SPORTS

By Adam Powell
Correspondent

November means the postseason for fall sports, as the state playoffs for football and men’s soccer have swung into high gear in recent days. While local programs are no longer in the mix in the NCHSAA football state playoffs, each of the area’s local high schools remained in the mix in the NCHSAA men’s soccer state playoffs heading into this week.

Get the latest news around the local prep scene in Chapel Hill and Carrboro in this week’s edition of The Local Reporter High School Sports Notebook.

CHAPEL HILL HIGH TIGERS

Football – Tigers season ends in opening round of state playoffs

Chapel Hill High’s football season came to an end on the evening of November 7 in the opening round of the NCHSAA Class 7A state playoffs. The Tigers were eliminated by Marvin Ridge in a 52-13 setback Friday night in Waxhaw. The loss ended CHHS’s season at 6-5. Marvin Ridge improves to 6-5, and advances to face No. 2 Weddington on Friday night in the second round.

Chapel Hill, the No. 18 seed in the West Region of this year’s 7A bracket, was the only local school to make the postseason this fall. Carrboro failed to qualify in the 4A state playoffs, and East Chapel Hill did not qualify in North Carolina’s 6A ranks.

Chapel Hill quarterback Samuel Zimmerman – playing for the final time as a Tiger – completed 10 of 20 passes for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Zimmerman’s touchdown pass went to fellow senior Prosper Mbaigon, who led the Tigers with 48 receiving yards on two catches. Another twelfth grader – Austin Campos – had two catches for 25 yards in his final prep game, while fellow senior Wilkins Corcoran had two catches for 26 yards.

Junior running back Christian Brooks-McMillian had 16 carries for 96 rushing yards to lead Chapel Hill on the ground. Brooks-McMillian added a touchdown for the Tigers.

Marvin Ridge quarterback Levi Kerr completed seven of 13 passes for 194 yards and four touchdown passes, while receiver Levi Haines had a big night with two catches for 104 yards – including a 64-yarder – and a touchdown. Alex Voss had three grabs for 92 yards and a 56-yard touchdown. Jake Robbins led the Mavericks with 47 yards on eight carries, while Cole Hawkins added 41 yards on five carries.

Ryan Horton’s team loses a total of 19 seniors from the 2025 roster – receiver/defensive back D.J. Jeter, running back/defensive back Mbaigon, quarterback Zimmerman, wide receiver/defensive back Austin Campos, wide receiver/defensive back Corcoran, defensive back/wide receiver Brian Rollins, running back/linebacker Jordan Jones, linebacker Silas Munday, defensive back Anthony Guerrero Hernandez, wide receiver/defensive back David Campos, wide receiver/defensive back Koji Farrington, wide receiver/defensive back Doug McLaren, multi-purpose athlete Kenneth Dula IV, linebacker/fullback Javon Johnson, lineman Samer Elkedwany, place kicker Teagan Coynesmith, lineman Christopher Tellez Flores, lineman Jonathan Ortega, and punter Troy Casey – going into next season.

Naturally, losing so much talent will bring challenges for Horton and his staff heading into the 2026 season. But the Tigers will return multiple standout performers, including Brooks-McMillian, who led the team in rushing and figures to be among the team’s top players again a year from now.

Men’s Soccer – Tigers reach fourth round of 7A state playoffs

Chapel Hill’s incredible fall season on the soccer field continued this week, as the Tigers advanced to the fourth round of the NCHSAA Class 7A state playoffs. On Thursday night, the Tigers (16-4) travel to Clayton (18-3-1) for a state quarterfinal showdown.

On November 6, Davis Boyle’s Tigers outplayed Cleveland for a convincing 4-1 home triumph in the second round of the playoffs to advance to the third round. After scoring twice in the first half for a 2-1 halftime lead, the Tigers kept pouring it on with two more unanswered goals in the second half. Senior Gilbert Schmidler had a night to remember, recording a hat trick with three goals, while junior Liam Davis also found the back of the net for the Tigers.

Chapel Hill, the No. 4 seed in the East Region, earned a first round bye leading up to their victory over No. 20 seed Cleveland, who upset No. 13 seed Raleigh Sanderson on the road in the opening round. The Tigers next hosted No. 5 seed Southern Durham – a team that Chapel Hill had plenty of familiarity with – on November 10 at CHHS. The Spartans split a pair of regular season matches with Chapel Hill.

CHHS got the better of Southern Durham for the second straight match – this time to advance in the playoffs. On the strength of goals from senior Ricardo Zuloaga and junior Eliot Werley, with assists from Schmidler and sophomore Miles Tobolski, the Tigers rallied to a 2-0 shutout victory.

The Tigers have now won eight straight matches since a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Southern Durham back on October 9, having allowed only two goals over that stretch. The win streak includes a clutch 1-0 win at Southern Durham on October 30, in which junior Liam Davis scored the only goal on a shot in the second half that eluded Southern Durham goalkeeper Cezar Halabi, assisted by sophomore Harrison Boyle.

Women’s Field Hockey – Tigers reach semifinal round of state playoffs

Chapel Hill’s women’s varsity field hockey team enjoyed an outstanding fall 2025 season, winning 15 matches, producing an overall record of 15-4, and going 8-2 in conference play.

And while the season ended in a heartbreaking 2-1 double overtime loss on October 28 on the road at Marvin Ridge, the loss couldn’t take away from what was an outstanding autumn for head coach Michelle Then’s Tigers.

CHHS’s two conference losses came only to eventual state champion Cardinal Gibbons. Although Chapel Hill fell short in its attempts to topple Cardinal Gibbons this fall, CHHS gave the powerful Crusaders two of their toughest matches all season.

On October 6, the Tigers suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Crusaders. Despite allowing an early goal in the first half to fall behind, the Tigers shut Cardinal Gibbons out the entire second half. Unfortunately for CHHS, however, they were unable to score the equalizer.

In the state semifinal playoff battle with Marvin Ridge, the Mavericks took an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the first half. The Tigers, however, countered with a goal of their own in the second half from sophomore Lucy Zarzar to send the match into overtime tied at 1-1. In the first extra period, neither team scored. It would have to go to double overtime.

In that period, Marvin Ridge finally ended the marathon match and secured a berth in the state title round with a 2-1 victory. The Mavericks would go on to lose to Cardinal Gibbons 2-1 in the state final.

Despite the loss, CHHS junior goalkeeper Betsy Pope played heroically, collecting nine total saves over the course of the match. Senior Sarah Abbas made five saves in goal for Marvin Ridge.

Senior Scarlett Gilner led the Tigers this fall with 33 goals, 30 assists, and 96 points. Junior Nora Mullen was second on the team with 14 goals and 16 assists, while senior Allison McNeill added 11 goals and four assists.

While Chapel Hill will lose six departing seniors heading into 2026 – McNeill, Scarlett Gilner, Paloma Munoz-de-Fays, Bella Missri-Pusteri, Katie Sanoff, and Sophia Boyd – the team will return numerous top standouts, including its goalkeeper, Pope, one of its top scorers in Mullen, and numerous talented young defenders. 

CARRBORO JAGUARS

Men’s Soccer – Jaguars reach third round of NCHSAA 4A playoffs

Carrboro High’s roller coaster of a 2025 men’s soccer season continued to roll on this week, as the Jaguars continued their tremendous late-season surge with multiple victories in the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs.

Carrboro – the No. 10 seed in the East Region – advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 4A playoff bracket following a pair of outstanding performances in the opening two rounds.

It’s a far cry from where the Jaguars were back on September 10 following a 3-0 shutout loss on the road at defending NCHSAA 3A state champion Western Alamance. At that point, through eight matches, the Jaguars stood at 1-6-1.

Since that loss to Western Alamance, however, Carrboro went on to win 13 out of 15 matches, with only a pair of setbacks to Big Seven Conference champion Orange County.

Carrboro opened the state playoffs on November 4 with a 9-0 shutout win at home over Southwest Edgecombe. The Jaguars settled the issue with six first half goals for a commanding 6-0 lead, and then added three more unanswered goals in the second half.

Senior Jacob Burstein and junior Manny Bastidas led the way for the Jags with three goals each in the win over Southwest Edgecombe, Senior Benny Wittmayer scored twice in the victory with an assist, while junior Sebastian Marin and sophomore Josue Sepulvedo Nazario each added goals. Junior Brett Bromberger and sophomore Josue Sepulvedo Nazario each had two assists, while Wittmayer, Bastidas, and junior Alex Ramirez set up teammates for goals with assists in the victory.

On November 6, the Jags advanced to the third round with a 2-1 triumph on the road over East Dublin in Beulaville. The win was Carrboro’s sixth straight victory heading into a third round matchup with . Over this recent six-match win streak, CHS has allowed only three goals, while scoring 30 goals.

The Jaguars jumped into the lead with a first half goal for a 1-0 halftime lead, and while East Duplin scored a goal in the second half, CHS added a second goal and played excellent defense down the stretch for a clutch 2-1 victory. Sepulvedo Nazario and Ramirez both scored goals for Carrboro in the win, while junior Osiris Mendoza scored East Duplin’s lone goal of the night. In goal, senior Henry Smith made six clutch saves for the Jaguars to help them advance.

In the third round, the Jaguars traveled to Clinton to face the No. 2 seeded Dark Horses. Clinton entered the showdown with Carrboro on a 13-match win streak, having allowed only 18 goals in 25 matches.

Despite all that, the Jaguars made the long trek east and gave the Dark Horses all they could handle, playing stellar defense through a scoreless first half. But in the second half, Clinton scored what turned out to be the only goal of the match, as Holden Spell set up teammate Emilson Marcia for a shot that sailed past Smith for the game winner.

Clinton (24-2) moved on to the fourth round, and a state quarterfinal matchup with North Pitt, while Carrboro’s season ended at 14-9-1.

Carrboro loses a talented senior class, including Smith, Wittmayer, Burstein, Enzo Beron, Graham Stutts, and Liam Brown, but the Jaguars will return eight of their top ten goal scorers in 2026, including Bastidas, Sepulvedo Nazario, Ramirez, and Sebastian Marin, among others.

Women’s Field Hockey – Jaguars produce winning season

Carrboro High School’s women’s field hockey team put together a solid 2025 fall season, as the Jaguars went 11-8 overall, while winning four conference matches to finish in fourth place in one of the most competitive prep field hockey conferences in North Carolina. 

CHS opened the season on a winning note, earning two consecutive shutouts over Reagan, then another pair of subsequent shutouts over Northwest Gullford and Durham Riverside for a 4-0 start.

Although the winning streak finally came to an end against powerhouse Cardinal Gibbons – the eventual NCHSAA state champions – the Jags got back on track with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Ravenscroft on September 11.

CHS did hit a snag in midseason – dropping three straight matches to East Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, and Durham Academy between September 15 and September 18. But then things turned around again, as CHS shut out Durham Jordan and Durham Riverside back-to-back, and then a thrilling 3-2 overtime win at Grimsley in Greensboro on September 24.

Although more losses came later in the season against Cardinal Gibbons, East Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill in late September and early October, Carrboro put together another three-match winning streak as the regular season wound down.

This year’s Carrboro field hockey roster included seniors Sloane Hunter, Josie Brzoska, and Lillie Fitzula – the team’s co-captains – along with fellow twelfth graders Julia Baddour, Logan McCauley, Emma Levin-Metcalfe, and Vivian Walsh.

Others on the squad included juniors Isha Bansal, Merone Tennant, Millie Samuels, Sophie Rose, Lena Secord, Mackenzie Brown, and Caroline Hoos, sophomores Ginny Claffey, Teagan Fichter, Teva Fichter, Leah Cardin, Bronwyn Goins, Audrey Fitch, Petra Pyne, and Sasha Page, and freshmen Phoebe Loughrey and Emer Bulleri.

EAST CHAPEL HILL WILDCATS

Men’s Soccer – Wildcats advance to state quarterfinals in NCHSAA 6A state playoffs

Coming off a pair of shutout wins over Tobacco Road Conference rivals Northern Durham and Hillside to close out the regular season, East Chapel Hill’s varsity men’s soccer team advanced to the NCHSAA 6A state playoffs last week and collected its third straight shutout – a 2-0 win at home over West Brunswick in the second round following an opening-round bye.

The match with West Brunswick was a little scary for Jake Axelbank’s Wildcats – at least in the beginning – as the visiting Trojans played even with ECHHS through a scoreless first half stalemate. But in the second half, East Chapel Hill erupted offensively for two unanswered goals that extended its season another match.

Senior Peter Manns, East Chapel Hill’s leading goal scorer, produced the first goal of the match for the Wildcats – which ultimately proved to be the game-winner – as he powered a free kick through the West Brunswick resistance. Senior Aneil Jolly gave East Chapel Hill its valuable insurance goal as he fired a shot past West Brunswick’s goalkeeper. The Wildcats themselves got tremendous play in goal from senior Marco Szott, who held the Trojans off the scoreboard.

The Wildcats, the No. 3 seed in the East Region bracket, moved on to the third round, and a matchup at home November 10 against No. 6 seed Harnett Central. The Trojans, who went 12-1-1 in league play to finish second in the Carolina Pines 6A Conference, shut out Greenville Rose 1-0 in the second round to set up the matchup with the Wildcats.

The Wildcats fell behind early, allowing a goal to Harnett Central junior Michael McMiller in the first half as the Trojans took a 1-0 lead into halftime. But ECHHS surged back in the second half behind senior Peter Manns and John Garcia-Godoy, who both scored clutch goals to tie the match, and then give the Wildcats a dramatic 2-1 lead. Senior Jake Mann set up both ECHHS goals with assists.

Behind another clutch performance in goal from Szott, the Wildcats defense held off a furious rally by Harnett Central in the closing minutes to equalize the match and force overtime. But with the 2-1 win, the Wildcats returned to Chapel Hill still alive.

On Thursday night, the Wildcats (16-3-2) travel to Onslow County to face off against No. 2 seed Jacksonville (16-4-2). The winner will play the winner of Middle Creek and Franklinton in the East Regional championship match on Tuesday, November 18. The winner of that match will represent the East Region in the NCHSAA 6A state championship match.

Men’s Soccer – Wildcats put together solid 2025 season

East Chapel Hill’s women’s field hockey team, under the guidance of head coach Katie Porterfield and assistants Stephanie White and Ronald Perera, put together a solid 2025 season, posting an 11-7 overall record with a 6-4 mark in conference matches. ECHHS’s only four losses in conference play were to Cardinal Gibbons, who went a perfect 18-0 and won the NCHSAA state championship, and local rival Chapel Hill, who reached the state semifinal round.

The Wildcats got off to a strong start in late August and early September, beating Ravenscroft, and Greensboro Grimsley twice before falling at Cardinal Gibbons in their league opener. From there, however, East Chapel Hill reeled off four more wins in succession over Cary Academy, Durham Jordan, Carrboro, and Durham Riverside for a 7-1 start.

In the September 15 triumph over Carrboro, the Wildcats got a goal from senior Alison Cooper, which proved to be the only goal of the match in a 1-0 victory. Seniors Kay Silver and Elena Garber combined for 11 saves in getting the shutout in goal for the Wildcats.

Although back-to-back losses would come to the Wildcats in late September to statewide powerhouses Cardinal Gibbons and Chapel Hill, the Wildcats improved to 10-3 with a trio of road shutouts over conference rivals Jordan, Carrboro, and Riverside.

East’s competition rose dramatically down the stretch as they approached the postseason, and as they challenged some of the state’s heavyweights, their were a few struggles. A trio of setbacks to Durham Academy, Chapel Hill, and Cary Christian fell the Wildcats back to 10-6 overall, but then the Wildcats earned their second victory of the season over Carrboro – a 2-1 road triumph on October 21 in the opening round of the state playoffs.

Carrboro junior Lena Secord got the Jaguars on the scoreboard, but the Wildcats countered with goals from junior Miller Porterfield and freshman Claire Gladden, with Porterfield assisting, as East Chapel Hill rallied for a 2-1 win. Silver finished with 10 saves as the Wildcats got what turned out to be their final win of the season. East subsequently fell 4-1 at Chapel Hill in the second round to end its season at 11-7 overall.

ECHHS was led this fall by Cooper, one of their senior standouts who led the team with 14 goals and six assists. Cooper is one of six seniors, along with Silver, Ruth Sheeran, Sophia Sisneros, Elena Garber, and Parker Capps, who will be graduating off the roster in 2026. The Wildcats will be returning four of their top goal scorers next season, including Alison Zaranek (10 goals, two assists), Porterfield (nine goals, six assists), Eden Hornor (five goals), and Gladden (five goals, four assists).

Adam Powell has been a correspondent for The Local Reporter since 2023. A 2001 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Powell has served as managing editor of multiple local publications, including the News of Orange County, the Mebane Enterprise, the Caswell Messenger, and the ACC Sports Journal. Powell has won more than 20 North Carolina Press Association Awards throughout his journalism career for Excellence in Education Reporting, Excellence in Sports Columns and Features, and Excellence in Video Production. He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA) for Excellence in Education Writing and for his newsletters representing Rockingham County Schools and the North Carolina Cyber Academy. The author of four books. Adam currently resides in Mebane with his wife Julie and children Colt and Jenna. This reporter can be reached at:Information@TheLocal Reporter.press