Orange High School

Jamar Davis: Davis ended a successful track & field career at N.C. State in June in the NCAA Championships in Austin, TX on June 9th. He had a leap of 15.65 meters in the men’s triple jump to finish as a second-team All-American. He finished in 14th place nationally. Davis was a second-team All-American in his freshman year of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field championships. Davis will go down as one of the greatest all-around athletes in Orange High history. In his senior year, Davis won an individual state championship and was named Most Outstanding Performer at the 3A State Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also was the leading scorer for the men’s soccer team, which reached the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Earlier in his career, he was a wrestler on three Orange teams that won Big 8 Conference championships.

Mia Davidson: It’s been a summer full of softball for Davidson. She started with Athletes Unlimited AUX, then journeyed to Dublin, Ireland to play for the United States in the qualifying rounds of the Women’s Softball World Cup. The United States won all four of its games in order to qualify for the World Cup Finals, which will be held in Italy next June. In Ireland, Davidson served mostly as a reserve. She served as a pinch-hitter in America’s 1-0 win over Australia on July 13. On July 12, the Americans won 15-0 over Botswana. Davidson backed up catcher Sahvanna Jaquish, entered the game as a pinch-hitter, drew a walk and scored a run off a single by Hannah Flippen. Davidson also played in the American’s 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei. The U.S. won all four games and didn’t surrender a run in the entire tournament. Over the weekend, Davidson started her second season with Athletes Unlimited. In the opening week, Davidson was drafted by Team McCleney. In the opening game that started on Friday, Davidson hit a grand slam. The game was suspended by rain but resumed on Monday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, IL. Team McCleney won 8-3. Davidson was selected as the 3rd MVP which earned her 20 additional points. On Saturday, Team Mulipola defeated Team McCleney 3-1. Davidson went 0-for-3 with a walk. On Sunday, Team McCleney edged Team Rhodes 4-3 in a thrilling game. Davidson went 1-for-3 with a walk. At the end of the first week, Davidson is 10th in the Athletes Unlimited points standings with 314. On Monday night, Davidson was selected to play on Team Sierra Romero for this weekend’s three-game series.

Bryse Wilson: On Monday night, Wilson closed out the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Wilson threw a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one and walking one. As of Monday night, the Brewers are one-and-a-half games behind the Cincinnati Reds for first place in the National League Central. Wilson has pitched 35 games this season. He is 3-0 with three saves and a 3.38 earned run average. Last month, Wilson had four straight appearances without giving up a run, starting with a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on July 6 at Miller Park. On July 21, Wilson faced his former team, the Atlanta Braves. He threw three scoreless innings, striking out five, but the Braves went on to win 6-4.

Joey McMullin: On Sunday, McMullin announced he would play the remaining two years of his college basketball eligibility at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville. For the past two years, McMullin has played at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, which were among the most successful in the 15-year history of the program. Last year, the Flyers finished 30-4, which included an 18-game winning streak, and won the Region 10 regular season and tournament championships. Sandhills was ranked #1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III polls nine times during the season. McMullin was the second-leading scorer on the team with 14 points per game. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game.

Aidan McAllister: Following the conclusion of baseball season in June, McAllister announced he was entering his name in the transfer portal after one season at Hofstra University. A former All-Central Carolina Conference performer at Cedar Ridge, McAllister didn’t play in a game for the Pride during his only season in Nassau County, New York.

As we look back to the 2023 spring sports season, our Orange Panther of the Week is recently graduated Orange shortstop Jackson Berini. For the second straight year, Berini was named All-Central Carolina Conference. A mainstay as Orange’s leadoff batter, Berini ended his career with an 11-game hitting streak. Orange won its third consecutive conference championship this year, ending the season with a trip to the state quarterfinals of the 3A State Playoffs. Berini was Orange’s leading hitter with a .398 batting average. He also had the top on-base percentage at .522. He scored a whopping 40 runs for the Panthers. Jackson started his career sharing the middle infield with his older brother, Joey, in 2020. The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Jackson was just starting his excellence in a Panther uniform. The final three years he played, Orange won a conference championship. Berini was tied for the team lead with 35 hits in 2023. Along the way, he was an instrumental player for an Orange team that went 25-3, its best overall win total since the 2013 team. Berini will move on to play at Gaston College next spring, but his impact across Orange High can be found on the championship banners aligned outside the press box for years to come.

Orange Panther of the Week: Jackson BERINI

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For some, it may have been a surprise to see the Orange men’s basketball team win ten games before Christmas last season. Especially since they won just ten games for the entire 2018-2019 and 2017-2018 seasons.

But for anyone who saw the Orange Summer Heat Tournament last June, it wasn’t surprising in the least. Cole Cloer and Kai Wade had just graduated from middle school less than a week beforehand, but suited up for Orange in the Black Session of the Tournament. The Panthers advanced to the championship game against Chapel Hill, where they rallied from a late six-point deficit with just over 1:00 to play to win the championship.

It was the foundation of where the expectations of the 2022-2023 season were built. From that point forward, Orange coach Derryl Britt craved opening night against East Chapel Hill, where three freshmen (Cloer, Wade and Mason Robinson) started.

On Tuesday, the second Orange Summer Heat Tournament will take place inside Panther Gymnasium. This year, the event will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, games will start at 3PM and last until 9:00.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the action starts at 2:00 PM and continues until 9:00 PM.

Admission is $10. Children ten years old and younger will get in free. The event is a fundraiser for the Orange Basketball program.

The other teams in the event will include Southern Lee, Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill, Providence Grove and Lee County.

The event will be noteworthy for several reasons. In addition to Orange’s participation, the event will mark the unofficial debut of new East Chapel Hill coach Kennard Winchester, only the second head coach in the 27-year history of the school. Ray Hartsfield stepped down in March. Hartsfield took the Wildcats to the 1997 3A State Championship.

Cloer and Wade will both suit up for Orange in the event. The two have played travel basketball throughout the spring. Cloer has gone viral with an array of dunks, blocks and other highlights. Two weeks ago, he earned his first Division I college offer from High Point University.

Since the season ended in February, Wade has played throughout the country on weekends and during holidays, including in Atlanta and Dallas. Last season, Wade averaged 2.8 assists per game. He was second on the team with 11.5 points per game.

Cloer was the leading scorer for the Panthers with 20.1 points per game. He also led the team with 3.1 assists per game.

Next season, Orange will compete in a Central Carolina Conference that will be dramatically different solely from the departure of Northwood, who won 34 consecutive CCC games and reached the 3A State Championship in February. The Chargers are moving down to 2A and will be replaced in the CCC by Southern Alamance, who is moving down from 4A.

Southern Alamance competed in the DAC-VII Conference the past two years.

Northwood won three of the last four conference championships and claimed the 3A Eastern Regional Championship in 2021 and 2023.

The tournament will be a breeding ground for younger players who will attempt to provide depth next season. The Panthers are losing five seniors. Darius Corbett, Kaleb Barnhardt, Thomas Loch, Isaiah Seymour and Caleb Barreto all graduated on Friday night at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

Last year was the first time since 2017 that Orange reached the 3A State Playoffs, where they took West Carteret to the wire in Morehead City in the opening round.

Orange finished the season 17-10, but it could have easily been a 20-win season. The Panthers had last-second losses to South Granville and Sanderson in the South Granville Holiday Tournament on consecutive days. Against West Carteret, senior Worth Stack tapped in a missed shot with 22 seconds remaining to give the Patriots a 65-64 lead. They went on to win 66-64 when Malachi Poole’s desperation heave from midcoast rimmed out.

The soccer games that stretched well into the night at Orange High will never be the same.

That’s where Mike McCauley spent plenty of time over the past seven years. As fans walked into Orange Soccer Stadium, McCauley would be the first person they’d see. He’d take tickets, charging $6 for admission for men’s and women’s soccer games, then would run the scoreboard as his workday stretched into a 12th, 13th and (if there was overtime) 14th hour.

It was just one of McCauley’s many duties after he replaced Earnie Price as Orange High Athletic Director in 2016. Usually, at this time of year, his teaching days would wind down. His focus would be on mowing fields and the next academic year, which always felt it was around the corner, even in early June.

On Monday night, McCauley passed away at Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington.

Last Wednesday, McCauley was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had been absent from work last week, leaving his myriad of duties to several coaches and trainers. Two weeks ago, he was present when Orange senior Brianne “Breezy” Foster signed her letter of intent to play softball at Wake Tech, along with principal Jason Johnson.

McCauley arrived at Orange after he departed Graham High School, where he served as head football coach from 2004-2011. He served on the staff of football coach Pat Moser and defensive coordinator Van Smith (both previously at Graham High). The coaching combined with the talent of players like Payton Wilson, Bryse Wilson, Stone Edwards, Tay Jones, Keyshawn Thompson, Patrick Pettiford and Garrett Cloer produced the longest sustained success in Orange football history. Starting in 2012, Orange had six consecutive 10-win seasons and won three consecutive Big 8 Conference championships.

In 2016, McCauley transitioned away from the sidelines and into the role of athletic director after Price retired. Very quickly, he found himself having to replace local and statewide legends.

In March 2017, longtime wrestling coach Bobby Shriner retired after winning over 500 dual matches and five state championships. Shriner, whose son Nick is currently the head wrestling coach at Orange Middle School, nearly won a state championship in his final dual match against Piedmont High in Monroe. Spenser Poteat, who wrestled for Shriner, was chosen by McCauley as his replacement. Since then, Orange has maintained its standard of excellence, winning five conference championships and reaching the Eastern Regional Final of the Dual Team State Tournament each of the last two years.

Two months later, the Orange softball program that McCauley oversaw won the state championship, sweeping Piedmont in a best-of-three series at Dail Softball Stadium at N.C. State University. Mia Davidson, who would go on to become the all-time home run leader at Mississippi State University and the Southeastern Conference, was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

The following year, men’s basketball coach Greg Motley resigned after 20 years, but maintained his position as a teacher at Orange until eventually leaving for Southern Durham. Motley was the winningest head coach in school history, leading the Panthers to the state quarterfinals in 2017 behind forward Connor Crabtree and center Logan Vosburg. McCauley selected Derryl Britt from Warren County as a replacement. Last year, Britt was named Central Carolina Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers back to the state playoffs for the first time in six years.

Also in 2018, Chandler Zirkle, a former player at East Chapel Hill, was hired by McCauley as the new lacrosse coach replacing David O’Neal. Zirkle, who added his father Franklin to the staff in 2021, has transformed the program into arguably the best in Orange County, including the Chapel Hill schools. The Panthers have won three consecutive conference championships and hosted the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship games in 2022 and 2023.

McCauley also hired Justin Webb as tennis coach to replace Andy Brown. Last fall, the Orange women’s team won the first conference championship in school history. They reached the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs in 2022 and 2023.

“Coach McCauley was a tremendous supporter of our tennis program,” Webb wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning. “He helped us secure funding for numerous projects, no questions asked. He helped install signs to support our most recent successes. His service to the school and the athletic community was incredible.”

In May 2018, Dean Dease retired as Orange baseball coach. Jason Knapp, who served as a head coach at Walter Williams High in Burlington, was named Dease’s replacement.

“When he brought me in, he told me about how they expect uphold a program of integrity here,” Knapp said on Tuesday morning. “He told me about the expectations at Orange High, but he wanted to maintain a standard of excellence. Mike was a gentle giant. He was tall and muscular. But he didn’t need to raise his voice to get his point across. That’s why he was so well liked.”

Dease left Orange after winning 503 career games and the 2008 2A State Championship. Knapp has won three consecutive conference championships and just finished a 25-3 season, the most successful campaign since 2013.

Knapp’s first interaction with McCauley actually came years before both arrived at Orange. They talked on the football field whenever Williams and Graham squared off. Knapp was a position coach with the Bulldogs while McCauley was the head coach of the Red Devils.

They lived two miles from each other in Burlington.

“It’s a hard time right time now,” Knapp said as he sat watching the baseball field on Tuesday. “Everyone is devastated. You try to focus on work and exams, but then you walk past his office.”

Funeral arrangements for McCauley are incomplete at this time.

Three seniors who were vital to the rise of the Orange lacrosse program will conclude their high school careers at the Bull City All-Star Game on Wednesday night.

Midfielder Tigh Metheny, defensemen Nick Cardone and Braden Hunt have been named to the All-Star Game, which will be held on Wednesday night at Koskinen Stadium at Duke University, the home of the ACC Champion Duke men’s lacrosse team.

Cardone will suit up for the White Team while Metheny and Hunt were named to the Blue Team, which will be coached by Northwood’s Randy Cox, who won the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship earlier this month. It was the first time the Chargers reached a state championship game in lacrosse. Chapel Hill’s Jacob Manning will also coach the Blue Team.

Ken Broomfield of Wilmington Laney and John Van Lunen of First Flight will coach the White Team.

Cardone, Metheny and Hunt were three seniors chosen among over 240 players nominated by 92 coaches. 60 men and 59 women’s players were selected for the two games.

The women’s game will be held on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30. The men’s game will start at 6:30.

Cardone, Metheny and Hunt were members of the most successful four-year class in Orange lacrosse history. They were freshmen on the 2020 team that roared out of the gates with a 7-0 start, outscoring opponents 92-33. They ended the season with a decisive win over Roxboro Community School, which was the final sporting event played by any local team for eight months before COVID-19 shut down the season. The RCS game was the final one for Orange senior attacker Wyatt Jones, the first Panther lacrosse player to sign with a Division I school when he played with Mercer.

As the pandemic restrictions eased, Cardone, Metheny and Hunt became key players for Orange’s run of three consecutive conference championships, the first titles in team history. Metheny scored four goals and three assists as a sophomore.

In 2022, Orange won the new Mid-Carolina Conference championship, reached the state quarterfinals for the first time ever and also hosted the Eastern Regional Championship game against First Flight. Cardone and Metheny were named All-Conference. Cardone led the team with 25 created turnovers. He also registered 63 ground balls, fourth on the team. Metheny was another cog in an offensive machine that scored a Mid-Carolina Conferee-leading 273 goals.

Metheney was tied for second on the team with 45 goals. He also finished with 69 points, second on the team. Hunt, in his first full varsity season, had 41 ground balls as a defenseman.

The 2022 team had a 17-3 record, breaking the school record for wins. This year’s team eclipsed that mark with a 18-4 record, once again reaching the 3A/2A/1A Eastern Regional Championship game. Metheny had a career-high 53 goals and scored 68 points. Cardone led the team with 34 turnovers created and was fifth on the team with 60 ground balls.

In April, both Cardone and Metheny signed with Division II Catawba College in Salisbury.

This season, Hunt created 26 turnovers, second on the team. He also had 35 ground balls.

The Bull City All Star Game is a benefit for the Duke Cancer Institute and North Carolina High School Athletic Association scholarships. Organized by Franklin Zirkle, a former head coach at East Chapel Hill and Leesville Road, the game is named in honor of Tony Cullen. One of the most successful players in Duke history, Cullen scored 106 career goals and 114 assists before he graduated in 1979. Afterwards, Cullen went on to coach the Blue Devils for nine years. After his coaching stint ended, Cullen went on to become a college lacrosse official.

In its first year of operation, the Bull City All Star game raised $2,500 for Duke Cancer Institute. Last year, in its first year back after the pandemic, the All-Star game raised $10,000.

The most complete season from an Orange runner in over 25 years is now complete.

At least it is to many outside observers. For junior Gabriel Schmid, there’s still unfinished business for his senior season.

For now, Schmid has become the first Orange High runner to win at state title at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 25 years.

On Friday afternoon, Schmid finished first in the 3,200 meters, capturing the state title with a time of 9:14.94 at the Irwin Belk Track and North Carolina A&T University. He beat runner-up Eli Julian of East Rowan to the finish line by just over five seconds. Julian came in at 9:20.39. Harper Clark of West Johnston finished third at 9:34.07.

Schmid becomes the first runner to win a state championship in outdoor track and field for Orange since 1998. Bradsher Wilkins was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 1998 state championships after he captured two state championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

That’s precisely why Schmid feels like Friday was triumphant and incomplete all at once. Schmid finished second in the 1,600 meters, which is basically one mile, behind Clark of West Johnston. Schmid led for most of the race until the final mile. He crossed the finish line at 4:20.05, just behind Clark’s time of 4:18.36.

Schmid’s time in the 3,200 meters was 20 seconds faster than his race last year in the state championships.

Winning the 3,200 meters has been elusive for Orange runners over the last few years. Last year, Schmid finished second in the 3,200 meters, coming up behind Austin Brotemarkle of Forestview. In 2021, Spencer Hampton led most of the way in the 3,200 meters before he was passed on the final lap by Walter Williams’ Ryan Motondo, who finished three seconds ahead of Hampton.

“I think Spenser was here today,” Schmid said afterwards.

In November, Schmid won the 3A Cross Country individual state championship at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Last week, Schmid won the Mideast Regional championship in the 3,200 meters at Franklinton High School.

On Friday, Schmid had to deal with the elements. A torrential storm left behind plenty of water for athletes in all competitions to deal with. The rain had just stopped by the time Schmid started to run the 1,600 meter final.

“The track was just flooded with water,” Schmid said. “There were puddles everywhere.”

Schmid’s cross country championship was in November. His first state track and field championship was in May. Yet both races were run in warmer climates, something that Schmid actually preferred.

“I was heat training over the past two weeks,” Schmid said. “I was running in the hottest part of the day. In a way, I was prepared for the heat. But at the same time, I hadn’t run in the rain, which no one really likes to do. So I don’t think anyone was really prepared for that. I was prepared for the worst and I think I prepared the best I could.”

Last year, Schmid only qualified for one event in the state championships. Looking to become an elite runner, he spent the summer in grueling training throughout the southeast. He attended the Brevard Summer Distance training camp where he ran through the craggy terrain in a mountainous region. He also ventured to West Virginia for a Ragnar relay race.

“That 3.200 race last year was very much a strategy race,” Schmid said. “It is very much who is the tougher runner based on who can survive in that heat. So looking to this year, I qualified for two events. I placed second in the mile. I won the 3,200 meters by six seconds. I feel like I’ve come very far.”

From the very first week of the high school sports season last summer, Schmid has established dominance. At the Early Bird Cross Country Challenge on August 20 at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, Schmid finished first among 178 competitors. He went on to win the Central Carolina Conference championship and the Mideast Regional Championship before earning the state title in Kernersville.

Schmid is just the third Orange High runner in school history to win an outdoor state track & field state championship. In addition to Wilkins, Alvis Whitted won the 100 and 200 meter dash in the 1993 state championships. Following a run in the U.S. Olympic Trails and a successful career at N.C. State, Whitted went on to a nine-year career in the NFL. He is the only Orange Panther to play in a Super Bowl. Whitted suited up for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whitted recently became the wide receivers coach for the Utah Utes after a lengthy stint at the University of Wisconsin.

Yet Schmid is still aiming for more. He wants to break the 3A State Record for the 3,200 meters, which is 9:11, a record that has stood since 2010.

“There’s higher expectations,” Schmid said. “But to put it into words and to put it into the track is a whole other thing.”

That’s why he’s headed to California to run in another event next week. For Schmid, there truly is no finish line.

Also in the state outdoor championships, Ja’Ki McDaniels of Orange finished 13th in the long jump at 19-feet, 4.25 inches. Orange senior Isaiah Seymour came in 14th in the triple jump at 39-feet, 1.50 inches.

In women’s track and field, Orange junior Grace Pell finished ninth in the high jump with a leap of four-feet, ten-inches. Iyauna Justice finished 13th in the shot put at 31-feet, eight inches.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Naomi Dyreng, who won three regional championships at Franklinton High, came in seventh in the 1,600 meters at 5:24.62. Cedar Ridge sophomore Abigail Klaitman came in 13th in the same race, crossing the finish line at 5;52.63.

Dyreng also ran in the 3,200 meters. She finished eighth at 11:48.81. Klaitman finished 13th in the 3,200 at 12:24.81.

Cedar Ridge junior Typhany Cheek finished 14th in the long jump with a leap of 15-feet.

Joey Berini: The #15 East Carolina baseball team has won its third consecutive American Athletic Conference regular season championship. Over the weekend, the Pirates swept South Florida at USF Baseball Stadium in Tampa. On Saturday, the Pirates won 7-1. Berini, who started all three games at shortstop, went 0-for-2 with an RBI groundout on Saturday. In Friday’s 6-5 win for the Pirates, Berini went 1-for-4. On Thursday, East Carolina won 8-3. Berini went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He had a two-run single in the third inning to even the game 3-3. ECU will be the #1 seed for this week’s AAC Tournament at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, FL. They will start play on Tuesday. ECU is 41-15 and sit atop the AAC with an 18-6 record.

Bryse Wilson: On Saturday, Wilson threw three innings of relief for the Milwaukee Brewers agains the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Wilson allowed only two hits and no runs. He had one strikeout. Tampa won 8-4. On May 15, Wilson threw one-and-two-thirds innings of relief as the Brewers were pounded by St. Louis 18-1 at Busch Stadium. Wilson gave up two runs off three hits with two strikeouts. Milwaukee is currently in first place in the National League Central with a 25-21 record. Wilson has a 2.92 ERA with two saves and 24 strikeouts.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers baseball team will be the #3 seed in this week’s Conference USA Baseball Tournament in Houston. The 49ers are on a five-game winning streak after sweeping Middle Tennessee at Hayes Stadium over the weekend. DeFranco started at second base in the 49ers 14-5 win over the Blue Raiders on Friday. He did not have an at-bat. On Thursday, the 49ers defeated Middle Tennessee 3-2. DeFranco went 2-for-4, starting at second base. On Tuesday, Charlotte upset #9 South Carolina 11-9 at Founders Park in Columbia, SC. DeFracno started at second base and went 1-for-5 with a double. He scored off a two-run homer by Blake Jackson in the second inning. Charlotte will face Louisiana Tech, the defending CUSA champions, on Tuesday.

Phillip Berger: The Division III William Peace baseball team ended its season in the USA South Tournament championship series on May 13. North Carolina Wesleyan defeated the Pacers 8-4 in Rocky Mount. On May 12, the Battling Bishops defeated Peace 9-2 in game one of the best-of-three series. Berger started on May 12 for Peace. He suffered the loss, sending his record to 4-5. Berger threw six innings and allowed seven runs off six hits. Only three of the runs were earned. He had three strikeouts and two walks. Peace ends the season 25-21. Berger, a junior, went 4-5 with a. 3.69 ERA this year. He led the team with 76 strikeouts with 26 walks. Peace’s 25 wins this season are a school record.

Jamar Davis: At the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the Paul Derr Track Facility in Raleigh on May 11-13, Davis finished fourth in the triple jump. His best leap was 15.45 meters. Owayne Owens of Virginia won the conference championship at 16.61 meters. Davis finished eighth in the long jump with a leap of 7.26 meters. Jeremiah Davis of Florida State won the ACC Championship at 7.94 meters. Davis will participate in the NCAA East Regionals this week in Jacksonville, FL.

Jaylin Jones: The Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team had its season come to an end in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Centre College defeated the Falcons 11-9 in Danville, KY. In his final game with the Falcons, Jones had one shot, four ground balls and one turnover created. Jones, who is a graduate student with Pfeiffer, ends the season with 17 games played. He started one. Jones had one game-winning goal. He finished with four goals, two assists and 37 ground balls. Pfieffer went 17-2 this season.

Joe Kiger: On Saturday night, Kiger started the season by winning the MOD 4 feature event at Orange County Speedway just outside of Caldwell. Kiger, running in the Racing Electronics car, won with several of his friends from Orange High and Cedar Ridge High watching on. Kiser played football at Orange.

This time, a five-run inning was too much for Orange to overcome.

Last week, the Panthers pulled off a miracle against Triton, who led 8-3 going into the bottom of the tenth inning. A combination of five walks, a hit batter and three hits, including a walkoff by Wyatt Hedrick, led to six runs and the most improbable comeback in school history as Orange won 9-8.

While Orange never quit battling, Southern Lee’s pitching staff was better equipped to handle a big lead in the 3A State Quarterfinals.

Behind back-to-back homers from Cooper Harrington and Ashton Donathon, the Cavaliers defeated Orange 7-2 on Friday night at Orange High Field. It was Orange’s first home loss of the season, as well as its first loss to a non conference team. The Panthers end the year 25-3, its most wins in a season since 2013.

Southern Lee advanced to the Eastern Regional championship series for the first time in school history. They will face J.H. Rose in a best-of-three series this week.

Orange played without 2022 Central Carolina Pitcher of the Year Cross Clayton, who was limited to six pitching starts this season because of shoulder injuries. While the Panthers’ pitching depth was enough to overcome most opponents this year, the Cavaliers used speed and power to end Orange’s 18-game winning streak.

“They just kept the pressure on,” said Orange coach Jason Knapp after an emotional meeting with his players, most of whom emerged with tears in their eyes. “We had a couple of chances to push a couple of more across, and we just weren’t able to find the timely hit. They ran the bases extremely well. They hit the ball to all fields extremely well. They’re just a well coached, talented ball club.”

The result continued a pattern of one team raining on the other’s parade.While Southern Lee and Orange are separated by just over an hour, they’ve played six times since 2016. Each time, the road team has won. Last April, the Cavaliers edged Orange 6-5 in Hillsborough.

On that day, Southern Lee’s Jalen Jones proved to be a lethal force. He finished 3-for-4 with five putouts. On Friday night, he drove in the opening run off a single to left field to score Donathan.

Immediately, Orange came back in the bottom of the first when senior Jackson Berini, who concluded his career on an 11-game hitting streak, ripped a fastball to right centerfield, the deepest part of Orange’s ballpark where the fence is 402 feet from home plate. After Ryan Hench walked, Connor Nordan sent a flyball in shallow centerfield that Jones caught, but Berini scored on a sacrifice fly for the only tie of the game.

Southern Lee’s Michael Tate-Banks drew a leadoff walk in the second against Orange starter Coltin Hedrick. Caleb Waters lined a single to left field. With one out, Harrington loaded the bases when he reached on a dropped ball in right field. Donathon plated Tate-Banks on a sacrifice fly to left field, which was caught by senior Ryan Hench.

Southern Lee starter Pierce Bouwman, who earned the win to improve to 4-2, used power pitching to squelch any chance for Orange to even the game. In the fourth, the Panthers’ Cameron Guentensberger reached third base while Ryan Honeycutt got to second after each reached on base hits. With one out, Bouwman struck out Neo Best and Wyatt Hedrick to end the inning.

That was the last time Orange was within striking distance. Harrington drilled a leadoff homer over the left field fence in the fifth inning. Donation followed with another dinger that sailed in the vicinity of Harrington’s blast to make it 3-1 Cavaliers. With one out, Jones walked. Kale Scruggs sent a ground ball to second base, which Wyatt Hedrick tried to run down after he held the runner at second. Hedrick’s throw went over the head of Nordan at first base and nearly went into the Orange dugout, allowing Jones to score. After Cooper Moss singled to left field, Tate-Banks was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Josiah Gibbs replaced Coltin Hedrick as pitcher. Waters sent a liner back to the mound that Gibbs caught. Gibbs nearly doubled up Tate-Banks at first base, which would have ended the inning. The throw was errant and Tate-Banks got his hand on the bag just before Nordan could get his glove down. It proved to be a costly sequence for Orange after Spencer Stephens lined a double into right centerfield, scoring Scruggs and Julian McNeil, who was running for Moss. Berini threw out Tate-Banks at the plate, with Horton providing the tag, but the Cavaliers led 7-2.

“We had our five spot against Cape Fear,” Knapp said, referring to Tuesday’s playoff win in the round of 16 where Orange scored five in the first innings, the game’s only runs. “We faced quality arms tonight. Those two guys (Bouwman and Scruggs) were good. We knew that coming in. They were able to get outs when they needed them.”

In the sixth, senior Joey Pounds entered the game for Gibbs and got Orange out of a bases loaded jam with no outs. Pounds, in his final appearance, struck out Scruggs and got Moss to fly out to David Waitt in right.

There were echoes of the Triton miracle in the seventh inning. After Jones made an incredible catch at the centerfield wall with his back to the infield to retire Berini, Waitt reached on an error by Stephens. Hench lined a double that one-hopped the left field fence. After Nordan walked, Guentensberger lined a single to centerfield to score Waitt. Horton grounded into a season-ending double play when Bouwman, who was replaced as pitcher by Scruggs, fielded a grounder, stepped on second and rifled a throw to first.

This entire season, Orange’s nine seniors remembered the feeling of nearly beating perennial power J.H. Rose last year in Greenville. The Panthers led the Rampants 4-0 going into the sixth inning on May 17, 2022 before Rose rallied for four in the sixth and a walkoff homer in the seventh.

They wanted to face Rose again, this time in a best-of-three series. It feels weird for a squad that won 25 games and two conference championships to think about what might have been, but the looks on the seniors faces as they walked back to their dugout on Friday night were of a great team that were a few bad breaks away from being legendary locally.

“Hedrick, Gibbs and Pounds left it all out there,” Knapp said. “My hat is off to those guys. Who would have thought that Colin Hedrick would had the year that he had? Who would have thought that Josiah Gibbs would have had the year that he had? Joey Pounds, you talk about turning it on late. He had a great last month-and-a-half.”

Not only was this team the most successful one that Knapp ever had, it was his first senior class to last four years since he replaced Dean Dease as head coach in 2018. They survived a pandemic together, won three conference championships and made Knapp feel like Orange was his permanent home.

“You get a connection with teams and seniors,” Knapp said. “I think COVID brought us all together because we were left trying to figure out whether we were going to play in 2020. Then we don’t even see each other for months. The guys put together a spring league and I watched from the sidelines. I thought that brought us all together. It’s a great group of young men. Our offseason dedication makes it hurt a little more because all the work these guys put in as a team, even guys who play different sports, bring us closer together. They never gave up.”

In a sport that’s as fickle as baseball, there are some mistakes you don’t stop paying for.

Orange jumped right on Cape Fear left hander Caden Jeffrey in the opening inning on Tuesday night, scoring five runs. It proved to be enough for the Panthers to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.

Orange senior Ryan Hench struck out nine over six innings, and added an RBI single for the opening run of the game as the Panthers defeated the Colts 5-0 in the third round of the 3A State Playoffs. The Panthers poured on so many runs early on, the fact they didn’t put another runner in scoring position in the final six innings didn’t matter.

The Panthers are 25-2, their most wins in a season since the 2013 team that went 27-4.

The last time the Panthers went to the state quarterfinals, it was 2016 during Bryse Wilson’s senior year. That squad finished 21-7 and lost to Topsail in the playoffs.

Orange will host Southern Lee on Friday night in the fourth round of the state playoffs. The Cavaliers defeated Currituck County 10-7 in Barco on Tuesday night.

Hench, a UNC commitment, improved to 4-0 with a 0.55 ERA in his sixth appearance of the season. Senior Joey Pounds tossed a perfect seventh to complete the Panthers’ first shutout since they beat Person 3-0 on April 5.

“Ryan was able to locate the fastball real well,” said Orange coach Jason Knapp. “He had his slider working well to compliment it. It was really, really good. Those guys (Cape Fear) battled. They had nine hits, but we played well behind Ryan. Our gloves played well.”

Just the fact Orange was playing at all on Tuesday night was miraculous in and of itself. On Friday, Triton led the Panthers 8-3 going into the bottom of the tenth inning before Orange staged the rally of a lifetime. They scored six runs in the bottom of the tenth, off five walks, three hits and a hit batter, to emerge with a 9-8 win in the greatest comeback in team history.

Word of the rally spread like wildfire, even for those who left the game early, and it became the talk of the community during Mother’s Day weekend. By Monday afternoon, Knapp said his team had largely put it behind them.

“This is a seasoned team,” Knapp said. “We’ve been through some battles. When we came in Monday, we talked about it for a second. Then we went out and had a great practice. I wasn’t a bit worried about that.”

Cape Fear (18-11), the champions of the United 8 Conference, mounted the game’s first threat when Mason Hughes lined a two-out single to right field. Hughes advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw by Hench, who responded by striking out Evan Bunce to end the inning.

Orange had six of its ten hits in the opening inning, starting with a leadoff single by senior Jackson Berini. David Waitt sent a hard grounder to right field, easily moving Berini to third. Hench’s single got through to left field to score Berini for the opening run. Pounds came on for Hench as a courtesy runner while Waitt moved over to third on a passed ball. Cameron Guentensberger walked to load the bases. With two out, Ryan Honeycutt hit a bouncing ball though the 5-6 hole to score Waitt. Neo Best reached on an infield hit where Colts third baseman Hunter Darden made a diving stop but couldn’t come up with a play. Pounds crossed the plate to make it 3-0. Wyatt Hedrick, who had the game-winning hit in the 10th inning against Triton, continued his hot streak with a soft liner that dropped in front of left fielder Ethan Wienand. Ty Walker, running in place of Honeycutt, just beat the throw from left field to score along with Guentensberger.

That was all Orange needed, but their defense put in work. Jackson Rainey and Spencer Perez each had singles to start the second, but Hench struck out Darden. Wienand flew out to Waitt in right field.

Bunce led off the fourth with a single to left field, but was thrown out by Honeycutt trying to steal second.

The Colts biggest threat came in the fifth when Wienand led off with a double down the left field line. Ethan Colletti went opposite field for a single, where Wienand was held at third. Mason Hughes sent a grounder to Best at third base. Best held Wienand at third while he threw out Colletti at second. Bunce advanced on a dropped third strike, but Hughes was thrown out at second to end the inning

Orange’s Elijah Santos made a superb catch in left field in the sixth to retire Perez. It came after Jackson lined a single to right field. Santos made another big catch on Darden to end the threat.

Berini and Waitt each finished 2-for-3.

Now Orange will face Southern Lee, who the Panthers have occasionally played in non-conference games over the years.

“They have a new coach, but he has them playing great,” Knapp said. “He has them playing as hot as a firecracker right now. Anytime you can travel all the way down to Currituck County and find yourself a way to win, you know you’ve got a great program.”

Southern Lee has become a sentimental favorite in the state tournament after head coach Tommy Harrington suffered a near-fatal ATV accident in December. Harrington, who replaced David Lee as head coach last year, finished 2nd in the Sandhills Conference behind Pinecrest, a 4A school.