Wallace Clark, Head Coach of the Heritage High School Football Team, joins SportsTalk with Scout Hughes and George Hoyle to preview the game between Vance County and Heritage, from the Huskies point of view.
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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the weekend that was with High School Football. The guys also talk about some college football games and NFL Games that happened over the weekend.
High School Football Scores from Week 8:
Area College Football Scores for Week 6:
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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE
Vance County 27
Knightdale 13
RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK
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The Vance County High School Vipers welcome the Knightdale Knights Friday for a conference matchup on Homecoming Weekend.
Locals will be pulling for the Vipers to get their first W, but they may be sporting colors from their own high schools, from Henderson High and Vance Sr. High to more recently, Northern and Southern Vance high schools as alumni return for Homecoming festivities.
Coming off last week’s loss to conference leader Wake Forest High, Viper Head Coach Aaron Elliott said he and his coaching staff worked with the players this week on looking forward to Knightdale.
“We spent more time focusing on the game coming up this week that we know we should win,” Elliott told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle on Thursday’s SportsTalk. Both teams are winless with 0-6 seasons so far.
He said he expects the Knights to come in and play hard-nosed football. If the Vipers can match the physicality, he said the home team should be in good shape.
The game may be the highlight of the day, but there are other Homecoming activities taking place Friday, including some tailgating and the opportunity to purchase apparel from some of those previously mentioned high schools, as well as Eaton-Johnson and Henderson Middle schools.
Elliott said he wouldn’t mind finding a Southern Vance jersey from when he played football there – #59, to be specific.
He didn’t get to keep his jersey, but he makes sure that his seniors get their own personal jerseys to wear on Senior Night and to keep as a reminder of their Viper careers.
The last time he checked with the AD, more than 20 groups had reserved spots to tailgate before the game.
The Recreation and Parks Dept. Seahawks will run out with the Vipers as part of Little League Night, too.
Area High School Football Games for Week 8:
College Football Games for Week 6:
Vance County hosts Knightdale for Homecoming and for Little League Night in Week 8 of the 2026 season on Friday, October 9th 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.
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First-year Head Coach Marcell Johnson brings his Knightdale Knights to Henderson Friday to face the Vance Vipers.
Johnson, who played football at Knightdale and was on the coaching staff for six years or so before being named head coach, said he’s looking forward to the matchup, which also is VCHS’s Homecoming game.
Coming off a loss to Franklinton last week, Johnson told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue that practice has gone pretty well this week. There may be some new numbers on the sidelines and some numbers may be missing, but Johnson was a little cagey about specific players’ availability for Friday’s contest.
He watches a lot of film, he said, and called Head Coach Aaron Elliott’s Vipers “athletic, gritty and relentless.” He expects the Vipers will show a variety of formations on offense, but said the Vipers probably haven’t an offense like the Knights’ will bring.
Johnson didn’t sugar-coat his first year as head coach – he’s the third head coach in three years – but chalks it up to the sport.
“That’s the name of the game,” he said. “That’s what makes winners winners and great coaches great coaches.” It’s all about facing challenges, adapting and making adjustments, he added.
“I’m here for the long haul,” Johnson said.
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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the weekend that was with High School Football. The guys also talk about some college football games and NFL Games that happened over the weekend.
High School Football Scores from Week 7:
Area College Football Scores for Week 5:
Click Play!
UPDATE – FINAL SCORE
Wake Forest 55
Vance County 0
RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK
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The 3-2 Wake Forest Cougars travel to Viper Stadium Friday for a 7 p.m. conference matchup.
The Cougars thumped Hillside last week, while the 0-5 Vance County Vipers enjoyed a week off, something Head Coach Aaron Elliott said came at a good time.
The team took some time to get healthy, practice on technique and fundamentals and had a little fun along the way, Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk with WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.
“It was fun – we needed it,” Elliott said of the extra practice time and the breather that a bye week brings. “Having that tough schedule that we have in our non-conference (play) really prepares us for the conference,” he said.
Hopefully, that preparation will pay off in Friday’s matchup. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Elliott said Jerimi Strong and Aaden Trowbridge both have come back from concussion protocols; having an extra week helped get those players back in the rotation.
The Vipers will need to execute on offense, defense and special teams if they want to gain the upper hand against a strong Wake Forest team, which features senior Micah Olu. Elliott said his defense has to be aggressive and get to the ball against the Cougars. They’ve practiced it all week, he said. “If we can play technique football and slow them down on defense, I think we’ll be fine,” Elliott said.
The keys to the game are simple: the Vipers have to play “mistake-free football,” offensively, defensively and special teams and they’ve got to be able to sustain drives.“We’ve got to do all the right things to be able to beat them – they’re a pretty good football team.”
Area High School Football Games for Week 7:
Bye Weeks this Week:
Vance County hosts Wake Forest High School for Breast Cancer Awareness Night in Week 7 of the 2026 season on Friday, October 2nd 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.
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Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the week that was with High School Football. The guys also talk about some college football games and NFL Games that happened over the weekend.
High School Football Scores from Week 5:
Area College Football Scores for Week 3:
Click Play!
UPDATE – FINAL SCORE
Northeastern 48
Vance County 0
RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK
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About half of the Vance County Vipers varsity football team is made up of underclassmen, a fact that Head Coach Aaron Elliott does not sidestep.
With 16 of the 32 players sophomores and freshmen, Elliott said his team is definitely on the young side, and that’ll pay off in the future. Right now, however, Elliott and his Vipers are looking at an 0-4 record, and they spent a lot of time at practice this week working on technique and fundamentals.
Coming off a lopsided loss on the road last week at Rocky Mount, the Vipers host Northeastern Friday night in the Communities in Schools matchup.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Elliott said the team has had a couple of weeks of good practices, and he believes they’ll be fine if they can remember technique and fundamentals.
“We’ve been averaging 200 or 250 yards of offense each week,” Elliott told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle on Thursday’s SportsTalk. That usually translates into scores, but Elliott pointed to miscues and not sustaining drives to the lack of points on the board.
“I think our energy was down a little bit,” Elliott said, reflecting on last week’s game against the Griffons. “We were missing some key players.”
Quarterback Aaden Trowbridge and running back Jerimi Strong are both in concussion protocol, but Elliott is hopeful they’ll be back for the conference opener against Wake Forest High School in a couple of weeks.
“We can’t get on the good side of luck,” Elliott said.
The 3-1 Northeastern Eagles head into Viper Stadium with a good group of athletes all over the field, Elliott said. The Vipers need to stop the running game, but the Eagles also have a 6-foot-4 receiver so the defense will need to cover the pass game as well.
Keeping the players motivated and upbeat is something Elliott focuses on. It’s important to battle through adversity, whether you’re talking about a football season or life in general.
“You just gotta fight through it, move on,” Elliott said.
But he also like to have a little fun in practice, too. “I try my best to keep the fun in football. Obviously, these kids love it, and if you take the fun away, you’ll lose them.”
Area High School Football Games for Week 5:
Vance County hosts Northeastern High School from Elizabeth City for Week 5 of the 2026 season on Friday, September 18th 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.
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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE
Rocky Mount 45
Vance County 6
RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK
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Vipers Head Football Coach Aaron Elliott said he, the team and the coaching staff are pumped about finally getting to play on a Friday night. It’s Week 4 of the regular season, and the first three games all were played on Thursday – two because of the threat of stormy weather and one planned in advance of the long Labor Day weekend.
“We’re excited and glad we get to play on Friday,” Elliott said on Thursday’s SportsTalk with WIZS’s Scout Hughes and George Hoyle.
The Vipers head to Rocky Mount for a 7 p.m. kickoff against the Griffons, currently 2-1 under Coach Jason Battle.
“We’re hungry for a win,” Elliott said. Currently 0-3, the Vipers have improved their performance with each game so far, and Elliott said the players know what the strength of schedule could mean later in the season.
“We know as a team that we can compete against Rocky Mount,” Elliott said.
The Griffons run the ball well, and Elliott said he’s worked on shutting down those big run plays.
“We just can’t fall asleep in the secondary,” Elliott said.
The Vipers are cleaning up their turnover totals, tackles and finishing drives on offense.
And the team has been relatively penalty-free on the playing field, which Elliot attributes to the level of discipline the coaching staff consistently emphasizes.
Playing with discipline minimizes mistakes and penalties on the field.
“If we play disciplined football, stop the run and stop the big explosive plays, we’ll be fine,” Elliott said.
Area High School Football Games for Week 4:
Vance County travels to Rocky Mount for Week 4 of the 2026 season on Friday, September 11th 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.
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UPDATE – FINAL SCORE
Jordan 42
Vance County 6
RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK
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The Vance County Vipers are looking to get a W this week as they travel to Durham Thursday to take on the Jordan High Falcons.
The Vipers, coming off a 2-point loss in OT to the South Granville Vikings, are looking for their first win in the 2026 season.
Head Coach Aaron Elliott put last week’s heartbreaker in the “good loss” category.
There are good losses and bad losses, and Elliott said he’d put the 50-48 overtime thriller in the former category.
“We had over 200 yards on the ground, which is big for us,” Elliott said on SportsTalk.
Jerimi Strong definitely was a playmaker for us on offense,” Elliott said. The coaching staff has some running plays drawn up for quarterback Aadan Trowbridge as well, but the coach said he wants to make sure the QB stays healthy.
“We try our best to keep him as healthy as possible, so the less hit he’s got to take, the better off we are as a program,” Elliott said.
As the Vipers prepare for the Thursday evening game against Jordan, Elliott said he’s keeping his fingers crossed that the team will emerge from the short week of practice ready to play.
“If we keep stacking good days (of practice) we’ll be in good shape,” he sai.
This year’s Jordan team lacks a little of the size of last year’s team, but it makes up for it with speed and athleticism.
The Vipers must be able to contain the quarterback to have a shot at a W.
“We narrowed it down to three things,” Elliott said. “Win the turnover battle, be able to tackle better and be more physical.”
Area High School Football Games for Week 3:
Vance County travels to Jordan for Week 3 of the 2026 season on Thursday, September 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 thereafter at 7:00 p.m.
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