Tag Archive for: #VanceCountyHighSchool

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Elliott Pleased With Come Back Win

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20-0.  That was the half time score last Friday night and the score wasn’t in favor of the Vance Co. Vipers.  By the time the whistle blew the Vipers had turned the game around and walked off the field with a 28-27 comeback victory to move to 3-2 on the season.  Head Coach Aaron Elliott attributes the win to players trusting the plan that the coaches had laid out for them.  “We made zero adjustments at half time,” Coach Elliott said.  He felt that if the team would work together they could turn the game around.  “The mood was down and a lot of finger pointing was going on at halftime,” Elliott said.  Coach Elliott said he felt that at halftime that the coaches wanted the win more than the players.

That changed in the second half when Nazir Garrett began to connect on passes in his first game back after a two week absence due to a concussion.  Garrett had struggled in the first half as had the Viper defense but it all worked out for the Vipers as they scored 28 points in the second half.  “It was an emotional win,” Elliott said.  Now the Vipers have a week off before taking on Carrboro on Oct. 30th in the first conference game of the season. Elliott gave his team a couple of days off to enjoy the victory but are now focused on a Carrboro team that Elliott says is better than there record would indicate. The extra week off means that players like Sean Alston, who has been injured will be able to return to the Viper lineup.

You can catch all the action next Friday night, Oct. 30 as Vance Co. takes on Carrboro at Viper Stadium. Airtime on WIZS is 6:50pm with airtime at 7pm.

 

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Elliott And Vipers Prepare To Kickoff 2022 Season

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Twelve midnight!  12:01 a.m. Monday to be exact.  That’s when the Vance Co. Vipers football team will begin the first official practice of the 2022 season.  According to Coach Aaron Elliott, the team is excited about the “midnight madness” practice.  The team will gather around 9 p.m. Sunday to prepare and learn the rules and expectations from Elliott and his coaching staff. “I’ve always wanted to have a midnight practice. I’m super excited,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

“We have a special group of kids. Very mature. They stick together and hold each other accountable,” Elliott said of the 2022 Vipers. Right now Elliott has between 45 and 50 kids. Twenty of those will be on the JV team with the remainder making up the varsity unit. The Vipers have not had a JV team for several years but this season Elliott has re-established the JV team and they will have a full schedule.

Coach Elliott, in his first season, has been building relationships with the Vipers. He has taken them bowling, eaten dinner and brought a water slide to the school. He hopes all of this will add up to the Vipers playing as a team. “Talent and good players don’t necessarily make a great team,” Elliott said, citing the Louisburg Warriors team where he was a coach a few seasons ago. Louisburg went deep in the playoffs that season because of team work not because he had the best talent.  He’s hoping for the same thing to take place with the Vipers.

The Vipers, who made it to the playoffs last season, have a strong core to build around.  Elliott feels the receiver corp, anchored around Israel Terry, is particularly strong and Quarterback Nazir Garrett has also been impressive. Elliott adds the offense is ahead of his expectations.

On August 12th the Vipers will host the annual Jamboree with Cedar Ridge, Western Guilford and Roanoke Rapids participating and then on Friday night, August 19th, the season gets underway against Warren County – a team that Elliott says the Vipers will have to be ready for because the Eagles don’t quit.

You can catch the action all season long on Vance Co. Friday Night Football on WIZS beginning with the Vipers traveling to Warren County to take on the Eagles.

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Vance County High School

Sportstalk: Noel Readies Vipers for Fall Sports

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After 15 seasons of guiding Granville Central as athletic director, Ray Noel has started his first season in that same role with Vance Co. High School. Noel is currently preparing for the upcoming fall sports season. “I’m learning a lot and putting my spin on this,” Noel said on Tuesday’s SportsTalk show on WIZS.

While students are still on summer break, things are starting to happen such as the fall meeting for parents and athletes which takes place this Friday at the high school at 6:30pm. It’s a required meeting for those interested in fall sports and will give student athletes the opportunity to meet coaches and learn more information about playing sports this year.

This time of year Noel is busy preparing for football. The first game is August 19th against Warren County in Warrenton and leading up to that will be the first practice which takes place on August 1st at 12:01am.  It’s a fun and interesting way to get practice started Noel said and should have solid participation.  “We’ve had 45 to 50 kids for football camps,” Noel said.

On Friday, August 12th the annual jamboree will take place at 6pm at the high school and the following Friday the Vipers will tangle with the Warren County Eagles followed by two games at home.

Follow the Vipers all season long on WIZS for Friday Night Football with live play by play which, of course, will begin on Friday night, August 19th at Warren County.

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SportsTalk: Elliott Prepares For First Season As VCHS Football Coach

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Aaron Elliott, the new head football coach for Vance County High School, has had a few days to watch his players during workouts this week. And he’s pretty impressed with what he sees so far, he said on Thursday’s Sports Talk.

Elliott joined Bill Harris, Doc Ayscue and George Hoyle and said he liked the level of leadership the players have shown so far. And he hopes that as the summer continues, the numbers of young people interested in wearing the Vipers uniform will grow.

“My biggest challenge so far has been numbers,” Elliott said. And in between workouts, watching last season’s film and meeting with his coaching staff, Elliott has been spending a lot of time fielding calls from student athletes about possibly returning to the team. He also said he’d heard from almost 20 rising 9th graders who are thinking about playing.

Whether he’s talking to players, prospective players, their parents or his staff, Elliott has spoken consistently about, well, consistency.

“I’m trying to incorporate and bring a philosophy of being consistent,” he said, “gaining trust of players and (others)…that I’m here to stay.”

This is Elliott’s first head coaching job, but he previously had been an assistant with Nash Central High School, and at Louisburg High before that.

He draws from his experience as a line coach to work with others on his staff, some of whom are returning for the upcoming season. “I will be the offensive coordinator and calling the plays,” Elliott said, but added that he would offer additional help wherever it was needed.

The offensive line will be a little young because of several seniors graduating, but the defensive line only lost one player to graduation, and there are several athletes that are at the ready to fill that position. “We should be fairly good defensively,” he said.Without giving away too much from the playbook, Elliott said he plans to run a spread offense with some run-pass options. It’ll be senior QB Nazir Garrett’s responsibility to make good reads, he noted, and to make good decisions about what to do with the football.

And he plans to incorporate special teams into every practice. “To me, special teams is important – you can get turnovers, you can change the momentum of the game” with special teams.

The team will continue with morning workouts Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and participate in a couple of camps over the summer, starting with a camp at N.C. State next Thursday. The first official week is the first week of August, and that’s when the team moves to afternoon practices.

“All in all, these guys are in pretty good shape,” Elliott said. Several players said they’d been working during the off-season, he added. “I wouldn’t say they’re ready to play a football game tomorrow night, but I feel comfortable come August.”

 

SportsTalk: Ray Noel Prepares For AD Position At VCHS

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Ray Noel said he’s looking forward to his new job as athletic director at Vance County High School, but right now, he’s focused on his closing out the school year at Granville Central High School, where he will still be athletic director until the end of June.

July 1 marks his first day in Vance County, and Noel said he’s excited about the new opportunity.

When his teams faced Vance County High School’s teams, Noel said he noticed how close and tight-knit the community seemed to be.

He told David “Doc” Harris, Bill Harris and John C. Rose on Monday’s Sports Talk that really made a lasting impression on him.

“I’d see the turnouts for sports in Vance County,” he said, adding that he looks forward to being part of an athletic program that receives such positive support.

But Noel said he values his 15 years at Granville Central High School – he took a job there upon graduation from Averett University – and will miss the relationships that he has developed with staff during his time there.

Noel takes over the AD position from Joe Sharrow, who announced in April that he would be leaving VCS, took the AD position at Jordan High School in Durham.

“I hope to continue the success that Mr. Sharrow had and take it to the next level if we can,” Noel said.

It’s important for student athletes to be recognized for their efforts, Noel said, and there are a number of athletes at VCHS who will get a lot of attention on social media and elsewhere for their accomplishments in sports.

But, he acknowledged, not everybody who plays high school sports makes it to the next level of sports. Quality, stable athletic programs are important to help students be successful after high school, he said. “We want them to be good men and women out in the job force,” Noel said.

 

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Vance County High School

Noel Named AD For VCHS, Trades Panthers For Vipers

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Vance County Schools has named Raymond Noel, a lifelong resident of the area, as the new athletic director for Vance County High School. Noel is a 2002 graduate of J.F. Webb High School in Oxford, where he played football and ran track and field.

He continued his education at Averett University, where he played football and

served as a student assistant for the school’s basketball program.

In 2007, Noel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and a minor in coaching.

Noel’s career immediately took off following graduation as he became the assistant football and basketball coach at Granville Central High School. He also served as the Driver’s Education

Instructor.

In 2015, he took on the head coaching position for the women’s basketball team and, in 2017, became the athletic director, during which time he led athletic teams to multiple-season victories through innovative training strategies. Noel earned his Certified Athletic Administrators Certificate through the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

VCHS Principal Rey Horner said he welcomes Noel to the school and the district. “We are excited that Mr. Noel will be joining our district. We know his experience and dedication to athletics will continue to help our Viper programs flourish.”

Noel and his wife, Michelle, live in Granville County with their son, Blake.

Noel will start work in VCS on July 1, 2022.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to lead athletics at Vance County High School,” Noel said in a written statement.
“Thanks to Mr. Horner and the administration for this opportunity. GO VIPERS!”

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Head For State Playoffs

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Dixon High School in Onslow County will be taking to the road for their first round state playoff softball matchup against the Vance Co. Vipers.  The Vipers have had a long road as well but not because of travel. The team, coached by Jordan Garrett Wilder, got off to a slow start but built momentum as the season as moved along. At one point the Vipers put together a five game winning streak finishing the regular season with an 8-6 record overall and 7-2 in the conference finishing second to South Granville.  The game, which will be played in Henderson, is scheduled to start at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon.

“We are hoping for a good practice and be ready for tomorrow’s game,” Wilder said.  The final regular season game was to have happened Friday night but was canceled due to the weather. An extra day off may help the Vipers to be ready for the contest against Dixon.

Wilder said her seniors, such as Madison Ayscue and Jasmine Richardson, have been a big reason why the Vipers have been successful this season. “She can play anywhere you put her,” Wilder said of Richardson. She not only leads the team in batting average but also has 15 stolen bases to her credit this year.  Richardson’s ability to play anywhere will help the Vipers tomorrow as the team suffered an injury in a game last week against South Granville when an infielder got cleated and will miss 10 days.

Seniors are not the only reason the Vipers qualified for the playoffs.  Wilder also spoke of the success that sophomore pitcher Blake Vick has had this year. Vick has racked up over 100 strike outs this season.

Wilder said the team’s slow start was due to some players  never having played the sport but she was looking for athletes that could grasp the rules and the game.  She and her staff have taken those players and crafted them into a winning program. One that is getting noticed too.  Even the coaches at South Granville told Wilder the Vipers are heading in the right direction.

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Sharrow Stepping Down; Looks Back Over Four Years Of VCHS Athletics

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UPDATED: 4/8/22 at 6:30 p.m.

On Friday, April 8, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director of Vance County High School Joe Sharrow announced via his personal Facebook page that he was stepping down from his position. Just the day prior, Sharrow joined WIZS SportsTalk to reflect on the first four years of VCHS as an institution.  His announcement and the story written of his memories of recent years continues below.

If there were five highlights from the past four years in your job or profession what would they be? This question was asked of Vance County High School’s Assistant Principle and Athletic Director on Thursday’s SportsTalk. He didn’t waste anytime coming up with those five things either. Sharrow’s first highlight was the Vipers’ 2018 men’s and women’s basketball season. “That was a turning point at bringing the school together,” Sharrow said. 2018 was the first season after the consolidation of Northern and Southern Vance high schools. Both girls and boys won a conference championship that year and made a strong run in the playoffs.  “It was a special season,” according to Sharrow.

The second highlight to make the list was being able to work with basketball coach Wilton Baskett for his final two seasons. Baskett won his 400th game while coaching at Vance County High School. “He was two steps ahead of everyone,” Sharrow said of Baskett.

Sharrow’s third highlight was the football team. While the Viper’s have had ups and downs on the gridiron, Sharrow points to the team making the playoffs two of the last three seasons. “We are looking to get over that next hump,” Sharrow said. That next hump would be a victory against Southern Durham, which has been the best team in the conference. The Vipers already have the game circled on next season’s football schedule.

Fourth on Sharrow’s list is Amani Foster. She started her high school volleyball career at Northern Vance and finished at Vance County as the holder of four state records including the all time leader in kills. She is the only volleyball player in the state to ever reach 2000 kills. “She is a once in a generation player,” Sharrow said.

Lastly on the list was the Viper’s victory over an undefeated South Granville softball team who were coming off a championship run.

Sharrow also gave an honorable mention of sorts to the volleyball team’s 2018 playoff win against East Duplin which was the school’s first ever playoff win in any sport.

In addition to working as athletic director, Sharrow also is an assistant principal. Being in that position has allowed Sharrow to work on the bigger picture for Vance County High School such as organizing the Weights and Conditioning classes that helps athletes. “We have more kids in the weight room now than anytime in the last ten years,” Sharrow said.  As an assistant principal he is able to help athletes with the NCAA Clearing House and help them prepare for an atletic career at the college level.

Sharrow also says he has a dream of establishing a Vance County Sports Hall of Fame. Sharrow said if that were to happen Amani Foster would be one who should be recognized as Sharrow called Foster “The greatest athlete to ever come from Vance County.”

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance High School Begins Search For New Football Coach

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Last season saw the Vance Co. High School Vipers football team reach the state playoffs and were looking to more great seasons with Coach Wilbur Pender at the controls but that all changed this week with the announcement that Pender is retiring from education to spend more time with his family.  The school’s athletic director, Joe Sharrow, said players and everyone at the school was shocked and disappointed at Pender’s decision but understood his need to spend more time with his family.

It’s been the same story the last several seasons at Vance Co. High School as the last four coaches have stayed one season before moving on to another school, or in Pender’s case, retiring.  Sharrow did say that because of the football team’s success finding a new coach will be somewhat easier this off season and they hope to have someone in place before the school year is out. “There is interest from high level coaches,” Sharrow said.  “We want someone who is the right fit who will commit themselves and who will stick around,” Sharrow continued. “Where are the Wilton Basketts, the Randy Long’s, the Dave Jennings, or the Mark Perry’s?” Sharrow asked, referencing previous coaches who spent many years in their positions at Northern and Southern Vance and Vance Co. High School.

And while the school’s football program has had success this past season Sharrow is looking for a coach to build on that success. The school’s athletic programs are still recovering from the pandemic and struggled to find enough students to field teams which is only now returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Sharrow says he is now just building a team to search for the new coach which will include Principal Rey Horner. Sharrow also said the players will be consulted.  They will give him feedback on what has worked for them with previous coaches and with any luck Sharrow and his search team will find someone who is qualified and will commit to continuing to improve the Vance County Vipers football program.

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance Co. Vipers Hoping For Wins To Make Playoffs

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The state high school basketball playoffs are just around the corner and despite only having a 5-11 record on the season, Vance Co. High School Athletic Director Joe Sharrow thinks the Vipers have a good shot at getting in.  Sharrow was a guest on today’s SportsTalk with Trey Snide.

Sharrow knows that it will take a few more wins and those wins have to start with tonight’s game against Northern Lakes Conference rival Durham School of the Arts who are 3-17 on the season. While 5-11 against 3-17 might not look like much Sharrow says records are misleading, “The Northern Lakes Conference is a Murderer’s Row,” Sharrow said. Case in point, Vance County beat Southern Durham in what Sharrow calls the best win in school history to only lose to them in a second game a few days later.

Sharrow acknowleges the Vipers got off to a slow start but he says key injuries played a role and now that the Vipers are healthy he expects the team to be strong going into the final weeks of the season.

There won’t be much time to rest after tonight’s game as the Vipers will welcome J.F. Webb to Henderson tomorrow night for senior night.  J.F. Webb won the previous matchup in Oxford on a last second shot 57-54. Sharrow says if the Vipers can win tonight and tomorrow they will likely make the state playoffs.  If they drop one of these two games it will take a run in the conference tournament to get in.

The conference tournament will take place Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of next week.