Orange High School

MEBANE—At the beginning of the season, no one would have batted an eye if the Orange baseball team entered its final road game of the season needing a win to take the Central Carolina Conference championship.

Aside from Connor Funk and Cesar Lozano, their entire pitching staff from 2022 was back, including starters Ryan Hench, Cross Clayton and Joey Pounds. So were their top six hitters from last year.

Indeed, Orange emerged from Mebane on Tuesday night with a 10-1 victory over Eastern Alamance to win the CCC title. The path to the title may have looked simple to the naked eye, but it really didn’t happen that way at all.

Shortly after winning the season-opener against East Chapel Hill, Clayton suffered an injury to his throwing hand that kept him from pitching for over a month, including the opening two conference series. Hench was injured in the fourth game of the year against Grimsley in Greensboro on March 8. He didn’t return to the mound until Tuesday night.

All told, Orange’s tandem of Hench and Clayton completed one trip through the rotation together during opening week–and that’s it.

As fate would have it, Hench made his long-awaited return to the mound on Tuesday night at the very place where his Orange career started. In March 2020, he made his Panther debut as a freshman in relief of Mason Thompson and closed out a 6-2 win over Eastern Alamance in Mebane. A week later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season.

On Tuesday, Hench returned and showed glimpses of his power that led to him committing to North Carolina. Hench slammed a two-run homer in the sixth as Orange (19-2, 9-2 in the CCC) pulled away from the Eagles 10-1 at Eagle Field.

It’s Orange’s third straight conference championship, their second outright CCC title. In 2021, the Panthers tied Northern Durham for the Big 8 Conference championship through a strange format where only the first meetings between conference rivals counted in the standings.

For head coach Jason Knapp, it’s a championship worth savoring.

“I’ve been coaching for 24 years,” Knapp said. “My first 19 years, I only won one conference championship. So these things don’t come easy. Now, we’ve won three straight conference titles. I specifically talked to those seniors and told them how proud I am of them and what they’ve brought to the table. Of all those seniors, Berini, Waitt, Hench and Pounds, they were all a corps that started it during their sophomore seasons during the pandemic. They have all been leaders since that time.”

Playing on its senior night, Eastern Alamance came into the game with eight straight conference losses. The Panthers jumped right on them with three runs in the opening inning. Jackson Berini, who has scored a run in 18 of Orange’s 21 games, drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and eventually scored a wild pitch third strike, which Hench swung and missed at. Junior centerfielder Cameron Guentensberger, who finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs, bounced a grounder dead over the middle into centerfield to score Hench. Catcher Ryan Horton drove a double to the right field gap to bring in Guentensberger.

Eastern countered with a threat against Hench in their opening at-bat. Senior pitcher Cole McGuiness doubled down the third base line. Gage Parsons took a fastball  deep to centerfield, which backed Guentensberger up all the way to the fence for the catch. McGuiness reached third with one out, but Landon Linens flew out to Guentensberger and Hench struck out Garrett Cloutier to end the threat.

Guentensberger made four putouts on the night.

“Cameron is the most underrated player on this team,” Knapp said. “He’s a solid centerfielder. After McGuiness led off with that double, Cameron backed up against the fence to make that catch. He made a great player and got it in quick. If he keeps swinging the bat and we make a deep run, he’s going to show people he’s a next level guy.”

With one out in the second, Elijah Santos drew a walk. David Waitt reached on a dropped liner in the infield. Hench walked to load the bases. Senior Connor Nordan lined a 0-1 fastball to centerfield to score Waitt and Santos. Nordan leads Orange with 32 RBIs.

Hench pitched three scoreless innings during his stint. In the third, Triston Keck reached third base after a dropped third strike wild pitch, which led to Parsons reaching. Hench struck out Linens for his final out.

“Ryan was what I thought he was going to be,” Knapp said. “There was a bit of rust. I could tell he was juiced up and ready to go. He was amped and wasn’t hitting the spot in the first couple of batters. But then he settled in and got out of the first inning jam. He had a clean inning in the second. I felt like he needed to pitch the third to get into a rhythm. It’s good to have him back on the field.”

Josiah Gibbs replaced Hench and earned his sixth win of the season. In three innings, Gibbs struck out six and conceded just one hit–a solo homer by McGuiness in the fifth, the Eagles’ only run of the game.

Guentensberger lined a two-run single in the seventh to score Waitt and Hench. Earlier, Nordan knocked in Berini with a RBI groundout to Cloutier at third base.

With the conference championship, Orange will get a bye into the semifinals of next week’s Central Carolina Conference Tournament. Orange will also be seeded among the top 11 teams in the East Region of the 3A State Tournament. As of Wednesday, Orange is ranked #3 in the RPI East Region rankings behind J.H. Rose and Currituck County.

Senior goalkeeper Abby Monteith vowed she wouldn’t cry on Orange’s Senior Night, though no one would have blamed her if she did.

She had earned it through the joy of being a vital part of the greatest postseason run in Orange women’s soccer history last year–and the agony of everything she endured just to return to the pitch this year.

Orange’s Senior Night included the obligatory banners honoring each of the seniors hanging along the grandstands, an array of orange and white balloons greeting spectators as they entered Orange Soccer Stadium and plenty of emotion among players, parents and fans. After Orange defeated crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 5-1, the Truck Bed Rowdies, a group of fans who watch every home game from the north end zone sitting on the tailgates of their trucks, stormed the pitch like Wrexham had just earned promotion to England’s Football League.

Orange sophomore Elliana Sullivan-Gaddy scored her first hat trick of the season as the Lady Panthers improved to 7-6-2, 5-4 in the Central Carolina Conference.

Sullivan-Gaddy factored in on all five goals for Orange. She assisted on the game-winner by another sophomore, Caroline Cathey, in the second minute, which was wildly ironic. In the opening game between the two teams at Red Wolves Stadium on March 22, they played to a scoreless tie in regulation. The Lady Panthers notched the only tally on an own goal in the second overtime to win 1-0.

In the 15th minute, junior Ella Wimsatt scored on another assist by Sullivan-Gaddy.

Monteith earned the win in net for Orange. Last spring, Monteith was in net when the Lady Panthers advanced to the third round of the 3A State Playoffs for the first time in the 34-year history of the program. In the second half against Walter Williams in Burlington, Monteith suffered a torn ACL sprinting after a loose ball with 32:03 remaining in a 1-1 game. She left the game and faced a long summer to get healthy again.

Undergoing physical therapy at UNC, there were just as many mental tests and physical ones.

“It was a lot of sitting around,” Monteith said. “I think if there’s one thing that I want to voice for all athletes going through injury, it’s the mental health aspect. It’s a lot of sitting and watching. That’s the hardest part. My physical therapist was phenomenal. It’s really hard to get through it, on your own especially. So having people around you and a good support system is just all you can ask for.”

Last Wednesday, Monteith made seven saves as Orange defeated Walter Williams 2-1 to complete a regular season sweep of the Bulldogs.

While Monteith returned to action, another prominent member of the senior class had her 0wn ACL issues. Midfielder Sydney Rogers, a dominant playmaker, was injured while training last October. It would cost her her senior season.

Well, almost all of it.

For her Senior Night, Rogers participated in the opening kickoff agains the Red Wolves. She took the first pass, relayed it out of play and left the game.

Rogers will go on to play in college, like her older sister Jordan, who played at William Peace in Raleigh. While she’s been relegated to the sidelines this year, she’s found ways to keep herself busy.

“It’s been really sad because I don’t get to play,” Rogers, who became the first female in history to score a point for the Orange football team last year. “But it’s fun getting to see the other side of the field. I always will want to be involved in soccer and I think it’s fun that I’ll still get to be involved in high school where I get to have a joy for it. And get to see other people’s joy for it.”

Last season, Rogers scored seven goals and dished out three assists. None of the goals was more precious than the game-winner at Northwood, where she scored in the final minute. Rogers was so elated, she, well, threw up after celebrating, portions of the output landed precariously close to her classmate Madison Orange.

“That was an interesting memory,” Orange laughs. “I’ll never forget that night. That will always be in the back of my brain.”

Madison Orange has spent three seasons on varsity and scored six goals in her career.

Senior Katelyn Van Mater assisted on Sullivan-Gaddy’s second goal in the 52nd minute. Van Mater is no stranger to Senior Nights. Being a three-sport athlete, she’s already had two of them this year.

Along with fellow senior soccer player Isabel Jones, Van Mater was a regular player for the Orange women’s tennis team, which won the first conference tennis championship in school history last fall. Last winter, she was a forward for the women’s basketball squad that reached the state playoffs for the second straight year.

“This means a lot,” Van Mater said about earning the win on Senior Night. “It’s good to earn strong since this was the last senior night.”

Jones, who is second on the team with five goals, has spent four years on the varsity level. Last year, she scored five. Two of them came in playoff wins over Harnett Central and Cape Fear.

“Most of us have played together since out freshman year,” Jones said. “We’re all best friends. It’s sad. We’re all going to different colleges and that’s super emotional. But I’m glad we pulled out the game and it’s a really great win.”

Teresa Rodriguez, a defender who suffered a right foot injury at midseason, was another player who was lost before the season ended.

“It hurts a lot that I won’t get to play for the rest of this season,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s meant a lot for me to grow and be around my friends. To be around my family. Soccer is a big part of me. I hope to play professionally. I also think not going to be able to play without my friends in the future will be tough since we grew up playing together.”

Many of the Orange senior class were members of the 2018 squad at Orange Middle School (then called Stanford Middle School) that won the Orange Person Athletic Conference championship, the first Chargers team to ever won a conference title in women’s soccer.

“It’s like part of a family,” said Hannah Hummel, another senior. “Playing with people that are your friends that would want to spend time with. It’s special.”

Three principal figures that have led the Orange lacrosse team to three consecutive conference championships are moving on to play at the next level. On Friday afternoon during a ceremony inside Orange High Gymnasium, senior longstick defenseman Nick Cardone signed with Catawba College in Salisbury. Senior midfielder Tigh Metheny also signed with Catawba. Senior defenseman Josiah Tisdale signed with Methodist University in Fayetteville. Cardone has been one of the most reliable defenseman for Orange during a 29-game conference winning streak. Last week in Orange’s 16-10 win over Northwood, Cardone was matched up against a variety of Chargers. He helped contain Tyler Laberge to one goal as the Panthers claimed its third consecutive Mid-Carolina Conference title. Metheny has been a strong two-way presence for the Panthers. This season, he scored 23 goals and added 29 assists. Tisdale is another strong defensive figure who is in his third year at the varsity level. Orange celebrated the big day on Friday by beating Eastern Alamance 19-6 to complete an undefeated conference season. The Panthers will face Bishop McGuiness on Monday night at 6PM inside Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. Orange will finish the regular season with a road trip to Southern Pines to face Pinecrest.

Orange lax’s Nick Cardone & Tigh Metheny sign with Catawba; Josiah Tisdale signs with Methodist

Three principal figures that have led the Orange lacrosse team to three consecutive conference championships are moving on to play at the next level. On Friday afternoon during a ceremony inside Orange High Gymnasium, senior longstick defenseman Nick Cardone signed with Catawba College in Salisbury. Senior midfielder Tigh Metheny also signed with Catawba.

The Orange baseball team is one win oway from taking its third straight conference championship. On Friday night, Orange registered a season-high 17 hits in a 12-5 win over Northwood on Friday night in Pittsboro. Junior Cross Clayton earned the win to improve to 5-0. Clayton only surrendered five hits in five innings. He also went 2-for-2 with four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Senior David Waitt went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Waitt has a .403 batting average this season and leads the team with 25 hits. The Panthers are now 18-2. With one more win, they will become the most successful team in the five-year tenure of head coach Jason Knapp. The Panthers haven’t won 20 games in the regular season since the 2013 season. Orange would likely have 20 wins by now if non conference games against Northern Guilford and Wakefield hadn’t been canceled. Orange starts a two-game series against Eastern Alamance on Tuesday in Mebane. They will complete the set on Friday night in Hillsborough, which will also be senior night. Seniors Waitt, Jackson Berini, Ryan Hench, Joey Pounds, Connor Nordan, Neo Best, Ty Walker, Kent Melvin, and Ryan Doherty will all be honored during a pregame ceremony.

Orange baseball’s Cross Clayton and David Waitt discuss being in first place in CCC

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The Orange softball team completed a huge week on Friday night with a win over Northwood in Pittsboro. For the second consecutive game, senior centerfielder Serenity McPherson hit a home run. This time, it was a leadoff homer in the first inning as Orange pounded Northwood 22-2 in five innings at Chargers Softball Field. McPherson finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Senior Cason Bradsher finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Sadie Cecil went 4-for-5 with three doubles and five RBIs. Freshman Katie Carden finished 1-for-4 with three runs scored. On Wednesday, the Lady Panthers rolled past Northern Durham 12-1 in five innings at Knights Softball Field. McPherson finished 3-for-4 with a double and a home run. Bradsher went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Carden went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Orange will go into the final week of the regular season 12-4, 8-3 in the Central Carolina Conference counting two forfeits by Walter Williams, who abandoned its season earlier this month. The Lady Panthers will face West Forsyth in Clemmons on Tuesday. They will host Eastern Alamance on Friday night at 6PM in their final home game of the regular season. Orange is one game behind Eastern Alamance for first place.

Orange’s Carson Bradsher, Serenity McPherson & Katie Carden discuss big week for softball

The Orange softball team completed a huge week on Friday night with a win over Northwood in Pittsboro. For the second consecutive game, senior centerfielder Serenity McPherson hit a home run. This time, it was a leadoff homer in the first inning as Orange pounded Northwood 22-2 in five innings at Chargers Softball Field.

Baseball: Orange 9, Southwestern Randolph 1: With four scheduled games remaining in the regular season, the Orange baseball team remains on pace for its most successful regular season since 2015.

The Panthers improved to 17-2 as they pulled away late against Southwestern Randolph in Asheboro with seven runs in the seventh inning.

Senior Joey Pounds, who has committed to play at Barton College, earned his second win of the season. Pounds struck out a season-high seven batters over five innings, allowing only three hits. The game remained scoreless through three innings.

In the top of the fourth, senior David Waitt, Orange’s leading hitter, singled to left field. Connor Nordan sent a fly ball that went over the head of the right fielder, which allowed Waitt to score for the opening run. Cameron Guentensberger reached on an infield single and junior Ryan Honeycutt loaded the bases off a walk. Wyatt Hedrick sent a sacrifice fly to right field, which was deep enough to allow Nordan to score and increase the Panther lead to 2-0.

Southwestern Randolph (9-10) scored its only run in the bottom of the fourth. Tyler Parks reached on an error. Easton Clapp sent a line drive to left field to score Parks, who advanced to second earlier in the at-bat on a wild pitch.

The Cougars used eight different pitchers. Orange broke through against the final one. The Panthers sent eleven batters to the plate in the final inning, starting with Ryan Horton getting walked. Elijah Santos was hit by a pitch and Jackson Berini drew another walk to load the bases. With Waitt at the plate, Neo Best, running for Horton, scored off a wild pitch.

After Waitt walked, Nordan also reached on a base on balls to bring in Santos. Guentensberger lined a double to left field, scoring Berini and Waitt. Honeycutt sent a line drive to right field to bring in Guentensberger. Neo reached on an infield single, scoring courtesy runner Ty Walker.

Garrett Sawyer earned his first save for Orange. He threw two perfect innings with two strikeouts.

Softball: Orange 12, Northern Durham 1: Junior Caden Robinson celebrated her 100th strikeout of the season, striking out the side in the first inning as Orange cruised to an easy victory at Knights Softball Field.

Senior Breezy Foster earned the win in the circle for Orange. She threw four innings and allowed only five hits.

Senior Serenity McPherson hit her third home run of the season with a two-run blast to centerfield in the second inning. Carson Bradsher knocked in the first run with a line drive to left field, scoring Sadie Cecil. Freshman Katie Carden sent a bouncing ball up the middle for a base hit. Bradsher motored in from second to make it 2-0.

The Lady Panthers added three more runs in the third. Carden and Delaney Shaffer reached on errors. Foster sent a line drive double to right field to score both runners. Foster would eventually score off a wild pitch.

McPherson led off the fourth inning with a double to left field. McPherson stole third and scored off a sacrifice fly by Cecil to centerfield. Bradsher, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, singled to centerfield. Robinson, who remained in the game in right field, also singled to right field. Carden sent a line drive to right field to score Bradsher and Robinson. Foster singled to centerfield, scoring Carden.

Orange is 9-4 and currently ranked #7 in the 3A East RPI rankings, the highest of any team in the region that isn’t leading their conference.

Carden finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Foster finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

It was Orange’s final game at Northern Durham’s softball field. Northern will move to a new location in August.