Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Elliott Reflects On Vipers’ First Loss And Prepares For Northern Durham

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Last week as Vance County High School prepared for Riverside, Coach Aaron Elliott commented his team had not had a great week of practice, and last Friday Vance County was handed its first loss against a powerful Riverside team by the score of 42-13. Not only was it the Vipers’ first defeat of the season, they also lost starting quarterback Nazir Garrett to a concussion.  Now the Vipers will have to hit the road to take on Northern Durham which is coming off of a double overtime win at Franklinton.

Without their starting quarterback and a banged up team, Friday night’s game will be a challenge. “We have to be ready to play four quarters,” Coach Elliott said on SportsTalk on WIZS Thursday.  “I asked the guys a question after the game. I asked if they know how important practice is during the week,” Elliott continued. After getting an answer in the affirmative, Elliott said practice this week was much better.

While praising the team’s defense and their ability to stop the run against Riverside, Coach Elliott was surprised at how much they threw the ball.  Northern Durham is another team that does both well, and with the offense hobbled not having Garrett in the lineup, it will put more pressure on the Viper defense to step up.  With the injury bug hitting the Vipers it will also mean there are opportunities for back up players to make an impact.

The Vipers and the Knights kick off Friday night at 7pm at Durham County Stadium. Airtime is 6:50pm on WIZS Radio 1450 AM / 100.1 FM / via live internet stream at https://player.listenlive.co/53101.

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New Beginnings Signal Bright Future for Duke University’s Football Program

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— text and picture by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS

A fresh start for Duke’s football program hints at a brighter future for the coaching staff, players, and fans. For the first time in nearly 33 years, Duke shutout a Football Bowl Subdivision team. Duke’s offense, under the control of Mike Elko, the team’s new head coach, rallied and outscored the Temple Owls 30-0.

“To pitch a shutout in the opener was pretty special,” said Elko.

Elko replaced David Cutcliffe, the former head coach who accumulated 77 wins and a bowl game victory in 14 seasons with the program. While Cutcliffe’s leadership skills and diligence were inspiring at times, inconsistent production on the football field during the final years of his tenure and three consecutive losing seasons escalated the need for change.

With the addition of ambitious goals and an electrifying offense led by sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard, Elko is working towards rejuvenating the energy levels in Wallace Wade Stadium.

“We asked a lot of people to believe in where this program could go,” Elko said. “And it was just awesome to see the students come out like they did tonight.”

Leonard, in his season debut, completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 328 yards. He also led the team in rushing with 64 yards. Leonard credits much of his success to a brilliant play-calling strategy and near-perfect execution.

“We had the perfect scheme drawn up every single play,” Leonard said.

Offensive production aside, we must also acknowledge the exceptional performance of Duke’s defense unit. Duke’s defense limited Temple’s offensive production to just 179 yards in four quarters of football, 50 of which came in the first half. Temple, frantically searching for answers, could not build momentum against a powerful defensive front.

Despite allowing numerous scores in recent years, Duke’s defense put on a spectacular show on Friday, September 2. The unit collectively racked up one sack, four tackles for a loss, and seven deflected passes. D’Wan Mathis, Temple’s starting quarterback, was frequently under duress and forced to make difficult throws. Once any chance at victory was out of reach, Mathis was pulled to the sideline and replaced by quarterback Quincy Patterson, who also achieved minimal success.

What’s next?

Duke (1-0) will travel to Illinois for a matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats (1-0). The Wildcats’ offense, led by quarterback Ryan Hilinski, has amassed 314 yards through the air, an average of 11.6 yards per reception. Duke’s offense is averaging 13.7 yards per reception.

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County Looks To Move To 3-0 Friday Night

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The first two weeks of the high school football season have been good for the Vance Co. Vipers as they sit at 2-0.  This week they take on Riverside, which is coming off a 42-0 blowout of Southeast Raleigh after an opening season 18-14 loss to #15 ranked Cape Fear. Both Riverside Head Coach Cory Lea and Vance County Head Coach Aaron Elliott were guests on Thursday’s SportsTalk and discussed this week’s matchup.

Both teams are strong defensively. “Vance County’s defensive ends scare me to death,” Lea said of the Viper’s strong defense. “It’s one of the best defensive lines I’ve seen during my time coaching,” Elliott said of the Vance County Defensive Unit.

With all this talk of how strong the Viper’s defense is one would think defense is the key to this game, but not so according to Elliott. He said,  “The key to the game will be scoring. I’d like to score on every possession. We need to improve the most on offense.” Elliott has a few new offensive wrinkles up his sleeve for Friday night that will hopefully get the Vipers in the end zone a few more times.

Coach Lea lost only three seniors from last year’s team. “Our babies have grown up,” Lea said referring to his team which features many juniors.  “We hang our hats on defense,” Lea continued summarizing his team’s strength.

The Vipers have cut down on mistakes and Coach Elliott has encouraged his team to stay hungry and stay focused. Elliott said the team didn’t have a great practice on Monday, but they have settled down the rest of this week and are playing together.

Friday looks like another defensive battle as the Vipers host Riverside. Airtime on WIZS is 6:50 p.m. and kickoff is at 7 p.m. Join Bill Harris and Doc Ayscue for all of the action of Vance County Friday Night Football.

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Vance Vipers vs Roanoke Rapid Yellow Jackets

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Vance County 14

Roanoke Rapids 7

Final

Vipers move to 2-0 on season. Second half defensive struggle as neither team scored after the break. Vance never trailed.

Full recap Monday at 12:30pm on SportsTalk.

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County High Welcomes Roanoke Rapids Friday Night

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The first football game of the season tends to be a little ragged around the edges, and according to Vance County High School Head Football Coach Aaron Elliott, this was true of the Vipers in their season opening four point win over the rival Eagles in Warren County last Friday night.  Twelve penalties totaling 95 yards is something the Vipers can ill afford to have happen this week when the school hosts Roanoke Rapids who beat Northampton County last week by the score of 48 -16.

“They are very disciplined,” Elliott said of Roanoke Rapids. Elliott said that after looking at the film of the Northampton game, the Vipers can expect to see a Wing-T offense and a heavy dose of the running game.  This might be good for the Vipers as they held Warren Co. to minus 46 yards rushing last week.

Click to hear full audio of Coach Elliott – SportsTalk: Vance County High Welcomes Roanoke Rapids Friday Night

Elliott said the Warren County game was very emotional at kick off, as it was his first as head coach, but after the game and the victory, despite the mistakes, it was very fulfilling. Those mistakes cannot be repeated Friday night if the Vipers want to move to 2 – 0 on the season. “We have to keep players accountable for mistakes,” Elliott said.  In addition to the penalties, Vance Co. muffed a punt that gave Warren Co. a short field and a touchdown. In contrast, Roanoke Rapids had a total of three penalties last week.

Roanoke Rapids nor Vance Co. suffered any injuries and both teams should be a full strength when they hit the field at 7pm Friday night. Vance Co. Friday Night Football will broadcast the game live beginning at 6:50pm with the pre-game show.

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Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Fall Schedule Keeps Richardson Busy

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Send in the clones!  Scottie Richardson may likely need one in the upcoming days. The Crossroads Christian Athletic Director finds himself rather busy this time of year with fall sports including volleyball, soccer and cross country. All three sports have kicked off their schedules which puts Richardson in high demand at the school where he has served as AD for the last five years.

The Colt’s men’s soccer team is hoping to return again this year to the state final four. “Men’s soccer is coming off a good win against Henderson Collegiate,” Richardson said.  Earlier in this young season, Crossroads defeated Pungo 5 – 0.  Kerr Vance Academy is the opponent this afternoon (Thursday) and Lee Christian tomorrow (Friday).

Soccer isn’t the only thing on Richardson’s plate as volleyball is underway as well. Last year the lady Colts had their first season of double digit wins in 12 years. So far, the team is 2 – 0 on the season and they are also schedule to play Kerr Vance Academy this afternoon (Thursday) and Lee Christian tomorrow (Friday).

When combined with JV games, Richardson will be keeping an eye on five different games tomorrow (Friday). To add to that, the school’s cross country team, which is the defending state champion, will conduct four meets on Friday as well.

Richardson, who was on SportsTalk today (Thursday) on WIZS, said his school’s success on the field and on the court comes down to one thing. “We’ve changed the culture over the last five years,” Richardson said. When he started at the school five years ago, the school had only had two all state players in the previous 13 years.  Last year the school boasted 12 all state players in five different sports. “We’ve achieved some success but, we have to sustain it,” Richardson says. Maybe a clone could help!

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SportsTalk: Panthers Go With Mayfield As Starter

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Four Takeaways From Panthers’ Second Preseason Game at Gillette Stadium

— by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS

Friday’s preseason game, while initially sloppy, featured bright spots for both teams. Carolina Panthers quarterbacks PJ Walker and Matt Corral each handled 15 snaps and yielded a combined 135 yards through the air. New England Patriots quarterbacks Bailey Zappe, Mac Jones, and Brain Hoyer racked up 249 passing yards. Here are four takeaways.

Jones Shines in Preseason Debut

Despite an unflattering first-quarter performance from a Jones-led offense, the group found its footing late in the second quarter. Jones completed four of his eight pass attempts, netting 61 yards. The highlight of his limited playing time occurred during the Patriots’ third offensive drive when he connected with receiver Nelson Agholor on a 45-yard passing play, which set the team up for a score.

However, it is worth noting that the Panthers’ defensive unit consisted of backups. Head coach Matt Rhule kept his starters sidelined for the entire game.

Rhule is Hesitant to Name a Starting Quarterback

What we thought was once a relatively easy decision is now seemingly more complicated in the mind of Rhule. While Baker Mayfield, a former top pick, and teammate Sam Darnold shared equal reps for most of training camp and team practices, Mayfield’s deep-ball accuracy, decision-making abilities, and composure appeared to warrant a slight advantage over the competition.

“Like I said all along, when we know, we know. And we’ll announce something when it’s right,” said Rhule.

PJ Walker Continues to Crumble Under Pressure

Another unsatisfactory preseason performance from Walker further extends the gap between himself, rookie Matt Corral, and other potential prospects. Considering that Rhule intends to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, Walker will need to correct some ongoing careless mistakes sooner rather than later.

In two quarters, Walker completed nine of 15 pass attempts for a total of 107 yards. However, two of the 15 pass attempts resulted in interceptions. Matt Corral, on the other hand, finished 9-for-15.

Carolina Panthers Receiver Talent Runs Deep

Regarding the Panthers’ wide receiver rankings moving forward, Rhule and his staff have some tough decisions to make. For the first time in many years, the competition and strengths amongst a versatile group of backup receivers are plentiful.

Shi Smith, an excellent special teams asset and talented pass catcher, is making a case for additional offensive responsibilities. Also, receivers Rashad Higgens and Terrace Marshall Jr. have demonstrated flashes of explosive plays.

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Vance County at Warren County 20-16 Vipers Victory WIZS Audio

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WIZS 1450 / 100.1 – You’re Community Voice for News and Sports

Final Score

Vance County 20

Warren County 16

Vance Vipers scored the go-ahead touchdown with 10 seconds to play

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Vance County High School

 

SportsTalk: Louisburg Hopes To Beat Them All

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Dante Lassiter, head football coach at Louisburg High School, feels good about his team this season.  Of course every coach feels good before the first game but with a turn out of fifty kids perhaps Lassiter is correct. “It’s the biggest turnout we’ve had in years,” Lassiter said.  Louisburg lost five seniors from last year’s team and boasts 12 seniors this year. That’s experience that could mean a return trip to the playoffs this season for the Warriors.  Lassiter did lose a couple of assistant coaches to Vance County High School. These are issues all coaches face year in year out. The concern for Lassiter is that the offensive line took a hit with senior losses.

Lassiter and the Warriors had a brief scrimmage recently against Warren County before storms rolled through and cut the evening short. Still, Lassiter feels that having seen his team in action helped him learn a few things. “Defense is a strength,” Lassister stated on Thursday’s SportsTalk with George Hoyle and Bill Harris.  Louisburg plays in a modified Big East conference that mixes 2A and 3A teams.  The only 3A team Louisburg faces in the conference is county rival Franklinton. The conference also includes Bunn, Northern and Southern Nash and Roanoke Rapids.  Roanoke Rapids is the favorite to win the conference this year with the two Nash County schools projected to finish two and three.

Lassiter may have something to say about all of that before it’s over. His goal for the season?  “Beat everybody and win the conference,” Lassiter said of his idea of success for Louisburg this season.  They will scrimmage against JF Webb this weekend and open the season on August 26th.

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The Carolina Panthers Quarterback Battle Heats up in Spartanburg

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS

The starting quarterback role for the Carolina Panthers is up for grabs, and a decision is looming in the distance. Head coach Matt Rhule is not prepared to name the starting quarterback until after the second preseason game concludes on Aug. 19.

Even then, a lack of definitive separation amongst Carolina’s quarterbacks might yield additional testing and analysis before a conclusion occurs.

“I’m not putting a timetable on the quarterback position until after we get back from the Patriots week,” said Rhule. “The Patriots week is a true litmus test for us. That will really show us where guys are.”

During Saturday’s practice (Aug. 6), Baker Mayfield, a former top pick in the NFL draft, and teammate Sam Darnold (also drafted in 2018) took equal snaps with the first and second teams. While Mayfield’s composure and deep-ball accuracy warranted a slight advantage over Darnold, the battle is far from over.

Mayfield’s ability to sling the football efficiently and effectively down the field was comforting, but a handful of risky throws in tight coverage kept the quarterback competition close. Darnold looked solid when dumping the ball off to a nearby receiver. However, both quarterbacks gave the ball away on mistimed throws in crucial situations.

Mayfield finished 14-for-21, and Darnold completed 20 of 28 pass attempts. Both athletes netted a touchdown and interception during two hours of practice time.

“The disappointing thing is each guy had an interception,” explained Rhule. “We’ve got to protect the football.”

Mayfield is motivated to bounce back in 2022 after barely surpassing 3000 yards and recording just 17 touchdowns last season, which are both career lows. Darnold, on the other hand, is looking to secure the starting quarterback role long-term. In 2021, Darnold, despite starting the season hot, failed to achieve double-digit touchdown passes, and his single-season completion percentage remained below 60% for the third time in his career.

As competition at the quarterback position continues to heat up in the coming weeks, watch for changes in snap counts and offensive strategy.