1-for-2 with a walk in a 12-8 loss to Ohio in the season-opener. Wirt scored her first run of the season in an 8-2 loss to Connecticut last Friday. She went 1-for-3 in a 4-3 loss to Ohio State. The Phoenix will host the Elon Softball Phoenix Invitational this weekend. They will start play against Morgan State on Friday afternoon.

Takia Nichols: Entering her junior season, Nichols was selected second-team Preseason All-MEAC. North Carolina Central dropped all four of its games in the Elon Softball Classic. Nichols went 0-for-2 with two walks in the loss to Elon on Saturday. Nichols drove in her first run of the season on an RBI groundout in a 14-5 loss to UNC Greensboro. She got her first hit in the season-opener last Thursday, an 8-0 loss to Ohio. On Friday, Central will journey to Covington, GA to start play in the HBCU Collegiate Invitational. The Eagles will play a doubleheader on Friday, starting with Southern University to start a series of games against opponents from the SWAC. Later, they will face Alcorn State.

Mia Davidson-Smith: Davidson continues stellar play with Diablos Rojos del Mexico in the Mexican Softball League. The Red Devils are 10-1 and are in first place in the league. On Sunday, the Diablos defeated Charros de Jalisco 8-4. Davidson hit a home run. Davidson leads the league with seven home runs and 19 RBIs.

There was history made on several levels for the Orange men’s swimming team at the 3A State Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary on Friday night. Orange’s 400 freestyle relay team of Luke Roman, Alex Andre, Ayden Twiddy and Noah Jones became the first men’s relay team in school history to win a state championship. In the final race of the night, Orange edged Lake Norman Charter to take the 400 freestyle state championship with a time of 3:18.18. It was the final race together for the Orange men’s seniors. Over the past four years, Roman, Twiddy, Andre, Jones and Nick Baczara have led Orange to four consecutive Central Conference championships. This year, Orange won the Central Regional men’s team championship for the first time ever. On Friday night, they finished 3rd in the state championships, their best-ever showing. Roman became the first male swimmer in school history to earn Most Outstanding Swimmer honors in the State Championships. Roman won the 200 yard freestyle state championship. For the second year in a row, Roman won the 500 yard freestyle state title. And for the second year in a row, Andre finished 2nd in the 500 yard freestyle. It was a fitting end for a group that has revolutionized swimming at Orange High School and whose name will forever decorate the school record books.

Orange’s Roman, Andre, Jones, Twiddy & Nick Baczara discuss swimming relay state title

There was history made on several levels for the Orange men’s swimming team at the 3A State Championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary on Friday night. Orange’s 400 freestyle relay team of Luke Roman, Alex Andre, Ayden Twiddy and Noah Jones became the first men’s relay team in school history to win a state championship.

Senior night was going to be emotional enough for Orange men’s basketball.

There will be eight seniors honored, including starters Xandrell Pennix, Freddy Sneed and Michael Clark, all of whom have been varsity players since they were freshmen.

Now, there will be more on the line. A share of the Central Conference regular season championship.

On Friday, Orange will host Eastern Alamance in Hillsborough. If Orange wins, they will finish 10-2 and claim at least a portion of the league title for the second straight year.

It will be a rematch of the Central Conference opener back on December 13 in Mebane, where the Eagles surprised the Panthers with a 1-3-1 zone in the second half. Orange shot just 33% from the field in a 66-60 loss. The Eagles ended a six-game losing streak to the Panthers behind freshman Mason Murphy scoring 24 points. Senior guard Ja’vier Tinnin finished with 15 points.

By the time Friday rolls around, it will have been nearly two months to the day after their initial meeting and both teams have added new dimensions. Orange center Jalen Crayton, who went scoreless in Mebane, has become more assertive offensively and have only improved with his finishing ability and free throw shooting.

Eastern Alamance has sophomore Hunter Eichmann, whose father Sean played at Orange in the mid-1990s and whose grandfather was a trigonometry and geometry teacher at Orange, as well as being the biggest Philadelphia Flyers fan in school history. Eichman played sparingly against Orange in the previous meeting, but has become a constant contributor for the Eagles. He is averaging 12 points per game and scored 22 points in a win at Person on January 14.

Following a difficult loss to Person on February 4, Orange bounced back to rout Southern Alamance 84-47 on Friday night in Hillsborough. It was Orange’s fifth wire-to-wire win in its last six games.

Crayton scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, his first career double-double. Junior guard Kai Wade paced all scorers with 19 points and eight rebounds.

With the win, Orange improved to 17-6, officially surpassing its win total from last year when they finished 16-12.

Kamaal Smith added a career-high 13 points as Orange improved to 9-2 in league play. Orange is tied with Eastern Alamance and Person for first place in the loss column in the Central Conference.

Orange’s fullcourt pressure hampered the Patriots throughout the night. The Panthers forced 22 steals and created 31 turnovers in all. They limited Southern Alamance (4-18, 1-9) to 27% shooting from the field.

Orange started the game on a 9-0 run. Pennix, who finished with six points to put his career total at 972 points, swished a 3-pointer to force a Southern Alamance timeout. Freddy Sneed forced consecutive steals, both of which led to field goals. Sneed found Crayton for a lay-in to put the Panthers ahead 13-2. Smith ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer off a feed from Sneed.

Jasiah Allen led Southern Alamance with 13 points.

Orange had a three-game winning streak come to an end against Person on February 4. The Rockets, who blew a 19-point lead to Orange in a 67-65 Panther win in Roxboro on January 9, got 18 points from senior Lance Clarke.

Orange led the majority of the game against Person in Hillsborough, building a 31-22 advantage with 5:53 remaining in the third quarter after Sneed scored on a lay-in. Clarke, who was held to three points in the first half, erupted for eleven points in the third quarter. Clarke hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Rockets ahead 37-36 with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter. It was Person’s first lead since it was 8-7 late in the first quarter.

Person’s Tae Winstead scored on a stickback bucket with 1:51 remaining in the game. Clarke drained two free throws with nine seconds remaining to give Person the game-winning points.

CARY–It was a chance to do something unprecedented in Orange High history.

It was also their last chance.

As the Orange men’s 4×400 freestyle relay team walked to the blocks amid a parade of swimmers amid fireworks and the sound of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” blaring over the speakers, this was more than just the last race of the 3A State Championships on Friday night.

This was the end of the golden era of Orange men’s swimming.

Yet the Panthers had never won a state championship in a relay event.

As Noah Jones completed the third leg of the race, he trailed Lake Norman Charter’s Jack Rodgers by .53 seconds. Luke Roman, in the final two laps of his career, would determine if his teammates would become the first of their kind.

Squared up against Neil Hart, Roman put the Panthers back in the lead roughly 25 yards after diving from the blocks. Roman completed his first lap at 22.45 seconds, putting Orange ahead by .47 seconds. Roman’s second lap would turn a narrow Orange victory into a comfortable one, but dramatic nonetheless. He touched the wall for the final time at 3:18.18, beating Lake Norman Charter’s time of 3:20.69.

With that, Alexander Andre, Ayden Twiddy, Noah Jones and Luke Roman would be the first state championship relay team in Orange men’s swimming history.

It was the perfect end for Roman as he laid claim to being the greatest male swimmer in Orange men’s history. He claimed the 500 yard and 200 yard freestyle state championships on Friday night, ending his career with three individual and one relay state championships.

Roman was named the Most Outstanding Male Swimmer of the 3A State Championships, the first Panther ever to earn the honor.

“I don’t even know if I can explain how I felt,” Roman said about his final 100 yards as a Panther. “It was a full circle moment. It was so exciting. All I wanted to do was win so badly for my teammates, for my parents, for my loved ones, my coaches. That last 100 yards was electric.”

It also marked the end of the golden era of Orange swimming. Roman, Andre, Twiddy, Jones and Nick Baczara are five seniors who joined the program during the pandemic.  Together, they won four Central Conference championships and the first 3A Central Regional title in program history.

Andre, who finished third in the 200 yard individual medley, put Orange ahead in the relay race with an opening lap of 50.46 seconds.

“This is a special championship because we’re all seniors,” Andre said. “They have been my dogs since my freshman year. It was really special to win our last race together.”

While Katie Belle Sikes won Most Outstanding Female Swimmer last year to culminate a career that included five individual state championships, she went into last February knowing her college career would take her to waters at the University of Georgia.

In Roman’s case, there was a sense of finality.

Several colleges have inquired about Roman’s availability, but first and foremost on his mind is medical school.

“I feel like I went through that wall when I touched it,” Roman said. “It was really special this being my last state championship. On our senior day, we talked and poured my heart out to them. I told my teammates and coaches how special they’ve been to me. I couldn’t do anything without them.”

In regards to organized swimming, the relay race may have been the last lap of his life.

After beating out Carrboro to win the Central Regional championship last week, the Panthers finished 3rd as a team in the state championships. Lake Norman Charter captured the state championship with 256.5 points. Carrboro edged Orange for State runner-up with 170 points, compared to the Panthers with 164.

In his first individual race of the night, Roman won the 200 yard freestyle state championship. Starting with an opening lap of 23.67 seconds, Roman held off Rider Warner of East Lincoln at 1:41.55. Warner finished 2nd at 1:42.20.

For the second year in a row, Roman and Andre finished 1-2 in the 500 yard freestyle. Roman repeated as 500 state champion, leading every lap and closing at 4:40.20. Andre earned the silver medal at 4:44.45. Grey DeWalt of Carrboro took the bronze in 4:46.99.

Roman won the 500 state championship last year. He won the 500 regional championship twice and the conference title four times.

Orange’s 200 yard medley relay team of Roman, Andre, Baczara and Jones finished 4th at 1:40.76. Forestview captured the state championship at 1:39.91.

Twiddy finished 9th in the state in the 100 yard freestyle. Twiddy also won the consolation race in the 200 freestyle at 1:51.66. Cedar Ridge senior Philip Cauwels came in 11th in the 200 free at 1:52.94.

Jones finished 16th in the 50 yard freestyle.

Cedar Ridge freshman J.E. Sandor finished 11th in the 100 yard butterfly at 55.30 seconds. Red Wolf sophomore Christopher Seawell finished 14th in the 100 yard freestyle.