Orange High School

Men’s soccer: Orange 1, Carrboro 1: It looked as if the Orange men’s soccer team would suffer its second straight loss before a senior came up big in the waning seconds at Carrboro.

Ryker Stein scored his first goal of the season with 54 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Panthers escape with a 1-1 tie against the Jaguars on Wednesday night.

With just over a minute remaining, Stein was fouled 50 yards from net. On the subsequent free kick, the ball hopped into the penalty area off the shoulder of Orange’s Yurem Tapia Mendez. Stein turned on the rebound with a cross swing off his right foot that bounced into the lower left corner of the net for the equalizer.

Carrboro took the lead off a corner kick with 25:52 remaining in the second half.

It was the first time that Orange tied Carrboro since  2018, when the two teams played to a 2-2 deadlock in 2017. The two teams last met in 2019, when the Jaguars defeated the Panthers 8-2 inside Jaguars Stadium.

Orange (1-1-1) will travel to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday morning for the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Kick-off Classic. The Panthers will face Pinecrest at 11AM.

Cedar Ridge 1, Northwood 1: Cedar Ridge ended a three-game losing streak at Northwood with a 1-1 tie against the Chargers in Pittsboro on Monday night.

Junior Dominic McNerney scored the Red Wolves’ only goal off an assist by Rudy Fuentes. McNerney, a co-Captain, has had either an assist or a goal in each of Cedar Ridge’s four games thus far.

Goalkeeper Erik Galunas made six saves to preserve the tie. The Red Wolves remain undefeated at 3-0-1 and will return to Chatham County to face Seaforth on Monday night. It will be the final game of Cedar Ridge’s four-game road trip.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 9, Southeast Alamance 0: In the first-ever matchup between the Lady Panthers and the Stallions on the tennis courts, Orange emerged with its third win of the season. The Lady Panthers improved to 3-1 on the season.

Durham School of the Arts 5, Orange 4: On Tuesday night, the Bulldogs handed Orange its first loss of the season with victories in four of the six singles matches.

For Orange, junior Shannon Sollars remained undefeated on the season. Sollars defeated Lucia Harrington 6-2, 6-1 at #2 singles. Later in the night, Sollars teamed with her sister Erin to win at #1 doubles over Harrington and Giselle Cowden 8-3.

Orange senior Mikayla Davis won at #3 singles over Sadie Miller 6-4, 6-4. Davis teamed with Molly Kruse to win at #2 doubles 6-4.

DSA’s Avonell O’Keefe and Ruby Free clinched the match for the Bulldogs, beating Ellie Wilson and Violet Shaw 8-4. The Lady Panthers will return to action on Thursday (today) against former Central Carolina Conference rival Northwood.

Summer hibernation is over. At last.

One of the things I envy about the young is many of them still look forward to summer. I haven’t for a very long time. Give me the fall for the cooler weather, the football and the sun setting earlier.

But mostly for the football.

As we start the 2023-2024 academic year on Hillsboroughsports.com, the Central Carolina Conference is different. Northwood has returned to 2A and is now in the Mid-Carolina Conference. The only sport where the Chargers are still a conference rival to Cedar Ridge and Orange is men’s lacrosse. Southern Alamance has taken the Chargers’ place, which makes the CCC a lethal conference in football, baseball and softball. In fact, the last four 3A Eastern Regional champions in softball are now in the CCC. It will be an interesting spring.

And a fascinating fall on the gridiron. With Williams, Eastern Alamance, Southern Alamance and Western Alamance, one of those teams may be on the outside looking in when the football state playoffs begin.

As for volleyball, Orange and Cedar Ridge spent the opening week playing tough teams left and right. Cedar Ridge is the three-time defending conference champions. Orange, needless to say, would love to break that streak. The two teams’ first meeting will be on September 5 at Cedar Ridge.

We’re bringing back the Magnificent 7 this season, a weekly column honoring the seven best performances of the week in no particular order.

1. Illah Babchenko, Sr. The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is 3-0 for the first time since 2009, at the very least. Babchenko, a co-Captain, had a strong opening week. He scored the game-winning goal in the Red Wolves victory over Eno River Academy on August 14. Babchenko scored on a penalty kick in the Red Wolves 4-1 win at Voyager Academy on August 17. Cedar Ridge defeated Vance County in Henderson on Monday night.
2. Brandon Cummings, Sr. It was a night of big plays for the Orange football team in its 33-20 win over Southeast Alamance on Friday night. Cummings scored the first touchdown of the year for the Panthers after he hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Hank Nunnery. Cumming scored on an 89-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Cummings finished with three catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers first win in a season-opener since 2017.
3. Graylinn Serge, Sr. Despite finishing the week 1-2, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team nearly knocked off the defending 4A State Champions on the road. Serge, who has played regularly the past two years, had a team-high 15 kills in the season-opening win over Eno River Academy. Against Millbrook, Serge had eleven kills. She also leads the team with ten aces.
4. Shannon Sollars, Jr. Shannon won all four of her matches during the opening week of the season. She teamed with her sister, Erin, to win the deciding doubles match in the Orange women’s tennis team’s 5-4 victory at Riverside on Thursday night in Durham. Shannon also won her singles match against the Pirates 6-2, 6-2. Erin and Shannon Sollars qualified for the state championships in doubles last year.
5. Ella Wimsatt, Sr. The Orange volleyball team played six matches in four days to start the season. Wimsatt led Orange with 12 kills in a season-opening win over Jordan. She had a season-high 19 kills against Southwest Randolph at the East Chapel Hill Invitational on Saturday morning. Through the first six games, Wimsatt has 87 kills.
6. Traver Bruhns, Sr. The Orange men’s soccer team defeated Durham School of the Arts 2-1 in its season opener on Thursday. Bruins scored the opening goal of the season for the Panthers. He assisted on the game-winning goal by Emmanuel Mil Cruz off a free kick in the second half. Orange beat a DSA team that won 14 games in 2022.
7. Cameron Mayhew, Sr. The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team defeated Voyager Academy for its first win of the season last Thursday. Mayhew won at #1 singles over Katelyn Hutson 6-3, 6-1. Mayhew also teamed with Adeline Cummings to win at #1 doubles 6-0. Mayhew’s brother, Josh, moved in at Belmont-Abbey after graduating from Cedar Ridge in June.

It took some waiting for the Orange men’s soccer team to finally gets its season going. Their original season opener was set against Northern Durham last week, but it was postponed twice because of weather. Instead, the Panthers opened at Durham School of the Arts last Thursday and came away with a victory. Emmanuel Mil Cruz headed home a free kick by Traver Bruhns  in the second half to lift the Panthers past the Bulldogs 2-1. Bruins opened the game with the first goal. It was a solid win for Orange, who defeated a DSA team that won 14 games in 2022 and reached the 3A State Playoffs. Orange replaces 13 seniors from last year’s team, which reached the state playoffs for the first time since 2017. The top four goal scorers from the 2022 team graduated. Mil Cruz is the top returning scorer with four goals. Orange dropped its home opener against Southern Durham on Monday night. The Spartans won 4-0. Orange will try to rebound when they face Carrboro at Jaguar Stadium on Wednesday night. On Saturday, the Panthers will travel to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to face Pinecrest in the North Carolian Soccer Coaches Association Kick-Off Classic. The Panthers will kick off against the Patriots at 11 AM.

Orange men’s soccer’s Emmanuel Mil Cruz and Traver Bruhns discuss win over Durham School of the Arts

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Following a fifth-place finish at the East Chapel Hill Wildcat Invitational, the Orange volleyball team won in its first-ever trip to Seaforth.

Senior Ella Wimsatt tied her season-high with 19 kills while sophomore Katie Silcott racked up 37 assists as Orange defeated the Hawks 3-1 on scores of 25-16, 20-25, 25-18 and 25-11.

Wimsatt added 20 digs while sophomore Ava Wilkerson had nine kills and three blocks. The Panthers broke open the first set with a 10-2 run while senior Sadye Porter was serving. Wimsatt had three consecutive kills to put Orange ahead 11-5, leading to a Hawks timeout. Wimsatt had kills on two of Orange’s last three points to wrap up the set 25-16.

After dropping the second set, Orange opened the third with seven straight points, a spree that included three kills by sophomore Aubrey Jordan. Wilkerson took a pass from freshman Sawyer White and dunked it down to put the Lady Panthers ahead 20-12. Jordan finished off the set with a kill off a set from White.

Orange started the fourth set with an 8-3 run, which included aces from Porter and Wilkerson. The Lady Panthers built a 14-6 lead after a 6-1 run that included an ace by Wimsatt and a kill by Jordan. Orange scored the final eight points of the match. Fittingly, it ended with Wimsatt scoring one final kill on match point off an assist from Silcott.

In the East Chapel Hill Tournament, Orange started with a sweep of East Chapel Hill on Friday night. On Saturday morning, Southwest Randolph, the 2021 2A State Champions, swept Orange. Later in the day, Grimsley swept Orange. In the fifth place match, the Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 3-0. The Patriots and the Panthers are now in the Central Carolina Conference.

Orange will return to East Chapel Hill on Wednesday to face the Wildcats.

Cedar Ridge 3, East Chapel Hill 1:

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team has now won 30 consecutive home games after beating former conference rival East Chapel Hill in four sets on Monday night.

Senior Graylinn Serge finished with 15 kills while Rachel Alverson finished with 36 assists. Sophomore Claire Hargett came way with eleven kills as the Red Wolves squared its record to 2-2.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the opening set before the Red Wolves took control with a 13-5 run. Senior libero Caroline Park served while Hargett racked up two kills in the run. An ace by Park led to an Wildcat timeout. Serge delivered an ace to wrap up the opening set.

The second set was even 8-8, but Cedar Ridge went on a 7-2 run. Senior Addie Reid slammed home a kill that left Alverson covering her hands with her mouth in awe to put the Red Wolves ahead 17-12. The Red Wolves scored four straight points behind two kills from Serge to go ahead 21-15. A return by the Wildcats went long on set point to put the Red Wolves up by two sets.

After the Wildcats captured the third set 25-18, the Red Wolves dominated the fourth and final frame. Serge delivered another ace in the midst of a 5-0 Red Wolves run to begin the frame. East never seriously threatened in the final set. Hargett had four kills in the fourth set, while senior Cecilia Kenan had two aces. Hargett slammed down match point on an assist from Alverson.

Last week, Cedar Ridge took the defending 4A State Champions, Millbrook, to five sets in Raleigh. The Red Wolves led 2-sets-to-one after beating the Wildcats 25-20 in the third. Millbrook stormed back to win the fourth 25-12 and captured the final frame 15-9.

On Saturday, Chapel Hill defeated Cedar Ridge 3-0 at Tigers Auxiliary Gymnasium. It was the first time that the Tigers defeated the Red Wolves since 2019, when they were rivals in the Big 8 Conference. Cedar Ridge had won three straight over the Tigers.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Carrboro on Wednesday before starting conference play against Person next Tuesday in Hillsborough.

Going back to last academic year, this week’s Orange Panther of the Week is Thomas Loch. Through four years at Orange, Thomas was a two-sport athlete with the Panthers. And, during his final days at Orange, he became a head coach. At Orange, he qualified for the Mideast Golf Regionals three times. Loch’s father was the head coach of the Orange men’s and women’s golf teams. Thomas grew up playing golf and continued to lead the Orange men’s golf team during his four years. Thomas was also a three-year member of the Orange men’s basketball team. He scored the final three-pointer for the Panthers during its thrilling playoff game against West Carteret in Morehead City in February. Loch was always a reliable member of a senior class who played regularly down the stretch. In May, Loch became the head coach of the Orange County Hockey Club, a squad comprised of Orange, Cedar Ridge and Eno River Academy players, along with a few others from Wake County. Thomas was also a part of Hillsboroughsports.com, doing play-by-play for softball and baseball. Earlier this month, Loch moved into his dorm at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he will start his freshman year. Last winter, Thomas was a senior on the most successful Orange men’s basketball team since the 2016-2017 season. Hopefully, Thomas will not be a stranger to his friends in Hillsborough, where he constantly played at Occoneechee Golf Course. We wish Thomas all the best in Chapel Hill.

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It was a long night in the season opener at Auman Stadium on Friday night, but a gratifying win for the Orange Panthers. Junior quarterback Hank Nunnery threw four touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Southeast Alamance 33-20. It was the first game for the Stallions in program history. Orange captured a victory in the season-opener for the first time since 2017. Orange’s defense sprang out of the gates quickly. Nunnery found Brandon Cummings for a 30-yard touchdown pass. On the next Panther drive, Nate Sorrells caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Nunnery. Later in the second quarter after Southeast reduced the Orange lead to 13-7, Cummings got free and hauled in an 89-yard touchdown pass. Cummings finished the night with three catches for 129 yards, the leading receiver in the game. Sorrells rushed for a 60-yard touchdown late int the third quarter for the final touchdown of the night. Sorrells rushed for 179 yards. Crawford Farmer also had a touchdown pass for Orange. The Panthers have a winning record for the first time since March 2021. Orange will welcome longtime rival Chapel Hill into Auman Stadium next Friday night. Orange hasn’t started 2-0 since 2016.

Orange football’s Nate Sorrells, Hank Nunnery, Jaylan Starks & Brandon Cummings talk win in opener

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Southeast Alamance traveled into Hillsborough knowing they would play its first game in program history on Friday night.

What they didn’t know was, by game’s end, they would feel like they had played their entire inaugural season in one night.

The Stallions and the Orange Panthers labored through a textbook definition 0f a choppy game filled with penalties, incomplete passes and players cramping up nearly every other play in the second half. It added up to an interminable three-hours-and-seven minutes. When the proceedings finally ended, Orange limped away with its first win in a season-opener since 2017.

Junior quarterback Hank Nunnery threw four touchdowns, including an 89-yard catch-and-run to Brandon Cummings in the second quarter, to lead Orange past Southeast Alamance 33-20 at Auman Stadium. Orange running back Nate Sorrells rushed for 179 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown with :30 remaining in the third quarter that put away the win.

It’s the first time Orange has had a winning record since the spring pandemic season of March 2021 when they were 3-2 after a win over Cedar Ridge.

“You take wins as they come,” said Orange coach DeVante Pettiford. “Winning is a lot more difficult thing than people understand. You take them how you get them. I’m proud of the team tonight. They fought hard all four quarters. There were some things we had to weather. We kept fighting and we kept bouncing back.”

Playing without starting center Luke Cecil, Orange’s offense was boom or bust. None of Orange’s 16 drives had more than one first down. In lieu of sustained drives, the Panthers relied on explosion plays and a feisty defense that sacked Southeast quarterback Ryan Dodson nine times.

“When we looked at game tape, we knew that Dodson was their guy,” Pettiford said. “Obviously, they have a couple of receivers that they like. But the quarterback was their guy. So my things was we were going to send pressure as much as we could. Dodson is a very tough kid. We hit him all night long and he kept getting back up. He’s tough as nails.”

Sophomore linebacker Jaylen Starks sacked Dodson on the game’s first play to dd adrenaline to an Orange sideline the was already bouncing off the walls. The Panthers started its first drive at the Stallions 35-yard line. On the second play, Nunnery found Cummings for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Orange’s Garrett Sawyer sacked Dodson on the next Southeast drive, sending the ball to the ground. Orange freshman Tyreek Battle recovered the fumble at the Stallions 37-yard line. After Sorrells rushed for a 32-yard gain to move the ball into the red zone, Nunnery searched for Cummings again. Instead, the pass wound up in Sorrells hands, who ran it into the right corner of the end zone from 15 yards out. Tyler Narold’s extra point put Orange ahead 13-0.

For anyone looking to win bets in the year 2040 across bars in Haw River, the first answer to the trivia question “Who was the first Southeast Alamance player to score a touchdown?” is Tryon Squires. After Antonio Williamson intercepted an Orange pass in the second quarter, Dodson found Squires for a 33-yard touchdown pass. Cruz Nelms’ extra point put the Stallions deficit at 13-7.

Through the early portion of the second quarter, the Panthers offense struggled. Backed up to its 11-yard line, Orange caught lightning in a bottle when Nunnery found Cummings over the middle. Cummings outran the rest of the Southeast defense for an 89-yard touchdown.

“I was running out of gas towards the end,” Cummings said.

“That was a game-changing touchdown,” Pettiford said. “They had a lot of momentum at that time. When he broke that, he was able to increase our lead and get a lot of things in our favor. Brandon does that every day in practice. I’m glad it finally happened on Friday night.”

In the second half, the two teams traded three-and-outs over the first few drives. The Stallions blocked a Narold punt at the Orange 14-yard line. On 4th-and-9, Dodson hit Squires in the right corner of the end zone. Nelms’ extra point reduced Orange’s lead to 20-13.

Once again, Orange found another big play. After a 17-yard run by Jaylan Starks, Nunnery found Crawford Farmer over the middle for a 46-yard touchdown catch.

Southeast narrowed the gap again with a 10-play, 59-yard drive that appeared dead when Dodson threw an incomplete pass on 4th-and-9 from the Orange 11-yard line. But the Panthers were called for a roughing the passer penalty. On the next play, Dodson found Williamson on a 6-yard touchdown pass.

The Stallions were within one score at 27-20, which meant it was time for another Orange big play. This time it was Sorrells, who streaked ahead for 20 yards. After an injury timeout, Sorrells took a toss and outran the field 60 yards for the game’s final score.

In the fourth quarter, sophomores Kayden Bradsher and Hunter Albert each had interceptions for the Panthers. Albert’s pick at the goal line ended the final Southeast drive of the night and ensured Orange’s second straight home win dating back to last season.

ORANGE 33, SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE 20

SA–0     7      13    0-20

OR–13   7      13    0-33

Orange–Brandon Cummings 30 pass from Hank Nunnery (kick blocked)

Orange–Nathan Sorrells 15 pass from Nunnery (Tyler Narold kick)

Southeast Alamance–Tyron Squires 33 pass from Ryan Dodson (Cruz Nelms kick)

Orange–Cummings 89 pass from Nunnery (Narold kick)

Southeast Alamance–Squires 13 pass from Dodson (kick blocked)

Orange–Crawford Farmer 46 pass from Nunnery (Narold kick)

Southeast Alamance–Antonio Williamson 6 pass from Dodson (Nelms kick)

Orange–Sorrells 60 run (kick failed)

RUSHING–SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE 37 carries–30 yards (Daniel Booker 7-37, Jerry Sims 3-11, Trey Van Dusen 1-7, Damonte Corbett 6-0, Treygan Lucas 3-0, Dodson 17-(-25)

ORANGE– 25 carries–183 yards TD (Sorrells 14-179 TD, Jaylan Starks 4-22, DeAndre Brown 3-9, Daylin Ford 1(-2), Nunnery 3-(-25).

PASSING–SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE 15-40 178 yards 3 TD 4 INT (Dodson 15-39 178 yards 3 TD, 4 INT, Van Dusen 0-1)

ORANGE (Nunnery 8-20 201 yards, 4 TD, INT)

RECEIVING: SOUTHEAST ALAMANCE (Sims 6-38, Squires 5-110 2 TD, Williamson 2-21 TD, Corbett 1-5)

ORANGE: (Cummings 3-129 2 TD, Farmer 2-49 TD, Sorrells 2-18 TD, Kayden Bradsher 1-5