Victor Hunt, Warren County High School Head Football Coach, discusses Friday Night’s game against Vance County.
Friday Night Football is right around the corner with Vance County traveling to Warren County on August 23rd. This county-line clash between Vance and Warren is sure to be a good game. Teams from Vance County and teams from Warren County have played each other over 60 times, going as far back as 1979 when Vance Senior High took on John Graham, and maybe even further than that.*
Coach Victor Hunt and his Eagles squad prepare to host the Vipers in the first matchup of the season. Even though the Vipers and Eagles aren’t in the same conference, that doesn’t stop the game from producing a wild atmosphere. “With it (both high schools) being in such close quarters, it’s definitely a great game for both communities”, Coach Hunt said.
There are many ways teams prepare for seasons and Hunt thinks that this offseason in particular has helped them tremendously through all the Eagles have done over the summer. “This year, with us getting out of school in May, we were able to do a lot in the month of June. We went to a team camp at Ferrum College, which I think will pay dividends for our guys…We went against multiple 5A schools (from Virginia)…We went to a team camp at North Carolina Wesleyan. We went to multiple seven-on-seven’s and joint things with Louisburg High School. We were able to compete against a lot of different people this summer. I think that will pay dividends for us, in this game and throughout the whole season.”
Warren County looks to make the playoffs for the fourth year in a row and Coach Hunt believes that this is a trend now for his team. He said, “Making the playoffs has definitely become the standard here. That’s a measuring stick for us. We want to make runs in the playoffs. Making the playoffs is great but getting it to that third round, that fourth round is where we ultimately want to be…now it’s time for us to turn the corner and get into those later rounds and see what happens.”
Hailing from the Tar-Roanoke Conference, Warren County is a 1A school, the lowest classification in North Carolina. (Classifications are determined by school enrollment.) Even with Warren being a 1A school, Hunt says he had a good turnout for football. “We had a pretty good turnout. Right now we’re probably sitting at about 45, close to 50 kids. It’s for sure the most kids that we’ve had since covid…We have about nine seniors, so most of these kids are younger guys. I’m thrilled with the turnout.”
Coach Hunt and the Eagles have already taken a look at Vance County. “We (Hunt and his Coaching Staff) got a chance to see them against Jordan High School,” referring to the High School OT jamboree at Wake Forest High School this past Saturday. “They (Vance County) are a good football team. It’s a David vs. Goliath matchup. They are a 3A school…they have some kids on their team that are really great. On paper, they are a really good program. They went undefeated last year in the regular season. You know, on paper they are really, really good. I just thank God that football is played on grass and not on paper.”
Based on earlier radio interviews with Vance County Head Coach Aaron Elliott, he is excited to get the season started and ready to get on the field. Eagles Coach Victor Hunt shares that excitement. “I’m extremely excited. I love the opportunity to compete. I’m a competitor. Our kids are competitive and that’s what practice has been like all summer. It’s been outright competitive…every time we get an opportunity to lace ‘em up, and go against somebody in a different color jersey, I am thrilled about it.”
Vance County travels to Warren County for Week 1 of the 2024 season this Friday, August 23rd 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.
*Records of Vance County Football and Warren County Football found at carolinapreps.com
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