November 2015 Athlete of the Month
Caroline Marquis, Girls Cross Country
Caroline Marquis finished up 2015 with a strong postseason for the Orange girls cross country team. She easily qualified for the Region 5A North meet with a runner-up finish in Conference 16. Then at the region championships she had to battle but managed a 14th place finish that was strong enough to qualify for the Group 5A state championships in Great Meadows as an individual.
October 2015 Athlete of the Month
Matthew Chatten, Football
Matthew Chatten saw more than his fair share of losing early in his high school career, but the Orange County senior left a big mark in his final year on the gridiron as he helped orchestrate an incredible turnaround by the Hornets, who earned a playoff spot in part because Chatten was a relentless presence on the defensive line, ringing up seven sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and 74 tackles on the season. He also caught a pass for a touchdown against Albemarle and recovered a fumble, just two of a number of impact plays Chatten made in an incredible senior campaign.
September 2015 Athlete of the Month
DeAngelo Hunt, Football
Going into 2015, most everyone knew that Orange County was going to serve opponents a big helping of DeAngelo Hunt and Tre Smith out of the backfield. Even with that knowledge stopping that duo and Hunt specifically has proven to be no easy task. Hunt rushed for 332 yards in the Hornets first game while also playing a big defensive role, an impressive performance that help vault Orange to a 3-1 start, the squad’s best since 2006.
August 2015 Athlete of the Month
Ryan Dodson, Golf
Orange County golfer Ryan Dodson helped spark the Hornets to a key early season victory over Madison and Liberty in a tri-match, putting together a 42 on the day as Orange rolled to a 17-stroke victory as a team.
July 2015 Athlete of the Month
Bradley Hanner, Baseball
Orange County baseball’s Bradley Hanner threw for Orange County’s American Legion Post 156 over the summer and had several solid outings on the mound, including an eight-inning effort against eventual state champion in early July.
June 2015 Athlete of the Month
Hannah Jones, Softball
Hannah Jones had a big-time spring for Orange County’s softball team. The junior first baseman hit .478 on the season, mashing 10 home runs, eight doubles and four triples. She posted 32 RBI on the year and had an on base percentage of .532. Jones was the lone local softball player who earned All-Region 5A North first team honors.
May 2015 Athlete of the Month
Caroline Marquis, Girls track
Caroline Marquis is just a sophomore but she ran like a much more seasoned athlete this spring for the Orange County girls track team. At the highly competitive Dogwood track meet, Marquis took ninth in the 800-meter race. She followed that up later in the month finished second in the Conference 16 1600-meter race and ninth in the 1600-meter Group 5A North race.
April 2015 Athlete of the Month
Kendall Bayless, Baseball
Orange senior Kendall Bayless has gone out of his way to do everything he can to help his teammates be successful this season. Bayless has played 7 of the 9 positions for the Hornets on the diamond, and his precision at the plate hasn’t wavered no matter where he’s been on the field, posting a .389 battling average during April.
Bayless also gets the job done in the classroom where he’s carring a 4.5 weighted GPA. “Our team, our school and our community are better because of individuals like Kendall Bayless,” said Orange baseball coach Dave Rabe.
March 2015 Athlete of the Month
Bruce Schlegel, Wrestling
At a school with a storied wrestling history, Bruce Schlegel was the latest Hornet to put together a monster championship season. Schlegel won the Conference 16 title and then took third place in the terribly tough Region 5A North tournament to earn a spot in the state bracket.
Schlegel, who was also the Jefferson District champion at 152 pounds, won a major decision 17-7 in the third place match at the Region 5A North tournament to earn the third spot.
February 2015 Athlete of the Month
Alex Neilan, Girls Swimming
Orange County didn’t send quite as many swimmers to the state championship meet as they have in the past, but the string of success for individual swimmers continued with Alex Neilan. Neilan placed eighth in the 200-IM, and just a few weeks before she took second in Region 5A North in that event.
Neilan is also a big reason that the Hornets’ took third place in a pair of relays at the region meet as well.
January 2015 Athlete of the Month
J’Air Rawlings, Boys Basketball
J’Air Rawlings has been a key impact player for Orange County for several years now, but he’s emerged as the go-to guy for the Hornets this year and it showed in January. In particular, he put together huge performances in wins over Monticello and Eastern View, scoring a team-high 20 points against the Mustangs on January 20 to help spark Orange to a 74-61 win. He then went for 18 in a 51-49 victory over Eastern View. In both outings he proved he was a sure hand at the free throw line, hitting 12-for-14 at the charity stripe against the Cyclones and 10-for-11 against the Mustangs.
December 2014 Athlete of the Month
Markiana Smith, Girls Basketball
Markiana Smith is getting the job done for Orange County’s girls basketball team. The Hornets are already just one win away from the squad’s win total in all of 2013-2014, and Smith is a big reason why. The senior post player is averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds per game underneath, and has finished with a trio of double doubles in the squad’s first eight contests. She’s also come up with a little more than a steal per outing as she continues to emerge as one of the area’s better defenders in the paint.
November 2014 Athlete of the Month
Cheyenne Wines, Field Hockey
Cheyenne Wines was Orange County field hockey’s anchor as she sparked the Hornets to a Conference 16 championship and a Region 5A North berth. While the defensive standout didn’t pile up statistics, she ran the midfield and orchestrated a formidable Orange County defense that was a critical part of the Hornets’ run and helped her earn All-Jefferson District honors. Congratulations Cheyenne on a tremendous fall.
