Orange High School

Braden Homsey: After four years as a competitor for the Ferrum College wrestling team in Virginia, Homsey has now joined the staff of the Ferrum Panthers. Homesey qualified twice for the NCAA Division III Tournament at Ferrum, in 2020 and 2023. In February, Homsey won the 197-pound championship of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. At the Southeast Regional, Homsey finished 2nd, beating Cameron Butka of Wilkes College in the semifinals via a 7-5 decision. Overall in his senior season, Homsey placed in four tournaments. During his career at Ferrum, Homsey wrestled for five different teams.

Trenton Gill: The Chicago Bears fell to 0-4 on the season when they lost to the Denver Broncos 31-28 at Solider Field on Sunday. The Bears led 28-14 going into the fourth quarter. Gill only had two punts on the day. He averaged 45 yards per punt. His longest punt was 56 yards. One of them was downed inside the 20-yard line. The Bears will travel to Washington next Sunday.

Payton Wilson: Wilson was the leading tackler once again for the N.C. State football team in its 13-10 loss to Louisville at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Wilson finished with ten tackles. He had two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Also, Wilson carried the ball on a fake punt, rushing for three yards to convert a 4th-down. The Wolfpack are 3-2, 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They will host Marshall in Raleigh on Saturday.

Darius Satterfield: The Elizabeth City State Vikings suffered a disappointing Homecoming loss to Johnson C. Smith 21-20 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City State on Saturday. The Vikings led 20-7 going into the fourth quarter before the Bulls scored 14 unanswered points. Satterfield averaged 39.2 yards on four punts. He had a 57-yard punt, his longest of the day. Two of the punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. Elizabeth City State 1-4, 0-3 in the CIAA. The Vikings will host Virginia Union next Saturday.

Braxton Mergenthal: The Division III Hampden-Sydney football team lost a heartbreaker to Bridgewater College 39-38 at Everett Stadium in Hampden Sydney, VA on Saturday. The Eagles scored the game-winning touchdown with  23 seconds remaining. Mergenthal had three tackles for the Tigers. Hampden-Sydney is 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They will host Ferrum next Saturday.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson concluded his first regular season with the Milwaukee Brewers, who clinched the National League Central division championship. On Friday, Wilson recorded his fifth hold of the season as the Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Friday at American Family Field. He threw one shutout inning with one hit allowed and one strikeout. For the regular season, Wilson made 76.2 innings. He finished with three saves, five holds, a 2.58 ERA and 61 strikeouts with 22 walks. The Brewers will start play in the National League Wildcard series, a best-of-three set, against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Game one will be at American Family Field.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday. New Mexico State defeated Liberty 2-0 at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday. It was also the Flames first Conference USA loss ever. Garner started and played 63 minutes at midfield. She fired two shots. Liberty is now 11-1 overall, 2-1 in Conference USA. They will face Florida International in Miami on Saturday.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team remains undefeated in the South Atlantic Conference. On Saturday, the Bears defeated Wingate 2-0 at WU Soccer Complex. Talley played the full 90 minutes at midfield. The Bears are now 7-0-3 overall, 5-0 in the SAC. On Wednesday, they will travel to Emory & Henry.

Will Berger: The Wofford men’s cross country team competed in the Adidas Invitational at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC on Saturday. In a seven-team meet, the Terriers finished fourth. Berger finished 55th among 77 runners with a time of 30:38.4. Wofford will return to action on October 14 with a meet at South Carolina-Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C.

It has been 18 years since the Orange volleyball team has won a conference championship.

Now, it’s only a matter of time before the Lady Panthers finally raise the trophy that has eluded them for so long.

While that long drought isn’t quite over yet, Orange did end one streak on Thursday night. They ended a four-game losing streak to Cedar Ridge inside Panther Gymnasium.

In anticlimactic fashion, Orange swept Cedar Ridge 3-0 on scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-11. It was the first time Orange clinched a home win over the Red Wolves since 2018.

More importantly, Orange (17-3, 8-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) has all but locked up the conference title. They now lead Cedar Ridge by two games in the CCC, plus the head-to-head tiebreaker. With wins next week over Person and Southern Alamance, Orange will clinch first place.

“We were confident,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “But it was a confidence that came from working hard and putting in a lot of extra work on the outside. We made some adjustments yesterday during practice to be ready for today. We worked on the mental aspect of the game and not just the X’s and O’s and just can see the players are thinking about the mental part and pushing through.”

The trappings of a big rivalry match were impossible to ignore as anticipation built on Thursday night. It was the largest crowd of the year at Panther Gymnasium. The Orange student section was packed from the front row to the rafters. Cedar Ridge’s student section, never afraid to be the minority in an opposing gym, lined up to the left end of the floor, parallel to their squad’s bench.

Orange sophomore setter Katie Silcott finished with 29 assists and five aces. Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Jordan registered ten kills, while middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had eight kills, one block and one assist.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Claire Hargett had seven kills and 13 digs for the Red Wolves (10-6, 6-2), who suffered only its second conference loss since the 2020 season. Senior Addie Reid had four kills and four blocks.

The opening set included three lead changes and five ties, but it was the only competitive frame of the night. Orange steadily began to pull away following a 4-0 run where Wimsatt racked up consecutive kills, all assisted by Silcott. A kill by Reid drew the Red Wolves to within 10-9, but that was as close as they would get. Orange responded with a 7-1 run, which included back-to-back spikes by Wilkerson and an ace from Silcott, which led to the first Cedar Ridge timeout. An ace by Josie Crawford put the Lady Panthers ahead 23-17. Wimsatt would close out the opening set with a kill suppled by Silcott.

Orange didn’t trail again the rest of the night. Jordan had six kills in the second set, where Orange started with an 11-2 run. It included an ace by Silcott and two kills by Jordan. The Red Wolves chipped away at its deficit with a 6-2 run where Ellamarie Perel scored a kid, along with Hargett. Orange bounced back with four straight points where Wimsatt, Jordan, and Wilkerson all spiked home points. Jordan scored set point to vault Orange ahead two sets.

Orange started the third set with an 8-2 run, included a block by Wilkerson and two kills by Jordan. The Lady Panthers went on a 5-0 run to take a 13-5 lead after a kill by Wimsatt. Silcott added another ace late.

Orange has won all 24 of its sets thus far in conference play, a run that Cedar Ridge can relate to from year’s past. The Red Wolves are the three-time defending conference champions. Going into Thursday, they’re still ranked #6 in the 3A East RPI rankings.

But Orange has been waiting for four years to surpass the Red Wolves for local volleyball supremacy. After plenty of frustration and losses in the postseason to their neighbors to the west, Orange volleyball’s time has finally come.

Where, and when, it ends is anyone’s guess.

The long wait for the Orange volleyball team to defeat its crosstown rival inside Panther Gymnasium is over. On Thursday night, Orange remained undefeated in the Central Carolina Conference with a 3-0 victory over the Red Wolves. It was the first time that Orange defeated Cedar Ridge at home since 2018. Once again, Ella Wimsatt was huge for the Lady Panthers. The senior had ten kills and 18 digs. Senior Abby Silinski had eight digs for the Panthers. Orange is now one step closer to its first conference championship in volleyball since 2005. The Lady Panthers lead Cedar Ridge by two games in the Central Carolina Conference with four games remaining. Orange also controls the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Red Wolves, which means the Lady Panthers need just two wins to clinch the outright championship. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan had ten kills for Orange, while sophomore setter Katie Silcott finished with 29 assists and five aces. Orange hasn’t lost a set against a Central Carolina Conference opponent yet this season. The Lady Panthers will travel to Person on Tuesday night. They will venture home to face Southern Alamance on Thursday in Hillsborough.

Orange volleyball’s Ella Wimsatt and Abby Silinski discuss win over Cedar Ridge

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Bryse Wilson: For the second time in his career, Bryse Wilson has reached the Major League Baseball playoffs. The Milwaukee Brewers won the National League Central Division championship on Tuesday night, even though St. Louis defeated the Brewers 4-1. It is Milwaukee’s 3rd division title in six years. Wilson threw one-and-two-thirds innings on Tuesday night, allowing only one walk with two strikeouts. The Brewers will face either the Chicago Cubs or the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Cincinnati Reds in a best-of-three series starting on Tuesday.

Trenton Gill: The Kansas City Chiefs hammered the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Needless to say, Gill, a punter, found himself very busy. Gill averaged 45.8 yards on five punts. The longest was a 58-yarder. He had one downed inside the 20-yard line and another for a touchback. Chicago is 0-2 and will look for its first win in a showcase matchup against the Denver Broncos at Solider Field on Sunday.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty Flames women’s soccer team remains undefeated after beating Sam Houston State 6-0 at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA in a Conference USA matchup. Ivy Garner, who played for Cedar Ridge in tennis and soccer her freshman year before she transferred to Eno River Academy, assisted on the third goal, scored by Rachel DeRuby in the 46th minute. Garner played 48 minutes and had a shot on goal Liberty. The Flames are 11-0, 2-0 in Conference USA and will host New Mexico State in another Conference USA matchup on Saturday. Garner, a sophomore, has scored four goals and dished out three assists this season. She has started in all eleven games.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team defeated #19 North Georgia 3-1 at Moretz Campus on Wednesday night. Talley assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Neve Dustin in the 59th minute. Talley played all 90 minutes and had a shot on goal. On Saturday, the Bears defeated Mars Hill 4-0 in Hickory. Talley played 45 minute and had a shot. Lenoir-Rhyne is atop the South Atlantic Conference with a 4-0 record. They are 5-0-3 overall with a trip to Wingate on tape for Saturday night.

Will Berger: A former Cedar Ridge pitcher and quarterback, Berger is now running cross country at Wofford University. Wofford started the season with the Eye Opener at the Roger Milliken Research Center Park in Spartanburg, SC. Berger finished 123rd out of 170 runners with a time of 30:05.3. The Terriers finished 13th out of 18 teams. Liberty finished first. On September 15, Berger competed in the Covered Bridge Open at Appalachian State in Boone. Once again, the Terriers finished 13th as a team. Berger finished 120th with a time of 30:29.41. Florida State finished first with 22 points. Berger also was on the outdoor track & field squad for Wofford last spring.

We’ll have a full volleyball update on Thursday.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is freshman wide receiver Kayden Bradsher. The defensive player of the week is senior linebacker Jayden Medley. On September 8, Bradsher scored three touchdowns in Orange’s 22-0 win over Montgomery Central at Auman Stadium. It was the first three touchdowns of his career. In the first half for the Timberwolves, Medley had a fumble recovery. He created two fumbles on the night and also had a sack. Orange pitched its first shutout against a non conference team since they defeated Granville Central last year in Stem, which was head coach’s DeVante Pettiford’s first win as Orange coach. Bradsher led the team with four receptions for 40 yards and three touchdowns. Bradsher’s first touchdown of the night came on a 12-yard run up the middle. Medley finished the game with seven tackles. Medley is a native of Maryland who moved to Hillsborough. Orange’s young group will face Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium on Friday night in the annual Battle for the Bell.

Orange Panther of the Week: Kayden Bradsher. Defensive Player of the Week: Jayden Medley

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Darius Satterfield; Satterfield is serving as Mr. Sophomore during his second year at Elizabeth City State this academic year. Satterfield is a part of the Royal Court at ECSU, which is comprised of eight students. Last week, Winston-Salem State defeated the Vikings 24-7 in ECSU’s CIAA opener. Satterfield was busy. He had seven punts for an average of an average of 41 yards. He had a career-high 88 yard punt. Elizabeth City State’s game against Shaw has been moved to tomorrow (Sunday) due to inclement weather by the coast.

Payton Wilson: The N.C. State football team had a wild 24-21 win over Virginia at Scott Stadium on Friday night. Once again, Wilson led the Wolfpack with 13 tackles, including one-half of a sack. Wilson had led the Wolfpack in tackles in each of its four games thus far in 2023. Last Saturday, in a 45-7 win over VMI, Wilson had nine tackles and a pass breakup. N.C. State is 3-1 and will host Louisville next Friday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Braxton Mergenthal: The Division III Hampden-Sydney football team rolled past Greensboro College 58-28 at Pride Field last week. Mergenthal, a former Cedar Ridge interior lineman, had a tackle. The Tigers are 2-1 and will host Bridgewater next Saturday.

Bryse Wilson: The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the National League Central division championship. On Friday, the Brewers routed the Miami Marlins 16-1 at loanDepot Park. Wilson threw the eighth inning and allowed one home run, the only Marlins tally of the game. He struck out one. This will be Wilson’s second trip to the playoff in his Major League career. In 2020, he helped the Atlanta Braves reach the National League Championship Series, where he defeated Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of that best-of-seven series. On Wednesday, Wilson threw a shutout inning of relief with one walk in a 8-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Last Monday, Wilson threw the eighth inning in St.Louis’ 1-0 win over the Brewers. He allowed one hit.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty women’s soccer team is now 10-0. The Flames defeated VMI 2-0 at Drill Field on Sunday. Garner started and played 39 minutes. On Thursday, Liberty defeated Middle Tennessee 1-0 in its Conference USA opener at Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, TN. Garner started as a midfielder and played 60 minutes, firing three shots. She has started all ten of the Flames’ games thus far.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team remains undefeated at 4-0-3. On Wednesday, the Bears defeated Anderson 3-0 at Spero Financial Field in Anderson, SC. Talley started as a midfielder and played 41 minutes. Last Sunday, the Bears won its South Atlantic Conference opener when they defeated Limestone 3-0 at Saints Field. Talley had two shots, one of them on net. She played the full 90 minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne is 2-0 in the SAC and faces Mars Hill today.

Allie Wilkerson: The Division III Averett University volleyball team defeated Randolph College 3-1 on scores of 25-13, 25-17, 23-25 and 25-23 on Tuesday at Giles Gymnasium in Lynchburg, VA. Wilkerson played all four sets and registered four kills, two digs and one ace. Averett is now 8-4 overall, 3-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They will face Eastern Mennonite University later today (Saturday).