Tag Archive for: #highschoolfootball

SportsTalk: Vipers Head To Wendell for Friday Night

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Vance County 48

East Wake 19

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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Building on some positive statistics from last week’s Homecoming game against the Heritage Huskies, Vance County Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott is feeling optimistic as he and his staff prepare for Friday’s away game against the East Wake Warriors.

Although the Vipers were handed a loss last week, Elliott told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle that he was pleased with the rushing yards – 286 – and the most points on the board – 33. – that the Vipers put up.

“We did a lot of things that we knew we could do – we just hadn’t done it yet,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

Last week’s game plan stuck with the X’s and O’s used in previous games, but the coaching staff decided to move junior Harry Cheek to the backfield after watching him in recent practices. Cheek, who’d had three carries up until last week, rushed for 160 yards against the Huskies.

Elliott said this week’s practice has been one of the best all season, and he said the players are playing with more confidence as a result of their level of play last week.

As the season winds down, Elliott said these last games are key if the Vipers have a hope at making the playoffs.

“If we can get our defense playing like we know they can, get the defense dialed in” and more focused, Elliott said there’s a shot. The team has worked on ball control and ball security this week.

As Elliott reviewed the stats from last week, he said one thing caught his eye – “we held Heritage to 10 third downs. That’s big.”

He and the coaching staff have emphasized to the team this week that they need to win first and third downs to stay competitive on the field.

The Warrior’s offense seems to be a balance of run and throw, Elliott said, but “they’ve got a mobile quarterback that we’ve got to contain.” The defense needs to keep him in the pocked and keep pressure on him.

Despite the disappointing 1-7 record, Elliott said his team doesn’t quit. “We don’t quit. We don’t give up,” he said. “My hats off to them. They play hard to the end.”

Week 10 High School Football Games in our Area:

  • Vance County (1-7, 0-3 N6C) @ East Wake (3-5, 1-2 N6C)
  • Franklinton (6-2, 2-1 N6C) vs. Wake Forest (4-4, 3-0 N6C)
  • Heritage (3-5, 2-1 N6C) vs. Knightdale (2-6, 1-2 N6C)
  • J.F. Webb (6-2) vs. Seaforth (4-4)
  • South Granville (3-5) @ Orange (1-7)
  • Warren County (7-1) @ KIPP Pride (8-0)
  • Louisburg (8-0) @ Bunn (6-2)
  • Wake Prep (4-3) vs. Nash Central (2-6)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-7) @ George Washington-Danville, VA (6-1)

Vance County travels to East Wake High School for Week 10 of the 2025 season on Friday, October 24th 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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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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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County Football Week 7 Recap

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the weekend that was with Vance County’s football game against Wake Forest, 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 7:

  • Wake Forest 53 Vance County 0
  • Franklinton 23 Knightdale 19
  • East Wake 34 Heritage 28 2OT
  • J.F. Webb 37 Carrboro 7
  • South Granville 48 Cedar Ridge 0
  • Warren County 49 Southeast Halifax 0
  • Louisburg 16 Nash Central 15
  • Bunn 41 ALA-Johnston 15
  • Wake Prep 27 Roanoke Rapids 14
  • Halifax County, VA 29 Mecklenburg County, VA 14

Area College Football Scores for Week 6:

  • Clemson 38 North Carolina 10
  • Duke 45 California 21
  • North Carolina State 56 Campbell 10
  • Wake Forest 30 Virginia Tech 23
  • Virginia 30 Louisville 27 OT
  • South Florida 54 Charlotte 26
  • App State 27 Oregon State 23
  • Georgia Military College 69 Louisburg College 14

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SportsTalk: Vance County Football starts conference play on Friday

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Wake Forest 53

Vance County 0

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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With five games behind them, the Vance County Vipers are headed to Wake Forest Friday to take on the Wake Forest Cougars. Both teams are 1-4, and Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said he expects the Cougars are hungry for a win, just like his guys.

The Vipers are coming off a bye week, and Elliott told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle Thursday that having a few extra days to prepare was a good thing. Plus, it gave his team a little extra time to get over some injuries.

In fact, Elliott said Friday’s matchup will mark – knock on wood –  the first time all season that everybody’s fully healthy when they take the field at Trentini Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Although the last four games have resulted in losses for the Vipers, Elliott said he’s confident that facing those tough non-conference teams will pay off now that conference play is on the doorstep.

He borrowed a term he heard another analyst use and called the Vipers at this point in the season “battle tested.”

Two teams in the conference with better records than the Vipers include Franklinton High at 4-1 and East Wake at 2-3. Elliott takes it in stride. “None of those teams have played a Jordan. None of those teams has played a Northeastern,” he said.

Leading in to Friday’s game, Elliott said he and his team are excited about conference play. “We’ve talked to the kids about how our non-conference was going set us up to be ready for the conference. We’re excited to see what we can do and how much better we’ve gotten since day 1.

One of the keys to the game will be playing disciplined football, Elliott said. What he’s talking about is each player doing his job. “If each person does his job, offensively and defensively, and plays to their capability, I think we’ll be fine.”

As for the Wake Forest Cougars, Elliott said they’re a good team and are well coached. They look good offensively and defensively are pretty sound as well.

Wake Forest Head Coach Reggie Lucas, Elliott said, “knows the game of football and does a good job of coaching his guys up.”

Going head to head against teams with coaches like Lucas helps Elliott and his staff figure out what they need to work on and improve upon.

“It challenges us as coaches as well,” he said. “A lot of times you can be out-coached – and it happens…being able to see good coaches like that and coach against them – it’s fun. And we learn a lot – coaches and players alike.”

Area High School Football Games for Week 7:

  • Vance County (1-4) @ Wake Forest (1-4)
  • Franklinton (4-1) vs. Knightdale (1-4)
  • Heritage (1-4) @ East Wake (2-3)
  • J.F. Webb (3-2) vs. Carrboro (0-5)
  • South Granville (1-4) vs. Cedar Ridge (1-4)
  • Warren County (4-1) vs. Southeast Halifax (4-1)
  • Louisburg (5-0) @ Nash Central (1-4)
  • Bunn (3-2) @ ALA-Johnston (4-2)
  • Wake Prep (3-2) vs. Roanoke Rapids (1-4)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-4) @ Halifax County, VA (2-3)

Vance County travels to Wake Forest High School for Week 7 of the 2025 season on Friday, October 3rd 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 at 7:00 p.m.

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SportsTalk: Football Recap from the Weekend

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the weekend that was with all the football that happened.

High School Football Scores from Week 6:

  • J.F. Webb 34 Northwest Halifax 20
  • Warren County 48 Roanoke Rapids 7
  • Louisburg 41 Carrboro 0
  • Bunn 6 Beddingfield 0
  • Bassett, VA 28 Mecklenburg County, VA 16

College Scores for our area in Week 5:

  • Duke 38 Syracuse 3
  • Virginia Tech 23 NC State 21
  • Georgia Tech 30 Wake Forest 29 OT
  • Virginia 46 Florida State 38 2OT
  • East Carolina 28 Army 6
  • Boise State 47 App State 14
  • NC Central 50 East Texas A&M 42

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SportsTalk: High School Football Games this Friday

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With Vance County, and many others on a bye week, Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue talk about the high school, college and pro football games happening this weekend!

High School Games this week:

  • J.F. Webb (2-2) vs. Northwest Halifax (3-1)
  • Warren County (3-1) vs. Roanoke Rapids (1-3)
  • Louisburg (4-0) @ Carrboro (0-4)
  • Bunn (2-2) @ Beddingfield (1-3)
  • Wake Prep (3-2) @ Washington County (2-2)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-3) vs. Bassett, VA (2-2)

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Football Week 5 Recap

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap Vance County’s football game against Northeastern last Friday. The guys also talk about other games that happened in high school, college and the NFL.

High School Scores for Week 5:

  • Northeastern 40 Vance County 8
  • Franklinton 35 Riverside Durham 7
  • Hillside Durham 20 Wake Forest 7
  • Holly Springs 23 Heritage 7
  • Knightdale 38 South Granville 35
  • Cary 38 East Wake 20
  • Warren County 28 Nash Central 8
  • Louisburg 23 Beddingfield 18
  • Wake Prep 48 North Edgecombe 0
  • Greensville County (VA) 14 Mecklenburg County (VA) 13

College Scores for Week 4:

  • Central Florida 34 North Carolina 9
  • Duke 45 NC State 33
  • Virginia 48 Stanford 20
  • Virginia Tech 38 Wofford 6
  • BYU 34 East Carolina 13
  • Rice 28 Charlotte 17
  • NC Central 62 NC A&T 20
  • Louisburg College 27 Sussex County CC 9

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SportsTalk: Vipers face off against Northeastern for Friday Matchup

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Northeastern 40

Vance County 8

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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The Vance County Vipers are on the road Friday to face the Northeastern High School Eagles in Elizabeth City.

Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said he and Northeastern Head Coach Antonio Moore have known each other for awhile, and he expects a good matchup.

The 1-3 Vipers, however, are right where Elliott wants them to be as they get ready for conference play.

In preparing for the Eagles, Elliott said this week’s practice has been good. “We’ve had another good week. I really feel like the kids have bought in,” he said. Using data and statistics from the first four games, Elliott and the coaching staff have shown the players how they’ve improved week over week.

“They want to get better, so that’s a positive,” Elliott said.

In last week’s game against Rocky Mount, Elliott said he saw definite improvement. The Vipers had their biggest game on offense so far – a “plus” in the coach’s view, thanks in part to an improved passing game.

“We knew that we had a passing game, we just were waiting for the right time for it to click, Elliott said.

The Vipers’ coaching staff is keen to keep everybody healthy come conference time, and Friday’s game with Northeastern is the last non-conference matchup before the conference games kick in.

If the Vipers can get a couple of stops and get its offense rolling, Elliott said he thinks things will go well Friday.

The Eagles’ quarterback is a real weapon for the Eagles to be aware of. “After Week 4, he’s still the number one quarterback in the state as far as passing,” Elliott said. “They throw the ball real well, so we’ve worked on being able to cover and work on our defensive coverage.” They’ll run when they have to, but ultimately “they like to throw the football and take advantage of what you give them.”

With four games under their belts, the Vipers need to play four quarters of football to put some games in the W column. Elliott said they played a good first half against Rocky Mount but couldn’t keep the momentum going after halftime.

But Elliott isn’t fazed by his team’s record. “We set up this schedule to be tested,” Elliott said. “Getting tested before conference play is important to us. I’ve been telling my guys, we won’t face another team as good as Jordan. We’ve seen the best of the best.”

 

Vance County travels to Northeastern High School for Week 5 of the 2025 season on Friday, September 19th 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 at 7:00 p.m.

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SportsTalk: Northeastern HS Eagles Host Vance County Vipers Friday Night

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The Vance County Vipers travel to Elizabeth City Friday to play the Northeastern High School Eagles. The Vipers will have a lot of time to think about the 7 p.m. matchup against the 3-1 Eagles – it’s close to a three-hour drive to get to Pasquotank County, tucked up in the northeast corner of the state about 30 miles from the Virginia border.

That’s where Head Coach Antonio Moore is from, it’s where he played college football and that’s where he’s stayed to teach and coach.

Moore told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue Wednesday that he’s familiar with teams from Vance County, and he’s positive they’ll come ready to play.

The Eagles have a pretty good quarterback, junior Zak Ishman. “He’s one of the leaders in the state in passing,” Moore said on SportsTalk. The team also has a good D-Line and a host of receivers. “I’m really excited about this team,” he added.

Coming off a win last week, Moore said the team has had one of the best weeks of practice this season to get ready for the 1-3 Vipers.

He and his coaching staff have been preparing the team for the physical game that he said the Vipers will bring.

“They’re very physical, athletic, had a lot of enthusiasm on the sidelines,” Moore said of Vance County teams he’s faced in the past. “The kids play extremely hard. I don’t expect anything less Friday night.”

His team must limit turnovers and penalties if they are to come out with a victory, Moore said. “Our penalties have been off the charts lately.”

Moore said the Eagles’ loss to D.H. Conley a couple of weeks ago may have been just what the team needed to begin creating its own identity. The Eagles lost 22 seniors from last year’s team and had not lost a regular-season game since 2022.

“I think that loss did it for us,” he said. “I’m kinda grateful for that loss. We’re in a good place right now.”

 

Vance County travels to Northeastern High School for Week 5 of the 2025 season on Friday, September 19th 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 at 7:00 p.m.

 

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County Football Week 4 Recap

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap Vance County’s Week 4 game vs. Rocky Mount, as well as some of the other high school games in our area. The guys also talk about the college and NFL games that happened over the weekend.

High School Scores from Week 4:

  • Rocky Mount 41 Vance County 14
  • Louisburg 28 Franklinton 8
  • Wake Forest 42 Wakefield 7
  • Burlington Williams 24 Heritage 0
  • Sanderson 42 Knightdale 39
  • East Wake 28 Bunn 26
  • J.F. Webb 28 Eden Morehead 0
  • Warren County 13 South Granville 6
  • Wake Prep 49 ALA-Johnston 14
  • Amherst County (VA) 19 Mecklenburg County (VA) 0

College Scores around the area in Week 3:

  • NC State 34 Wake Forest 24
  • North Carolina 41 Richmond 6
  • Tulane 34 Duke 27
  • Virginia 55 William & Mary 16
  • Old Dominion 45 Virginia Tech 26 
  • ECU 38 Coastal Carolina 0
  • Charlotte 42 Monmouth 35
  • Southern Miss 38 App State 22
  • North Carolina Central 49 Fayetteville State 19
  • Louisburg College 38 Hudson Valley CC 10

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