Photo by Jackson Fuqua 

The grind of playing in the deepest conference in the Triangle, 145 yards in penalties, a banged up starting quarterback balancing the load of his team on his back and no Marvante Beasley finally caught up to Orange.

Northwood’s A.J. Jones scored on a four-yard run in overtime and Lupe Amezquita kicked the game-winning extra point as the Chargers stunned Orange 21-20 in overtime to ruin Homecoming night at Auman Stadium.

Orange (6-2, 3-1) quarterback Payton Wilson, clearly feeling the effects of making 56 carries over the last three games, scored on a eight-yard touchdown run. Kicker Francisco McKinley pushed the extra point wide right, triggering a raucous celebration on the Northwood sideline as the Chargers defeated the Panthers for the first time since the two teams became conference rivals in 2013.

Northwood (7-2, 4-0) has the inside track on winning the Big 8 Championship for the first time. They will enter the penultimate week of the regular season next Friday in sole possession of first place with senior night against Hillside in Pittsboro, following by a road date at Northern Durham.

”They have a big old offensive line and a big old power running game,” said Orange Coach Van Smith. “They get a lot of blockers at the point of attack and they know how to follow those blockers. I thought defensively, we played pretty well. We gave up a fumble for a touchdown.

Yet with :46 remaining in the first half, all seemed comfortable for the Panthers. They led 14-0 after an interception by Corbin Kenion at the Orange 8-yard line.

Things started to unravel on the next play from scrimmage, when Morgan Paschall fumbled right into the arms of Northwood’s Brendan Harrington, who scooped up the ball and scored from eight yards to saw the Orange lead in half just before intermission.

The Chargers didn’t score an offensive touchdown in the first half despite Orange committing four personal foul penalties, including three for facemask violations.

“Our halftime discussion was ‘Guys, we can’t continue to get 15-yard penalties,” said Smith.

Orange responded by getting hit with a late hit penalty—on the opening kickoff of the second half….which was immediately followed by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty when a player mouthed off to a referee. 30 yards in penalties without a second going off the third quarter clock.

“Are you kidding me?” Jones said to himself on the sideline.

With the drive starting from the Orange 35-yard line, Harrington scored on a 21-yard scamper with 11:02 remaining in the third quarter. Orange’s 14-point lead was erased in 1:47 of game time, and they didn’t get it back.

Orange played without leading rusher Marvante Beasley, who wasn’t cleared to suit up after being taken off the field on a stretcher last week against Hillside.

His absence was never more apparent when Orange mustered one first down in the entire second half. Wilson’s hit flanker Kendall Whitted for a 42-yard strike early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers’ longest play from scrimmage. The drive stalled at the Northwood 13-yard line when McKinley pushed a 31-yard field goal wide left.

The Panthers were held to 69 yards in the second half. Pachal alone rushed for 91 yards in the first half.

Orange coped well without Beasley pretty well in the first half, storming out to a 14-0 lead. It started with a 84-yard drive that ended when Hunter Pettiford roared 15-yards for his second touchdown of the year with 9:58 remaining in the first half.

Subsequently, the Chargers mounted its longest drive of the game, driving to the Panther 4-yard line. But Amezquita banged a 23-yard field goal off the left upright.

Orange came back with a 80-yard drive, several strong runs by Paschall. Pettiford rushed for a 34-yard touchdown as Orange bolted ahead 14-0 with 2:14 remaining. No one could have known that would be the final Orange points in regulation.

Now, Orange will need help from Hillside or Northern Durham to earn a share of its third straight Big 8 Championship.

”I told our team afterwards to look down the field at Northwood celebrating,” said Smith. “They deserve to celebrate, but that celebration is the upmost respect for the program. They are happy to have beaten Orange, which says something about where we are as a program.”

NORTHWOOD 21, ORANGE 20 OT

N    0     7     7    0      7-21

O    0    14    0    0      6-20

O-Hunter Pettiford 15 run (Francisco McKinley kick)

O-Pettiford 34 run (McKinley kick)

N-Brendan Harrington 8 fumble recovery (Lupe Amezquita kick)

N-Harrington 21 run (Amezquita kick)

N-A.J. Jones4 run (Amezquita kick)

O-Payton Wilson 8 run (kick failed)

RUSHING: NORTHWOOD (Josh Scott 12-80, Tyrell Baldwin 15-53, Harrington 8-40 TD, A.J. Jones 4-10 TD, Tanner Althoff 1-(-2), Alex Parker 1-(-9)

ORANGE: (Morgan Paschall 11-91, Pettiford 12-76 2TD, Wilson 14-47 TD)

PASSING: NORTHWOOD (Parker 6-12 45 yds INT) ORANGE: Wilson 4-13 59 yards, Brenden Huss 1-2 (-2))

RECEIVING: NORTHWOOD (Baldwin 2-22, Corey Smith 2-9, Jack Holeck 1-15, Scott 1-4, Dedric Powell 1-(-5)) ORANGE: (Milton Purcell 3-10, Kendall Whitted 2-49)

Regardless of what the scoreboard read at the end of the junior varsity football game in Pittsboro Thursday night, the Northwood Chargers were going to come out winners regardless.

One week after Orange running back Thys Oldenburg suffered a serious head injury against Hillside, leaving him in a medically-induced coma, the Northwood staff made sure they could make an impact financially.

On Thursday night, Northwood created towels to raise money for Oldeburg’s medical expenses. 65 of them sold out in less than a half hour.

In addition, Orange handbands readying “Pray 4 Tyce” are being sold at Orange High and will be made available at Friday night’s varsity Homecoming game against Northwood.

After the game, the two teams gathered to pray together for Oldenburg at the 50-yard line.

The latest update on Oldenburg came from Caroline Oldenburg, who said there were some very promising signs on Thursday. Earlier in the day, she wrote that Wednesday night was a roller coaster evening. Thys was stricken with a fever that increases his blood pressure. He was given antibiotics to get rid of the infection in his lungs. He remains unconscious at Duke University Hospital as of Thursday night.

As of early Friday morning, the GoFundMe Page  for Thys had reached $20,500 of a $100,000 goal. That included an anonymous donation of $5,000 that came in early Friday morning.

Photo by Dave Lindaman

The new system where MaxPreps decides the bracketing for the state playoffs didn’t do the Orange volleyball team any favors.

The same can be said of many other Big 8 teams.

The good news for Orange is the Panthers made the 3A state playoffs for the 3rd straight year under head coach Christina Carinci. The bad news is they’ll have to face the defending Eastern Regional Champions in the first round…and a cross-county rival.

The Panthers travel to Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon at 1PM. The Tigers romped through the Big 8 this season, finishing a flawless 14-0 to take the regular season championship. The Tigers added to its trophy case on Wednesday when they won the Big 8 Tournament Championship  by defeating Northwood 3-1.

Chapel Hill is 20-6 overall and claimed the 5th seed in the 3A East Region. The winner of Orange-Chapel Hill faces the winner of #21 Northern Guilford vs. #12 Clayton next week.

After falling in the first round of the Big 8 Tournament to Northern Durham, the Panthers are 13-10. They earned the 28th seed after coming in fifth in a deep Big 8 Conference with a 6-8 record.

In the two regular season matchups on September 7th and October 3rd, Chapel Hill swept all six sets from the Panthers. The closest Orange came to winning a frame was the 2nd set in Hillsborough earlier this month, with the Tigers pulled out 25-23. The Tigers also won the 3rd set at CHHS 25-23 in September.

Orange was the fifth of five Big 8 teams to make the 3A state playoffs. Runner-up Northwood earned a 14-seed and will host Gray’s Creek (16-7) in the opening round. East Chapel Hill (15-11) will start on the road after earning a 24-seed and will open at Union Pines (19-6), the champions of the Tri-County Conference. Northern Durham (17-6) is seeded 23rd and goes to Cape Fear (24-3), the champions of the Patriot Conference who finished 16-0 in league play.

The 64-team field also includes Person, a former conference rival of Orange, Chapel Hill, Northern and East Chapel Hill. The Rockets are 20-0 in its first season in the Mid-State Conference, where they face teams such as Western Alamance and Northern Guilford. Person is the #2 overall seed and opens with Western Harnett on Saturday in Roxboro.

There was positive news regarding Orange junior varsity football player Thys Oldenburg on Wednesday after a minor setback earlier in the week.

Oldenburg’s family posted on its Go Fund Me page Wednesday morning that Oldenburg remains in a coma and critical condition. Jan Whitted Oldenburg said on Facebook that doctors reduced his medication and were pleased with with Thys’ responses. The swelling in his brain reduced slightly, which is a positive sign.

After the incredibly classy display by Hillside players after the injury to Marvante Beasley last Friday, Northwood High School announced on Wednesday that during the junior varsity football game on Thursday night in Pittsboro, M2 Graphics has donated towels to show support for Oldenburg. All proceeds will be donated to Oldenburg’s family to pay for medical costs.

In addition, on Saturday, Carillon Assisted Living on 1911 Orange Grove Road will host a Spaghetti Lunch from 12-2. Again, all proceeds will go to Oldenburg’s recovery efforts. Plates will run $7.00 and are available to dine in or eat out. You can phone in your order in advance by calling 919-732-9040.

The Orange Soccer Team has set a school record this season for most consecutive wins. A big reason why is the leadership of seniors like wingback Omar Landeros, who lives a soccer life. When he’s not on the pitch as a co-captain of the Panthers, he’s playing with local soccer clubs across the Triangle. When he’s not playing, he’s enjoying his favorite teams from Liga MX in Mexico and Major League Soccer. Landeros is a huge reason why the Panthers appeared poised to earn a state playoff birth.

Orange Panther of the Week: Omar Landeros

The Orange Soccer Team has set a school record this season for most consecutive wins. A big reason why is the leadership of seniors like wingback Omar Landeros, who lives a soccer life. When he’s not on the pitch as a co-captain of the Panthers, he’s playing with local soccer clubs across the Triangle.

Last time Orange faced Southern Durham on the soccer pitch, it took an overtime goal from Luke Wirzba to claim a vital win.

It wasn’t nearly as suspenseful on Wednesday night at Spartans Stadium.

Jamar Davis added to his stellar senior season with a goal, while Malcolm Phillips and Caleb Krogstad added insurance tallies as the Panthers defeated the Spartans 3-0.

Goalkeeper Noah Miller earned the shutout, his ninth of the season. Orange is now 13-5-2, the most victories in a season since 2010, at least. The Panthers are now in 3rd place in the Big 8 with a 10-3 record. The victory ended a two-game losing streak, including a 2-0 loss at Chapel Hill on Monday night which all but clinched the Big 8 Championship for the Tigers.

Davis also assisted on Phillips goal. Phillips and Ewan McCallum also recorded assists.

The Panthers piled up 15 shots against the Spartans, including Luke Wirzba totaling four.

Orange has one more game remaining in the regular season. They will host Northern Durham on senior night Monday at Panther Soccer Field. Seniors Davis, Krogstad, Omar Landeros, McCallum, Wirzba, Bryan Torres, Thomas Spikes, Phillips, Miller, Isaiah Dupre and Jesus Chavez will alll be honored before the game against the Knights, who Orange defeated 5-2 last month at Jack Armstrong Soccer Stadium.

The young Cedar Ridge Boys Soccer team defeated Hillside 10-1 on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Senior goalkeeper Jesus Yanez played only in the first half to earn the victory. Senior Than Aung scored two goals as the Red Wolves earned its 5th victory of the season. Cedar Ridge has a short turnaround. They travel to Carrboro to face the Jaguars on Thursday night. Senior night for the Red Wolves will be Monday night against Southern Durham.

Cedar Ridge Soccer Seniors Jesus Yanez & Than Aung Discuss the Red Wolves 10-1 Win over Hillside

The young Cedar Ridge Boys Soccer team defeated Hillside 10-1 on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Senior goalkeeper Jesus Yanez played only in the first half to earn the victory. Senior Than Aung scored two goals as the Red Wolves earned its 5th victory of the season.

Photo courtesy of the News of Orange

The Cedar Ridge Women’s Golf team wrapped up its season on Monday when Julia Mills represented the team in the 3A Central Regional Golf Match. She posted an 18 hole score of 105 placing her just 8 strokes from moving on to the state match next week. Julia was our team medalist in every match and finished the conference season with a 51.8 nine hole average which put her in 14 place out of 32 golfers in the conference. The lone team highlight was in the 3rd match of the season when we scored a 177 to edge out Chapel Hill by 2 strokes to finish 5th. The conference was made up of Northwood, East Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and NCSSM. In that match Amy Stutzer shot a season best 59 to help the team to that high finish for the season. Hannah Gobert, Madison Vaughan, and Emma Roby also contributed throughout the year with improvements each week.

After the inclusion of East Chapel Hill to the Big 8 Conference, the goings figured to be tougher for Cedar Ridge and Orange in many sports, none more so than tennis.

Indeed, East Chapel Hill, coached by Caldwell-native Nick Walker, won the Big 8 Championship. Chapel Hill finished 2nd, which left Cedar Ridge hoping for a wildcard spot that didn’t come to fruition.

A 13-6 record with season sweeps against Eastern Alamance, Orange, Northern Durham and Southern Durham wasn’t enough for the Red Wolves to reach the field of 32 in the 3A state playoffs. After winning the 2016 Big 8 Championship for the first time in school history, the Red Wolves reached the state quarterfinals before falling to Terry Sanford.

Now, Cedar Ridge will prepare four players for the 3A Mideast Regionals on Saturday at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Sophomore Olivia Ward will compete in singles after advancing to the Big 8 semifnals last week at East Chapel Hill’s Lindsay Linker Tennis Complex. Ward both of her matches 10-1.

Freshman Ivy Garner will also compete in the regionals. Garner, who is a star soccer player, didn’t play in the regionals.

The doubles team of Kate Milner and Brianna Cellini also advanced to the regionals. Cellini and Milner captured its first two matches at last week’s conference tournament before the rest of the tournament was rained out.