Photo Credit: Den Echoes archive[/caption]This year is the first season in college football where there will be playoffs, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Instead of having two teams play a championship game, there will be a four team playoff along with the regular bowl games.
With only four playoff slots, it looks like it is going to be very competitive to get in. Chances are, if a team loses two games, they will not get in. Five teams in the top 25 are in the same division (SEC West.)
The front runners right now are Mississippi State, Florida State, Ole Miss, and Baylor. Two of those teams (Mississippi State and Ole Miss) are in the SEC West and they play each other in the final regular season game. At the pace the season is going, it will be a battle of the undefeated in the final regular season game to decide who gets to play in the SEC championship game.
The SEC champion is most likely going to win the playoffs. After seven weeks, the SEC West is undefeated against any non-divisional opponents. The western side of the division is dominating halfway through the season. So, as always, strength of schedule will be a deciding factor as to who makes the playoffs, but two extra teams will be included this year.
Photo Credit: Will Okun. Orange celebrates after winning the Eastern Guilford Christmas Tournament.[/caption]The Panthers took on second-seeded Hunt on Saturday, in an attempt to reach their first state championship game since 1969. The Panthers put up an incredible fight, but in the end, the Panthers took the L from the Warriors, falling by a final score of 66-60.
Orange kept it close early, closing the first quarter with only a 2-point deficit. The Panthers, almost all season, were not a very good second-half team, as they had scored more points in the first half in two-thirds of their previous 27 games. With this said, it was very important that the Panthers pounce on Hunt throughout the second quarter, reducing the deficit, if not leading, by halftime. That’s exactly what they did. With several pivotal defensive stops and good play inside, Orange regained the lead with less than two minutes to play in the half. They held the lead and even increased their margin, and lead by three at halftime.
Now it was the Warriors time to make a push. This push would be too much for the Panthers to eclipse. With an 11-point swing, Hunt regained the lead by nine at the end of the third. With one of the teams about to experience its final 10 minutes of the season, it was evident there was going to be a good fight to the end.
Orange started off strong, tightening the game to seven with a little over seven minutes to play. Then, it all started to fall apart for the Panthers. Hunt went on a 10-2 run in about 3:30 remaining, and had a 15-point lead with less than four minutes to play. It was not looking good for Orange, but they put up an incredible run to cap off the game. The Panthers got it down to single digits, trailing by nine with 2:34 remaining. Then down to seven, then five, then a three pointer by senior forward Keegan Crabtree cuts it down to four with 51 seconds to play. Following the Warriors’ 10-2 run, the Panthers went on their own 15-4 run. The Panthers were not able to complete the improbable comeback however, as they eventually were defeated by the East Regional Champion, Hunt, 66-60.
The Varsity and Junior Varsity basketball teams truly had incredible seasons, with their combined record finishing at 46-7. Varsity came within one win of competing for their first state championship since five years after the school’s inception in 1964, and the Panthers received several mid- and post-season awards. Orange won the Eastern Guilford Christmas Tournament in late December, and Coach Greg Motley and senior Keegan Crabtree won the Big Eight Conference Coach and Player of the Year Awards, respectively.
Next season, the Panthers will be without two of this year’s starters, but will leave a very talented core in starting guards Jawan Chambers, Eryk Brandon-Dean, and Tay Jones. You can expect forwards Garrett Cloer (who missed all of this season with a torn PCL) and Jace Jordan-Cornell to take seniors Crabtree and JD Brooks’ spots. We look forward to the Mighty Panthers taking the floor for the 2014-2015 Varsity and JV basketball season.
Photo Credit: Spencer Husen[/caption]After a 69-56 victory over West Brunswick High School in the east regional semifinal in the 2013-14 NCHSAA 3A State Playoffs, only two wins separate the Panthers of Orange High School from capturing their first state title in 45 years.
The game took place in Fayetteville, NC at Crown Coliseum, both teams’ first game at a neutral site. The Panthers did a great job adapting to the more hostile environment, as the coliseum had the largest opposing team’s student section that they had seen all year. Fans that took the two-and-a-half hour trip from OHS to Crown Coliseum enjoyed a pretty interesting game, with points of utter desperation to intense moments for both teams.
Orange was up early, with an eight point lead at the end of the first quarter. Continuing their strong push from the first quarter, the Panthers resumed their push by extending their lead to 15 at halftime. Sophomore point guard Eryk Brandon-Dean led the way in the first half with 10 points and 6 assists, the only player in double-figures at the half. The Trojans of Brunswick cut the lead by 9 points at the end of the third, with Orange up by just 6. Despite having a lot of confidence entering the final 10 minutes of the game, the Panthers’ lead was reduced all the way to two with 5:33 remaining. However, those five minutes and 33 seconds proved to be the last bit of time for West Brunswick’s season, thanks to Orange outscoring Brunswick by an unprecedented 28-2 in the transition game.
Brandon-Dean had debatebly the best game of his almost two-year career, with 16 points, eight assists, and seven steals. Senior JD Brooks also dropped 16, while junior guard Jawan Chambers led the charge with 18. The Trojans played a great game, coming all the way back from a near 20-point deficit by cutting the lead to two in the final quarter.
The Panthers will take on the Warriors of James Hunt High School, the two seed in the east, this Saturday at 2 pm, again at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville.
Senior Keegan Crabtree taking it to the rack.Photo Credit: Will Okun[/caption]
The Orange High School men’s basketball squad beat South Brunswick by a final score of 75-51 on Monday, advancing to the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. The Cougars of Brunswick kept it close early in the game, relying on their big men to take advantage of Orange’s relatively small lineup; however, with the score tied 27-27, the Panthers scored 12 straight points to cap off an explosive half. With the lead at 12 going into the second half, it proved to be insurmountable for Brunswick. The Panthers essentially ran away with the game in the second half, forcing several turnovers and scoring lots of transition baskets.
Orange was led by senior Keegan Crabtree and sophomore Eryk Brandon-Dean, who scored 21 and 16 points, respectively.
Orange’s second round game will be tomorrow, February 26, at 7:00 pm against 16-seeded, in-conference foe Chapel Hill.
Photo Credit: Brianna Hales[/caption]After finishing the 2013-14 season with a 20-4 record and winning the Big Eight regular season conference championship, the Orange High Varsity men’s basketball team earned the number one seed in the conference tournament. The Panthers defeated Northern Vance in the first round of the tournament by a score of 71 to 63 on Wednesday, February 19.
Leading the Panthers was sophomore guard Eryk Brandon-Dean, who finished with 26 points and 5 assists. Senior forward JD Brooks also had a big game, as he ended the game with 22 points 12 rebounds, to follow up his double-double against Cedar Ridge.
Orange will next face rival Cardinal Gibbons in the semi-finals of the tournament on Thursday, February 19. The game will be in the Orange High School Gym, with tip-off scheduled for 7pm.
Photo Credit: Will Okun.[/caption]Friday, November 8, the Orange High School Panther football team defeated Rocky Mount 31 to 3 in the first round of the NC 3AA playoffs. The win came one week after the Panthers suffered their first loss of the season against Southern Durham, and moved the team to 11-1.
Orange’s defense recovered from giving up 55 points against Southern Durham, to hold an explosive offense to just 229 yards from scrimmage, and one field goal. The defense was helped by a fast start from the offense and junior quarterback Garrett Cloer, who found Artrell Stewart for a 44 yard touchdown with eight minutes left in the first quarter.
Cloer would finish the game with two touchdowns and 280 yards, while completing 10 of 20 passes. Orange junior running back Tay Jones also played a big game on offense, accounting for 117 total yards of offense and three touchdowns, while breaking several Gryphon tackles.
Despite beginning three drives in Panther territory in the first half, Rocky Mount was unable to get anything moving on offense. Rocky Mount quarterback Joshua Carter was pressured all night, contributing to him finishing with just 62 yards and completing 8 of 24 passes. Carter was also sacked seven times by the relentless Panthers front seven. The lone score for the Gryphons was scored by kicker Micah Varnell on a 34 yard field goal in the second quarter.
Sophomore linebacker Bryse Wilson, who had eight tackles and two pass deflections against Rocky Mount, spoke about some of the changes the team made after the Southern Durham game, saying, “We [Orange] put in a new speed defense and changed our man coverage.”
The Panthers would lead at halftime by a score of 21 to 3, and would score one more touchdown on a 26 yard touchdown run by Jones. The final points of the night came on a 32 yard field goal by senior Brad Barbee.
Wilson also says the team is prepared for their second round opponent Cleveland, saying, “We expect a lot of running. They have a good running back and a good running quarterback.”
Orange will be on the road for the second round, as the Panthers travel to Clayton to take on the number three seeded, 9-3 Rams of cleveland High School. The game will begin at 7:30 pm.
Tay Jones scores a 93 yard touchdown during Orange's 55 to 41 loss to Southern Durham. Photo Credit: Mr. Okun[/caption]Friday, November 8, the Orange High School football team suffered their first loss of the 2013 season, in a 55-41 shootout against Southern Durham. With the win Southern Durham earned the Big Eight conference championship and moved to 9-2 on the season and 7-0 in conference, while the loss put the Panthers at 10-1 and 6-1.
The previously undefeated Panthers began the game on defense, and were able to stall a Southern drive at the Orange 14 yard line, after Southern failed to convert on fourth down. Orange however was unable to stop the Spartans after this, as on their next possession, Southern Durham junior quarterback Kendall Hinton put the first points on the board on a 36 yard rushing touchdown. That was just the start of the scoring that occurred on Friday night.
Hinton, a junior, would finish with 428 yards and five touchdowns through the air, while also picking up another 128 yards and one touchdown rushing. The majority of Hinton’s passing yards went to Maurice Trowell, who caught eight passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans, and Derrick Mason who caught 10 for 157 and also brought in two touchdowns.
The Spartans would also score on their next three possessions and would take a 27 to 0 lead over the Panthers with 11 minutes left in the second quarter. The Orange offense would manage to put 13 points on the board by halftime on two Tay Jones touchdowns, a 93 yard rush, and a 29 yard pass for junior quarterback Garrett Cloer, but would trail at the end of the first half by a score of 34 to 13.
Cloer would end the game with 288 passing yards, which mostly came in the second half, and three touchdowns. While Jones, a junior running back, would finish with 119 yards and one touchdown on seven rushes, to go along with his 29 yard touchdown reception.
Orange sophomore linebacker Bryse Wilson credited Southern Durham’s start to speed and strategy, saying, “They [Southern Durham] were very fast! And they [Southern Durham] were replacing our blitz’s.” Wilson also spoke about some of the adjustment’s the Panthers made at half time saying, “On defense we put in our speed package and on offense we were able to pick up their blitz, and throw the ball.”
Those adjustment’s would pay off, as the Panthers’ came out in the second half and scored on their first possession on a five yard Patrick Pettiford run. The score would cut Southern’s lead to just 14. However, the teams would trade touchdowns on their next two possessions, including a 70 yard pass from Cloer to receiver Ky Muller, and a Pettiford four yard run that would make the game 48 to 34 at the end of the third quarter.
Pettiford, the other half of Orange’s running back duo, finished 78 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, while also catching a 76 yard touchdown pass.
The fourth quarter would not show a touchdown until Pettiford’s 76 yard catch from Cloer that came with three minutes left, which made the score 48 to 41 and cut Southern’s lead to under 10 points for the first time since the first quarter.
However that wouldn't last long as Southern would score the final points of the night, on a 44 yard pass from Hinton to Trowell that secured a 55 to 41 Southern victory.
Wilson believes that the loss will prepare Orange for the playoffs, saying, “We[Orange] will know how to keep up with the speed and we will see that we can lose, so I think we will come together more as a team in the playoffs.”
As for what Wilson’s playoff expectations are, he said, “I think that all of our games will be tough, but I think we will end up playing Southern Durham again in the regional semi-finals, and beating them.”
The Panthers’ will begin the North Carolina 3-AA playoffs on Friday, November 15, as the number six seed against 8-3 Rocky Mount. This game will at home, and will began at 7:30 pm.
Senior Jon Evans hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth ending with the Panthers down 5-3 that led them to victory. Junior Joseph Piscitelli said, “there is nobody else I’d rather have on the plate than him in that situation.” Jon Evans came in to pitch in the fifth inning and earned the win on the mound to get
Seniors Nick Debo and Andrew Toney added an insurance run with back to back doubles following Evan’s homer. Jordan Toney started on the mound for Orange getting a no decision when Braden Weber came on to relieve.
The Panthers now have a record of 25-2 and will face D.H Conley in the Eastern Regional finals. This will be a two out of three series beginning Thursday night at Orange at 7:00 P.M.
Piscitelli said “to win we need to play good defense, try to play as a team and have each others backs, and have more runs than the other team.”
Debo stated “Our team has had a really great year, making it to the top four is really special,” and then continued to talk about the upcoming game, “D.H. Conley is really good, but so are we. It will be a really tough match.”
Joe Vance said to win the team needed to “play solid baseball.”
Eastern Conference:
It’s official, there are only 3 teams remaining in the Eastern Conference, 1 of which are already in the Conference Finals. The defending-champion, Miami Heat, knocked-off the #5 seed Chicago Bulls Wednesday night by a score of 94-91. Despite the Bulls being up by 7 at the start of the final period, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knew how to get the job done, and said, “We know what we’re doing wrong, now let’s just see if we can go out there and fix it.” Tthey did, coming out with the win by 3. Four time MVP LeBron James led the Heat to the win, leading their team in points, rebounds, and assists, as well as coming up just a couple rebounds and assists short of his ninth career playoff triple-double.
The Heat will most likely take on the #3 seed Indianapolis Pacers in the Conference Finals, as they are leading the Knicks 3-1 in the Conference Semifinals. Game 5 of this matchup will be Thursday night at 8pm at Madison Square Garden. Perhaps Spike Lee’s appearance will motivate them to put together a quick 3-game win streak to put them in the Conference Finals. TNT NBA analyst (and former Pacer) Reggie Miller says that if the Knicks can find their offense and rebound well, they’ll be right back in the series, and perhaps force a game 6, and maybe even a game 7 at the Garden. Knicks guard J.R. Smith and super star forward Carmelo Anthony combined to shoot 16-45 in Game 4, leaving a lot of room for improvement, hopefully some improvement that can be put together very soon, before their season comes to a close. The Knicks were also out rebounded in games 1, 3, and 4, as that has also been an important factor on their losses. Extra shots in a possession are vital, especially in win-or-go-home playoff games, so yet again, let’s hope the Knicks can crash the boards in game 5 to try to keep their season alive.
Western Conference:
Much like the Eastern Conference, the West has only three teams left, due to the fact that the Memphis Grizzlies did what many people believed only the Miami Heat could do at the beginning of the playoffs; beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. This opinion changed after the Thunder lost star point guard Russell Westbrook, who injured his knee only two games into the postseason. After losing game one against the Thunder, the Grizzlies responded by winning four straight and knocking out an undermanned Oklahoma City team, who was lead by the second place finisher in MVP voting, Kevin Durant.
Durant, who averaged 28.1 points in the regular season, said, “"I gave it all I had for my team. I left it all out there on the floor, I missed 16 shots, but I kept fighting, I kept being aggressive. That's all I can ask for."
The Grizzlies were lead by big man Zach Randolph, who was a major factor in sending Memphis to their first conference final. Randolph, talking about the achievement said "This is the first time, so it definitely means a lot. I'm happy, but we've still got work to do, I want to win a ring."
The OHS women’s soccer team, with head coach Jenna Hunter, battled their way to the state playoffs. May 8, the soccer team played in the first round of the state playoffs against Western Alamance at the OHS soccer field.
Western Alamance was declared the winner with the score at 0-6. Due to the loss, the OHS women’s soccer team was knocked out of the state playoffs.
The game ended early due to thunder and lightning. However, it was only called in the second half with about five minutes left in the game.
When interviewed later, OHS junior women’s soccer team member Hannah Mignosa said, “I think we played really hard and tried our best. I love my team and really enjoyed playing with them this year.”
Written by Megan Joyner
The Orange High Varsity football team made it to the fourth round of the state playoffs, the farthest they have come in more than twenty years. They came away with three victories in the first three rounds of the playoffs and will take on Havelock High School in the fourth round, on Friday November 23, 2012. in Havelock, NC.
The Panthers battled the Eastern Alamance Eagles Friday November 16, 2012 at Eastern Alamance in Mebane. The Panthers came away with a victory, having a one point advantage over Eastern Alamance. The final score was 14-13. The stands were filled with fans as the game began. The Panthers came out with the lead 7-0 in the second quarter. However, before halftime the Eagles snuck in and scored 3 points making the score 7-3. The score remained 7-3 all the way up to the fourth quarter. The Eagles were gaining ground and scored two more points only allowing the Panthers a 2 point lead. With 6 minutes left to play the Eagles scored a touchdown taking the lead 13-7. The Panthers weren’t done yet; Desean Motley ran in a touchdown with two minutes left to play. The Panthers held strong making the final score 14-13.
The Panthers played Eastern Wayne on Friday November 2, 2012 at home in the first round of the playoffs. They came out with a victory, winning 38-6, therefore advancing to the second round where they took on South Johnston High School at home. They came out with a huge win 56-13. There was a big crowd as the Panthers made history at their home field Friday November 9, 2012. This was such an accomplishment for the Varsity team as they moved up in the NCHSAA playoffs for the first time in many years
The Panthers now advance to the fourth round of the state playoffs to take on Havelock High School on November 23, 2012 in Havelock. Come cheer on your Panther football team as they advance to the fourth round of the state playoffs, one of the first times in Panther history.
- Jalen Pittman jumps for joy as Panthers advance to 4th round of playoffs.
Entering playoffs with a 7-2 win streak, the varsity Panthers strived to win all season long and made it into playoffs after defeating Chapel Hill Friday, November 2 on Chapel Hill turf (41-26). Lead by their confident coach Pat Moser, who has stood behind both the JV and Varsity teams throughout the season, the team hopes to continue to victory.
The Panthers are going into playoffs with the same strategies and determination to win. They must continue to win in order to advance in the playoffs.
November 9 will be the first game of the playoffs at Orange High School against E. Wayne High School. At the Friday night football game, there will be more people supporting the orange and black colors. Team players, many school students, families and local fans will come out to lead the panthers in their first game of playoffs.
If defeated the season will finally come to a close; if they win, the Panthers will continue on in defeating many other high schools until either eliminated from the competition or until victory is won.
Written by Aly Cavedo 
Women's Tennis had their final match September 24 against Chapel Hill High School. The Lady Panthers surfed through a tough, win-some, lose-some season. “There were times we didn't give it our all, but it was a great learning experience and I'm certain we will do better next fall!” says junior tennis player Brianna Hales.
On October 24, Men's Soccer worked hard against Northern Vance High School. Unfortunately, the prideful Panthers stepped off the field losing 0-1. As always, Coach Bowmen is optimistic and ready to improve next season.
The Women's Volleyball team made it to the playoffs October 20 and 25. High spirits were in the air after the Lady Vollers won their 1st playoff game against McMichael High School 3-0. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost their 2nd playoff game against Cardinal Gibbons 0-3. However, after a very successful season, the girls have their heads held high and are ready to show who's boss next fall.
November 3, OHS Cross-Country will be on their way to the State Meet in Kernersville, NC. The boys will start running at 3:30pm and
the girls will start an hour later at 4:30. We all have our fingers crossed and are wishing them the best of luck!
Varsity Football has entered the playoffs and Nov. 2 might be their make it or break it game! On our home turf, the guys were amped up and ready for a victory against Eastern Wayne High School. To help them out and bring pep to the field, OHS cheerleaders were there front and center, leading the crowd in spirit. The cheerleaders have been there every step of the way and the footballers couldn't have done it without them. Even though Nov. 2 wasn't the Panthers' night; we'll definitely come back rough and tough, ready for next season.