Orange High School

From the moment Orange ran the Philly Special on the first play from scrimmage on Friday night, the Panthers dominated their crosstown rivals in the Battle of Hillsborough.

Orange junior Kyse Devore, in just his third start, threw for four touchdowns as rushed for another as the Panthers retained the Victory Bell with a 54-0 victory over Cedar Ridge during Homecoming at Auman Stadium. Orange captured its first home victory since they defeated Montgomery Central on September 8, 2023.

It was a night of milestones for the Panthers. For starters, Orange offensive lineman Kayshawn Farrington and Marshea Byrd were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. It was also the anniversary of the dedication of Auman Stadium, named for Glen Auman, who coached Hillsboro High School football to consecutive conference championships in 1959 and 1960.

In between the first and second quarters, Orange High’s 1969 3A State Championship Men’s Basketball team was honored. Last spring, the surviving members gathered for a daylong celebration at Orange High’s Auditorium, where they received championship rings 55 years after winning the title at Durham’s Sykes Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge was without its top skill player, running back Isaiah Craig, who had consecutive 100-yard running games to open the year against East Chapel Hill and Northwest Halifax. The Red Wolves finished with five yards total offense and had to use quarterback Thomas McDermott on keepers for its few positive bursts of offense.

“It was a much-needed win,” said Orange coach DeVante Pettiford. “We’re in the closing stretch with three games left. If we win two of these last three, we stand a good chance of getting into the playoffs. Hopefully, this lights a fire under us and gets us rolling.”

Devore, whose younger brothers Ayden and Asher play at Orange Middle School, was pressed into emergency duty at quarterback three weeks ago after senior Hank Nunnery was injured late in the first quarter at Montgomery Central. It’s been a trial by fire. His opening two starts were against Western Alamance and Walter Williams, possibly the best two teams in the Central Conference.

On Friday night, Devore spread the wealth, delivering four touchdowns passes to four different players. He now has seven touchdown passes over the last six quarters.

“Kyse has a lot of confidence behind him,” Pettiford said. “It’s not just showing up on Friday. He’s putting the time in every week. He’s working hard at practice. He’s watched over four-and-a-half hours of practice over the past two weeks. The success you’re seeing is coming from the time he’s spent preparing.”

The first quarter dragged on amidst a flurry of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams. There were four penalties on the first three plays from scrimmage, but Orange broke the slog on its opening possession when Devore handed the ball to Kingston Purefoy-Farrington, who dropped it off to Hunter Albert, who flipped it back to Devote and aired it out for Kayden Bradsher for a 38-yard gain. On the next play, Devore found Purefoy-Farrington for a 39-yard touchdown.

The Panthers scored on all of its drives in the first half. On its second series, Ja’ki McDaniels returned after missing two games with an injury suffered at Montgomery Central and ripped off a 21-yard run. On the next play, freshman Owen Phillips hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass. The extra point from Will Cooper gave Orange a 13-0 lead.

Devore called his own number after Bradsher moved the ball into the red zone with a 20-yard gain. Devore scored his first varsity touchdown on a 2-yard carry.

Orange’s offense, defense and special teams all scored in the first quarter. After the Panthers’ defense forced a Red Wolf punt, Bradsher picked up a great block from Ty’lieq Jones and raced 79 yards for a touchdown with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter.

On the next Red Wolf drive, Hunter Albert picked off a pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. Albert later scored on offense, catching a 42 yard pass from Devote to open the second quarter.

McDaniels would add a 39-yard touchdown pass from Devore to end the first half.

The second half was played with a running clock of 10-minute quarters. Orange senior Deandre Brown scored the only points of the fourth quarter on a six-yard run.

Cedar Ridge’s Matthew Asay had an interception in the second half.

ORANGE 54, CEDAR RIDGE 0

CR–0   0    0   0-0

ORA–34  14  0   6-54

ORA–Kingston Purfoy-Farrington 39 pass from Kyse Devore (kick blocked)

ORA–Owen Phillips 16 pass from Devore (Will Cooper kick)

ORA–Devote 2 run (Cooper kick)

ORA–Kayden Bradsher 79 punt return (Cooper kick)

ORA–Hunter Albert 15 interception return (Cooper kick)

ORA–Albert 42 pass from Devore (Cooper kick)

ORA–Ja’ki McDaniels 39 pass from Devore (Cooper kick)

ORA–Deandre Brown 6 run (kick failed)

RUSHING–CEDAR RIDGE (Thomas McDermott 11-10, Mason Hughes 1-1, Jordan Oliva 3-(-3), team 3-(-13).

ORANGE: Bradsher 2-21, McDaniels 1-20, Devore 3-18 TD, Brown 1-6 TD.

PASSING: CEDAR RIDGE (McDermott 3-12 7 yards, INT)

ORANGE (Devore 6-11 195 yards 4 TD, INT)

RECEIVING: CEDAR RIDGE (Gavin Stone 1-9, Olivia 1-1, Hughes 1-(-1))

ORANGE: (Albert 2-47 TD, Purefoy-Farrington 1-39 TD, McDaniels 1-39 TD, Bradsher 1-38, Phillips 1-36 TD)

An unexpectedly long layoff for the Orange men’s soccer team finally ended with a decisive win over Eastern Alamance on Wednesday at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane.

The Panthers won 7-0 behind goals from seven different players. Orange improved to 8-3. They remain in second place in the Central Conference with a 3-1 mark.

It had been nine days between games for the Panthers, which is almost unheard of as September bridges into October. Games against Southern Alamance and Northern Durham were postponed or (in the case of Northern Durham) cancelled because of rain over the past two weeks.

Yurem Tapia Mendez notched his third straight game with a goal with a tally in the first half. Mendez now has 12 goals and one assist on the season.

Senior Issac Gallegos assisted on two goals.

Brendan McDonald, Logan Edwards, Angel Chavez, John Gomez Tercero, Daniel Romero Toledo and Chris Lopez each scored goals for the Panthers.

Kace McAuley, Carson Condon, Chavez and Toledo each had assists.

Durvin Lopez Abarca and Hector Garrido each played 40 minutes as the Orange goalkeeper. Abarca made one save.

Orange will travel to Western Alamance on Monday night at Primm Stadium in Elon. The Warriors are ahead of the Panthers by one game for first place in the Central Conference.

Southern Alamance 2, Cedar Ridge 1: Southern Alamance’s Curtis Evans scored off a corner kick with 2:53 remaining in regulation to lead the Patriots over the Red Wolves on Thursday night at Red Wolf Stadium. Brian Reyes assisted on the goal. It was Southern Alamance’s first win of the season. They’re now 1-10, The Red Wolves fall to 3-6-2 overall, 2-3 in the Central Conference. Cedar Ridge will host Person on Monday night in Hillsborough.

Photo from Binghamton University 

Lottie Scully: The former Orange Panther was named the American East Setter of the Week. Last week, Scully had 38 assists in a win over the University of Albany as the Bearcats won its American East Conference opener at the Events Center in Vestal, NY. On September 29, Scully had 56 assists in a 3-1 win over Long Island University. It was the most assists by any American East player this year. Scully also had 13 digs in the win over LIU. Binghamton is 11-5 overall, 1-0 in the American East. The Bearcats will face UMBC and Bryant in matches this weekend.

Cameron Lloyd: Bucknell is off to the best start in team history after sweeping a four-match homestand to open Patriot League play. On September 28, the Bison swept Lafayette (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) at Davis Gymnasium in Lewis, PA. Lloyd finished with eleven kills and nine digs. On Sunday, Bucknell defeated in-state rival Lehigh 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-16). Lloyd had 14 kills, eleven digs and two blocks. Bucknell is 10-1 overall, 4-0 in the Patriot League. They will face American University and Navy this weekend.

Cameron Lanier: Elon has won three straight Coastal Athletic Association matches. Last weekend, they swept a two-match series from UNC Wilmington at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington. Lanier had eight kills and three digs in the Phoenix’s sweep of the Seahawks (25-18, 25-21, 25-23) on September 28. The following day, Elon swept UNCW again (25-23, 25-16, 25-23). Lanier led the Phoenix with 14 kills, two digs and a block. On Thursday, Elon swept Hampton at Holland Hall (25-15, 25-19, 25-18). Once again, Lanier led the Elon with ten kills.

Julie Altieri: Salisbury swept Marymount (VA) (25-14, 25-11, 25-19) at the Maggs Physical Activities Center in Maryland on Wednesday. Altieri had 27 assists, eight kills and five digs. The Gulls were supposed to compete in a tri-match in Gettysburg, PA last weekend, but it was canceled because of Helene. This weekend, Salisbury will face Christopher Newport and Scranton in Maryland. The Gulls are 12-2 overall.

Melissa Benkowitz: Last Saturday, Franklin & Marshall defeated Muhlenburg 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-11) in its Centennial Conference opener in Allentown, PA. Benkowitz had five kills, four aces, eleven digs and three assists. On Thursday, William Patterson defeated the Diplomats 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21). Berkowitz had three kills and seven digs. Franklin & Marshall is 12-3 overall, 1-0 in the Centennial Conference. They will travel to Chesterown, MD to face Washington College on Saturday.

Grace Young: The Division III Greensboro Pride have won four in a row in the USA South Conference. On Wednesday, the Pride defeated Brevard College 3-0 at Hanes Gymnasium (25-16, 25-12, 25-9). Young, a sophomore had five digs. Last Saturday, the Pride swept Meredith College at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh (25-14, 30-28, 25-22). Young had seven digs. On September 25, Greensboro defeated Pfeiffer University 3-1 (25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17) at Merner Gym in Misenheimer.  Young finished with 13 digs and an ace. On September 21, the Pride swept Mary Baldwin in Greensboro. Young had two digs and an ace. Greensboro is 11-5 overall, 4-2 in the USA South. They will North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount on Saturday.

Allie Wilkerson: Last Saturday, Averett University swept two matches at Pfeiffer University. The Cougars defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 3-1 (25-19, 26-24, 22-25, 25-16) at Merner Gym. Wilkerson, the older sister of current Orange middle blocker Ava Wilkerson, finished with seven kills and two digs. Later in the day, the Cougars defeated Pfeiffer 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 15-10) Wilkerson finished with eight kills, two digs and an ace. On September 25, the Cougars defeated Ferrum 3-1 (25-11, 25-16, 23-25, 25-14) at Swartz Gymnasium in Ferrum, VA. Wilkerson finished with six kills one dig. Averett is 7-10 overall, 2-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Cougars will host Shenandoah University and Eastern Mennonite University at the Stuart James Grant Center in Danville, VA this weekend.

Anaya Carter: On September 24, Augusta defeated Division II UNC Pembroke 3-2 at Lumbee Guarantee Bank Court (23-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-13). Carter played one set. The Braves had a match against Converse in Spartanburg, S.C. postponed because of Hurricane Helene. On Tuesday, UNCP defeated Barton 3-1 at Wilson Gymnasium in Wilson (25-19, 26-28, 25-17, 25-22). The Braves will face Mount Olive and Erskine in Pembroke this weekend.

The Orange Middle School Chargers football team went into Wednesday’s game against Southern Middle School as a litmus test. In a rugged battle, the Chargers moved to 3-0 with a 16-6 victory over the Panthers at Chargers Field in Hillsborough. Quarterback Brayden Robbins scored a touchdown in the second quarter to put the Chargers ahead early. Amir Johnson added another touchdown in the third quarter for Orange Middle. Kyleed Royster scored on a two-point conversion, while Johnson added another. The offensive line play of tackles Ulises Cruz and Amare Bost, along with guards Damauri Hester and Elliott Fox, plus center Brayden Johnson helped Orange Middle run down the clock and keep Southern at bay. Orange Middle was driving late for another touchdown, but coughed up the ball in the Panthers Red zone. Bost, who is also an inside linebacker on defense, along with linebacker Asher DeVote helped limit Southern to a season-low in points. The Chargers are the defending OPAC Champions and are trying to win the Northern Division championship once again under head coach Jamie Bailey. Orange Middle will take next Wednesday off before they journey across town to face Stanback at Bulldogs Field on October 16, followed by a trip to Roxboro to face Northern Middle on October 23.

Orange Middle’s Johnson, Robbins, Royster, Bost & Stone talk football win over Southern Panthers

The Orange Middle School Chargers football team went into Wednesday’s game against Southern Middle School as a litmus test. In a rugged battle, the Chargers moved to 3-0 with a 16-6 victory over the Panthers at Chargers Field in Hillsborough. Quarterback Brayden Robbins scored a touchdown in the second quarter to put the Chargers ahead early.

With the Central Conference Cross County championships two weeks away, the Orange men’s team appears poised to take its fourth consecutive league crown.

On Tuesday, Orange took the top four spots in winning its second conference meet of the season. Junior Lucas Van Mater finished 1st as Orange had the top four runners in the reached at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington. Van Mater, the younger brother of former Orange women’s basketball forward Katelyn Van Mater, led the group of 65 runners with a time of 18:03.05. He beat out his teammate Myles Jermyn, who finished only .45 seconds behind in second place.

Orange sophomore Grant Schmid finished third (18:45.26) while Panther senior Cyrus Neal came in fourth (19:44.67). The Panthers came in first as a team with 21 points. Walter Williams finished a distant second with 72 points.

Orange had six runners in the top 12 with Aiden Viola in 11th place (21:16.67) and senior Peter Musser in 12th (21:19.55)

Cedar Ridge finished fifth. Henry Alexander was the top placer for the Red Wolves in 18th place. The Red Wolves claimed spots 18-22 including John Ngunjiri (19th), junior Ryan Matthews, and senior Nathan Walters.

It was the second straight first place finish for Van Mater. On Saturday, he took first place in the 40th Greensboro Invitational race at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden. Van Mater led a pack of 159 runners with a time of 16:29.49. Out of 23 teams, Orange finished 2nd with 79 points. Grace Christian School, a private school out of Raleigh, finished first with 56 points.

Women’s Cross Country: In the women’s race on Tuesday, Cedar Ridge senior Naomi Dyreng finished 2nd overall. Dyreng crossed the finish line at 23:33,07, less than a second behind the winner, Ava Childress of Walter Williams (23:32.26).

Orange had a third place finish as they placed runners 3-through-5. All three of the Lady Panthers top placers were freshmen. Ava Bishop finished 3rd (23:36.45), followed by Kinsey Ross (24:32.58) and Reilly Jermyn (24:33.00).

Cedar Ridge’s Elaina Sobus came in 24th while Kate Finnegan finished 25th. Western Alamance finished 1st in the team standings with 46 points. Orange and Williams finished tied for 2nd with 59 points each, but the Bulldogs earned the tiebreaker since Childress won the individual meet.

Women’s tennis: Orange 9, Southern Alamance 0: Orange celebrated Senior Night by maintaining second place in the Central Conference with a victory over the Patriots on September 26. In a prematch ceremony, seniors Shannon Sollars and Aubrey Petrosanu were honored.

Sollars, whose older sister Erin returned to the team as an assistant coach after graduating last June, defeated Madalyn Corbett 8-0 in the #1 singles match. Petrosanu played doubles with Samantha Gover. They teamed to defeat Cayla Shaw and Presley Lawton 8-2.

Sollars teamed with standard doubles partner Molly Kruse at #1 doubles to defeat Corbett and Gabby Canup 8-0.

Freshman Kalynn Mason won at #2 singles over Canup 8-1. Sophomore Ellie Wilson defeated Ava Lynch 8-1. Junior Oakley Gaddy defeated Cherish Ray 8-2. Orange’s Adelyn Alvis knocked off Cayla Shaw 8-1. Junior Casey Robinson completed a sweep of singles play with a 8-1 win over Presley Lawton 8-1.

At #2 doubles, Evelyn Gover and Kyla Mehl defeated Lynch & Ray 8-2.

After a win in its final dual road match of the season over Eastern Alamance on Wednesday night, the Lady Panthers are 13-2 overall, 10-1 in Central Conference play. On Monday night, Orange will host Walter Williams. If Orange wins, they will tie for the Central Conference championship. On August 21, Williams edged Orange 5-4 in Burlington.

Women’s golf: Orange golfer Gianni Burnette finished highest among local golfers in the latest meet at Roxboro Country Club hosted by Person High School on September 23. Brunette, coming off shooting a 45 in a meet with Williams, finished with a 49, good enough for seven overall individually. Burnette’s teammate, Kayla Pope, was only one stroke back with a 50, tied with Western Alamance’s Layne Pittard. Orange’s Shannon Murphy carded a 54.

Cedar Ridge’s Laci Sykes and Victoria Matthews each shot a 61.

Orange volleyball found a way to win against Person in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers fought off nine set points by Person in the opening frame to win 31-29. Junior Ava Wilkerson had six kills in the first set. Junior Katie Silcott finished with 23 assists, 16 digs and eight kills as Orange maintained its share of first place in the Central Conference. They remain tied with Western Alamance and Cedar Ridge for 1st with a 8-2 league record. Senior libero Abby Silinski had 22 digs and an ace. Orange has won three straight matches for the first time this year. In the second set, Person jumped out to a 13-6 lead before Orange made a comeback. The Lady Panthers ended the second set on a 7-1 run, starting with a kill by Ava Wilkerson assisted by Sawyer White. Silinski had an ace to put Orange ahead 24-20. Jordan had three kills during the final run of the second set. In the third set, Person jumped out to a 12-7 lead before the Panthers would rally once again. In the third set, Silcott had five digs, seven assists, two kills and a block. Orange will face Carrboro tonight in a nonconference match. It will be a rematch of last year’s 3A Eastern Regional championship match that Orange won in five sets.

Orange volleyball’s Katie Silcott & Abby Silinski discuss sweep of Person

Orange volleyball found a way to win against Person in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers fought off nine set points by Person in the opening frame to win 31-29. Junior Ava Wilkerson had six kills in the first set.