Ben Freeman is the consummate team player. So when his high school coach, Dwane Pugh, approached him about switching positions his senior year from striker to sweeper, he agreed.

The longtime youth wrestling coach and current Vice President of Sports Operations for the Orange County Boosters Club wants wrestling in Orange to regain what he believes is a lost tradition. With this in mind, he coordinated last week’s technique camp at Orange County High.

The Hornets finished 19-5, falling to Loudoun County in the region quarterfinals, but the team made an impression on Ryder, the 2008 All-Central Virginia softball coach of the year.

Orange County’s Cody Fincham was just waiting, hoping the ball would somehow pop out of the scrum.

In Woodbridge, Margaret Moss scored six goals as the Albemarle girls lacrosse team defeated Forest Park 18-6 in the Northwest Region semifinals on Thursday.

Western Albemarle’s Aaron Myers was exhausted, but with two minutes left in a fourth overtime, the sophomore mustered one more run, flying towards Fluvanna County’s goal.

If Louisa County was fazed by its first inning, no one showed it.  The Lions shook off a rocky start, got some timely hits and rode the arm of Gunnar Carroll to a Jefferson District semifinal win over Orange County Tuesday night.

Whenever Micalah Sacre enters the circle for the Orange County softball team, the Hornets have a great chance to win. On Tuesday evening, Sacre lead her team not just in the circle, but at the plate as well, in a 2-0 win over William Monroe in the Jefferson District semifinals.

After a one-game playoff between Monticello and Orange County was needed to decide the Jefferson District’s regular-season softball champion, it’s anybody’s guess who will capture the tournament title.

The first time William Monroe and Orange County locked up, the Dragons’ batters got the better of Heather Jenkins. Jenkins made sure she got them back Friday night.
The junior hurler allowed just three hits and struck out five in 6.2 innings of work to lead Orange to a 4-2 victory over Monroe.

The way Orange County starting pitcher Derek Justice was dealing, the Hornets probably didn’t need five runs against William Monroe Friday night at Porterfield Park. Justice got all the run support he needed in the first inning when he helped his own cause with a sacrifice-fly RBI. The rest was icing on the cake.

Monticello traveled to Orange County Friday night for a showdown of two of the Jefferson District’s top pitchers. Orange freshman phenom Micalah Sacre won the battle of the K, but Monticello’s Victoria Scott took home the W.

Box scores from Thursday night’s prep action

Fluvanna County faced an early deficit, but fought back and pulled away with a 6-5 Jefferson District win over visiting Orange County on Thursday.

In sports, when the stakes are high, the team that has an edge will often prevail. Well, on Thursday night, Round 1 of the Jefferson District’s boys soccer showdown went to Orange County’s boys soccer team.