The Vance County Vipers travel to Elizabeth City Friday to play the Northeastern High School Eagles. The Vipers will have a lot of time to think about the 7 p.m. matchup against the 3-1 Eagles – it’s close to a three-hour drive to get to Pasquotank County, tucked up in the northeast corner of the state about 30 miles from the Virginia border.
That’s where Head Coach Antonio Moore is from, it’s where he played college football and that’s where he’s stayed to teach and coach.
Moore told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue Wednesday that he’s familiar with teams from Vance County, and he’s positive they’ll come ready to play.
The Eagles have a pretty good quarterback, junior Zak Ishman. “He’s one of the leaders in the state in passing,” Moore said on SportsTalk. The team also has a good D-Line and a host of receivers. “I’m really excited about this team,” he added.
Coming off a win last week, Moore said the team has had one of the best weeks of practice this season to get ready for the 1-3 Vipers.
He and his coaching staff have been preparing the team for the physical game that he said the Vipers will bring.
“They’re very physical, athletic, had a lot of enthusiasm on the sidelines,” Moore said of Vance County teams he’s faced in the past. “The kids play extremely hard. I don’t expect anything less Friday night.”
His team must limit turnovers and penalties if they are to come out with a victory, Moore said. “Our penalties have been off the charts lately.”
Moore said the Eagles’ loss to D.H. Conley a couple of weeks ago may have been just what the team needed to begin creating its own identity. The Eagles lost 22 seniors from last year’s team and had not lost a regular-season game since 2022.
“I think that loss did it for us,” he said. “I’m kinda grateful for that loss. We’re in a good place right now.”
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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