EDITOR'S CHOICE
Middle School Week in Review: Gravelly Hill football wins
Hillsboroughsports.com is expanding its reach for 2019 to focus on Stanford, Gravelly Hill and Stanback Middle Schools.
Middle schools are the foundation where high school sports are built on. We would love to hear from parents who keeps statistics for their children’s games, regardless of the sport. For the fall, we’re particularly interested in football, volleyball, boys soccer and cross country. If you would like to send results, please email hamlin37@hotmail.com.
We plan to continue coverage through the winter to include boys and girls basketball, as well as wrestling. And of course, there’s always baseball, softball, boys lacrosse and women’s soccer in the spring.
Gravelly Hill: The Gravelly Hill Grizzlies football team won its first game of 2019 last Wednesday. Gravelly Hill defeated Northern Middle School out of Roxboro 36-32. The Grizzlies led 12-8 at halftime, but Northern scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 32-20 lead into the 4th quarter.
Gravelly Hills responded with consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Crawford Farmer threw three touchdowns. Tyler Beeman, Derek Yanko and Malachi Poole each had a receiving touchdown. Mason Cates scored a rushing touchdown. Beeman also had an interception.
Gravelly Hill, which lost to Southern Middle School in the opening week of the season, is 1-1. They will host the combined team from Phillips/Smith Middle Schools on Wednesday.
Stanford: The Stanford Chargers won its first football game of the season against Culbreth last week at Chargers Stadium. Stanford dropped its opener to Smith/Phillips. Stanford will travel to Northern Roxboro on Wednesday for a 4:45 kickoff.
There would many more sports that took place at all three middle schools last week, but this is all we have records for. So again, please send us middle school results to hamlin37@hotmail.com so we’ll have a more comprehensive column this week. We plan on making this a feature every few days, if possible.
Thompson Team Films highlights of Orange vs. Riverside!
In a hard fought game, Riverside defeated Orange 28-26 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on Friday night. Despite the loss, it may have been Orange’s best effort of the year. Machai Holt scored two touchdowns, while defensive end James McAdoo recovered a fumble and forced another. Enjoy highlights of the game from Shayne Thompson of Thompson Team Films
Orange High Football Highlights vs Riverside 2019
Uploaded by Thompson Team Films & Photos on 2019-09-22.
Alumni Update: Brooks makes Livingstone debut; full rundown from Saturday
Rodney Brooks: After a year at Fort Union Military Academy, 2018 Orange graduate Rodney Brooks made his four-year college debut for Division II Livingstone last week. Brooks, who plays safety, had a tackle in the Bears’ 27-16 victory over Elizabeth City State University at Alumni Memorial Football Stadium in Salisbury. On Saturday, Livingstone improved to 3-0 with a 21-7 win over Allen University. Brooks was a safety, cornerback and quarterback for the Orange football team who was a member of three Big 8 Conference Champions from 2016-18. He also played right field for the Orange baseball team in 2017, which had a stunning run to the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Brooks’ high school athletic career ended after he suffered a torn ACL playing quarterback against Riverside in 2017.
Payton Wilson: Though he didn’t start, Wilson served as a reserve linebacker in N.C. State’s 34-23 win over Ball State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday night. Wilson made four tackles. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, has 16 tackles through four games.
Trent Gill: Against Ball State, Gill had limited punting duties for the Wolfpack since State scored 34 punts. Nonetheless, Gill had three punts for an average of 51 yards per boot. One was downed inside the 20-yard line. Gill also had six kickoffs, five of which went for touchbacks. Saturday’s game was the nonconference finale for N.C. State. They will start ACC play at Florida State next Saturday.
Keshawn Thompson: The FCS Campbell football team defeated Davidson 31-29 at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek. Thompson, a redshirt sophomore from Orange, assisted on three tackles. Campbell won off a 50-yard field goal from Colin Gary as time expired.
Jack Schmid: Schmid saw action for Division III Wheaton College on Saturday. The Thunder defeated Illinois Wesleyan 24-10 at McCully Stadium in Wheaton, IL. Wheaton is 2-0.
Natalie Chandler: The 2017 Orange graduate is a member of the UNC women’s soccer team. Chandler was named to the 2018-19 ACC Academic Honor Roll. Now a junior, Chandler played in UNC’s 8-0 victory over UNLV in the Duke Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium in Durham. Chandler helped Orange to the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
Kayla Hodges: The Elon women’s soccer team split two matches last week. The Phoenix defeated Hampton 8-0 at HU Soccer Complex in Hampton, VA on Sunday. Hodges started at wingback and was credited with a shot on goal. On Thursday, UNC Greensboro defeated the Phoenix 4-3 at UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro. Again, Hodges started and had a shot on goal. Elon is 6-2-1. They will host UNC Wilmington in its Colonial Athletic Association opener on Thursday at Rudd Field in Elon.
Taylin Jean: The 2018 Cedar Ridge graduate posted her first clean sheet as Division II Limestone defeated Lander University at Saints Field in Gaffney, SC on Wednesday. Jean made five saves to post the shutout. On Saturday, Belmont Abbey defeated Limestone 4-0 at Alumni Field in Belmont, NC. It was the first time Limestone lost a Conference Carolinas match in over three years. Jean made seven saves in the loss. The Saints are 2-3, 0-1 in Conference Carolinas.
Jordan Rogers: William Peace University defeated Brevard College 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The Pacers improved to 2-3-1. Rogers, a sophomore who graduated from Orange in 2018, started at wingback. On Tuesday, the Pacers played to a scoreless tie against Randolph College at Wildcat Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Rogers, who has moved to the defensive backline, also started. Rogers has started all six of the Pacers matches this season.
Lionel Reid-Shaw: The Division III Dickinson men’s soccer team defeated Swarthmore 4-0 in its Centennial Conference opener in Swarthmore, PA on Saturday. The Red Devils ended a four-game losing streak. Reid-Shaw, a senior, started at centerback. It was his sixth game of the season. Dickinson is 3-4.
Lilli Henry: The 2017 Cedar Ridge graduate helped the Methodist volleyball team win its first match of the season on Saturday. The Monarchs defeated Regent University 3-0 at the Riddle Center in Fayetteville. Henry finished with 17 assists, four aces, three digs and one kill. On Tuesday, Roanoke College defeated Methodist 3-2 in Salem, VA. Against the Maroons, Henry had 22 assists and eleven digs. The Monarchs are now 1-8.
Bailey Lucas: On Friday, the Division III Meredith College volleyball team defeated Roanoke College 3-2 at the Cregger Center in Salem, VA. Lucas played one set for the Avenging Angels. Meredith is 6-5.
Sledge throws 4 TDs, Riverside holds off Orange 28-26
From 2013-to-2017, the Orange football team won 24 consecutive non-conference games. Five of them were against Riverside.
After a 3-8 season in 2018, Orange has lost nine of its last ten nonconference games. Not only that, but shortly after walking into Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham, they felt something that an Orange team hadn’t felt in a long time.
The feeling of being overlooked. And maybe a hint of disrespect.
After a decade largely spent as a sleeping giant, Riverside has become the hottest team in Durham. Four days after the Pirates defeated Orange last November, the Pirates topped Jordan to win the Triangle 8 Championship, its first since 2002.
Coming off its first win over Northern Durham since 2013, Riverside’s noncoference finale against Orange received enough votes from local high school fans as one media outlet’s game of the week.
The days of Orange’s three consecutive Big 8 Championships from 2015-17 seemed to have faded from the memories of local journalists and fans, many of whom treated the Panthers as an afterthought in Friday’s game. Especially compared to Riverside’s 3-1 start where they averaged 40 points per game.
That wasn’t lost on Orange’s coaches in the days leading up to Friday night’s game, and certainly not in the moments before kickoff. And while the final result wasn’t precisely to Orange’s liking, it led to easily the most inspired Panther effort of the season.
In the end, Riverside junior quarterback Landin Sledge threw for four touchdowns and 286 yards as the Pirates defeated Orange 28-26 at Wrenn Stadium in Durham. Sledge’s 12-yard touchdown to Quentin Freeman early in the fourth quarter was the game-winner as the Pirates (3-1) won its nonconference finale.
Sledge, a junior, now has 21 touchdowns against only two interceptions this season. In all five of Riverside’s games, he has at least four touchdown passes (he had five against Person).
Orange (1-3) got a late touchdown pass from Wyatt Jones to Daniel Champion, which came after deliberations by the officials that lasted in excess of one minute. Nigel Slanker’s extra point cut Orange’s deficit to 28-26, but the subsequent onside kick went out of bounds with :14 remaining.
After watching his defense hold Riverside to a season-low 285 yards (including minus-1 yard rushing), Orange coach Van Smith appeared more eager to play another four quarters instead of content to call it a night. His postgame interview lacked the fervor of your average Ric Flair promo from the 1980s, but only slightly.
“When I walked up to this stadium tonight, nobody gave us a chance to win this football game tonight,” Smith said, firing off his words at the pace of a machine gun. “If they want to strap up again and play tomorrow, I’m ready right now. I’m so dadgum excited how far we’ve come in a few weeks, I’m ready to play again tomorrow if we have to.”
Orange succeeded in taking away Riverside’s running game in the first half. Pirates running back Dante McCall, who averaged 86 rushing yards per game, was held to a season low four yards. By Riverside’s final drive of the second half, they eschewed running plays out of a standard spread set and simply employed Sledge out of an empty backfield with five wide receivers for most of the rest of the game.
It worked. After falling behind 13-6 late in the first half, Riverside scored back-to-back touchdowns to lead the rest of the way. On their final possession of the first half, Riverside went 71 yards in four plays. Sledge hit Cory Jones for a 23-yard touchdown pass, then found Isiah Jones for the two-point play to put the Pirates head 14-13 going into the locker room.
In a chippy game where the two teams combined for 240 penalty yards, Sledge found Cory Jones for a 60-yard gain on 2nd-and-13 after a holding penalty backed the Pirates up. Following three straight incompletions, Sledge hit Isaiah Jones for a 15-yard touchdown on 4th-and-10. Caleb Bowers extra point put Riverside ahead 21-13.
Orange’s defense, which forced four turnovers in its win over Williams last week, forced three more on Friday, leading to 14 points. Late in the third quarter, senior defensive end James McAdoo recovered a fumble after a botched Riverside snap.
“I thought James McAdoo had a motor that didn’t stop,” Smith said. “It was his second game this season and he wouldn’t quit. I think that has been missing.”
Senior Machai Holt ran around right end for his third touchdown of the season. Orange attempted to tie the game, but Wyatt Jones’s pass to Zyon Pettiford was wide.
Sledge found Freeman for the game-winning score on the next drive.
“It was like playing a freaking all-star team” Smith said of Riverside. “Good gracious. They had a 6-foot-5 receiver lining up against my 5-foot-6 cornerback. That means something.”
Riverside opened with a 12-play, 67-yard drive that took 5:47 off the first quarter clock. Sledge found Isaiah Jones for a 26-yard gain to break into the Orange red zone. Consecutive stops by Orange’s Khaleb Smith and Caulin Fransler forced a 4th-and-goal from the three, when Sledge found Isaiah Jones again for a 3-yard score.
Orange, on its first possession of the game, took up the rest of the first quarter clock with a 12-play, 52-yard drive, which was kept alive after Riverside was called for roughing the passer on 4th-and-6. Slanker kicked a 30-yard field goal to mow the Pirate lead in half.
The Panthers won a battle of field position to even the game in the second quarter. Following a Riverside punt that was nearly blocked, Holt ran around right tackle for ten yards. It ended when Slanker kicked a 33-yard field goal.
On the next Riverside drive, McAdoo stripped the ball away from Sledge, and Orange’s Will Torain pounced on the loose ball.
On a third-and-goal, Holt followed the blocks of Juan Navarro and Robert Bray into the end zone to give Orange its only lead of the night late in the second quarter.
For the second week in a row, Orange couldn’t continue drives when its defense gave them opportunities. The Panthers were 3-of-13 on 3rd downs after going 3-of-12 in the Williams’ win.
As Orange ventures into its Big 8 opener against East Chapel Hill next Friday, time will tell if the emotion of Friday night was a one-night stand or something that can propel Orange to its glory days that may not be as far in the rear view mirror as some would believe.
RIVERSIDE 28, ORANGE 26
RIV–Isaiah Jones 12 pass from Landin Sledge (kick blocked)
ORA-Nigel Slanker 30 FG
ORA-Slanker 33 FG
ORA-Machai Holt 2 TD (Slanker kick)
RIV-Troy Jones 23 pass from Sledge (Sledge to I. Jones)
RIV-I. Jones 13 pass from Sledge (Caleb Bowers kick)
ORA-Holt 1 run (pass failed)
RIV-Quinton Freeman 12 pass from Sledge (Bowers kick)
ORA-Daniel Champion 20 pass from Wyatt Jones (Slanker kick)
RUSHING: Riverside 19-(-1 yard) (Sledge 7-8, Dante McCall 7-4, Devin Smith 2-(minus 2), fumble 2-(minus-10), team 1-(minus 1)
ORANGE: 36-116 2 TD (Omarion Lewis 13-55, Holt 13-46 2 TD, Jones 2-9, Elliott Woods 4-6, Jake DeFranco 1-1)
PASSING: RIVERSIDE (Sledge 18-24 286 yards 4 TD, INT)
ORANGE: (Jones 10-25 156 TD, INT)
RECEIVING: RIVERSIDE (I. Jones 7-110 2 TD, Freeman 6-62 TD, Smith 3-31, T. Jones 2-83 TD)
ORANGE: (Holt 3-45, DeFranco 2-63, Woods 2-9, Champion 1-10 TD, Zyon Pettiford 1-14, Khaleb Smith 1-8)
Orange’s Kameron Harshaw & Jackson Wood talk JV win vs. Riverside
In a defensive battle at Auman Stadium on Thursday night, the Orange junior varsity football team grabbed its first win of the season, beating Riverside 14-6. The play of the night came from freshman Ronald Cooper, who returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. It was a strong night for Orange defensive tackle Kameron Harshaw, who finished with four tackles for loss. Panther sophomore Jackson Wood also piled up the tackles as Orange improved to 1-1. Orange is scheduled to start its Big 8 Conference schedule on October 10 against Northern Durham at Durham County Stadium. For the record, Erick Villines was the head coach of the JV squad on Thursday night.
Oranges Kameron Harshaw and Jackson Wood discuss JV win over Riverside
In a defensive battle at Auman Stadium on Thursday night, the Orange junior varsity football team grabbed its first win of the season, beating Riverside 14-6. The play of the night came from freshman Ronald Cooper, who returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Chapel Hill volleyball sweeps Orange
In the past month, the Orange volleyball team won seven of its first eleven matches, beat previously undefeated Northern Durham and swept Northwood for the first time since 2016.
All of which is why Thursday night was so disappointing for the Lady Panthers.
Three-time defending Big 8 Champion Chapel Hill swept Orange inside Tiger Auxiliary Gymnasium on Thursday night in a contest that was never competitive. Chapel Hill, in the unusual role of playing for a share of 3rd place in the Big 8, rolled 25-18, 25-8 and 25-18.
Afterwards, Orange coach Kelly Young gathered the entire team in a corner of the gym and delivered a passionate talk for over ten minutes, almost longer than the 2nd set. The discussion may have gone on longer if the janitors hadn’t started turning out the lights.
A week after Cedar Ridge stunned Chapel Hill 3-2 in Hillsborough, Young looked at Thursday night as more than a battle for third place. It was a litmus test to see whether her squad was ready to step up to the forefront of the Big 8 and challenge Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge for the upper echelon.
Instead, the result was all too predictable. Chapel Hill has swept Orange in its last seven meetings. Orange hasn’t captured a set against the Tigers since 2015.
Young didn’t mince words postgame.
“We have a mentality against Chapel Hill where we come in defeated already,” Young said. “We have to get over that hump.”
Chapel Hill, which has spent the past month without junior Ellen Zwikker (the youngest daughter of former UNC center Serge Zwikker, who was at Thursday’s match), took control of the first set with a 5-1 run. Leading 15-12, Kaya Monrose and Kaya Merker had consecutive kills off the serve of Lauren Stanfa. The Tigers captured the set after a block from freshman Carly Sciborski.
The Tigers started the 2nd set on a 7-2 run off kills from Courtney Zwikker and an ace from Sciborski. Sam Breschi, the daughter of UNC men’s lacrosse coach Joe Brechi, ended the set with consecutive aces.
Orange started the third set with two straight points, its largest lead of the match. Chloe Riley and Lottie Scully had kills for Orange.
The 3rd set had five ties, but Chapel Hill assume command with a 6-1 run off kills from Sciborski and Zwikker. Orange got within 15-13 after several Tiger strikes went wide, but the Tigers ended the set and the match with a 8-3 run. Merkler had the final kill.
Orange (7-5, 2-2 in the Big 8) will play three matches next week. They host East Chapel Hill on Monday, travel to Southern Durham on Tuesday and host Northern Durham on Thursday.
In the meantime, Young hopes her team’s latest loss to Chapel Hill will serve as a lesson.
“The past few years, we’ve been beaten consistently by them,” Young said. “They’re state runner-ups. They got far (in the state playoffs). But they’re human. They’re another team just like anybody else. They’re beatable. Cedar Ridge proved that. We have to decide if we want it or not.”
Frank scores two goals as Cedar Ridge soccer stuns Orange in penalties
Local high school soccer coaches are not only teachers of the game. Many are also fans.
Chapel Hill’s Jason Curtis, as well as his legendary mentor Ron Benson, wear the colors of Liverpool of England’s Premier League. For Curtis and Benson, times are good. The Tigers won the 3A State Championship last November. Last spring, Liverpool claimed its first UEFA Champions League title/European Cup in 15 years when they defeated English rival Tottenham 2-0.
It would be an embellishment to call Cedar Ridge Coach Chris Walker a fan of Sunderland. Doing so would seem to be a pathway of suffering and perhaps long-term therapy.
Sunderland was a member of the Premier League as recently as 2016. Now, they’ve suffered consecutive years of relegation (when a team finishes in the bottom three spots in the Premier League, they get sent down to the English Championship, essentially AAA baseball) Now, Sunderland is in League One (AA baseball)
But Walker certainly can relate to Sunderland. He’s coached a team in the shadow of giants like Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill an Carrboro. More often than not, he’s taking undermanned teams against schools that often have 60-70 players trying out in early August.
Nights like Wednesday night are when it’s most rewarding.
Facing crosstown rival Orange, the Red Wolves trailed 3-1 with 17:00 remaining. That’s when freshman Nicholas Frank scored two goals in a span of 43 seconds to even the game.
Cedar Ridge (3-5-1, 1-2 in the Big 8) would go on to win in penalty kicks 4-3 to beat Orange at Red Wolves Stadium for the first time since 2015.
Even more remarkably, Cedar Ridge pulled off the comeback despite leading scorer Brandon Garcia getting injured in the final 20 minutes. Garcia, who had a seven-game scoring streak to open the season, left the game and din’t return until the 2nd overtime period.
Fittingly, Frank laced the game-winning penalty into the middle right side of the net. Cedar Ridge junior goalkeeper Ty Corbin made the save on Orange’s final attempt to start a wild celebration among the Cedar Ridge players.
Orange (4-4, 1-2) had a chance to score in the opening 5-minute overtime session, but Elliott Sikes’ wormburner from 18 yards clipped the outside left post.
“I told our guys at halftime we had to go back to our game plan,” said Walker, his voice hoarse from an intense night off coaching. “I pulled Nick in the first half because he told me ‘Coach, I’m not getting the ball.’ And I asked him what he was going to do? I told him he had to do more to get the ball.”
And he did. On consecutive possessions in the 2nd half, Frank received the ball after 20-yard runs. His first goal came from 20 yards away after Orange’s goalkeeper came out of net as Frank collected a gorgeous balll from Reese Weaver.
Less than a minute later, Frank received another pass to even the game.
Orange led penalties 3-2 after three rounds, but Corbin made saves on the last two attempts.
Garcia, Weaver, Erickson Thole and Frank scored penalties for Cedar Ridge.