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SportsTalk: Vipers Ready for Senior Night

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Franklinton 44

Vance County 13

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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With a conference win under their belts and looking for a second win on Senior Night Friday, the Vance County Vipers may be peaking at just the right time. A focus on the basics – no turnovers and winning on first and third downs – is what Head Coach Aaron Elliott said will propel the Vipers to a victory, and most likely mean post-season play for the Vipers.

A win Friday against the Red Rams would secure a spot in the playoffs, Elliott predicted. But it’s a game the Vipers must win.

“The kids want it,” Elliott said of a win against Franklinton. “They see the success we’re starting to have – we’re playing good football at the right time.”

Coming off a 48-19 win over East Wake last week, Elliott told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle that his team has had a great practice week, despite the soggy conditions.

“I think the kids really see what they can do,” he said on Thursday’s segment of SportsTalk. “The last two weeks have really built their confidence on what we do offensively – I think we’ve found our identity on the offensive side of the ball.”

This is Week 11 of the regular season, and Elliott said he’s watched his team really make some strides. “We’re not the same team we were four or five weeks ago,” he said.

“The weakest part of our defense is alignment,” Elliott said. “If we can line up right defensively and play disciplined football, I think we’ll be ok.”

Elliott said the defense needs to shut down the Franklinton quarterback. “He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the state that can throw the ball real well. But there are a couple of Red Ram receivers that the defense has to handle, too.

“We’ve got to be able to stop both,” he said.

Seventeen Vipers will take the field for the last time during Senior Night, and Elliott said this class is a special one for him because they were freshmen when he started as the Vipers head coach.

“I’ve had the opportunity to coach them for the last four years. It’s hard to see thme leave, but we’re excited for them,” Elliott said.

“A lot of things that we do are much bigger than football,” he continued. “Preparing these guys for life and getting them ready whatever it may be – playing college football or get them a job and start working. It’s our job to prepare them for whatever comes,” he said.

Week 11 High School Football Games in our Area:

  • Vance County (2-7) vs. Franklinton (6-3)
  • Wake Forest (5-4) vs. Heritage (4-5)
  • Knightdale (2-7) vs. East Wake (3-6)
  • J.F. Webb (7-2) @ South Granville (3-6)
  • Warren County (7-2) vs. Northwest Halifax (4-5)
  • Louisburg (8-1) vs. Wake Prep (5-3)
  • Bunn (7-2) vs. Roanoke Rapids (2-7)

Vance County hosts Franklinton for Week 11 of the 2025 season for Senior Night on Friday, October 31st 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: Red Rams Rolling into Henderson for Friday Night

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The Vance County Vipers host the Franklinton Red Rams on Friday on what will be Senior Night for the Vipers. Red Rams Head Coach Michael Justice is celebrating his own group of seniors as the team travels the short distance up U.S. 1 to take on the Vipers.

The Red Rams have 18 seniors, and Justice told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue that they’re a special group.

“This has been a great class,” Justice said on Wednesday’s segment of SportsTalk, adding that he predicts some will find themselves playing in college. They’re “high-character guys,” he said, adding that he’s enjoyed watching them develop on the field, but more importantly, how they’ve developed their character.

“We want these guys to be bigger than football,” Justice said, noting that numerous players have GPA’s  better than 4.0 and are in the school’s National Honor Society.

“That’s been fun to see the fruits of their labor,” he said.

Although Franklinton (2-2 in conference play) came out on the losing end last week against Wake Forest High, Justice said he was super proud of his defense. “They had a great game plan. Wake Forest was tough – we knew they were going to be,” he said. “It was good to see the boys fight hard,” he said, saying “they played with heart to the end.”

This Friday’s matchup against the Vipers needs to be just as gritty on defense, with the Vipers now having had almost a whole season of honing their wishbone offense.

“Vance County plays tough, they play hard – that offensive line blocks hard,” Justice said.

The team watched a lot of film on Monday, then had to practice inside Tuesday because of the rain, but Justice said his guys are fired up for Friday. “They’re ready to roll.”

He praised quarterback Keith James and receiver Jamaal Epps for the connection they’ve created. James is in the top 30 of quarterbacks in the state when it comes to passing yards and his go-to guy is Epps, who is 6th in the state in receiving yards.

Epps, Justice said, is “fast and sure-handed.” Justice prefers to execute a fairly balanced offense, 60 percent running game and 40 percent passing.

The two players took it upon themselves to develop that chemistry, Justice said. “They’ve done a really good job and it’s started to show.”

With a 1-3 conference record, the Vipers will most likely be looking at Friday’s matchup like a playoff game, Justice said. “We’re going to be ready for that – ready to move the ball, ready to score points.”

 

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County Football Week 10 Recap

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap Vance County’s win over East Wake. They guys also talk about other high school, college and NFL Football action from over the weekend.

High School Football Scores from Week 10:

  • Vance County 48 East Wake 19
  • Wake Forest 23 Franklinton 7
  • Heritage 32 Knightdale 23
  • J.F. Webb 44 Seaforth 39
  • Orange 16 South Granville 8
  • KIPP Pride 30 Warren County 28
  • Bunn 34 Louisburg 19
  • Wake Prep 29 Nash Central 21
  • George Washington-Danville, VA 64 Mecklenburg County, VA 10

Area College Football Scores for Week 9:

  • Virginia 17 North Carolina 16 OT
  • Pittsburgh 53 NC State 34
  • Wake Forest 13 SMU 12
  • Virginia Tech 42 California 34 2OT
  • North Texas 54 Charlotte 20
  • Old Dominion 24 App State 21
  • Delaware State 35 North Carolina Central 26
  • Louisburg College 60 Myrtle Beach Collegiate 0

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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 9 Recap

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Scout Hughes and George Hoyle recap the weekend that was with Vance County’s football game against Heritage, in addition to the other games in High School Football. The guys also talk about the college games from over the weekend.

High School Football Scores from Week 9:

  • Heritage 42 Vance County 33
  • Franklinton 13 East Wake 0
  • Wake Forest 48 Knightdale 24
  • J.F. Webb 64 Cedar Ridge 19
  • Seaforth 27 South Granville 7
  • Warren County 63 Weldon 0
  • Louisburg 28 Roanoke Rapids 14
  • Bunn 27 Nash Central 21
  • King William, VA 66 Mecklenburg County, VA 42

Area College Football Scores for Week 8:

  • California 21 North Carolina 18
  • Georgia Tech 27 Duke 18
  • Virginia 22 Washington State 20
  • East Carolina 41 Tulsa 27
  • Temple 49 Charlotte 14
  • Coastal Carolina 45 App State 37
  • Louisburg College 42 Central Georgia Tech 35 OT

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SportsTalk: Vipers to Celebrate Homecoming with game against Heritage

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Heritage 42

Vance County 33

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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The Vance County Vipers are playing at home for the first time in a month, and Coach Aaron Elliott hopes that the team is ready to bring some extra energy to the field Friday as the team hosts the Heritage Huskies in a conference matchup.

Friday is also Homecoming, as well as Pink Out Night for breast cancer awareness, so hopefully the stands will be a sea of pink for the game, which kicks off at 7 p.m.

“It feels good to be back home,” Elliott said. “I think everybody’s excited to be back home playing…we’re hoping to bring some energy to the game this week,” he said on Thursday’s SportsTalk with WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.

The team’s been improving its running game – rushing for about 150 yards last week, which Elliott said is a reflection of working on the running game at practice.

In preparing for Friday’s matchup, Elliott said the Huskies have a good running game themselves, and the Vipers coaching staff has been figuring out how to defend not one, but two quarterbacks that the Huskies use regularly in their offensive game.

Viper linebacker Jalen Maze broke his collarbone in last Friday’s game against Knightdale, which is a big loss to the Vipers as they continue conference play.

Elliott said he and his staff have been focused on keeping the players focused on the task at hand.

“We’ve got to eliminate the mistakes,” he said. “And we’ve got to win the turnover battle.” The Vipers had four turnovers against the Knights, and had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Elliott said he’d love to see the home stands full of alumni, current students and others – all in pink – from the community out in support of the Vipers. “Hopefully we can get back in the win column this week,” he said.

 

Week 9 High School Football Games in our Area:

  • Vance County (1-6, 0-2 N6C) vs. Heritage (2-5, 1-1 N6C)
  • Franklinton (5-2, 1-1 N6C) vs. East Wake (3-4, 1-1 N6C)
  • Wake Forest (3-4, 2-0 N6C) vs. Knightdale (2-5, 1-1 N6C)
  • J.F. Webb (5-2) @ Cedar Ridge (1-6)
  • South Granville (3-4) @ Seaforth (3-4) 
  • Warren County (6-1) vs. Weldon (0-4)
  • Louisburg (7-0) @ Roanoke Rapids (1-6)
  • Bunn (5-2) @ Nash Central (2-5)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-6) vs. King William, VA (4-3)

Vance County hosts Heritage High School for Week 9 of the 2025 season on Friday, October 17th. It will be Homecoming, Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness, and Seahawks Night to recognize the little league teams in Vance County. 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: Heritage Coach Wallace Clark’s Preview of VCFNF

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The Heritage Huskies travel to Henderson Friday in a Northern 6 conference matchup against the Vance County Vipers, and Huskies Head Coach Wallace Clark said his team is going to have to whittle down the number of penalties and mistakes if they want to come away with a W.

Coming off a win last week against Franklinton High School, Clark told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue that practice this week has been good, and that his team is moving in the right direction.

Although they racked up too many penalties against Franklinton, Clark said his Huskies also had some sustained drives and some big plays that contributed to their 23-20 win on Heritage’s Homecoming night.

The Huskies, now 2-5 on the season, look to improve their record this week. Clark said he and his coaching staff are working on some conditioning to help players adapt to the cooler fall weather predicted for Friday’s game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

As he prepares for the contest against the Vipers, Clark said he knows that the team is “extremely athletic,” moves fast and has got pretty good size. “They’re a real physical group and extremely well coached,” he added.

Create a game plan for the Vipers means continuing to focus on what’s working well for the Huskies, as well as minimizing those pesky penalties and “getting to the football as much as possible.”

Clark, a native of New Orleans, moved to North Carolina in 1990 and landed a job as an assistant coach at Orange High School in 1991. He was at Broughton High School from 1994-2010 before moving to Heritage when it opened in 2010.

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Vance County High School

SportsTalk: VCFNF Week 8 Recap

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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the weekend that was with Vance County’s football game against Knightdale, 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 8:

  • Knightdale 43 Vance County 0
  • Heritage 23 Franklinton 20
  • Wake Forest 42 East Wake 0
  • J.F. Webb 56 Orange 36
  • South Granville 48 Carrboro 0
  • Warren County 51 Northampton County 8
  • Louisburg 65 ALA-Johnston 32
  • Bunn 52 Wake Prep 20
  • Magna Vista, VA 68 Mecklenburg County, VA 20

Area College Football Scores for Week 7:

  • Notre Dame 36 NC State 7
  • Wake Forest 39 Oregon State 14
  • Georgia Tech 35 Virginia Tech 20
  • Tulane 26 East Carolina 19 
  • Army 24 Charlotte 7
  • App State 41 Georgia State 20
  • North Carolina Central 45 Florida A&M 7
  • Monroe University 34 Louisburg College 20

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SportsTalk: Vipers Prepared to take on Knightdale

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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Knightdale 43

Vance County 0

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

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The Vance County Vipers wind up a long stretch of away games when they travel to Knightdale for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Knightdale Knights.

Both teams have a 1-5 record, and Vipers Head Coach Aaron Elliott said he’s been reviewing film and statistics to help figure out Knightdale’s strengths.

The Knights quarterback is one of the team’s best rushers, Elliott said, so the Viper defense needs to be prepared to shut down the opponent’s run game. But they also have to be able to cover and put pressure on the quarterback when he’s in pass mode.

“If we can control the quarterback, we can control the game,” Elliott said.

As for the Vipers, Elliott said he’ll stick with the game plan that’s been in place this season, “putting an emphasis on getting better and fixing the small stuff,” he said.

In last week’s loss to Wake Forest, Elliott said the punting unit had a solid performance, and he said the fact that the Vipers were able to block a few field goals is proof that the work the team is putting in during practice is showing off a little bit.

Area High School Football Games for Week 8:

  • Vance County (1-5, 0-1 N6C) @ Knightdale (1-5, 0-1 N6C)
  • Franklinton (5-1, 1-0 N6C) @ Heritage (1-5, 0-1 N6C)
  • Wake Forest (2-4, 1-0 N6C) vs. East Wake (3-3, 1-0 N6C)
  • J.F. Webb (4-2) @ Orange (0-6)
  • South Granville (2-4) vs. Carrboro (0-6)
  • Warren County (5-1) @ Northampton County (1-5)
  • Louisburg (6-0) vs. ALA-Johnston (4-3)
  • Bunn (4-2) vs. Wake Prep (4-2)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (1-5) vs. Magna Vista, VA (5-0)

Vance County travels to Knightdale High School for Week 8 of the 2025 season on Friday, October 10th 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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