SportsTalk: East Wake’s Travis Hairston Previews Vance County

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With 15 seniors to celebrate Friday night, East Wake Head Coach Travis Hairston said he hopes his Warriors will be able to fix mistakes from last week’s game and come out of Senior Night against the Vance County Vipers with a win.

Hairston told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue the players that take the field to be recognized on Senior Night are a special group; he joined the coaching staff at East Wake when these guys were freshmen. “They pretty much produce, or are intricate parts of our team,” he said on Wednesday’s SportsTalk.

This week’s practice has focused on correcting some mistakes from last week’s 13-0 loss to Franklinton. “Practice has been pretty good,” Hairston said. “We’ve been up tempo – the seniors don’t want to lose on Senior Night.”

The Warriors are 3-1 at home, and Hairston said he’d like to see his team have a clean, penalty-free game against the Vipers, which he described as “very athletic and tough up front. That’s where the game starts – up front,” he said. “We’ve got to match that toughness to bring home a win.”

He’s got the team watching film on the Vipers’ special teams, which have blocked kicks in each of the last five games. Hairston said the Warriors have to shore up its PAT blocking scheme and stay in their lanes on kickoff returns to try to shut down long returns for big yardage by the Vipers.

Sophomore wide receiver Tzion Stone has been “electric” on the offense, Hairston said, and senior wide receiver Dylan Kiser made a couple of big catches for first downs against Franklinton. But the coach said O-lineman Dontrell Ford, running back Nelson Ruffin, receiver Latrell Harris – also seniors – and sophomore Kayden Short will factor big into the Warriors’ game plan.

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SportsTalk: Louisburg College Football Homecoming Game Preview

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Louisburg College Head Football Coach Quinderra Spellman joins SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and Steve Lewis to review the win the Hurricanes had against Central Georgia Tech and to preview the Homecoming matchup against Myrtle Beach Collegiate Academy. Scout and Steve also talk about the Toronto Blue Jays win in the ALCS and how the world series is now set.

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County Football Week 9 Recap

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Scout Hughes and George Hoyle recap the weekend that was with Vance County’s football game against Heritage, in addition to the other games in High School Football. The guys also talk about the college games from over the weekend.

High School Football Scores from Week 9:

  • Heritage 42 Vance County 33
  • Franklinton 13 East Wake 0
  • Wake Forest 48 Knightdale 24
  • J.F. Webb 64 Cedar Ridge 19
  • Seaforth 27 South Granville 7
  • Warren County 63 Weldon 0
  • Louisburg 28 Roanoke Rapids 14
  • Bunn 27 Nash Central 21
  • King William, VA 66 Mecklenburg County, VA 42

Area College Football Scores for Week 8:

  • California 21 North Carolina 18
  • Georgia Tech 27 Duke 18
  • Virginia 22 Washington State 20
  • East Carolina 41 Tulsa 27
  • Temple 49 Charlotte 14
  • Coastal Carolina 45 App State 37
  • Louisburg College 42 Central Georgia Tech 35 OT

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The Local Skinny! Seahawks Night at Vance County Football Game

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The Gate City Seahawks took the field Friday night to be recognized during Seahawks Night at Viper Stadium, but also as future Jaguars and Vipers, and to get an idea of what it’s like to play under the Friday Night lights.

Henderson Vance Recreation and Parks Director Kendrick Vann said the young people are learning what it’s like to be part of a team and all the positive aspects of collaboration, teamwork and partnerships.

It’s been seven years since the local youth league teams have been part of a competitive league, and Vann told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and David “Doc” Ayscue that from where he sits, “good things are happening in football” in Vance County.

The youth league teams are coed, Vann said, and teams vary by age group – a few dozen kids are in flag football, for ages 4-6. And the teams for older youth are both 7-0 this season.

The Seahawks play home games at Vance County Middle School, but travel to Durham, Clayton, Wendell, Franklinton and elsewhere for contests.

But it’s not just about the games, Vann said. There’s an emphasis on doing service projects in the community, including participating in the citywide cleanup efforts in Henderson and making sure that the kids “dress for success” when banquet time rolls around.

Vann said the team walks out on the field together and exercises together. “We try to do a good job to form a program,” he said.

The coaching staffs at the middle school and the high school also are developing partnerships with the Seahawks – after all, they are the future Jaguars and the future Vipers.

“Vance County has a lot of great athletes,” Vann said. “There is true talent here in Vance County,” he said.

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SportsTalk: Vipers to Celebrate Homecoming with game against Heritage

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Heritage 42

Vance County 33

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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The Vance County Vipers are playing at home for the first time in a month, and Coach Aaron Elliott hopes that the team is ready to bring some extra energy to the field Friday as the team hosts the Heritage Huskies in a conference matchup.

Friday is also Homecoming, as well as Pink Out Night for breast cancer awareness, so hopefully the stands will be a sea of pink for the game, which kicks off at 7 p.m.

“It feels good to be back home,” Elliott said. “I think everybody’s excited to be back home playing…we’re hoping to bring some energy to the game this week,” he said on Thursday’s SportsTalk with WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.

The team’s been improving its running game – rushing for about 150 yards last week, which Elliott said is a reflection of working on the running game at practice.

In preparing for Friday’s matchup, Elliott said the Huskies have a good running game themselves, and the Vipers coaching staff has been figuring out how to defend not one, but two quarterbacks that the Huskies use regularly in their offensive game.

Viper linebacker Jalen Maze broke his collarbone in last Friday’s game against Knightdale, which is a big loss to the Vipers as they continue conference play.

Elliott said he and his staff have been focused on keeping the players focused on the task at hand.

“We’ve got to eliminate the mistakes,” he said. “And we’ve got to win the turnover battle.” The Vipers had four turnovers against the Knights, and had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Elliott said he’d love to see the home stands full of alumni, current students and others – all in pink – from the community out in support of the Vipers. “Hopefully we can get back in the win column this week,” he said.

 

Week 9 High School Football Games in our Area:

  • Vance County (1-6, 0-2 N6C) vs. Heritage (2-5, 1-1 N6C)
  • Franklinton (5-2, 1-1 N6C) vs. East Wake (3-4, 1-1 N6C)
  • Wake Forest (3-4, 2-0 N6C) vs. Knightdale (2-5, 1-1 N6C)
  • J.F. Webb (5-2) @ Cedar Ridge (1-6)
  • South Granville (3-4) @ Seaforth (3-4) 
  • Warren County (6-1) vs. Weldon (0-4)
  • Louisburg (7-0) @ Roanoke Rapids (1-6)
  • Bunn (5-2) @ Nash Central (2-5)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-6) vs. King William, VA (4-3)

Vance County hosts Heritage High School for Week 9 of the 2025 season on Friday, October 17th. It will be Homecoming, Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness, and Seahawks Night to recognize the little league teams in Vance County. You can hear all the action on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM, and online at wizs.com with pregame starting around 6:50 p.m. and kickoff at 7:00 p.m.

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SportsTalk: Heritage Coach Wallace Clark’s Preview of VCFNF

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The Heritage Huskies travel to Henderson Friday in a Northern 6 conference matchup against the Vance County Vipers, and Huskies Head Coach Wallace Clark said his team is going to have to whittle down the number of penalties and mistakes if they want to come away with a W.

Coming off a win last week against Franklinton High School, Clark told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue that practice this week has been good, and that his team is moving in the right direction.

Although they racked up too many penalties against Franklinton, Clark said his Huskies also had some sustained drives and some big plays that contributed to their 23-20 win on Heritage’s Homecoming night.

The Huskies, now 2-5 on the season, look to improve their record this week. Clark said he and his coaching staff are working on some conditioning to help players adapt to the cooler fall weather predicted for Friday’s game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

As he prepares for the contest against the Vipers, Clark said he knows that the team is “extremely athletic,” moves fast and has got pretty good size. “They’re a real physical group and extremely well coached,” he added.

Create a game plan for the Vipers means continuing to focus on what’s working well for the Huskies, as well as minimizing those pesky penalties and “getting to the football as much as possible.”

Clark, a native of New Orleans, moved to North Carolina in 1990 and landed a job as an assistant coach at Orange High School in 1991. He was at Broughton High School from 1994-2010 before moving to Heritage when it opened in 2010.

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Heritage Huskies Logo

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SportsTalk: Louisburg College Football Preview vs. Central Georgia Tech

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Louisburg College Head Football Quinderra Spellman joins SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and Steve Lewis, to preview their next game against Central Georgia Tech. Scout and Steve also give an update on the MLB Playoffs.

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: VCFNF Week 8 Recap

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the weekend that was with Vance County’s football game against Knightdale, in addition to the other games in High School Football. The guys also talk about the college and NFL games from over the weekend.

High School Football Scores from Week 8:

  • Knightdale 43 Vance County 0
  • Heritage 23 Franklinton 20
  • Wake Forest 42 East Wake 0
  • J.F. Webb 56 Orange 36
  • South Granville 48 Carrboro 0
  • Warren County 51 Northampton County 8
  • Louisburg 65 ALA-Johnston 32
  • Bunn 52 Wake Prep 20
  • Magna Vista, VA 68 Mecklenburg County, VA 20

Area College Football Scores for Week 7:

  • Notre Dame 36 NC State 7
  • Wake Forest 39 Oregon State 14
  • Georgia Tech 35 Virginia Tech 20
  • Tulane 26 East Carolina 19 
  • Army 24 Charlotte 7
  • App State 41 Georgia State 20
  • North Carolina Central 45 Florida A&M 7
  • Monroe University 34 Louisburg College 20

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SportsTalk: Vipers Prepared to take on Knightdale

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Knightdale 43

Vance County 0

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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The Vance County Vipers wind up a long stretch of away games when they travel to Knightdale for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Knightdale Knights.

Both teams have a 1-5 record, and Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said he’s been reviewing film and statistics to help figure out Knightdale’s strengths.

The Knights quarterback is one of the team’s best rushers, Elliott said, so the Viper defense needs to be prepared to shut down the opponent’s run game. But they also have to be able to cover and put pressure on the quarterback when he’s in pass mode.

“If we can control the quarterback, we can control the game,” Elliott said.

As for the Vipers, Elliott said he’ll stick with the game plan that’s been in place this season, “putting an emphasis on getting better and fixing the small stuff,” he said.

In last week’s loss to Wake Forest, Elliott said the punting unit had a solid performance, and he said the fact that the Vipers were able to block a few field goals is proof that the work the team is putting in during practice is showing off a little bit.

Area High School Football Games for Week 8:

  • Vance County (1-5, 0-1 N6C) @ Knightdale (1-5, 0-1 N6C)
  • Franklinton (5-1, 1-0 N6C) @ Heritage (1-5, 0-1 N6C)
  • Wake Forest (2-4, 1-0 N6C) vs. East Wake (3-3, 1-0 N6C)
  • J.F. Webb (4-2) @ Orange (0-6)
  • South Granville (2-4) vs. Carrboro (0-6)
  • Warren County (5-1) @ Northampton County (1-5)
  • Louisburg (6-0) vs. ALA-Johnston (4-3)
  • Bunn (4-2) vs. Wake Prep (4-2)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-5) vs. Magna Vista, VA (5-0)

Vance County travels to Knightdale High School for Week 8 of the 2025 season on Friday, October 10th and you can hear all the action on WIZS 1450AM, 100.1FM, and online at wizs.com with pregame starting around 6:50 p.m. and kickoff at 7:00 p.m.

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