Orange High School

Photo by Erik Perel 

In a season where youth usurped experience for playing time on the Orange men’s basketball team, the Panthers game against Cedar Ridge served as a thank you to the veterans from head coach Derryl Britt.

Transitions don’t always go smoothly when three freshmen replace three seniors in the starting lineup. Yet it’s led to the Panthers’ most successful season in six years and a large part of that comes from the unselfishness of seniors Darius Corbett, Kaleb Barnhardt, Isaiah Seymour, Thomas Loch, and Caleb Barreto.

On Friday night, all of those seniors started as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 72-44. It was a taste of revenge for Corbett and Loch. In 2021, during the pandemic year when virtually no fans were allowed to games, the Red Wolves swept the Panthers, both times coming back from double-digit deficits to win.

Orange freshman Coleman Coler led Orange (15-6, 7-2 in the Central Carolina Conference) with 16 points. Barreto, who transferred from Wake Forest last summer, had a season-high 12 points.

Cedar Ridge senior Colton Taylor led all scorers with 22 points, but he was the only Red Wolf in double-figures.

“I was happy for my seniors tonight,” Britt said. “I love playing them together as a unit. It brings some intensity and they deserve it. Unfortunately for those guys, we had an infusion of talent and size. The way the seniors have handled this situation has been classy. I just wanted to bless the seniors tonight and have them start since it was the last time they would play Cedar Ridge.”

Orange is in sole possession of second place in the Central Carolina Conference after Person’s loss to Walter Williams on Friday night. The Rockets and the Panthers will meet on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Jonovan Wingate started the game hot for Cedar Ridge. He drained his first two 3-pointers to jolt the Red Wolves ahed 6-2 in the opening minutes. The hot shooting didn’t last for Cedar Ridge, who finished at 25% from the field.

Barreto’s 3-pointer off a feed from Barnhardt gave Orange a 8-6 lead, but Taylor’s foot never left the gas pedal . He drained two free throws to tie the game. Corbett drained back-to-back field goals to close the first quarter, assisted by Barnhardt and Barreto, respectively, to give Orange a 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

When the second quarter started, Orange put in Cloer, freshman Kai Wade, junior Ryan Honeycutt, freshman Mason Robinson and sophomore Xandrell Pennix. Yet the Red Wolves opened the frame with six straight points, including Wingate’s third 3-pointer to cap a four-point possession that started with a free throw from sophomore Landon Dalehite. Taylor’s lay-in off a pass from Hayden Kirk gave the Red Wolves a 16-13 lead.

Orange went on a 12-0 run to take control midway through the second quarter.  It started when Wade scored four straight points, including sinking a pull-up 15-footer. Robinson slammed home a dunk off a pass from Honeycutt. To complete the run, Honeycutt scored on a two-hand dunk off a pass from Cloer.

Orange’s frontline, which includes the 6’6″ Honeycutt, 6’7 Robinson and 6’6″ Cloer, made it impossible for the Red Wolves to get anything established inside. Orange outrebounded Cedar Ridge 50-42, including 19-to-11 on the offensive glass.

“It’s coming along,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt of his team’s inside game. “It’s something we’ve been harping on all year. The last few games we’ve really made a conscious effort. The guys have brought in to what we’re trying to do and they believe in what we’re trying to do.”

Orange piled up the offensive rebounds in the third quarter. The Red Wolves were held to six shots from the field while the Panthers had six offensive rebounds. On defense, Orange forced six Cedar Ridge turnovers. The Red Wolves didn’t score a field goal in the opening 5:09 of the second half.

All of this took place in front of the largest crowd of the season for Orange, where the student section was packed. That presence would be greatly welcomed by Orange’s coaches for its home game on Tuesday night against Person, which could decide 2nd place in the Central Carolina Conference, as well as a potential home game in the 3A State Playoffs and a potential semifinal game in the upcoming Central Carolina Conference tournament.

“To be honest, I don’t know how big the crowd is,” Britt said. “I love the energy of a big crowd, but once the game starts, I’m oblivious to the crowd. I kind of block that stuff out.”

ORANGE 72, CEDAR RIDGE 44

CR–10  16  6   12-44

OR–13  25   11  23-72

CEDAR RIDGE–Jonovan Wingate 9, Colton Taylor 22, Harrison Perel 1, Landon Dalehite 5, Colton Wingate 3, Hayden Kirk 4.

ORANGE–Kaleb Barnhardt 1, Isaiah Seymour 2, Thomas Loch 2, Darius Corbett 7, Caleb Barreto 12, Mason Robinson 5, Malachi Poole 3, Kai Wade 11, Coleman Cloer 16, Ryan Moss 5, Ryan Honeycutt 8.

3-pointers–CEDAR RIDGE 5 (C. Wingate, J. Wingate 3, Taylor) ORANGE 5 (Wade, Barreto 2, Cloer 2)

FOULED OUT-Kirk

Photo by Bernard Thomas 

At halftime of its game against Orange on Friday night, the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team had filled the three requirements to pull off an upset:

1. They had gotten Orange center Erin Jordan-Cornell in foul trouble.
2. They had kept Jordan-Cornell from scoring a field goal in the first half.
3. They had the obligatory huge half from guard Amiyah Ware.

Unfortunately for Cedar Ridge, the Lady Panthers were able to regroup in the second half even if Ware never did cool off.

The most encouraging sign for Orange coach B.J. Condron was the player who led the charge to his team’s 11th win of the season provided a glimpse into the Lady Panthers’ future.

Freshman Addie Atkins had a career-high 15 points, including 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range to push the Lady Panthers back from a eight-point deficit to defeat Cedar Ridge 46-37 at Red Wolves Arena. Sophomore Evelyn George finished with her fourth double-double of the season, racking up a season-high 18 rebounds to go along with 13 points.

Orange senior Jada Reed scored nine, including 3-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.

Ware, who set the school record with 37 points against Eastern Alamance on January 6, finished with 32 points. In fact, after Cameron Copeland opened the game for Cedar Ridge with a three-pointer on its opening possession, Ware scored the final 12 field goals for the Red Wolves. Koryn Shearin was the only other Red Wolf to score.

Orange has now defeated Cedar Ridge in eight straight matchups.

The Red Wolves were going for its first win over Orange since January 7, 2019. They got off to a good start opening with a 8-0 run. After Copeland’s 3-pointer, Ware drained two free throws and sank a running one-hander off a block by Annora Leaf.

George responded with five straight points for the Lady Panthers, including a 3-pointer from the wing and a stickback basket on Orange’s subsequent possession. Ware came back with a 3-pointer, but Orange’s Jada Reed responded with a shot from downtown of her own.

Orange went dry in the second quarter, shooting just one-of-eight from the field. Jordan-Cornell picked up her second foul, which forced her to the bench with just one point. The Lady Panthers went the final 6:15 of the first half without a field goal. Ware scored all six of the Red Wolves’ points in the frame, which was enough for Cedar Ridge to carry a 22-16 lead into halftime.

After Ware opened the second half by converting a pull-up 15-footer, Orange’s outside game went to work to gradually draw the Lady Panthers closer. Atkins scored from downtown off a skip pass from Reed. Jordan-Cornell scored her first field goal with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter off a pass from George. Reed sank another 3-pointer from an assist from senior Nikayla Whitted. George tied the game for the first time at 27-27 after she scored a field goal and was fouled by Cedar Ridge’s Addie Reid in the final seconds of the third quarter.

Orange (11-10, 4-5 in the Central Carolina Conference) shot 6-of-12 from the field in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers. Reed put Orange ahead with her third 3-pointer off a pass from Atkins, which triggered a 9-0 run that put the game away. Atkins added another shot from downtown while Jordan-Cornell scored after a block from George. Atkins’ final 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining put Orange ahead 39-30.

Orange will host Person on Tuesday night in Hillsborough at 6PM.

Cedar Ridge (3-14, 2-7) will face Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night at 6PM in Red Wolves Arena. Cedar Ridge has added a home game against Durham School of the Arts for its senior night on February 8. It will be the final home game for seniors Cierra Copeland, Cameron Copeland, Beysi Acensio and Deepmala Ford-Williams.

It was a nice win for the Orange men’s basketball seniors in the Panthers’ 72-44 win over Cedar Ridge on Friday night in Hillsborough. All five of the Panthers’ senior started for head coach Derryl Britt. Darius Corbett scored eight points as the Panthers guaranteed themselves its first winning season in six years. Meanwhile, Caleb Barretto scored ten points, a season-best. Orange is now 14-6, it’s best mark since the 2016-17 season. It was a gratifying win for Corbett, who has been a member of the varsity basketball team since his freshman year. He lost his first four games to Cedar Ridge. Now, he has beaten the Red Wolves four straight times. Barretto is a transfer from Wake Forest who actually played against Orange last January. Corbett had seven points, five rebounds and q block. He is also an All-Central Carolina Conference selection in soccer. Orange is 6-2 in the Central Carolina Conference. Next up, Orange will have a critical matchup against Person on Tuesday night in Hillsborough to conclude a four-game homestead. The Panthers and the Rockets are tied for second place in the CCC. The winner will have an inside track on hosting a game in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs.

Orange’s Darius Corbett and Caleb Barreto discuss basketball win over Cedar Ridge

No Description

Photo courtesy of 24/7 Sports: 

Alvis Whitted: After three seasons as the wide receivers coach at the University of Wisconsin, former Orange High wide receiver Alvis Whitted joined the staff at the University of Utah this week. Whitted departs Madison after former Badgers head coach Paul Chryst was fired in September. He will be the wide receivers coach with the Utes. Whitted is the only Orange High player to ever play in a Super Bowl. In 2003, Whitted played special teams for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After retiring in 2006, Whitted served as an assistant coach for Orange. He has since served as an assistant at UCLA. For seven years, Whitted was the wide receivers coach for Colorado State before he joined the Green Bay Packers under head coach Matt LaFleur. During his time with Wisconsin, the Badgers won bowl games in each of the last three season. Whitted was a wide receiver at Orange under head coach Greg Gentry and was also a PAC-6 Conference champion sprinter. Whitted started his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998. He spent four seasons with Jacksonville before he left to spend one season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002. He was a member of the last Orange team to win a game in the 4A State Playoffs in 1991 when the Panthers defeated J.H. Rose in Greenville.

Braden Homsey: Homsey won his 100th career match for Division III Ferrum College during the Pete Wilson Invitational in Wheaton, IL. Competing in the 197-pound tournament, Homsey opened with a win over Jackson Beck-Calvert of Adrian College via pinfall in 4:00. Homsey advanced to the quarterfinals after he defeated Treyten Steffen of Cornell College in an 11-5 decision. Homsey got to the semifinals after he edged Chase Melton of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3-2. Jarrod Setliff of Otterbein University defeated Homsey 6-5. In the consolation semifinals, Homsey earned the win via a medical forfeit against Jesse Kanatzar of John Carroll University. In the 3rd place match, Gabriel Zierden of Concordia College Morehead edged Homsey 3-2. Ferrum placed 17 of 31 teams.

Jamar Davis: Now a graduate student at N.C. State, Davis started his final year with the Wolfpack’s indoor track and field team earlier this month. At the Virginia Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, VA, Davis finished 2nd in the triple jump with a leap of 15.14 meters. Only Chauncey Chambers of Virginia Tech finished ahead of Davis. In the long jump, Davis finished 4th with a top jump of 7.47 meters. This weekend, Davis competed in the Bob Pollock Meet in Clemson, SC. Davis finished 5th in the triple jump. His top leap was 14.87 meters.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team ran past Mountain Gateway Community College 127-75 on Friday in Clifton Forge, VA. McMullin led Sandhills with 21 points, including scoring ten straight points in the first half. Sandhills is ranked #1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III. On Monday, Sandhills head coach Mike Apple will go for career win #300 when Sandhills faces Hines Prep. On Wednesday, Sandhills defeated Central Carolina Community College 110-55. McMullin finished with 16 points in eleven minutes. He also had three rebounds and two assists. On January 21, Sandhills rolled past Oxford College at Emory University 104-77. McMullin scored 20 points off 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He also had four rebounds, a steal and a block. On October 19, McMullin scored 14 points as the Flyers defeated the Methodist junior varsity team 100-64 in Fayetteville. McMullin shot 7-of-11 from the field. He also had six rebounds. On January 16, Sandhills hammered Hosanna Bible College 106-46. McMullen had 14 points, five rebounds and one assist. The Flyers have won eight in a row and are 20-3 overall. They are 3-0 in Region X of the NJCCA.

The Orange women’s swimming relay team was a big reason why the Lady Panthers were able to win the Central Carolina Conference team championship. On Thursday night, the team of junior Katie Belle Sikes, freshman Ainsley Rasinske, junior Riley White and freshman Piper White teamed to win the gold medals in the 200 yard medley relay and the 200 yard freestyle relay. Sikes had another big night in the conference championships, winning four gold medals. She captured the 100 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke. Riley White won the gold medal in the 50 yard freestyle. She also took home the silver medal in the 100 yard butterfly. Piper White won the silver medal in the 200 yard freestyle. The Orange women’s team, which finished fourth last year in the CCC Championships, took first place. They became the fifth sports team from Orange this year to win a Central Carolina Conference title. Sikes, Rasinske, Piper White and Riley White will team together during the 3A Central Regional championships on Friday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Orange’s Katie Belle Sikes, Ainsley Rasinske, Riley & Piper White discuss win at CCC Championships

The Orange women’s swimming relay team was a big reason why the Lady Panthers were able to win the Central Carolina Conference team championship. On Thursday night, the team of junior Katie Belle Sikes, freshman Ainsley Rasinske, junior Riley White and freshman Piper White teamed to win the gold medals in the 200 yard medley relay and the 200 yard freestyle relay.

After they each won four gold medals in the 2022 Central Carolina Conference swimming championships, senior Evan Phillips and Sophomore Luke Roman had another successful night on Wednesday. During the 2023 CCC Swimming Championships, Roman won three gold medals and one silver medal. Roman captured first place in the 100 yard freestyle and the 500 yard freestyle. It was the second straight year that Roman won the 500 yard freestyle conference championship. Phillips repeated as champion of the 100 yard breaststroke. He also won the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 24.15 seconds. Phillips, Roman, Andrew Weeks and Alex Andre teamed to win the 200 yard medley relay. The performance by Roman and Phillips helped Orange repeat as the Central Carolina Conference champions. Roman and Phillips each have qualified for five events in the 3A Central Regionals, which will take place on Friday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Both Phillips and Roman qualified for the 3A State Championships in 2022 and will look to reach Cary once again next week. They will have to finish in the top six in their respective events in order to qualify for the state championships.

Orange’s Luke Roman and Evan Phillips discuss wins at CCC Swimming Championships

After they each won four gold medals in the 2022 Central Carolina Conference swimming championships, senior Evan Phillips and Sophomore Luke Roman had another successful night on Wednesday. During the 2023 CCC Swimming Championships, Roman won three gold medals and one silver medal. Roman captured first place in the 100 yard freestyle and the 500 yard freestyle.

Timing. Familiarity. Technique. Awareness.

All of those ingredients are prerequisites for a good swimming relay team. Many of the competitors for the Orange swimming team have grown up together on various club teams, like the Hillsborough Aquatic Club and Eastern Carolina Aquatics.

Those relay teams are what paved the way for the Orange men’s and women’s swim teams to do something unprecedented in school history.

Orange swept the men’s and women’s titles at the Central Carolina Conference Championships at the Orange County Sportsplex on Wednesday night.

The Orange men successfully defended its championship from last year with 446 points. Eastern Alamance finished second at 248 points.

The Orange women won the CCC Championship with 339 points, barely beating out Cedar Ridge for second. The Red Wolves registered 332 points.

Combining the men’s and women’s competitions, Orange took the gold medal in four of the five relay races. The Orange women’s team of Katie Bells Sikes, Riley White, Piper White and Ainsley Rasinske won both the 200 yard medley relay and the 400 yard freestyle relay.

It was another night where Sikes walked out with more hardware than Ace Hardware. Sikes, a junior who committed to swim at the University of Georgia last October, came away with four gold medals. Individually, she earned two gold medals, setting school records in both events. She took the 100 freestyle at 52.04 seconds. In the 100 yard backstroke, Sikes won at 59.03 seconds, six seconds ahead of Eastern Alamance’s Braylee Carter.

Last year, Sikes won two gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the CCC Championships.

This year, the relay success led to the Orange women going from a 4th place finish in 2022 to a conference championship this year.

“It definitely takes a lot of practice,” Sikes said about relay teams. “The relay starts are super important. You definitely don’t want to get disqualified for jumping too early, but the faster you jump in the better. Since we all know each other, we all swam on a club team together, we’ve grown pretty accustomed to how we swim.”

In addition to Sikes’ success, junior Riley White won three gold medals. Along with the relay victories, White won the 50 yard freestyle at 25.54 seconds. Abi Robinson of Walter Williams finished second. It was White’s first individual gold medal. White also had a silver medal in the 100 yard butterfly. Abigail Emrich of Northwood claimed the gold with a time of 59.30 seconds.

Freshman Piper White earned a silver medal in the 200 yard freestyle. She finished at 2:07.29, behind only Cedar Ridge’s Sophia Stinnett.

Orange’s men’s relay team of Luke Roman, Evan Phillips, Alex Andre and Andrew Weeks claimed the gold medal in the 200 yard medley relay. In the 200 yard freestyle relay, Orange’s Greyson Brummer, Rylan Brummer, Ayden Twiddy and Nick Baczara finished first at 1:53.31.

Orange nearly had a clean sweep of the relay races. In the final event of the night, the 400 yard freestyle relay, the Panther team led the whole race until Northwood’s Wiley Sikes swam a great anchor leg to beat out the Panthers and win the gold. Sikes, Christian Smith Pumalpa, Morgan Turner and Jesse Sikes finished at 3:38.55. Orange came in at 3:39.61.

Roman and Phillips both had three gold medals and one silver medal.

Roman, a sophomore, repeated as champion of the 500 yard freestyle in a race where his nearest competitor was his teammate, Alex Andre. Roman came in at 4:54.40. This year, Roman also won the gold medal in the 100 yard freestyle, a race he didn’t even compete in during last year’s conference championship. Roman touched the wall at 53.97 seconds, beating out Tigue Hipps of Western Alamance.

As a freshman in 2022, Roman won three gold medals and a silver in the CCC Championships.

Phillips, in his final competitive meet inside the Orange County Sportsplex, captured gold in the 50 yard freestyle, finishing at 22.78 seconds. He held off Cedar Ridge junior Nikhil Agans for first place.

In the 100 yard breaststroke, Phillips earned the top spot at 1:05.07. Jesse Sikes of Northwood finished second.

Andre came away with three silver medals, along with the gold medal in the 200 relay. He came in second in the 500 yard freestyle (behind Roman) and the 200 yard freestyle.

Baczara earned one silver medal and one bronze medal. He finished second in the 200 yard individual medley at 2:22.30. He also finished third in the 100 yard butterfly at 1:02.09. Northwood’s Sikes captured the gold medal.

Last year, the Orange wrestling team came one win shy of reaching the NCHSAA State Dual Team Championship match for the eleventh time.

This year, the Panthers are more experienced, if banged up. They will start their mission to return to Greensboro’s Novant Field House this weekend.

The Panthers will face Southern Nash in the opening round of the 32-team 3A State Dual Team Playoffs on Saturday. Orange will host the first and second rounds of the tournament according to the bracket released by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association on Thursday morning.

Competing on the opposite mat from Orange will be C.B. Aycock, the #7 seed from the Quad County Conference, against #10 seed Carrboro from the Northern Lakes Conference. The winner of the first round matches will meet immediately afterwards to determine who reaches the 3rd round next week.

Orange was undefeated as a team going into its final regular season dual match against Currituck County in the Havelock Duals on January 14. Currituck came away with a controversial victory after a Knight wrestler claimed that an Orange wrestler bit him, an allegation that Orange coach Spenser Poteat vehemently denied and immediately protested to no avail. The Orange wrestler was leading when the match was stopped. At the time, Orange led the dual match 33-25. Currituck ended up getting six team points after they won the match via disqualification, plus Orange had three points subtracted due to “flagrant misconduct.” Currituck won the dual match 34-32. If it wasn’t for that ruling, Orange  likely would have had the #1 seed in the East Region.

Instead, the Panthers, 19-1 overall and 6-0 in the Central Carolina Conference, got a #2 seed in the East. Union Pines received the top seed. Currituck County didn’t make the postseason as First Fight got the only 3A bid from the Northeastern Coastal Conference (one of many 3A/2A conferences).

Last weekend in the Central Carolina Tournament, Orange competed without six starters, leading to a fourth place finish. The Panthers are expected to have 195-pounder Acoya Isley back in the lineup against Westover. This season, Isley is 30-2 with 19 pins. He has individual championships at the Quentin Crosby Invitational at Dudley High School in Greensboro and the Eastern Alamance Invitational in December. Isley finished 2nd at the Tiger Holiday Classic in Chapel Hill, the highest of any Orange wrestler.

Dillon Heffernan, at 145 pounds, will also return to the lineup this weekend. Heffernan, a senior, also won individual championships at Eastern Alamance and the Quentin Crosby Invitational. He is 29-4 with 15 pins.

Even without six staters, Orange had four grapplers win their individual weight classes last week in the CCC Championships: Elijah Acosta (220), Sam Crawford (152), Jared Hutchins (132) and Braden Crawford (126).

Southern Nash,, from the Big East Conference, will face Orange at 11AM on Saturday.

C.B. Aycock won the Quad County Championship with a 15-3 record. They went undefeated in conference action.

Carrboro was the top 3A team out of the Northern Lakes Conference, another split 3A/2A conference. South Granville, a 2A team, won the Northern Lakes Conference championship.

The Panthers have won five dual team state championships and ten regional titles. Their last trip to the State Championship match came in 2018, when they lost to Piedmont 33-31. It was the second straight year that Piedmont and the Panthers faced off for the State Championship. In the previous year, Orange led 29-17 with four matches remaining, but Piedmont won the last three matches to prevail 29-27. That was the final dual match for legendary Orange coach Bobby Shriner.

The regional semifinals and finals will be held on Wednesday at a location to be determined. The 3A State Championship match will take place at Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro next Saturday.