Photo by Bernard Thomas

In its most basic form, the double wing offense is built on power and deception.

If it’s operated the way it’s supposed to, the double wing can wear opposing defenses down, generate long drives that takes lots of time off the clock, keep an potentially explosive quarterback off the field and puts the ball in the hands of many skill players, if they’re available.

In other words, basically what Orange did on Saturday night.

After an early hiccup, Orange scored 22 unanswered points to defeat Vance County 22-8 at Auman Stadium. Senior Eric Brooks, who had never scored in his varsity career, finished with three touchdowns.

No less than ten players registered carries for Orange as they piled up a season-high 238 rushing yards in its second game with a new look offense engineered by senior quarterback Jayce Hodges, who replaced the now-departed Nigel Slanker against Northern Durham on March 12.

Orange is 2-1, the first time since September 2017 that the Panthers have been over .500.

“(Offensive coordinator) Coach (Marty) Scotten told the guys after the game that the style we’re running can run down the opposing team,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “You can tell they got worn down. They were taking knees in between plays.”

After being held to a dismal 50 yards total offense and three first downs in the season opener against Southern Durham, Orange’s new double wing alignment has shown week-to-week improvement. Against Northern Durham, the Panthers had 151 yards, ten first downs, but finished 3-of-11 on 3rd down conversions. Against Vance County, they had 250 yards total offense, a season-high 16 first downs and was 8-of-15 on 3rd down conversions.

Orange shifted the pace of the game midway through the second quarter, when Vance County held an 8-7 lead. With 8:23 remaining in the first half, Orange started a drive at its own 11-yard line. From that point forward the Panthers ran 30 of the next 36 plays from scrimmage.

Orange opened the second half with a 10-play, 66-yard drive that took 4:59 off the clock, but it easily could have fizzled earlier. On 3rd-and-10, J.J. Torres took the ball from Elliott Woods on a double handoff and pushed forward for a 12-yard gain to move the sticks. And the shape of the game changed.

Orange began finding more running room as the Vance County defensive front logged more minutes. Brooks dashed around right end for a 13-yard gain to barge into the red zone, then scored his second touchdown over right guard. He also added the two-point conversion to push Orange ahead 14-8.

On the next Vance County play, Hodges intercepted a pass that was tipped by Elijah Dansler. Hodges returned the interception 34 yards. On third-and-goal, Brooks cashed in for the third touchdown.

For the second week in a row, Orange’s opponent got a touchdown on its opening drive and didn’t score again. Vance County Carl Stephens broke two Orange tackles and won a footrace to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Israel Terry’s pass on the two-point conversion was tipped by Connor Ray, but caught by Kevon Burton only 30 seconds into the game.

Stephens had 80 yards rushing after the first drive, but finished with 86.

After scuffling on its first two drives, Brooks’ first touchdown came with :13 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter. After Jackson Wood converted a 4th-and-1 from the Vipers 35-yard line, Brooks carried the ball on a end sweep and followed the blocks of Jaylen Partin and Brendon Worsham to turn the corner into the end zone.

Late in the third quarter, Vance County had a classic Griswald Drive, going 12 plays and 63 yards only to find that Wally World was closed. Terry converted two 3rd downs, including a scramble for 15 yards to the Orange 29-yard line. Terry hit Stephens for a 7-yard gain to put the ball in the red zone, but the drive ended after an incompletion on fourth down courtesy of a pressure by Orange defensive lineman Will Torain.

Vance County’s last two drives ended with interceptions by Panther junior safety Elijah Danley, including one on the final play of the game.

Orange will start the second half of the season against Northwood in Pittsboro on Friday. Last year, the Chargers had a 24-6 lead against the Panthers, only to lose in overtime.

With Southern Durham in the driver’s seat for a second consecutive conference crown, next week’s game could decide who received the second playoff birth from the Big 8.

“It’s exciting to see those guys develop and grow confidence in the offensive line,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “They’re getting confidence in their quarterback and themselves. It’s fun to watch.”

ORANGE 22, VANCE COUNTY 8

VC–8 0 0 0-8

OR–7 0 15 0-22

VC–Carl Stephens 70 run (Israel Terry to Kevon Burton)

OR-Eric Brooks 31 run (Darius Satterfield kick)

OR-Brooks 5 run (Brooks run)

OR-Brooks 1 run (Satterfield kick)

RUSHING–Vance County 27-193 (Carl Stephens 5-86 TD, Israel Terry 11-55, Dave Vines-Holder 8-54, Chico Taylor 2-2)

ORANGE–58-238 (Brooks 9-76 3TD, J.J. Torres 14-63, Elliott Woods 14-27, Nate Sorrells 3-25, Jayce Hodges 5-18, Connor Ray 3-13, Nate Hecht 2-13, Jackson Wood 2-3, Jabari Albright 2-2, Will Torian 3-0, team 1-(-2))

PASSING–VANCE COUNTY 3-18 18 yards 3 INT (Allen 3-17 18 yards 3 INT, Sai Mir best 0-1)

ORANGE (Hodges 1-4 12 yards)

RECEIVING–VANCE COUNTY (Kemarrues Jones 1-7, Stephens 1-4, Burton 1-4)

ORANGE (Woods 1-12)

Orange’s Eric Brooks scored three rushing touchdowns in the Panthers 22-6 win over Vance County on Saturday night at Auman Stadium. With Orange trailing 8-0 late in the first quarter, Brooks scored on a sweep from 32 yards out. On Orange’s first drive of the second quarter, Brooks ended a 10-play, 56-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, then tacked on the 2-point run for good measure. Brooks ended the night with a career-best 76 rushing yards as Orange defeated Vance County for the first time in school history. Brooks also started in the secondary on defense. Since adjusting to a double wing offense last week, Brooks has been one of the highlight backs in a rushing heavy attack. The Panthers will travel to Northwood next week in a game that could determine a spot in the state playoffs.

We’re introducing a new honor on Hillsboroughsports.com. We’re honoring the interior lineman who best leads his team to victory, even if he doesn’t stand out on the stat sheet. It’s the Hillsborough Hardcore Championship, and the very first honoree is Orange guard/defensive tackle, senior Dari’us Matkins. On Saturday night against Vance County, Matkins was the leader on an offensive line that rushed for a season-best 225 yards as the Panthers defeated the Vipers 22-8. Against Northern Durham last week, Matkins made two tackles for loss as Orange defeated the Knights 7-6. Matkins has been a grizzled veteran of the offensive line the past three years. We’re honored to highlight the first Hillsborough Hardcore Champion, Orange’s Dari’us Matkins.

The Cedar Ridge softball team seemed to do it all in its conference opener against Northwood.

Be on the verge of losing in five innings? Check. Come back from a seven-run deficit to take the lead? Check. Score 12 runs in a span of three innings? Check.

Unfortunately, the list of accomplishments also included losing in extra innings.

Northwood’s Shakhai Mole scored off a grounder by freshman Carolina Garner in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Chargers past Cedar Ridge 17-16.

As you may have guessed, it was a night of offense. The two teams combined for 35 hits, eight extra base hits and 18 walks.

It was a costly loss for the Red Wolves since the Big 8 Conference standings will only include the first games against league opponents, the same format that was used in volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball this year.

In what will probably be a theme this season, Cedar Ridge’s Takia Nichols hit a solo homer to lead off the third inning, then was intentionally walked in her final four plate appearances. That included an intentional pass in the fifth inning–with the bases loaded.

Even with Nichols’ powerful bat taken out of her hands, Cedar Ridge still managed to erase an 11-4 deficit in the fifth inning, incredibly starting a seven-run rally with two outs. After Olivia Aitkin reached on an infield single Marlee Rakouskas lined a hit to center field. Alexandria Matthews’ bloop to the outfield scored Aitkin. Sophomore Anaya Carter walked to load the bases, which led to the Nichols walk, bringing in Matthews.

ShiLi Quade reached on a bunt to first to score Matthew. Junior Ava Lowry came up with a three-run double to clear the bases. Aitkin, in her second at-bat in the inning, double to left to score Lowry and tie the game at 11-11.

Northwood took the lead back with a run in the fifth when Caroline Dorshimer scored off a groundout by Garner.

The Chargers led 14-11 when Cedar Ridge scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning. Carter hit a leadoff single, followed by the obligatory Nichols walk. Quade loaded the bases with another bunt single. Lowry’s sacrifice fly to left scored Carter. Aitkin hit another sacrifice fly to plate Nichols. Senior Reagan Rhul doubled to left center to score Quade and Lowry and give Cedar Ridge a 15-14 lead. Hayley King legged out an infield single to bring in Ruhl and Cedar Ridge extended its led to two runs.

Northwood forced extra innings when Zoe Hatzidakis doubled down the left field line, leading to a run from Carlee Harris. With two outs, Sarah Warfford reached on an error, leading to Hatzidakis tying the game.

Quade, now playing catcher, went 4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Aitkin finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and 4 RBIs. Ruhl was 2-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs. Lowry finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, two doubles and three runs scored.

Cedar Ridge will host Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon at 5:30. That game can be heard on Hillsboroughsports.com.

HILLSBOROUGH-Johnny Barefoot’s debut as the coach of the Orange softball team didn’t have very much drama. But there was plenty of hitting and even better pitching.

Orange rolled past East Chapel Hill 14-1 in five innings at Panther Softball Field on Wednesday afternoon. It was the season opener for both teams.

Junior Gracie Walker earned the victory in the circle. She threw three innings and finished with seven strikeouts. Walker surrendered two hits, one runs with one walk. Freshman Kaden Robinson and junior Courtney Watkins finished out the final two innings in mop up duty.

The Lady Panthers amassed eleven hits with every player in the starting lineup getting aboard. In her first varsity game, Robinson finished 4-for-4, nearly hitting for the cycle. She had a double and a triple.

Junior Mary Moss Wirt, who has committed to play at Elon, went 2-for-3 with two doubles and 2 RBIs. Senior Emma Puckett went 1-for-3 with a double.

Orange (1-0) had a game scheduled against Vance County on Thursday but it was rained out. The Lady Panthers will host Cedar Ridge on Tuesday in what will be the only game between the crosstown rivals that will count in the Big 8 standings.

The Orange lacrosse team ended its regular season against Chapel Hill in a thrilling game last Wednesday. Here are some photos from that game courtesy of Lynda Wileman.

The old adage is to avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.

Orange Coach Chandler Zirkle wasn’t afraid to speak up in a haywire final five minutes against Northwood at Auman Stadium, and it helped put the Panthers in the 3A/2A/1A State Quarterfinals for the first time in the 13-year history of the program.

Just nine days removed from Northwood thrashing Orange 17-6 in Pittsboro, the Panthers edged out a 10-9 victory over the Chargers in a fever-pitched atmosphere at Auman Stadium on Wednesday night. Orange’s Ryan Merrill finished with three goals and two assists. Merrill’s classmate, Caleb Davis, also had a hat trick and two assists as Orange improved to 8-3.

The Panthers will host East Chapel Hill, where Zirkle once played, in Hillsborough on Monday night.

Freshman Connor Kruse, who played at Stanford Middle School at this time last year, notched the game-winning goal when he fired the ball between the legs of Northwood’s goalkeeper with 5:27 remaining. Cy Horner assisted on Kruse’s only goal of the game.

But there was plenty that happened afterwards.

On two separate occasions, Northwood had potential game-tying goals waved off. The most noteworthy came with 4:50 remaining when Chargers midfielder Will Smith was deep in Northwood’s offensive zone and had the ball knocked away by defenseman Griffin Metheny. Smith ran out of his offensive end to scoop the ground ball and appeared to carry the ball over the midfield line, which would have resulted in an over-and-back call (similar to basketball). The officials let the play continue and Smith tallied the game-tying goal with 4:03 left.

Or so it appeared.

The referees, two of whom were college officials, gathered together and decided it was a correctable error, ruling that Smith had committed the over-and-back violation. The goal was nullified and 47 seconds was placed back on the clock. In the midst of the discussion, Northwood coach Randy Cox was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“They established themselves in the box,” Zirkle said. “The officials caught it and let the players play on, which is the right thing to do. They went down and scored, but the officials caught the mistake.”

Northwood got the ball back with 2:03 remaining and again appeared to tie the game when Ben Rogers fired the ball into the right corner of the net. Zirkle challenged that Rogers had an illegal stick. The officials put a ball in Rogers stick and it failed to come out while the head of the stick was parallel. Again, the game-tying goal was nullified and Rogers was penalized for two minutes, sending several furious Charger fans rushing towards the front gate of the visitor’s section to scream at the officials. Orange ran out the clock for the most important win in school history.

The game turned on an illegal stick penalty against Northwood midway through the fourth quarter. Northwood scored consecutive goals from Smith and Terry Moore to take a 9-8 lead, then called timeout. Once Orange went on the man-up, sophomore Jake Wimsatt whistled home the game-tying goal within seconds off a pass from Merrill. Kruse later scored the game-winner.

After losing by eleven goals to Northwood the week before, Zirkle didn’t have to work hard to coach amnesia for such a huge game.

“It was our worst game of the year,” Zirkle said. “By no means did we do everything we wanted to do tonight. We brought into our game plan and we’re getting as good as we can at this time.”

Merrill scored just 26 seconds into the game off an assist from Davis to spark a first quarter that featured four ties and two lead changes. Northwood’s Jake Mann, who has signed to play football at Oklahoma, scored all four of the Chargers’ goals in the first quarter, including one off an assist from Taylor Leverage to even the game 4-4 going into the second quarter.

Mann finished with five goals in his final lacrosse game with the Chargers.

Orange’s defense kept Northwood scoreless for the first 7:12 of the second quarter. Panther sophomore Joe Cady posted two goals to vault Orange into a 6-4 lead. Cady’s first was assisted by Merrill, the second by Davis. Laberge scored for Northwood with 4:48 remaining to cut Orange’s lead to 6-5 at halftime.

Davis registered his third goal off an assist from Jake Wimsatt to open the second half and push Orange ahead 7-5. Northwood’s Ben Rogers and Mann scored to even the game, but Merrill whipped a shot past Northwood goalkeeper Hunter Klingel to put Orange back into the lead going into the fourth quarter.

Orange goalkeeper Chase Hawkins, who made several vital saves during the second half, emerged to become an unlikely hero. After playing in net as a sophomore for Orange’s playoff win over Northside-Jacksonville in 2019, Hawkins appeared to have hung up his lacrosse jersey after the 2020 season was abandoned because of the pandemic. However, the Panthers have spent this season playing without its top two goalkeepers, who are both with the football team. Hawkins, who has been known to drive a tractor to school, was summoned out of retirement by Zirkle earlier this month and started only his second game of the year on Wednesday night.

He wound up earning the win on a night no Orange fan will soon forget.

For the first time in the 13-year history of the program, the Orange men’s lacrosse team is going to the state quarterfinals. In a wild finish in front of an emotional crowd at Auman Stadium on Wednesday night, the Panthers defeated Northwood 10-9. Orange senior Caleb Davis finished with three goals and two assists. Davis’ classmate, Ryan Merrill, also had three goals and two assists. Just nine days prior to Wednesday’s game, Northwood walloped Orange 17-6 in Pittsboro. Chase Hawkins, the Orange goalkeeper, earned the win in net. It was only his second start of the season. Hawkins had seemingly hung up his lacrosse jersey to focus on his post-Orange professional life, but was talked into playing the postseason by Orange Coach Chandler Zirkle. Hawkins earned his second career postseason win. Orange will host East Chapel Hill in the 3A/2A/1A quarterfinals on Monday night at Auman Stadium.