The Vance County Vipers 2025-26 football season kicks off Friday, Aug. 22 with a 7 p.m. home game against non-conference opponent Warren County.
Head Coach Aaron Elliott and his staff are preparing for the upcoming season that puts them in a new conference, thanks to a huge realignment back in March by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. As part of the realignment plan, the NCHSAA expanded from 1A to 4A classification to an 8A classification. VCHS is in the 6A classification.
VCHS is one of six schools in the Northern Six conference, along with 6A Franklinton High School, and four 7A Wake County high schools: East Wake, Heritage, Knightdale and Wake Forest.
WIZS’s Scout Hughes discussed the upcoming season with SportsTalk regulars Doc Ayscue and George Hoyle on Tuesday’s TownTalk. The first game of the season is just one month away, and the trio chatted about this year’s team and the opportunities that lie ahead.
“I’m ready for some football,” Hoyle said, adding that he’s looking forward to the new season and getting off to a strong start in a new conference.
Ayscue said he’s interested in seeing new faces and new names on the field “and how they improve as year goes along – how you start and how you finish,” he said.
Hoyle said that although the team will miss some key contributors from last year, he is hopeful that the Vipers will hold their own in conference play.
The Wake County schools are newer schools, he said. “Hopefully, we’ll be right there with them,” he said of the Vipers’ competitiveness.
WIZS’s longtime game announcer Bill Harris phoned in with a question about how the lack of local teams on the schedule may affect attendance.
“With this schedule, there’s no Oxford Webb, no Louisburg, Bunn,” Harris said that would ordinarily draw local interest.
“Football is a sport that brings a lot of ‘gate,’” he said.
Indeed, J.F. Webb is not on the schedule, but the Vipers are set to play Granville County’s other high school, South Granville, in an away game on Aug. 29.
Ayscue said he hoped Webb would return to the schedule.
Both Granville County high schools are classified as 5A.
The non-conference teams included in this season’s lineup all made the playoffs last year, it was noted.
Hughes said, “Coach Elliott is trying to make them better, more prepared for the post-season” with the schedule that he’s built.
Last year’s regular-season game against Rocky Mount, for example, was a hard-fought battle that ended with a 23-22 W for the Vipers on the road.
Hughes’s prediction: Folks who follow Vance County football are going to be “very excited” about the prospects for this season.
Here’s the complete schedule for the Vance County Vipers football season:
Aug. 22 – Warren County (home)
Aug. 29 – South Granville (away)
Sept. 5 – Jordan (home – Military/First Responders Appreciation Night)
Sept. 12 – Rocky Mount (home – Homecoming)
Sept. 19 – Northeastern (away)
Oct. 3 – Wake Forest (away)
Oct. 10 – Knightdale (away)
Oct. 17 – Heritage (home – Breast Cancer Awareness Night)
Oct. 24 – East Wake (away)
Oct. 31 – Franklinton (home – Senior Night)
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TownTalk: Vance County Friday Night Football A Month Away
/by WIZS StaffThe Vance County Vipers 2025-26 football season kicks off Friday, Aug. 22 with a 7 p.m. home game against non-conference opponent Warren County.
Head Coach Aaron Elliott and his staff are preparing for the upcoming season that puts them in a new conference, thanks to a huge realignment back in March by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. As part of the realignment plan, the NCHSAA expanded from 1A to 4A classification to an 8A classification. VCHS is in the 6A classification.
VCHS is one of six schools in the Northern Six conference, along with 6A Franklinton High School, and four 7A Wake County high schools: East Wake, Heritage, Knightdale and Wake Forest.
WIZS’s Scout Hughes discussed the upcoming season with SportsTalk regulars Doc Ayscue and George Hoyle on Tuesday’s TownTalk. The first game of the season is just one month away, and the trio chatted about this year’s team and the opportunities that lie ahead.
“I’m ready for some football,” Hoyle said, adding that he’s looking forward to the new season and getting off to a strong start in a new conference.
Ayscue said he’s interested in seeing new faces and new names on the field “and how they improve as year goes along – how you start and how you finish,” he said.
Hoyle said that although the team will miss some key contributors from last year, he is hopeful that the Vipers will hold their own in conference play.
The Wake County schools are newer schools, he said. “Hopefully, we’ll be right there with them,” he said of the Vipers’ competitiveness.
WIZS’s longtime game announcer Bill Harris phoned in with a question about how the lack of local teams on the schedule may affect attendance.
“With this schedule, there’s no Oxford Webb, no Louisburg, Bunn,” Harris said that would ordinarily draw local interest.
“Football is a sport that brings a lot of ‘gate,’” he said.
Indeed, J.F. Webb is not on the schedule, but the Vipers are set to play Granville County’s other high school, South Granville, in an away game on Aug. 29.
Ayscue said he hoped Webb would return to the schedule.
Both Granville County high schools are classified as 5A.
The non-conference teams included in this season’s lineup all made the playoffs last year, it was noted.
Hughes said, “Coach Elliott is trying to make them better, more prepared for the post-season” with the schedule that he’s built.
Last year’s regular-season game against Rocky Mount, for example, was a hard-fought battle that ended with a 23-22 W for the Vipers on the road.
Hughes’s prediction: Folks who follow Vance County football are going to be “very excited” about the prospects for this season.
Here’s the complete schedule for the Vance County Vipers football season:
Aug. 22 – Warren County (home)
Aug. 29 – South Granville (away)
Sept. 5 – Jordan (home – Military/First Responders Appreciation Night)
Sept. 12 – Rocky Mount (home – Homecoming)
Sept. 19 – Northeastern (away)
Oct. 3 – Wake Forest (away)
Oct. 10 – Knightdale (away)
Oct. 17 – Heritage (home – Breast Cancer Awareness Night)
Oct. 24 – East Wake (away)
Oct. 31 – Franklinton (home – Senior Night)
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County Employees Donate 650 Pounds Of Food, Personal Care Items To ACIM
/by WIZS Staff— Information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood
Granville County Government employees collected 650 pounds of food and personal care items to benefit Area Congregations in Ministry, the county’s food bank.
The Granville County Board of Elections was recognized for collecting the most donations per employee.
Summer can be especially difficult for food pantries; food insecurity increases with children out of school and donations often slow down. Granville County staff wanted to do their part to help bridge that gap and support neighbors in need.
“We appreciate the generosity of Granville County employees and thank each one that donated for their support,” said ACIM Executive Director Ann Riley. “ACIM has experienced an increase in client registration and truly values the support from our community.”
If you are interested in holding a food drive to support ACIM or supporting their upcoming summer “Backpack Buddies” program, which provides children from food-insecure homes with healthy weekend meals during the school year, reach out to director@acimgranville.org for details on how to get started. Currently, ACIM’s greatest needs are rice, dry beans, peanut butter, jelly, instant potatoes, pasta, pasta sauce, and breakfast items. They accept donations Monday through Friday.
To learn more about ACIM or to donate, visit www.acimgranville.org.
WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 07-22-25 Noon
/by WIZS StaffListen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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Paws & Poses to Benefit Granville County Animals
/by WIZS StaffAn upcoming yoga class planned for Saturday, July 26 at the Oxford Armory Farmers Market is shaping up to be like no other, and the event organizer said there will be some positively adorable pooches wandering among the yoga mats to perhaps meet their future owners.
Annie Drake, a rising senior at Vance Charter School, said ‘Paws and Poses’ is a service project to benefit the Granville County Animal Shelter.
The shelter staff will have numerous adoptable animals on the grounds from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The yoga class will be from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. It’s going to be an interactive yoga session, and participants may find a wet nose or a wagging tail in their face as they stretch and transition from pose to pose.
“My hope was to get some animals adopted out,” Drake said.
“I’ve been wanting to do some sort of service project before I go off to college,” Annie said. “I enjoy being out in the community and helping people -I’ve never done something by myself, that’s all me and says who I am.”
She said she appreciates the help she got early on from her mom, Darcy. “Having her help was great,” she said.
The planning has gone pretty smoothly, but she admits that there are way more details than she thought there’d be. Dr. Bridget Waters of Dabney Drive Animal Hospital has been a big help, too. Annie said she’s been shadowing some of the staff at the local veterinarian’s office to learn more about animals.
Annie’s mom will be the instructor. Register for the class at www.yogaforgoodoxford.com
Even if you don’t sign up for the class, she’s set up a GoFundMe page. And all proceeds go to the Granville County Animal Shelter.
Shelter staff also will have a space to collect donations at the event. They are in need of dog toys and dog food, she said.
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Cooperative Extension with Michael Ellington: Fall Armyworms
/by WIZS StaffMichael Ellington, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
Great Southeast Pollinator Census
www.gsepc.org
Heirs Property Gathering
go.ncsu.edu/vcheirsproperty
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
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SportsTalk: Finishing off the NFC South & NFC West
/by Scout HughesSportsTalk 12:30 p.m. M-Th
Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue finish their NFL Preview by going over the NFC South and the NFC West Divisions.
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TownTalk: Tyler Fleming Ready For What Comes Next
/by WIZS StaffWith freshman year of college under his belt, Tyler Fleming is setting his sights on what’s next for him as he begins to think about returning to Elon University for his sophomore year.
With thoughts of a career in journalism or communications, the Henderson native and 2024 Kerr-Vance Academy graduate has spent the summer with WIZS as an intern and he’s learning first-hand what it takes to run a radio station.
He sat down with WIZS’s Scout Hughes for Monday’s TownTalk segment, and he talked about some short-term and long-term goals.
“My dream job, ambition, goal,” he said, “is to be a motorsports broadcaster.” It’s something that’s always intrigued him, Tyler said, ever since he played with toy cars as a child.
Combine that with learning about cameras, recording audio and video and editing, and he’s got the makings for any number of jobs in the field of journalism or communications.
He’s gotten to work at a local speedway in Alamance County and looks forward to continuing that relationship and strengthening networks for when he’s out of school.
Tyler said he’s gotten to do some video work with the football team through a work-study program and he’s gotten to do some other work with the Elon News Network – “some air-to-tape and a little bit of camera work,” he explained.
Another program called Fresh TV has provided him a way to learn about cameras and other equipment in the studio, learn about the school and make some good friends. They even made a short film, he said.
These skills he’s honing are very transferrable across many aspects of the communications field if the motorsports plan doesn’t pan out.
In the meantime, he’s continuing to get experience at the local speedway, adding recordings of commentaries, interviews and post-race content for his portfolio. gathering recordings from
He’d love to do a Study USA program through Elon that would take him to Charlotte for a semester to learn about sport management and NASCAR.
“In the long run, I’d love to be at a network doing either NASCAR, Indy or even stuff in Europe,” Tyler said. Broadcasting from Daytona, Indianapolis or France’s 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans would be a dream come true.
“That’s the lofty goal for now, but one step at a time,” he said.
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WIZS Radio Henderson Local News 07-21-25 Noon
/by WIZS StaffListen On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Thinning Pines
/by WIZS StaffWayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:
Thinning pines at the correct time will increase the production of your remaining trees.
Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
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Warren County Fan Giveaway For Eligible Seniors Begins Friday, July 25
/by WIZS StaffThe Warren County Senior Center’s Operation Fan Relief will soon be up and running, thanks to a contribution from Kerr-Tar Council of Governments, the Warren County Senior Center has a limited number of box fans for eligible residents.
Beginning Friday, July 25, 2025, the Warren County Senior Center will give away box fans to eligible residents. To be eligible, individuals must be county residents 60 years and older and have a home situation where a threat to health and well-being exists, i.e., no air conditioning.
Individuals who received a fan last year are not eligible. One fan per household, please.
For those meeting criteria, fans can be picked up at the Warren County Senior Center, 435 W. Franklin Street, Warrenton beginning Friday, July 25 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. while the supply lasts.
For more information, contact the Senior Center at 252.257.3111.