SportsTalk: NCHSAA Releases First Realignment Draft

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has released their First Draft of Conference Realignment which will take effect at the beginning of the 2025-26 School Year. This realignment will determine what schools play who in conference play. Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue talked all about it on Wednesday’s edition of SportsTalk.

In addition to conference realignment, the NCHSAA will be adding classifications, from 1A-4A, to 1A-8A. Based on the attendance numbers that came out in November, Vance County will be 6A, Henderson Collegiate will be 2A, and Vance Charter will be 1A.

The following are conferences that include teams from Vance County and the surrounding areas that the NCHSAA laid out in their first draft:

6A/7A Conference C

  • Vance County (6A)
  • Franklinton (6A)
  • Northern Durham (6A)
  • Southern Durham (7A)
  • Hillside (7A)
  • Riverside (7A)

5A Conference 1

  • J.F. Webb (5A)
  • South Granville (5A)
  • Orange (5A)
  • Cedar Ridge (5A)
  • Seaforth (5A)
  • Durham School of the Arts (5A)

3A/4A Conference A

  • Louisburg (3A)
  • Wake Prep (3A)
  • North Carolina School of Science and Math – Durham (3A)
  • Bunn (4A)
  • Nash Central (4A)
  • Roanoke Rapids (4A)

1A/2A Conference D

  • Vance Charter (1A)
  • Oxford Prep (1A)
  • Wilson Prep (1A)
  • Sallie B. Howard (1A)
  • Henderson Collegiate (2A)
  • Warren County (2A)
  • Franklin Academy (2A)
  • East Wake Academy (2A)

1A Conference 3

  • Falls Lake Academy (1A)
  • Clover Garden (1A)
  • Discovery Charter (1A)
  • Excelsior Classical (1A)
  • River Mill Academy (1A)
  • Woods Charter (1A)

 

These conferences are not set in stone as this is just the first draft that the Realignment Committee of the NCHSAA has come up with. The final draft will come out sometime in the spring. But these conference could give a good idea of what the conference could be when they are finalized. In the meantime, we at WIZS will keep you posted on all things conference realignment in North Carolina High School Athletics.

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SportsTalk: Louisburg College Football Headed To JUCO National Title Game

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

College of DuPage 31

Louisburg College 14

Hurricanes finish the season at 8-3

Congratulations on a Great Season Louisburg!

Go Hurricanes!

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th

Louisburg College Head Football Coach Quinderra Spellman joins SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and George Hoyle to talk about the Hurricanes great season, as they prepare for the NJCAA DIII National Championship Game.

Louisburg College will play the College of DuPage this Saturday, December 7th, 2024 in the NJCAA DIII Football National Championship Game. Kickoff will be at 1:00pm EST. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. For those that want to cheer on the Hurricanes in Chicago the address to the stadium is College of DuPage Stadium, College Rd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.

Go Hurricanes!

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SportsTalk: Henderson High School Thanksgiving Day Game History

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

The Thanksgiving Day Game for the Henderson High School Football Team used to be an annual tradition. According to research done by WIZS, the Bulldogs played in five Thanksgiving Day Games. Winning four of them and losing one. Scout Hughes and George Hoyle speak on the history of the Thanksgiving Day Games that Henderson High School played in. That and much more on SportsTalk!

“Amy Snyder, curator of collections & archivist, at the Museum of Regional History in Mount Airy told WIZS she received this picture from the Mount Airy football coach at the time, Coach Wally Shelton’s wife Christine.”

Below are the results of the Thanksgiving Day Games that the Bulldogs played in:

  • 1945: Oxford 14 Henderson 6
  • 1947: Henderson 25 Mount Airy 14
  • 1948: Henderson 52 Whiteville 0
  • 1949: Henderson 20 Reidsville 14
  • 1950: Henderson 13 Rockingham 6

Thank you to those who called into today’s show as well for your information.

Reminder: No SportsTalk on Thanksgiving for the Holiday. 

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Elliott Looks Back On Vipers Season

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

Although Vance County fell in this year’s playoffs, Vance County Football Head Coach Aaron Elliott says that there are a lot of good things to take away from the 2024 football season, as well as a lot of good things to look forward to next season, Coach said on WIZS’s SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.

Vance County lost to Western Alamance 36-31 in the first round of the North Carolina 3A State Playoffs. It was still a fantastic football season from the Vipers in which they went 9-2, the second year in a row in which Vance County won nine games. This season marks the third 9-win season since consolidation.

Head Coach Aaron Elliott said at the beginning of the season that triangle football is more than just Raleigh and Durham he said that includes Henderson too and the Vipers proved that this season. Vance County went two and one against team specifically from Raleigh and Durham, and when seven and one versus teams from the Research Triangle area.

When talking about this season, Head Coach Aaron Elliott spoke highly of his 14 seniors. Rightfully so! This senior class has a combined record of 19-3 over the past 2 years. This is a special senior class that has broken many records this season. Between 2023 and 2024, this team has reached new heights that Vance County hasn’t seen in a while. A 10-1 season in 2023, the first 10-win season by a team from Vance County since Southern Vance achieved that mark in 2007, when the Raiders went 13-2.

Changes are coming though, in more ways than one. Coach Elliott says that he is excited for what is to come when the new kids move up to Varsity from JV. Coach Elliott also states that new coaches are looking to be on his staff next year. But there is one major change coming next year and not just for Vance County but for the state of North Carolina. High School athletics are changing from four to eight classifications. Admission numbers were released and finalized earlier this week and Vance County will be a 6A school going forward. Head Coach Aaron Elliott is excited for what’s to come and has already had conversations with the Vance County Athletic Director about realignment, “Philip Weil and I have had talks about realignment but really we are going to have to wait and see as to where we are placed in terms of what conference we will be in.”

In the meantime though, we want to thank Vance County High School for allowing WIZS to broadcast their football games this season. We will be right back next season for more Vance County Friday Night Football on WIZS. Until then, GO VIPERS!

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SportsTalk: 2024 Season Recap For Vance County Football

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The Vance County High School Vipers didn’t go as deep into the playoffs as they had hoped, but a third year with nine wins or more is evidence that Coach Aaron Elliott is not just putting together a team – he’s building a program.

The 17-seed Vipers traveled to 16-seed Western Alamance Friday night for the first round of 3A state playoffs, but came up short and lost 36-31.

Doc Ayscue and WIZS’s Scout Hughes agreed that it was one of those back-and-forth games and whichever team had the ball last would come away with the W. “They were right there ‘til the end,” Ayscue said. “It was one of the best high school games I’ve seen.” When the winning score is made with 12 seconds left, you know it’s a tight game, he said on Monday’s SportsTalk.

Vipers Senior Javion Vines-holder made the highlight reel when he took a kickoff return 95 yards for a TD.

Western Alamance staff apparently had done their homework and were trying to keep the ball out of Vines-holder’s hands. But after the kicker had put the ball on the tee and turned his back to get ready for the kickoff, Vines-holder and teammate Tyler Wheeler switched places, so the ball went to Vines-holder and he took off for the end zone.

Ayscue said Western Alamance’s #5, James Newton, was the best player the Vipers faced all season. Newton rushed for 151 yards and scored five touchdowns Friday night.

“It’s hard to tell on film how quick he is, how fast he is – he had that quick acceleration,” Ayscue said.

For the season, three Vipers rushed for more than 500 yards. Senior Jontavious Nile ran for 1,237 yards and had 69 rushing yards against Western Alamance.

Then there’s Antoine Doyle, Jr, who racked up more than 500 yards in receptions.

“He’s a terrific athlete – offense and defense,” Ayscue said. When the play was “jet down the field and we’re going to throw it as far as we can,” it was Doyle’s number that was usually called.

But it was Vines-holder who, going into the game Friday, was tied for first place among all public high schools in the state for most interceptions. He had eight interceptions – but not in his role as quarterback – these interceptions are the kind that coaches like to see their defense make.

Ayscue said last season Coach Elliott regarded Vines-holder as possibly the best defensive back on the team. Then he took over as quarterback this season, Ayscue said, and became a great contributor on offense, too.

“He did it on both sides of the ball,” Ayscue said. Staff would “sneak him in (on defense) on obvious pass situations,” he added. “He did a great job – not just intercepting balls…he would chase (opponents) down and tackle them before they got too much” yardage.

Viper Senior Taeshawn Alston, who committed to play football at the University of South Carolina back in June, is the lone Viper whose season is extended by one game – Alston will represent Vance County and North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. That game takes place in Spartanburg, SC on Dec. 21. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

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SportsTalk: Vance County vs. Western Alamance Preview

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Western Alamance 36 

Vance County 31 

Vipers finish the season at 9-2 

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

Scout Hughes and George Hoyle sit down on SportsTalk to talk about the upcoming playoff game between Vance County and Western Alamance, in addition to other playoff games happening in our area. The guys also take a look at the new ADM numbers that came out on Wednesday and see where Vance County lines up.

Vance County travels to Western Alamance for the first round of the North Carolina 3A Football State Playoffs on Friday, November 15th 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 thereafter at 7:00 p.m. 

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Recap of Senior Night; Playoff Brackets Come Out!

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Playoffs loom for Vance County after defeating Enloe Friday night.

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SportsTalk: Vipers Wrap Up Regular Season Against Enloe

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Vance County 50 

Enloe 21 

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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SportsTalk on WIZS 12:30 p.m. M-Th 

With one game left in the regular season, Vance County High School celebrates the culmination of a wonderful season. Tallied with eight wins and only one loss so far. Eight wins that at times have put us on the edge of our seats. From Vance County winning in their first game of the season against Warren County 18-0 to the very next game beating Rocky Mount by just one point, 23-22. There’s the comeback against Louisburg in the rain after the Warriors scored 21 unanswered points. We have had plenty of things to celebrate this season, from Homecoming to Breast Cancer Awareness in our Pink Game, Military Appreciation Night, and on Friday, Senior Night. 

On Friday we Celebrate our 14 Seniors who have given their heart and soul to this Vance County Squad. During their time at the Varsity Level, these Seniors have accumulated a record of 18-2. Last year in 2023 they achieved the first 10-win season for a team from Vance County since Southern Vance met that mark in 2007. An outstanding record for these players:

  • #1 Javion Vines-Holder
  • #7/#0 Antoine Doyle Jr.
  • #8 Barry Henderson Jr.
  • #9 Taeshawn Alston 
  • #10 Jontavious Nile
  • #11 Elijah Holden 
  • #12 Corbett Southerland Jr.
  • #21 Tyrek Robinson
  • #40 Lee Kinney
  • #50 Maurice Jackson
  • #63 Camarion Ragland
  • #64 Kemari Branch
  • #71 Jose Rivera
  • #77 Antonio Bullock

 

The Vipers opponent for Senior Night is Enloe High School out of Raleigh. This will be an interesting matchup as a team from Henderson hasn’t played a team from Raleigh since 2016 when Southern Vance opened the year against Ravenscroft. Head Coach of Enloe, Ryan Clark joined SportsTalk with Bill Harris and George Hoyle on Thursday to talk about the upcoming game vs. Vance County. He says it’s a win-win for both teams to play each other, “This game improves both of our RPI Rankings and our strength of schedules. Vance County has only one loss on the year, and with us playing in a competitive 4A conference, it’s beneficial to both of us.” Vance County is 8-1 on the season, finishing runner-up in the Northern Lakes Conference to Southern Durham, while Enloe is 6-3 on the season and finished third in the CAP-6 4A Conference. Both teams are expected to make the state playoffs for their respective classifications. Besides Southern Durham, this may be the toughest team yet for the Vipers and certainly a great test.

There are plenty of things on the line for Friday’s game between Vance County and Enloe. Both teams are looking to improve their playoff seeding. Vance County is looking for a win as their seniors play one last regular season game at Viper Stadium. Coach Aaron Elliott said at the beginning of the season that Triangle football is more than just Raleigh and Durham, he said it’s Henderson too. Vance County has that opportunity to prove why the Vipers should be included with the best of the best from the Triangle.

 

Vance County will host Enloe High School out of Raleigh on Senior Night for Week 12 of the 2024 season on Friday, November 8th 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 thereafter at 7:00 p.m. 

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SportsTalk: Kerr-Vance Volleyball Recaps State Championship Win

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Oh how sweet it is for the Kerr-Vance Volleyball Team. On October 26th, Kerr-Vance defeated Lee Christian to win the NCISAA 1A Volleyball State Championship, winning 3-1. It has been an amazing season for the Lady Spartans and they celebrated in style. Head Coach Debra Medlin and her girls join George Hoyle and Scout Hughes on SportsTalk to talk all about it.

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