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Moments after Orange’s Koren Mangal put the Panthers ahead on a goal with :37 remaining in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, Panther goalkeeper Tyson Wolter made a save with :02 remaining, ensuring Orange’s 7-6 win, the first victory for new Orange Lacrosse Coach Chandler Zirkle. In a defensive battle,  Wolter made 18 saves.

Orange Lacrosse Goalkeeper Tyson Wolter Discusses 18 Saves in Win vs. E. Alamance

Moments after Orange’s Koren Mangal scored a goal with :37 remaining against Eastern Alamance on Thursday night, senior goalkeeper Tyson Wolter stopped a shot with :02 remaining that could have potentially sent the game into overtime. Instead, it was the last of Wolter’s 18 saves, and ensured Chandler Zirkle’s first win as Orange Head Lacrosse Coach as the Panthers defeated the Eagles 7-6.

After setting the bar along the defensive line for three conference championship teams, Orange senior Ryan Sellers is now undaunted.

He will be an East Carolina Pirate.

On Thursday night, Sellers released a statement saying he will continue his career at East Carolina next fall. Sellers will start in Greenville as a preferred walk-on, not on scholarship.

Sellers was contacted by an East Carolina assistant coach after basketball season ended. He received offers from Division II Methodist University and Division III Randolph-Macon College, but felt playing under Scottie Montgomery at ECU offered him an opportunity to shine in the American Athletic Conference.

Listed at 6’0, 220 pounds, Sellers was the defensive end that recorded 32 sacks in three varsity seasons. During his junior season, Sellers was a star on possibly the greatest Orange defense in school history. Playing alongside current Vanderbilt defensive end Stone Edwards, Noah Rodgers and future N.C. State linebacker Payton Wilson, Sellers recorded 15 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. In 2016, Orange allowed only three offensive touchdowns during an 11-0 regular season, the first undefeated regular season at OHS since 1978.

In his senior season, Sellers led the team with eleven sacks and 24 tackles for loss. He also had the only interception of his career and recovered two fumbles.

Sellers has also been a varsity basketball player for three years, where he was a key reserve during Orange’s run to the 2016 Big 8 Tournament Championship and the 2017 regular season title. This winter, when Mitch Portman was in concussion protocol after suffering a knee to the head against Hillside and sophomore Mechai Holt broke his left foot, Sellers served as the team’s point guard for the duration of the season.

In what figures to be a deep Big 8 Conference, Orange and Cedar Ridge starting their league campaigns on the wrong foot.

In mid-40 degree temperatures in Pittsboro Wednesday night, defending Big 8 Conference Champion Northwood routed the Red Wolves 19-7.

Things couldn’t have started much better for the Red Wolves. Adam Chunupa led off the game with a solo homer to center field. Cedar Ridge pushed the lead to 2-0 after catcher Connnor Lamb double to center to score Matthew Kahn, who reached on a walk.

From there on, it was total Northwood domination. The Chargers scored seven runs in the second inning, six in the third and six more in the fourth. Northwood (4-2, 1-0 in the Big 8) batted around in three consecutive innings, pounding out 17 hits.

Charger shortstop Michael Posse, a freshman who transferred from Georgia during the summer, hit two doubles in the 2nd inning. He led off the 2nd with a two-bagger, which was followed by a single from Deuce Powell. After Zack Sipe walked to load the bases, David Palermo hit an RBI single to left. Zizzy Newell lined an 0-2 fastball down the left field line to score Powell and Sipe. Second baseman Bryce Davis grounded a seeing-eye single over the middle to bring in Palermo and Newell.

Trailing 13-2 in the fourth, Cedar Ridge did score five runs. Landon Badgeett lined a one-out single to left. After Chnupa reached on a fielder’s choice, Jake DeFranco walked to load the bases. Dante DeFranco followed with a double to the left field fence. Chris Cox followed with a three-run homer to reduce the Northwood lead to 13-7.

Dante DeFranco finished 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI. Badger went 2-for-2, while Lamb went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Cedar Ridge will host Northwood on Friday in Hillsborough.

On Thursday, East Chapel Hill’s Jeb Byerley’s double scored Bryce Jeske and C.J. Di Benedetto in the fifth inning to help East Chapel Hill defeat Orange 7-5 at Panther Field.

Orange (2-3, 0-1 in the Big 8) battled back from a 4-0 deficit to breifly take the lead in the 4th. Collin Guentensberger doubled down the left field line. Jaydin Poateat sent a grounder to shortstop, where Di Benedetto tried to throw out Guentensberger at third, where he was called safe. In the midst of East players arguing the call, Poteat raced over to 2nd. After Joey Berini walked, Jason Slaughter drew a based-loaded walk. After East inserted Brad Rice to pitch, Caige Clayton singled to left field to score Poteat and Berini to give Orange a 5-4 lead, but it didn’t last long.

East’s Ryan McGlinn singled to start the fifth, and Jeske was hit by a pitch while trying to bunt. Di Benedetto walked, leading to Byerley’s two-out double.

Orange starter Will White needed only 15 pitches to get the first five outs, but East scored four runs off five hits in the second inning, all with two outs. Benton Copeland had the game’s first hit on a cue-shot infield single. Rice singled to right to score Copeland. McGlinn followed with a line drive to left to score Harris. Jeske delivered a double to the right center power alley that plated Rice and McGlinn.

East will host Orange to conclude the two-game series on Friday afternoon at 4:30. That game can be heard on HillsboroughSports.com.

In case Cedar Ridge’s season-opening win over Eastern Alamance didn’t grab the attention of the rest of the Big 8 conference, consider what the Red Wolves did on Wednesday against Northwood.

The Chargers have four starters returning from a team that 18-6 last season and finished 3rd in the Big 8, including pitcher Hannah Weigle.

And the Red Wolves finished them in five innings.

Senior Rivers Andrews struck out nine while throwing a one-hitter as the Red Wolves polished off the Chargers 11-0 on Wednesday night in Hillsborough in the Big 8 opener. Cedar Ridge (2-0, 1-0 in the Big 8) will travel to Pittsboro to complete the two-game series on Friday night.

In just her second varsity game, Tori Dalehite went 2-for-3 with a RBI triple, scoring twice. Junior Tionna Carter had a two-run single, while sophomore Emma Roby went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Dalehite is off to a 4-for-6 start with three RBIs, a triple and a double.

With only one senior in the starting lineup, the Red Wolves pounded out ten hits in winning its second game of the season. Junior Amy Stutzer went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Andrews finished 2-for-2. Freshman Shill Quade stole two bases.

Andrews faced 17 batters, but only two got on base. Kaylie Lane was hit by a pitch and Taylor Brown singled.

Years of tutelage by his father has paid off for Cedar Ridge cornerback Kevin Wright, who has officially committed to N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Wright started three seasons for the Red Wolves. In 2016, Wright helped the Red Wolves to a winning season while making five interceptions and three pass breakups. He made 45 tackles in his junior season. His preparation for football started with his father, Kevin Wright Sr, who was a tight end at Orange in the early 90s.

Cedar Ridge’s Kevin Wright Officially Commits to N.C. Wesleyan

Years of tutelage by his father has paid off for Cedar Ridge cornerback Kevin Wright, who has officially committed to N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Wright started three seasons for the Red Wolves. In 2016, Wright helped the Red Wolves to a winning season while making five interceptions and three pass breakups.

Mia Davidson: This week’s Mia Davidson update may be the most impressive one yet. Mississippi State won all five games last week against Boston College, Illinois and UMass-Lowell. In those contests, Davidson hit .571 with three home runs, eight RBIs, three doubles and nine runs. Davidson now leads the SEC and is 17th in the country with eight home runs. As a freshman, Davidson leads the Bulldogs in runs (28), hits (33), doubles (8), RBIs (23), total bases (69), batting average (.440), slugging percentage (.920), and on-base percentage (.488). She has started all 24 games as Mississippi State has started 21-3 after going 36-22 last season.

Brad Debo: Now a sophomore catcher at N.C. State, Debo went 6-for-10 in a doubleheader against Boston College. In the opener, Debo went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs, scoring twice as the Wolfpack defeated the Eagles 13-7 to take the series. In the nightcap, Debo hit his first homer of the season as the Eagles salvaged an 11-3 win.  Last week, the Wolfpack went 3-1, taking two of three against the Eagles and grabbing a midweek victory at Campbell (a Tuesday game against UNC Wilmington was canceled). Debo went .352 for the week with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and two doubles. Debo is now hitting .340 (3rd on the team) with 12 RBI and four doubles.

Mackenzie Cates: The Lenoir-Rhyne softball team is now ranked #12 in Division II with a 19-4 record, having won nine in a row. Cates, a senior catcher from Orange, had a tremendous doubleheader against Converse on Saturday, going five-for-6 with two home runs, 9 RBIs, a double and four runs. Last week, the Bears swept doubleheaders against Converse and Davis & Elkins. Cates is hitting .338 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. The Bears start South Atlantic Conference action next weekend against Tusculum.

Stephen Tanner: The former Cedar Ridge lacrosse goalkeeper earned two more wins in net for Division III Greensboro College last week. Tanner made nine saves as the Pride defeated the University of Dallas 14-8 on Saturday in Atlanta. On Friday, Greensboro defeated Hilbert College 7-6 at Pride Field. Tanner made four saves to improve to 6-3 on the season with 79 saves. Tanner is 3rd in the South Atlantic Conference in saves, 4th in Goals Against Average.

Brandon Andrews: The former Cedar Ridge pitcher and centerfielder threw one inning in Nicholls 21-6 win over Sacred Heart. The Colonels had a three-game winning streak on Saturday with a loss to Northwestern State. Nicholls is 4-12, 1-2 in the Southland Conference.

Rachel Peel: Peel, a catcher for Meredith College, appeared in three games last week for the Angels in games against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Aurora and Salem College. Meredith is 10-9, 3-3 is USA Softball’s South Division.

Jordan Toney: Toney threw an inning of scoreless relief in UNC-Pembroke’s 15-5 win over Coker. Toney is a junior for the Braves after transferring from Pfeiffer in 2017.

Bowen Collins: Collins now plays for Lenoir-Rhyne’s men’s lacrosse team. He played in the Bears’ 10-4 win over Belmont Abbey last week. Lenoir-Rhyne is 7-1 after beating Wingate in its South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday. This season, Collins has scored two goals and an assist in four games.

After a disappointing opening week of the season where the bats were quiet and the pitching was inconsistent, the Orange baseball team returned to its winning ways at a place where they’ve grown used to success.

In Sanford.

For the third straight year, the Panthers won at Southern Lee 4-1 on Saturday afternoon behind a three-hitter from senior Dalton Brown. Not only was it Brown’s first complete game in his varisty career, it was also his first win. Last season, Brown mainly played left field and pitched in seven games.

Last May, Orange upset the Cavaliers 2-1 in the 2nd round of the 3A state playoffs, just a week after Southern Lee won the Cape Fear Valley Conference Championship. In 2016, the Panthers held off the Cavaliers 12-10 in a game where Orange jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Cavaliers tied by the bottom of the fifth inning.

The panthers were held to five hits, but sophomore shortstop Joey Berini laced two double and drove in two runs as Orange jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Senior centerfielder Jaydin Poteat scored twice and had two stolen bases. Just four games into the season, Poteat already has ten stolen bases.

Caige Clayton, who was the catcher, finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

Orange started the week with a 10-1 win over Morehead in Hillsborough on Thursday, avenging a 10-3 loss to Morehead from the prior week.

Orange senior Will White picked up his first win of the season, allowing three hits in five innings. White struck out six and walked three. Luke Riley finished the game with two shutout innings.

After going hitless again Morehead in the first meeting, Poteat went 2-for-3 with three runs and five stolen bases. Clayton hit his first home run of the season and went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and a double. Senior Jason Slaughter also had a three-run homer in the third inning as the Panthers piled up a season-high eight hits.

In his second start of the season, sophomore Cooper Porter went 1-for-3 with a RBI triple in the fifth inning.

Orange is slated to start Big 8 Conference action on Tuesday against East Chapel Hill in Hillsborough. However, that game may be in jeopardy due to the possibility of snow forecast for Monday afternoon. The Panthers are slated to travel to East Chapel Hill on Friday.

Also this week, the Cedar Ridge baseball team will start conference action at Northwood at 6 o’clock Tuesday night. The Red Wolves are 2-0 after a wild 10-9 victory over Riverside last week, a game where the Pirates rallied from a 9-4 deficit by scoring five runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie, only to have the Red Wolves score the game-winning run in the bottom-of-the-seventh.

The Chargers will travel to Hillsborough on Friday.