UPDATE – FINAL SCORE
Northeastern 40
Vance County 8
RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK
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The Vance County Vipers are on the road Friday to face the Northeastern High School Eagles in Elizabeth City.
Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said he and Northeastern Head Coach Antonio Moore have known each other for awhile, and he expects a good matchup.
The 1-3 Vipers, however, are right where Elliott wants them to be as they get ready for conference play.
In preparing for the Eagles, Elliott said this week’s practice has been good. “We’ve had another good week. I really feel like the kids have bought in,” he said. Using data and statistics from the first four games, Elliott and the coaching staff have shown the players how they’ve improved week over week.
“They want to get better, so that’s a positive,” Elliott said.
In last week’s game against Rocky Mount, Elliott said he saw definite improvement. The Vipers had their biggest game on offense so far – a “plus” in the coach’s view, thanks in part to an improved passing game.
“We knew that we had a passing game, we just were waiting for the right time for it to click, Elliott said.
The Vipers’ coaching staff is keen to keep everybody healthy come conference time, and Friday’s game with Northeastern is the last non-conference matchup before the conference games kick in.
If the Vipers can get a couple of stops and get its offense rolling, Elliott said he thinks things will go well Friday.
The Eagles’ quarterback is a real weapon for the Eagles to be aware of. “After Week 4, he’s still the number one quarterback in the state as far as passing,” Elliott said. “They throw the ball real well, so we’ve worked on being able to cover and work on our defensive coverage.” They’ll run when they have to, but ultimately “they like to throw the football and take advantage of what you give them.”
With four games under their belts, the Vipers need to play four quarters of football to put some games in the W column. Elliott said they played a good first half against Rocky Mount but couldn’t keep the momentum going after halftime.
But Elliott isn’t fazed by his team’s record. “We set up this schedule to be tested,” Elliott said. “Getting tested before conference play is important to us. I’ve been telling my guys, we won’t face another team as good as Jordan. We’ve seen the best of the best.”
Vance County travels to Northeastern High School for Week 5 of the 2025 season on Friday, September 19th and you can hear all the action on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM, and online at wizs.com with pregame starting at 6:50 p.m. and kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
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