According to an email sent to WIZS from Vance County High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Joe Sharrow, the JV, women’s varsity and boy’s varsity games scheduled between the Vipers and Southern Durham for Friday, January 14 have been postponed until Wednesday, February 2. The games will be played at their usual time on February 2 – JV at 4:30 p.m., Women’s Varsity at 6pm and Boy’s Varsity at 7:30 p.m.
There’s a Brad Paisley song called The Last Time for Everything. He’s singing about the last high school football game and the last dance. Perhaps he should write a song about the first time for everything. Aniyah Miller might be able to help him with that. Miller is the first varsity female wrestler in the history of Vance Co. High School. Because of this achievement, she was named WIZS Female Player of the Week by Trey Snide host of SportsTalk on WIZS.
Miller was a guest on today’s show and said that as a child she was rough as a kid which led her into wrestling at the middle school level. At first, she didn’t want to be involved in the wrestling program at the high school level but had a change of heart.
When asked about what it’s like to wrestle men during matches she said, “At first men try not to be so touchy but by round 2 they get rough.” She said wrestling is a great sport but the practice and learning the moves can be hard. “It’s not about who’s stronger,” Miller added.
Vance Co. High School Athletic Director Joe Sharrow said “We’re really excited that she’s a part of the team. She represents the school well.” Sharrow also commented that Miller is breaking the glass ceiling for female athletes at Vance Co. High School.
The Northern Lakes 2A/3A Athletic Conference has announced All-Conference awards for football, volleyball, cross-country and men’s soccer. Several local student-athletes have been honored for their athletic accomplishments. For football Vance County High School’s Omari Allen was named Lineman of the Year as well as All Conference. Other Vance County High All Conference players were Isman Alston, Davion Vines Holder, Israel Terry, Taeshawn Alston and Nazir Garrett. Carl Stephens III, Nathaniel Durham and Chris Jones were honorable mentions. Granville Central won the sportsmanship award and Ashton Applewhite and Trenton Harrington received all conference honors with Corey Baird, Ryan Johnson and Isaiah Sasser receiving honorable mentions. South Granville’s Malachi Batchelor, Khawan Bobbit, Neo Hunter, Ian Lipsey and Micah Wilkerson were named to the all-conference team and JF Webb’s Javon Bullock, Ikeem Hunt and Jaheim Hartsfield also made the all-conference team with Kaelen Smith, Logan Bowen and Alex Bridges receiving honorable mentions.
For Volleyball, Courtney Williams of JF Webb took player of the year honors with Granville Central winning the sportsmanship award. All Conference players for JF Webb, in addition to Williams, were Chapman Burnette, Megan Newton, Carly McGhee and Hailey Cowan with Terri Sanford and LaShawnti Howard receiving honorable mentions. South Granville’s Samantha Piotrowski, Megan Ellis and Madison Staton made the all-conference team with Destini Bland receiving an honorable mention. Vance County High School’s Jalea Taylor was the only Viper to make the volleyball all conference team. Granville Central also only had one all-conference player, Alexa Riley with Hannah Lynch and Ayani Bagley receiving honorable mentions.
In Cross-Country, Vance County High School won the Sportmanship Award. Boy’s all-conference runners were Lane Prochaska and Derek Morales from Granville Central while Nataly Diluccia, also of Granville Central, was named to the girl’s cross-country all-conference team.
In Men’s soccer, Granville Central received the Sportsmanship award with Timothy King Navez, Jeffery Castro and Kevin Rios all representing the school on the all-conference team. Connor Rice and Terrance Alston represented JF Webb. Jason Carroll and Carter Scott, from South Granville and Fernando Martinez Zuniga and Waseem Hadi of Vance Co. High School rounded out the local players on the men’s soccer all conference team.
Vance Charter School’s Men’s soccer team also received awards from their conference: Matthew Breedlove was named Co-keeper of the year. Hagan Hill, Ryan Parker, Jacob Seaman and Wyatt Yount were all named to the all-conference team with honorable mentions going to Braydan Earnhardt, Christian Lopez and Davis Suther. Vance Charter also received the sportsmanship award.
Congratulations to all of the players on their accomplishments this year.
A team of theater arts students at Vance County High School won first place in a statewide video contest sponsored by the N.C. School Boards Association.
Board of Education Chair Linda Cobb and board member Ruth Hartness recently accepted the award on behalf of VCHS.
Teacher Samantha Campbell and her theater arts class produced the video, titled
Each year, the NCSBA gives a theme upon which school districts develop the video, according to Aarika Sandlin, director of communication & marketing for VCS.
“Vance County High School theater art students were up to the challenge and worked together to create a video that encompassed the theme, but also elements of our district,” Sandlin told WIZS via email. We are elated that our theater arts class has once again come out on top! Ms. Campbell’s class developed an idea and worked together to make it come to life. We are elated that our theater arts class has once again come out on top!” she added.
The students’ video was among 31 videos submitted. VCHS has brought home top honors in 2018 and 2019, Sandlin noted.
The video borrows from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and features a parent struggling to decide whether public schools can overcome challenges, from integration to COVID-19. She is visited by ghosts of education past, present and future before making her decision. The video is 1:34 minutes long and uses silent-movie techniques of mood-setting music and alternating script and film to create a vintage feel. In the end, the parent, Yvonne Vance, makes her decision about her daughter’s education.
Wilbur Pender was hired as Vance County High School’s head football coach only four weeks before the season started, and the team’s season was disrupted for two weeks due to Covid but none of that really mattered as the Vipers posted a 7-3 record this season making it to the state playoffs. They lost in the first round 48-6 to Westover High School in Fayetteville. Pender says that game, “Let us know where we are, I saw a lot of deficiencies show up.”
The Vipers, according to Pender, are a close team but, “We just didn’t play good enough to win that game. I hate to say it but the best team won,” Pender added. Looking back on the season Pender said the Vipers did their best to control what they could control, and he tried to give his team the best chance at a positive outcome.
While losing seniors like Omari Allen, who will be moving on to East Carolina next season, Pender says there will be a good group of players returning and he is encouraging his players to play other sports that will help make them better athletes when next season begins.
He expects to continue to grow the program at Vance County and would like to see a rebuild of the Jay-Vee program which, because of the pandemic, did not happen this year.
Burnout was a concern for Vance County Head Football Coach Wilbur Pender. With the 2020 season getting moved to the spring of 2021 due to Covid and then right back on the field in August it was a valid concern for the Viper’s coaching staff. Vance County was up to the challenge for the most part finishing with a 7-2 regular season record and 4-1 in the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference which put them second behind Southern Durham and good enough to put the team into the playoffs.
Vance County will be on the road tomorrow night as they head to Fayetteville to play the 8th seeded Westover Wolverines who bring an 8-1 record to the contest. The Wolverines have a strong passing and running game and will give the Vipers all they can handle. “Hopefully, we can put it all together,” said Coach Pender Thursday on SportsTalk with Trey Snide. “Being in the top 32 teams in the state is an honor but not where we want to be,” added Pender who hopes the Vipers can advance further than just the first round. “Playoff football is the expectation but, we don’t want to get bounce early,” Pender said of the Viper’s playoff hopes.
While players like Nazir Garrett, Dave Vines-Holder and Carl Stephens got much of the attention this season Coach Pender also singled out Omari Allen, Nate Durham and Jasir Gamble, all linemen, for their excellent play this season. They will need all of them and then some if they hope to get past the Wolverines.
The Vance Co. Friday Night Football broadcast can heard on WIZS 1450am, 100.1fm and on wizs.com beginning immediately after the Joy Christian Center Broadcast at approximately 6:50pm. Trey Snide and Doc Ayscue will have all of the action from Fayetteville tomorrow night.
According to Joe Sharrow, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Vance County High School, tonight’s (Oct. 29) scheduled football game between Vance County and J. F. Webb has been canceled. J. F. Webb has forfeited the game. This is the second game this year Webb has forfeited. A game against Franklinton earlier this season suffered the same fate. No reason was given for the cancellation and forfeit. Vance County will now play in the state playoffs beginning next week. The opponent for the first round playoff matchup has yet to be determined.
Shocked is the word Vance County High School Head Football Coach Wilbur Pender used to describe his and his coaching staff’s reaction to the 48-0 loss to Southern Durham last Friday night. “We knew it was going to be a mountain climbing experience,” Pender said. “We didn’t make enough plays and put our defense in bad situations,” Pender added about the Viper’s performance. Despite the great week of practice the Vipers just couldn’t get the job done against Southern Durham. “It was the perfect storm for them and a great learning experience for us,” Pender said in summation of the loss.
Even with that loss Pender feels that the Vipers have been better than expected and that he’s put a good product on the field. He’ll need it tomorrow night for the final regular season game against J. F. Webb in Oxford. The Warriors feature Javon Bullock who has torched defenses for over 1200 yards this season and the Vipers will have to shut him down and play better offense to walk off the field with a victory. With playoffs looming for the Vipers a victory against the Warriors to wrap up the regular season will add some momentum going into round one of those playoffs next week.
“We don’t win future games from what we did in the past,” were the words of Vance Co. High School football coach Wilbur Pender when discussing the Viper’s upcoming matchup with Carrboro. The Vipers are coming off a 21-20 victory last week over Northern Durham and are looking to open their conference schedule against Carrboro with a win.
Pender said the team has had a great week of practice and said the team is back in rhythm after a two week lay off due to a Covid exposure. The effects of the layoff are quickly fading and preparation for Carrboro is the key to a victory Friday night. “If we don’t prepare well, we won’t play well,” said Pender.
The Vipers are looking to clamp down on the mistakes made last week. Six penalties in the first quarter against Northern Durham eliminated two touchdowns but Coach Pender was impressed that they were able to overcome those mistakes. “We kept fighting and chipping away,” Coach Pender said. That included two big 4th down conversion late in the game to allow the Vipers to overcome a Northern Durham lead.
Carrboro is an improving team with a strong rushing game and Pender says that the Vipers have been working on getting players to the ball, gang tackling and making sure they have the fundamentals down.
The Vipers play Carrboro at 7 o’clock Friday night. You can hear the game on WIZS beginning at the conclusion of the Joy Christian Center broadcast at approximately 6:45 tomorrow evening.
