Orange High School

The Orange baseball team is off to its best start since the 2016 season. Orange is 6-0 after pulling away from Western Alamance 7-1 on Tuesday night at a frigid Panther Field. Jackson Berini laced a 2-run single to centerfield to break the game open in the fifth inning. Berini later scored after an RBI single by Connor Nordan. Two weeks ago, the Panthers pulled away from Northern Durham 11-3 in the Bull City. It was the last time that Orange will play at Knights Field. Northern will move into a new school in August. Senior Ryan Hench, who has committed to play at North Carolina, slammed a two-run homer to complete a strong all-around night. Hench earned the win on the mound with nine strikeouts. Berini scored three runs as the Panthers defeated the Knights for the second straight year. Against Western Alamance, Orange won its Central Carolina Conference opener in hopes of successfully defending its regular season championship. Orange will return to Elon for the second game of the two-game series against the Warriors on Friday night. On Saturday night, the Panthers will travel to Fleming Stadium in Wilson to face South Central.

Orange’s Ryan Hench & Jackson Berini discuss 6-0 start for baseball

The Orange baseball team is off to its best start since the 2016 season. Orange is 6-0 after pulling away from Western Alamance 7-1 on Tuesday night at a frigid Panther Field. Jackson Berini laced a 2-run single to centerfield to break the game open in the fifth inning.

Compared from last year to this year, it was a night-and-day difference for Orange men’s basketball. The Panthers had its most successful campaign in six years and the freshman that spearheaded the revival was awarded by the North Carolina High School Basketball Coaches Association.

Freshman Coleman Cloer was named first-team All-District 6 by the NCHSBCA. District 6 is comprised of all public schools in Orange, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Person, Rockingham, Vance, Warren and Caswell Counties. It’s a quirky wrinkle for Orange and Person since the other two counties represented in the Central Carolina Conference, Alamance and Chatham, aren’t included in District 6.

From the time Orange coach Derryl Britt started his summer tournament last June, it was clear the Orange freshmen would be the focus of the 2022-2023 season. Cloer and Kai Wade started all three of the games in the Black Session of the summer tournament, which Orange won after beating Chapel Hill.

By the time the regular season started against East Chapel Hill on November 18, Orange’s starting lineup consisted of Cloer, Wade and another freshman in Mason Robinson, along with Ryan Honeycutt and sophomore Xandrell Pennix. Cloer led Orange with 17 points in his first varsity game, which started a pattern that spanned the whole season.

For much of his five-year stint at Orange, Britt has lacked a post player. He has had several guards with considerable shooting range, the most recent being Jerec Thompson, who graduated in 2022 with over 1,000 points. In Cloer, Britt got the best of both worlds: a 6-6 forward that could fire in 3-pointers from 30-feet regularly.

Cloer also got used to clutch situations early. On November 29, Cloer sank two free throws with :7.2 seconds remaining for the game-winning points as Orange won at Franklinton 67-66. Cloer finished with 22 points against the Rams, who would go on to reach the state quarterfinals against Northwood.

Cloer had 14 games where he scored 20 points or more this season. His only game where he was held below double-figures came against Northwood on December 14, when he was held to nine.

Cloer’s season-high was 35 points against Person on January 6. He had eight double-doubles on the year. His first came against Franklinton, when he amassed 22 points and eleven rebounds. He had 13 points and ten rebounds against Riverside on December 2, which was Orange’s first win over the Pirates in ten years.

Against Walter Williams on December 16 in Burlington, Cloer had 27 points and ten rebounds. He scored 28 points against Eastern Alamance on January 11 in Mebane.

Cloer assisted on Orange’s final 3-pointer of the season, knocked down by Thomas Loch, against West Carterret in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on February 21 in Morehead City. It was Orange’s first playoff game since 2017, when they faced Northern Guilford in the 3A State Quarterfinals.

Cloer played in all 27 of Orange’s games and totaled 542 points, which is believed to be a school record for a freshman. It was the most wins by an Orange team since the 2016-17 season, when Orange was led by former Richmond Spider Connor Crabtree.

Cloer is the younger brother of Garrett Cloer, the quarterback for some of the most successful Orange football teams in history from 2012-2015. Garrett Cloer went on to help Orange reach the state playoffs several times with wide receivers Patrick Pettiford and Bryse Wilson, along with running back Tay Jones. Garrett Cloer was also a basketball and baseball player for Orange.

This season, Orange finished third in the Central Carolina Conference behind only Northwood, who won the 3A Eastern Regional Championship, and Person. If Orange’s unit can remain intact for next year, the Panthers could be the favorite to win the CCC. Cloer, Wade, Pennix, Honeycutt, Robinson, Malachi Holt, Freddy Sneed, Jackson Barreto and Ryan Moss are all slated to return.

When the baseball field at Southeast Alamance High School is built, it better have a warning track.

When B.J. Condron walks past Orange High’s baseball field, he playfully chides his fellow gym teacher, baseball coach Jason Knapp, about the lack of a warning track inside Panther Field.

“He comes up to me and says ‘You got that warning track in yet?'” Knapp said. “That’s the first thing I’m going to be looking for when I go over there is a warning track.”

Perhaps a warning track would be a wanted addition for some across Orange, but it can’t begin to make up for the loss that the Hillsborough community will suffer when the current academic year ends.

On February 28, Condron told his Orange women’s basketball team that he was stepping down in order to become the first Athletic Director at Southeast Alamance High School. It ends a tenure of ten years for Condron as the Orange women’s basketball coach. In December 2021, Condron won his 100th game with a victory over Northeast Guilford.

“This is really the only opportunity I would have left Orange for,” Condron said. “I wasn’t seeking out a new job. I knew I wanted to take on the challenge of being an athletic director. When this came open, it seemed like a good fit.”

In another instance of things ending the way it began, Condron’s last game as Orange coach came at Southern Wayne High School, where he graduated and played basketball. Condron’s senior year head coach, Michael Broadhurst, was on hand to watch the Saints defeat the Lady Panthers 58-52 in a physical battle to open the 3A state playoffs.

In her final game, senior center Erin Jordan-Cornell had one to remember. She scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds with four blocks.

Jordan-Cornell, who was also All-Conference in volleyball, has had to endure two knee surgeries, the second of which took most of her junior year. Both times, Condron came by her house and delivered confetti cake, her favorite.

“He wanted to make sure I had a good mindset,” Jordan-Cornell said. “He truly cares about his player on and off the court.”

Jordan-Cornell also served as a student advisor with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association this year. She was told about the opening from Condron.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to him for giving me that opportunity.”

Jordan-Cornell, Jada Reed, Nikayla Whitted and Katelyn Van Mater were the seniors for this year’s Orange team. Condron coached Jordan-Cornell, Reed and Whitted on summer travel teams before they even started classes at Orange. When Condron called a team meeting inside Orange’s Driver’s Ed room days after the Southern Wayne loss, the players thought it for setting up the end of year team banquet and get togethers away from school.

“I’ve known those players and their families because they had siblings that played for me,” Condron said. “I choked up. I put a lot of work in. They put a lot of work in. Having to look at them and realize that I wouldn’t be coaching them next year wasn’t easy.”

This season, Orange went 14-13 and won the championship of the Eastern Guilford Holiday Invitational in Gibsonville, beating Northeast Guilford in the final. Jordan-Cornell was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Condron started as head coach in 2013, replacing Adrienne Jordan, who has served as an assistant during much of Condron’s tenure. In his first season, Condron finished 2-24 and plenty of headaches. His most experienced guard was Alicia Harris. Whenever he replaced her, a shrill, high-pitched voice was bellow out from the stands “COACH, WHY DID YOU TAKE MY SISTER OUT? PUT HER BACK IN!”

As if the the piercing message wasn’t understood, the young girl would run across the court behind Orange’s bench to really get her point across.

“She told me everything I was doing wrong,” Condron said. “I tuned it out as best as I could.”

That young girl was Aaliyah Harris, who would go on to play regularly for Condron starting in her freshman season in 2018-19. Aaliyah would become a two-time All-Conference player and now suits up for Randolph-Macon College.

“He gave me so much confidence and he’s the reason I’m the player I am today,” Aaliyah Harris said.

Orange went from two wins in 2012-2013, to nine wins in 2014-2015 to 8-17 in 2015-2016.

Then came 2016-2017, when the pieces came together for possibly the greatest Orange women’s basketball team ever.

They opened the year with a school-record 21-game winning streak, capturing the Big 8 Conference regular season and tournament championships. On New Year’s Eve 2016, the Lady Panthers defeated Bartlett Yancey to win the Eastern Alamance Holiday Hoops Invitational in Mebane, ringing in the New Year with a celebratory bus ride back to Hillsborough just hours before 2017 officially started. They finished 26-2 and reached the third round of the 3A State Playoffs.

Kaylen Campbell, the leading scorer on that team, joined Condron’s staff as an assistant this year after spending four years at Trinity College in Connecticut. The 2016-2017 squad also included seniors Mia Davidson (who started at center and went on to become the all-time leading home run hitter in Southeastern Conference softball history), Enzyah Holt, Mary Beth Dobbins, Bethlyn Early, Jazlyn Watson, and Adalyn Fleming, who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and has completed several Boston Marathons.

Davidson, Holt and Dobbins went on to capture a state championship in softball later that summer, becoming the first female sports team in Orange High history to win a state title.

“You like to be optimistic with teams and tell them to trust the process,” Condron said. “But I don’t feel like things come together often for a storybook like that team did. After telling them for so many years ‘Look, you keep working and it’s going to get better and better and better.’ More often that not, it pays off it something that isn’t wins and losses. But for it to pay off at their success on the court that year was pretty special.”

Condron’s 2018-2019 squad finished with 19 wins and came in second place in the Big 8 Conference. It included Icez Barnett, who went on to play at Chowan, and Kate Burgess, now a member of the UNC Rowing team.

Barnett was on hand for Condron’s final home game last month, a victory over Eastern Alamance.

“Coach Condron was always intentional in empowering us as players and people on and off the court,” said Samantha George, a freshman at Duke University who graduated from Orange in 2022. “He was committed to our basketball successes, but also always wanted to know about what we had going on outside of the gym. We were very close as a team, especially my senior year, because of the precedent he set.”

Plenty has changed at Orange since Condron arrived a decade ago. His friend, Greg Motley, stepped down as men’s basketball coach in 2018. Condron served as an assistant during Motley’s final few months as head coach while also handling his women’s duties. A few months later, Dean Dease ended his legendary stint as baseball coach. Knapp, formerly of Walter Williams, was chosen as Dease’s successor.

As Hubert Davis can tell you, replacing a legend can be a thankless task. Dean Dease stepped down with 503 career wins, 12 conference championships and a state championship. Knapp says it was Condron that made him feel welcome in Hillsborough.

“B.J. was one of the first to call and congratulate me,” Knapp said. “He asked me ‘How does it fell to come in after a legend? Does that scare you a little bit?’ It didn’t scare me, but it was big shoes to fill. I felt like I knew that I was the right man for the job two years later when we walking on the track during class and he said ‘You’re like a clone of Coach Dease. You walk on the field all the time. You take care of that field. You walk on it all the time. You operate a lot alike as baseball coaches. It’s like that just went from Coach Dease to Coach Dease Jr.’ When he said that, I knew I was at home.”

Condron hasn’t decided whether he will coach at Southeast Alamance, but he won’t have to drive as far to work.  His son, Jalen, will have his father as a teacher by the time he reaches high school in two years–much to his chagrin.

“He’s the one person most unhappy about this move,” Condron said. “I don’t think he’s excited about having me at the same high school as him. But I think he’s warming up to it.”

GREENSBORO–In its final games before the Central Carolina Conference opener, the Orange baseball team is using the week to explore in several ways.

On Wednesday night, they journeyed to First National Bank Park, the home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers. For now, it’s the home of the Grimsley Whirlies, who were basically vacated from their longtime home field due to the opening of a new middle school.

Both teams had to feel likeLilliputians from Gulliver’s Travels playing with tall buildings surrounding them as the Greensboro skyline faded to darkness after first pitch. With the ACC Tournament a stone’s throw away at the Greensboro Coliseum, Orange jumped out to an early lead and tried out some new pitching arms along the way in a decisive win.

Catcher Ryan Honeycutt went 2-for-3 with three RBIs as the Panthers scored five runs in the opening inning to prevail 15-7. For the second time in five years, the Panthers are off to a 4-0 start.

Orange’s early runs prevented the Whirlies from seriously challenging for the lead despite some uncommon sloppiness from the Panther defense in the middle innings. Orange had a season-high three errors which accounted for three unearned runs.

Senior Ryan Hench earned his second win in two starts. He struck out six over three innings. Hench, gearing up to play in ballparks as big as the one he was in on Wednesday night, stroked a double in the first inning down the left field line to score David Waitt. Jackson Berini drew a leadoff walk and scored when Waitt lined a 1-2 fastball to left field, allowing Berini to score from second.

Cameron Guentensberger reached on an error, moving Hench to third. Honeycutt leveled the hardest hit ball of the night to the left field power alley for the Panthers’ first triple of the season, easily scoring Guentensberger and Hench. Cross Clayton knocked in Honeycutt on a fly ball to left field, the first of five sacrifice flies for Orange on the night.

Hench only allowed two hits over three innings. Grimsley’s Sebastian Rodriguez got a one-out double in the second, but was stranded at third when Hench struck out Levi Ponder to end the inning. Guentensberger replaced Hench after three innings.

Orange’s sacrifice parade resumed in the fourth when Clayton opened with a walk. With Joey Pounds at bat, Clayton went to second base on a wild pitch. Pounds bunted Clayton over to third, and Berini knocked him in on a fly ball to right field.

The Whirlies scored three runs in the fourth. Tai Richmond and Eli Coll each singled, while Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Chase Gurner grounded out to Clayton, which scored Richmond. Ponder reached on a throwing error with two out that scored Coll and Rodriguez to cut Orange’s six-run lead in half.

In the fifth, Clayton got his own sacrifice fly RBI when he scored Guentensberger, who reached on a one-out walk. Orange led 7-3.

The Whirlies scored another run when Clay Rosser reached on a one-out throwing error. Richmond knocked him in with a single to centerfield. Grimsley had runners at first and second with one out and Orange’s lead down to 7-4, but Honeycutt threw out J.T. Simmons at third base on a steal attempt to shut down the threat.

The Panthers added four more runs in the sixth. With Richmond on the mound, Neo Best hit a leadoff single. Berini also singled to right field and Best took third following a throwing error. Waitt walked to load the bases, and Connor Nordan scored Best off another sacrifice fly to right field. Nordan has an RBI in each of Orange’s four games.

Waitt came in off a wild pitch. Elijah Santos, who replaced Hench, walked and eventually scored off a sacrifice fly by Honeycutt.

In the seventh inning, Nordan laced a bases-loaded double down the third base line to score Berini, Waitt and Santos. Pounds started the frame with a leadoff walk and came in off a Berini single. Of Orange’s nine starters, eight scored runs. Berini has a team-high ten runs in four games.

Orange 6, Roxboro Community School 4: On Monday night, Orange used power pitching and hitting to beat Roxboro Community School.

On Wednesday, the Lady Panthers utilized its finesse to beat the Bulldogs again.

Senior Carson Bradsher score three runs, aided by four stolen bases, as Orange defeated Roxboro Community 6-4 in Oak Grove on Wednesday night. Orange opened with two runs in the first and two more in the second inning to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Senior Serenity McPherson opened the game with a single to left field. McPherson rounded the bases when Bradsher grounded to the Roxboro Community shortstop, who threw the ball away. Bradsher eventually scored off a groundout by pitcher Caden Robinson. Katie Carden doubled for Orange in the first but was stranded at second.

Sadie Cecil led off the second inning with a triple that went to the centerfield wall. Savannah Wynne reached on a bunt to the pitcher. Cecil would score off a fielder’s choice by McPherson. With Bradsher at bat, McPherson advanced to third on a passed ball and would score off a wild pitch to increase Orange’s lead to 4-0.

Robinson, who struck out eleven against the Bulldogs in an 8-1 Orange win on Monday, threw the opening two innings in the rematch. Brianne Foster finished the game to earn her first career win. She gave up four runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.

Leading 4-1, Orange added a run in the fifth inning when Bradsher singled to left field, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored after Hayleigh Hammond reached on an error. Robinson, who moved to right field after Foster was inserted as pitcher, singled in Bradsher in the seventh inning.

McPherson finished 2-for-4. Robinson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Orange is scheduled to travel to Burlington to face Water Williams for its Central Carolina Conference opener on Friday night.

Cedar Ridge 9, Cardinal Gibbons 7

Sophomore catcher Reagan Simmons went 3-for-3 as the Red Wolves scored seven runs in the opening two innings to beat Cardinal Gibbons for the second time in two days in Hillsborough on Tuesday night.

Senior Anaya Carter went 3-for-4 as the Red Wolves improved to 3-1 during a week where they have no CCC games scheduled. Freshman Mia Best earned her first varsity win inside the circle as she threw the opening three innings.

After Best retired the Crusaders in order to open the game, Simmons and freshman Laci Sykes each hit singles in the bottom of the first inning. Simmons moved over to third after a flyout by Carter, when scored off an error on a ball hit by sophomore Charlotte Lowry. Sophomore Kimber Shambley reached on an infield single to score Sykes and Cedar Ridge led 2-0 at the end of the first inning.

Gibbons tied the game with two runs in the top of the second, but Cedar Ridge responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame. Tori Carden and Grace Young each reached on singles to open the inning. Best singled to right field to bring in Carden and the Red Wolves didn’t trail again. Simmons singled to right field to plate Young. Carter knocked in Carter after an error by Gibbons first baseman Miriam Carey. Lowry delivered the big blow with a double on a line drive to centerfield to score Sykes and Carter.

The Red Wolves increased its lead to 8-4 in the fourth inning when Carter scored off a wild pitch. Carter led off the inning with a single. Carter knocked in Best in the fifth inning after Best drew a one-out walk.

The Red Wolves (3-1) will travel to Northern Durham on Thursday night. They will return to CCC action with a road trip to Person on Tuesday.

The Orange softball team faced a stiff challenge when they hosted Roxboro Community School on Monday night. The Bulldogs had defeated Bartlett Yancey and Granville Central in the opening week of the season, both run-rule wins. Orange wasn’t phased and rolled to an 8-1 win over the Bulldogs in Hillsborough. Junior pitcher Caden Robinson struck out eleven for her second win of the season. Robinson also went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman Katie Carden finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two doubles. Senior Carson Bradsher went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Bradsher, who has committed to USC-Upstate, is back in her familiar spot in the Panthers lineup after missing most of last season with an injury. As far as her Orange stint goes, Bradsher’s best season was her sophomore year where Orange’s regular season was limited due to COVID-19. Bradsher was named All-Big 8 Conference as a sophomore. She’s ready to help Orange try to return to the top of conference play. The Lady Panthers will travel to Roxboro tonight to face Roxboro Community School. Orange was supposed to face Western Alamance last week but the game was rained out. 

Orange’s Caden Robinson and Carson Bradsher discuss softball win over RCS

The Orange softball team faced a stiff challenge when they hosted Roxboro Community School on Monday night. The Bulldogs had defeated Bartlett Yancey and Granville Central in the opening week of the season, both run-rule wins. Orange wasn’t phased and rolled to an 8-1 win over the Bulldogs in Hillsborough.

The Orange baseball team’s pitching depth was on full display in a tight 2-1 win over Jordan on Monday night. With senior Joey Pounds on the hill, the Panthers held the Falcons to a season-low with one run. For comparison’s sake, Jordan was held to one run to less just once last season. Pounds earned the win throwing the opening two innings. The revelation of the night was junior Coltin Hedrick, who threw four relief innings and allowed just one run. Hedrick struck out four. He also had help from his defense. Shortstop Jackson Berini turned a double play that ended the third inning. Hedrick ended a Jordan threat in the fifth when he struck out Andrew Davis with runners at second and third. Hedrick set the Falcons down in order in the sixth inning. Orange junior Josiah Gibbs earned his first career save in the seventh. The Panthers got all of its runs in the first inning off RBI singles by Connor Nordan and Ryan Honeycutt. Jackson Berini and Ryan Hench scored both of Orange’s runs. All three of Orange’s wins have come against 4A teams from the DAC-VII Conference. Orange will go to Greensboro on Wednesday to face Grimsely at First National Bank Field. 

Orange baseball’s Joey Pounds and Coltin Hedrick discuss win over Jordan

The Orange baseball team’s pitching depth was on full display in a tight 2-1 win over Jordan on Monday night. With senior Joey Pounds on the hill, the Panthers held the Falcons to a season-low with one run. For comparison’s sake, Jordan was held to one run to less just once last season.

The term “staff game” is a relative term for Orange baseball this year.

Most seasons, a “staff game” features two or more inexperienced pitchers trying to piece together a win against a non-conference opponent. The regular starters wait their turn in the rotation for the next conference game. It usually winds up with a lot of runs on the board, upwards of seven pitchers during a game that lasts over two-and-a-half hours.

That’s sort of how Monday night’s game against Jordan started. Orange’s top two starters, Cross Clayton and Ryan Hench, were position players but didn’t pitch. Yet it ended in a surprising pitcher’s dual that included a staff that may be even deeper than Panthers coach Jason Knapp anticipated and a few free bases that made all the difference in the world.

Orange’s Mark Pounds, Colin Hedrick and Josiah Gibbs combined on a four-hitter as Orange held off the Falcons 2-1 at Panther Field. Pounds, a senior who committed to Barton College in Wilson earlier this winter, earned his first win of the season. The revelation of the night was Hedrick, who threw four innings and allowed just one run in only his second varsity appearance.

“We know we have a lot of good arms on this team,” Knapp said. “We’re confident in who we have out there and I wanted to see how much our younger players could handle themselves in a tough situation. I’m happy to get the win because Jordan’s a really good team. I’m also happy how we grew tonight.”

Orange (3-0) scored all of its runs in the first inning. Senior shortstop Jackson Berini opened with an infield hit. With Ryan Hench at bat, Berini advanced to second on a wild pitch, then moved to third after an errant throw to second wound up in centerfield. After Hench walked, Connor Nordan grounded a single though the 5-6 hole to drive in Berini. With the bases loaded after Cameron Guentensberger walked, junior designated hitter Ryan Honeycutt sent a fly ball that dropped in right field to plate Hench.

The bases were still loaded with one out, but Jordan centerfielder Andrew Davis caught a fly ball from Ryan Horton that kept Nordan from scoring. Davis ended the inning with a flyout by Cross Clayton.

For the rest of the night, Jordan’s combination of Alex Mooring (who started) and Elijah Crowley ruled the roost, retiring the final ten Panthers that came to the plate. Orange only mustered one hit and two baserunners in the final six innings. Crowley, who replaced Mooring to start the fourth, threw three perfect innings.

Through the opening three games, Orange’s defense has singled itself out as the strength of the team. It thwarted one attempt after another by Jordan to push across the tying runs.

On two occasions, Berini made key plays at shortstop. In the first, the Falcons loaded the bases with two outs against Pounds. Left fielder Carter Liverman grounded a ball towards the hole, but Berini raced under it and threw out Miller Young at third base to shut down the threat.

Jordan’s Logan Lowe and Ian Bailey reached with one out in the third, but Berini positioned himself perfectly on top of second base and waited for the ball to turn an easy 6-3 double play.

Davis led off the fourth inning with a double down the third base line, but was stranded at third after Hedrick induced three straight pop-ups, the final one caught by Berini.

Jordan finally pushed across a run in the fifth when catcher Nick Reed reached on an error. Miles Newsome laid down a bunt down the third base line for another single. Ian Bailey lined a fastball to left field to score courtesy runner Kai Hale, who beat out a throw by Hench. It appeared the Falcons were set to add more when Bailey advanced to second on the throw and Newsome at third base with one out, but Young popped out to Best and Hedrick struck out Davis.

Knapp left Hedrick in to throw the sixth, his fourth inning of relief. Hedrick set down the Falcons in order, including two strikeouts. It was the first time that the Falcons went down in order all night.

Junior Josiah Gibbs earned his first career save with another 1-2-3 inning, ending when right fielder David Waitt caught a fly ball from Logan Lowe for the final out.