Tonight in our WCHL (97.9 FM) high school hoops Game of the Week, its 9-5 Chapel Hill High School visiting a 7-10 Northwood team that is looking to recover from back-to-back losses.
Off to quite a start, the Tigers have won seven of their last nine games, and have put together a 4-2 record in Big Eight conference play.
David Caraher is also coming off a huge 24-point, 13-rebound performance for Chapel Hill Wednesday night against Northern Vance.
‘Above the Rim with Matt and Adam’ kicks off our coverage on WCHL at 6:30 p.m. Matt Paul and Adam Moore will interview local coaches and players and preview all of the area action on the hardwood.
Live on-site coverage starts immediately after at 7 pm with Paul Connell and Adam Moore. Play-by-play coverage begins with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
http://chapelboro.com/high-school-basketball/chapel-hill-vs-northwood-hs-hoops-game-weekBill Hall’s nearly three-decade high school football coaching career ended with a whimper and not a bang. His Northwood Chargers were pounded by Northern Guilford 56-26 Friday night in a NCHSAA 3AA playoff opener.
The Chargers, who finished the season 9-3 overall and came into the playoffs playing their best football of the season, were never in the contest.
The 11-1 Nighthawks erupted for 35 points in the middle two quarters to blow out the Chargers. Dwain Norcott picked off Ti Pinnix and returned it 55 yards for a score for the victors.
Orange, meanwhile, needed a dramatic stop from its stellar defense on a two-point conversion in the final seconds of regulation to hold off a tough Lee County squad, 21-20 in its opener in Hillsborough.
The only area team to host a first-round game, the Panthers (11-1) needed every bit of their grit to advance as opposing running back Jerry Pullum piled up nearly 200 rushing yards.
Panther quarterback Garrett Cloer had a pair of scoring strikes in the opening half as Orange took at 14-7 lead. Eryk Brandon-Dean added a five-yard scoring dash in the third quarter as the ‘Crush’ appeared to pull away with a 21-7 advantage.
Lee County’s bruising rushing attack, including Emond Caldwell’s two yard touchdown run in the closing seconds, nearly pushed the game into overtime. Orange’s defensive line came up with a big stop, however, as the Yellow Jackets opted to go for the win on the two-point conversion and were stuffed on the attempt by Bryse Wilson.
Chapel Hill also moved on and improved to 9-3 following an easy 42-14 win over a West Brunswick (5-7) team that hosted the tilt despite coming in with a losing record.
Home field advantage meant little, however, as a focused Tiger squad recorded four touchdown passes from Connor Stough, who also threw for over 300 yards, and three scoring grabs from Arkavius Parks with two interceptions from Andy Gillespie.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/northwood-stunned-playoff-opener-orange-chapel-hill-advanceWe’ve reached the playoffs in high school football, and three of our area schools will be looking to get past the first round under the lights Friday night and take the first step to a state championship.
The 10-1 Orange Panthers, coming off that 27-23 heartbreaking loss to Southern Durham last week, will welcome 9-2 Lee County to Hillsborough.
Meanwhile, 9-2 Northwood will hit the road to take on 10-1 Northern Guilford in head coach Bill Hall’s final postseason before stepping aside as the Charger chief.
And right here in Chapel Hill, the 8-3 Tigers will host West Brunswick in their opening round contest. All three playoff games are slated for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
As always, your Friday night will kick off with ‘The Grid with Matt & Matt’, WCHL’s exclusive high school football pregame show hosted by Matt Oakes and Matt Paul.
At 6 p.m., the stage will be set with interviews from all the area head coaches, analysis and predictions from the night’s biggest games, the selection of The Grid Great of the Week, as well as the unveiling of the WCHL/Chapelboro.com Super Six rankings.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/grid-playoffs-opening-round
Reigning state champion Southern Durham won the battle of the unbeatens Friday night in Hillsborough, dealing Orange its first loss of the season 27-23, on its way to the Big Eight conference championship.
It took a furious finish for the Spartans to get past the inspired Panthers who came out strong, building a 23-14 lead in the fourth quarter. Panther head coach Pat Moser must be getting tired of facing the Spartans.
The Spartans (11-0, 7-0 Big 8) beat Orange (10-1, 6-1) for the third straight time since the start of the Big Eight last season. In fact, Orange hasn’t lost to any other opponent since 2012. Southern also ended Orange’s unbeaten season in the regular-season finale last year 55-41 and eliminated Orange in the third round of the playoffs 31-24.
Southern used a successful onside kick in the fourth quarter to score two touchdowns and overcome a 23-14 deficit. Star senior quarterback Kendall Hinton scored the go-ahead 15-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left.
In other Big Eight action Friday night, Northwood (9-2, 5-2) claimed a 31-6 win over Cardinal Gibbons (6-5, 3-4) and Chapel Hill (8-3, 4-3) dispatched Cedar Ridge (4-7, 2-5) 42-30.
The 3-AA state playoff brackets will be released this weekend. The Big 8 figures to play a starring role in the tournament action with at least four teams guaranteed slots.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/southern-durham-claims-big-8-title-ends-oranges-undefeated-runThis week, we’ll have a double dose of high school football action on WCHL, 97.9 FM with live broadcasts on both Thursday and Friday night, Halloween.
Thursday night, we’ll take you out to Chapel Hill, where the 7-2 Tigers will host the 7-2 Northwood Chargers in a Big 8 battle that promises to come right down to the wire.
Both squads are primed for the showdown. The Tigers are coming off a 14-0 shutout win against Cardinal Gibbons, while the Chargers demolished Northern Vance 56-7.
WCHL’s Jeff Hamlin and former Cedar Ridge head coach Chris Casey will have the call starting with pregame coverage at 6:30 p.m., and they’ll take you right through the game with live play-by-play. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
It will all begin with a special Thursday edition of ‘The Grid with Matt & Matt’ starting at 6 p.m.
At 6 p.m., the stage will be set with interviews from all the area head coaches, analysis and predictions from the night’s biggest games, the selection of The Grid Great of the Week, as well as the unveiling of the WCHL/Chapelboro.com Super Six rankings.
We’ll continue our double dose of high school football action on WCHL on Halloween night.
We’ll take you over to Raleigh, where the 9-0 Orange Panthers will continue their drive for an undefeated season in another Big 8 battle at 6-3 Cardinal Gibbons.
The Panthers are coming off a 49-0 shutout win against Webb, while the Crusaders were shut out themselves by the Tigers of Chapel Hill.
WCHL’s Jeff Hamlin will have the call starting with pregame coverage at 6:30 p.m., and he’ll take you right through the game with live play-by-play. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
As always, ‘The Grid with Matt & Matt’ will open proceedings at 6 p.m.
http://chapelboro.com/high-school-football/grid-week-11Week six of high school football on WCHL features a highly-anticipated showdown between two undefeated Big 8 conference schools. The collision between the 4-0 Northwood Chargers and the 4-0 Orange Panthers promises to be an absolute slugfest.
The Chargers, in head coach Bill Hall’s final season, have romped through their first four opponents, only surrendering 29 points in the process. The Panthers, meanwhile, are loaded with veteran experience and athleticism all over the field.
Paul Connell and Chris Casey will have the call of the 7 p.m. Friday kickoff right here on 97.9 FM, WCHL. Live pregame coverage from Hillsborough will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Exclusively on Chapelboro.com, we’ll stream the resurgent Cedar Ridge Red Wolves, sitting at 2-2 on the season, as they welcome an always well-coached Cardinal Gibbons squad with a 3-1 record.
Jeff Hamlin will have the call on Chapelboro.com at 7 p.m.
And don’t forget to start your evening off with ‘The Grid with Matt & Matt’, WCHL’s exclusive high school football pregame show hosted by Matt Oakes and Matt Paul.
At 6 p.m., the stage will be set with interviews from all the area head coaches, analysis and predictions from the night’s biggest games, the selection of The Grid Great of the Week, as well as the unveiling of the WCHL/Chapelboro Super Six rankings.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/grid-week-6We continue our weekly preseason high school football series with a trip out to Pittsboro to check in on the Northwood Chargers. In their first season at the 3A level, the Chargers competed admirably, but Head coach Bill Hall is aiming for more in 2014.
***Listen to the story***
An 8-4 final record in 2013 may be acceptable to some high school football programs, but for Northwood, that winning tally is not enough.
The Chargers are used to making postseason pushes. Last season, the Chargers were dismissed in the first round of the state tournament by the Eastern Alamance Eagles.
Understandably, Coach Hall says the team is motivated to make amends for last season’s disappointments.
“We definitely didn’t finish up where we would have like to. Losing our last two […] left a bad taste in our mouth. We’ve worked hard to try to improve this year,” Coach Hall says.
Although he wished for a bigger turnout in offseason training, Coach Hall says he was pleased with the strides made in two weakness areas for the Chargers.
“Offseason workouts have gone pretty well. We always want more numbers there than we’ve got. The key people have been there. We’ve really been working with our offensive line and our defensive secondary. Those were our two not so bright spots last year. We focused in on that,” Coach Hall says.
The strength of the Charger attack is no doubt on the offensive side of the ball. Northwood lit up the scoreboard a season ago with a lethal aerial assault led by prolific quarterback Ty Pinnix. Coach Hall says he’ll be an even more dangerous leader this year.
“We’ve got to start off with our team MVP Ty Pinnix. He threw for over 4,000 yards last year and rushed for another 800. His potential is unlimited. Hopefully, he can continue where he left off last year and out up some big numbers for us,” Coach Hall says.
Pinnix in action (Herald Sun)
A popular target for Pinnix in 2014 will be athletic wide receiver Jalen Smith. Coach Hall says he’s expecting big things from Smith, who has been receiving preseason hype from around the state.
“N.C. Preps 3A All-State came out and our receiver, Jalen Smith, was one of the players who made that team. I’m really excited for Jalen. He’s another one you need to keep an eye on. He set school records last year for season and career yardage and catches,” Coach Hall says.
As for the other side of the ball, Coach Hall expects a dramatic improvement from last season. He believes the defense won’t be so much of a liability, therefore taking some pressure off the Charger offense. But Coach Hall still insists his team will need to score its fair share of touchdowns to contend in the loaded 3A Big Eight conference.
“I think the defense is coming along. But we’re going to have to score points in this conference. If there’s a better 3A conference in the state, I’d like to see it. We’re going to have to score some points, but I really don’t think we’re going to get in the shootouts we did last year. Our defense is going to be improved,” Coach Hall says
Coach Hall is hoping the hard work put in over the spring and summer will pay off for his boys, adding the seniors have got together and planned big goals for the fall.
“We’re looking for bigger and better things this year. We have a returning senior’s cookout every year in June. The guys get together, set some goals, and they put it down on paper. There are some lofty goals on that paper. We’ve worked hard to try to achieve some of them. We’ll see where that takes us,” Coach Hall says.
If the struggling defense can approach the level of the explosive offense, the Northwood seniors may be well on their way to crossing off some of those goals on that piece of paper.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/grid-northwood-high-chargersDURHAM– Round one of the state playoffs in high school football featured some intriguing match-ups involving three local schools.
Chapel Hill’s season came to an end with a 40-6 loss at Southern Durham. Somehow, the Tigers found a way to slip into the playoffs with a 4-7 record, but the 9-2 Spartans were too much for them on this night.
With the victory, Southern Durham improved to 10-2 on the year and moved on to the second round of the tournament where they will face a daunting challenge against Cardinal Gibbons.
Meanwhile over in Hillsborough, the 10-1 Orange Panthers were busy shutting down 8-3 Rocky Mount in a 31-3 decision.
The vaunted Panther defense reappeared Friday night after a hiatus against Southern Durham a week ago. Running back Tay Jones recorded a 26-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Next up, Head Coach Pat Moser’s squad will take on 9-3 Cleveland in the second round.
If both Orange and Southern Durham win their games next week, they will meet for an anticipated rematch of their regular season finale that saw the Spartans spoil Orange’s run at an undefeated season.
Not to be forgotten, the Northwood Chargers were in playoff action Friday night as well. Things didn’t go too well for Head Coach Bill Hall’s team as they fell 56-21 on the road at Eastern Alamance.
Northwood tailback Kadarus Rone fumbled the ball away early on in the first quarter. The turnover resulted in a score for the Eagles, and Eastern Alamance never looked back from there as they lit up the scoreboard to advance.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/hs-football-roundup-orange-marches-on-while-ch-northwood-bow-out
CHAPEL HILL– Believe it or not, week eleven of high school gridiron action is upon us. And it will feature some intriguing local showdowns that will certainly light up your Friday night.
On 97.9 FM WCHL and Chapelboro.com at 7 p.m., tune in to the undefeated Orange “Crush” Panthers as they continue their drive toward perfection. This week, Head Coach Pat Moser’s squad welcomes a formidable opponent in the form of the 7-2 Crusaders of Cardinal Gibbons.
Last week, Orange throttled struggling Webb 56-7 and Cardinal Gibbons survived improving Chapel Hill 47-36.
Will the Panthers be able to shut down the Crusader attack and move to 10-0 on the year? You won’t want to miss this one.
Tune in to pregame and live game coverage from Orange High School with Paul Connell Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Exclusively on Chapelboro.com, you can catch the 7-2 Northwood Chargers as they look to keep things rolling home against the Chapel Hill Tigers. Chapel Hill has proven to be a tough out in their past two games against powerhouses Orange and Cardinal Gibbons.
What do the Tigers have left for Coach Bill Hall’s high-flying Chargers?
Tune in to pregame coverage and live game play-by-play streaming on our website, Chapelboro.com. Jeff Hamlin will have the call from Pittsboro.
And don’t forget, each Friday at 6 p.m., WCHL’s lively duo of Matt Oakes and Matt Paul will be breaking down all the big games, sitting down with the head coaches of many of your favorite teams, releasing WCHL/Chapelboro’s Super Six rankings, making some bold predictions, and unveiling The Grid Great of the Week.
You can catch up on the entire season of The Grid with Matt & Matt, here.
This Friday, Matt and Matt will chat with Orange’s Pat Moser, Chapel Hill’s Isaac Marsh and Northwood’s Bill Hall.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/high-school/the-grid-w-matt-matt-week-11
CHAPEL HILL– What a night of high school football action we had. Week nine had it all as one local titan survived a grueling slugfest and another top-notch area school dropped a shootout.
In our WCHL game of the week, the Chapel Hill fans were treated to an unexpected nail biter. Depleted by injuries, Coach Isaac Marsh’s squad entered their contest against undefeated powerhouse Orange High School with a 3-4 record.
But on this night, the Chapel Hill Tigers played much better than their record suggests, matching the physicality and speed of the Orange “Crush” Panthers every step of the way. In a defensive battle, it wasn’t until two seconds left in the game that lightning struck for the Panthers.
And with the dramatic 55-yard touchdown throw by Garrett Cloer, Coach Pat Moser’s Orange Panthers survived 6-0 over a valiant Chapel Hill team.
Over in Durham, the 6-1 Northwood Chargers faced 5-2 Southern Durham in our exclusive Chapelboro.com game. And unlike the Orange-Chapel Hill affair, this one kept the scorekeeper busy.
It was a back and forth contest, but ultimately it was the home team, Southern Durham that pulled out the 56-54 win to improve to 6-2 on the season.
In other area action, Carrboro continued its struggles as the Jaguars fell to Cummings 37-20. East Chapel Hill was blown out by Northern Durham 42-6 to drop to 1-7 on the season.
And in the feel good story of the night, the winless Cedar Ridge Red Wolves nabbed their first victory of 2013 with 24-17 home win over Webb.
Hear all the action on the Grid with Matt & Matt
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