Tag Archive for: #vcfnf

SportsTalk: High School Football Week 7 Recap

/by

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:

  • Wake Forest 55 Vance County 0
  • Franklinton 47 Knightdale 6
  • Heritage 19 East Wake 12
  • J.F. Webb 42 Carrboro 12
  • South Granville 54 Cedar Ridge 0
  • Warren County 38 Southeast Halifax 0
  • Louisburg 27 Nash Central 19
  • Bunn 49 ALA-Johnston 6
  • Wake Prep 23 Roanoke Rapids 14
  • Mecklenburg County, VA 59 Halifax County, VA 12

Area College Football Scores for Week 5:

  • Notre Dame 37 UNC 26
  • NC State 31 Louisville 28
  • Wake Forest 57 Stanford 3
  • Florida State 38 Virginia 7
  • Pittsburgh 35 Virginia Tech 33
  • Memphis 59 Charlotte 8
  • Campbell 38 NC Central 31
  • Louisburg College 15 Hudson Valley CC 7

Click Play!

SportsTalk: Vipers Come Off Bye Week To Take On Wake Forest

/by

UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Wake Forest 55

Vance County 0

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

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:

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

Bye Weeks this Week:

  • Person (1-5)

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.

CLICK PLAY!

SportsTalk: High School Football Week 5 Recap

/by

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:

  • Northeastern 48 Vance County 0
  • Franklinton 54 Riverside Durham 0
  • Wake Forest 35 Hillside Durham 0
  • Holly Springs 29 Heritage 25
  • South Granville 25 Knightdale 14
  • Cary 2 East Wake 0
  • Warren County 44 Nash Central 0
  • Louisburg 39 Wilson Beddingfield 0
  • Wake Prep 47 North Edgecombe 6
  • Western Alamance 21 Person 14
  • Mecklenburg County, VA 33 Greensville County, VA 0

Area College Football Scores for Week 3:

  • Clemson 28 UNC 20
  • Vanderbilt 35 NC State 31
  • Duke 35 Stanford 7
  • Miami 33 Wake Forest 20
  • West Virginia 38 Virginia 27
  • Virginia Tech 35 Maryland 26
  • ECU 20 Old Dominion 17
  • App State 26 Charlotte 21
  • Gardner-Webb 44 NC Central 20
  • Louisburg College 35 Central Georgia Tech 28

Click Play!

SportsTalk: Vipers Welcome Northeastern for Week 5 Matchup

/by

UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Northeastern 48

Vance County 0

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

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 (0-4) vs. Northeastern (3-1)
  • Franklinton (4-0) vs. Riverside Durham (1-3)
  • Wake Forest (2-2) @ Hillside Durham (3-1)
  • Heritage (1-3) vs. Holly Springs (1-3)
  • Knightdale (0-4) vs. South Granville (2-2)
  • East Wake (2-2) vs. Cary (1-3)
  • Warren County (3-0) vs. Nash Central (0-4)
  • Louisburg (2-1) @ Wilson Beddingfield (0-3)
  • Wake Prep (3-1) @ North Edgecombe (3-1)
  • Person (1-3) vs. Western Alamance (3-0)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (0-3) vs. Greensville County, VA (0-2)

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.

CLICK PLAY!

SportsTalk: Vipers Travel To Rocky Mount for VCFNF

/by

UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Rocky Mount 45

Vance County 6

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

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 (0-3) @ Rocky Mount (2-1)
  • Franklinton (3-0) vs. Louisburg (2-0)
  • Wake Forest (1-2) vs. Wakefield (1-1)
  • Heritage (1-2) @ Burlington Williams (1-0)
  • Knightdale (0-3) @ Sanderson (1-2)
  • East Wake (1-2) @ Bunn (1-2)
  • J.F. Webb (1-2) @ Eden Morehead (1-2)
  • South Granville (2-1) vs. Warren County (2-0)
  • Wake Prep (2-1) vs. ALA-Johnston (1-1)
  • Person (1-2) @ Eastern Alamance (2-1)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (0-2) vs. Amherst County, VA (0-2)

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.

CLICK PLAY!

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Ready For The Task At Hand

/by

UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Jordan 42

Vance County 6

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

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 (0-2) @ Jordan (1-1)
  • Franklinton (2-0) @ South Granville (2-0)
  • Wake Forest (1-1) @ Millbrook (2-0)
  • Heritage (1-1) vs. Leesville Road (0-2)
  • Knightdale (0-2) @ Panther Creek (1-1)
  • East Wake (1-1) vs. Southeast Raleigh (2-0)
  • J.F. Webb (1-1) vs. Bunn (0-2)
  • Louisburg (1-0) vs. Northampton County (0-2)
  • Wake Prep (1-1) @ Pamlico County (1-1)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (0-1) vs. Hopewell, VA (0-1)

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.

CLICK PLAY!

SportsTalk: Vance County Football Week 2 Recap

/by

Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap the week that was with High School Football. The guys also talk about some college football games that happened over the weekend.

High School Football Scores from Week 2:

  • South Granville 50 Vance County 48 OT
  • Franklinton 42 Bunn 13
  • Wake Forest 31 Leesville Road 21
  • Millbrook 47 Heritage 0
  • Enloe 36 Knightdale 6
  • Rocky Mount 42 East Wake 20
  • Warren County 44 J.F. Webb 0
  • Louisburg 28 Southeast Halifax 0
  • Wake Prep 47 North Moore 8
  • Brunswick, VA 20 Mecklenburg County, VA 12

Area College Football Scores for Week 0:

  • UNC 15 TCU 10
  • Virginia 34 NC State 8
  • Texas Southern 42 NC Central 30
  • Louisburg College 62 Community Christian College 0

Click Play!

SportsTalk: South Granville’s Coach Johnson Aims For Great Strides

/by

Head Coach Sterling Johnson led his South Granville High School Vikings to a 27-6 win last week over Bunn, and the first-year head coach said his team played hard, which was what he was looking for in Week 1 of the high school football season.

Week 2 brings the Creedmoor team to Henderson to face to Vipers, and – for the second time in as many weeks – the game is being moved up a day because of the threat of stormy weather on Friday.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27 at Viper Stadium.

Johnson, a high school All American and defensive standout at Cleveland High School, committed to Clemson and played three years there before heading to Coastal Carolina for his last two years of eligibility. He was captain and all-conference  at Coastal and, as he put it in an interview with WIZS’s Scout Hughes, “had a little stint with the Jets” after college.

He was defensive line coach at his old high school and then went up to Canada to play for a while with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

For the last couple of seasons, he was defensive coordinator at Wakefield High School in Wake County.

When he reviewed South Granville’s 2025-26 season and saw that they’d lost a bunch of close games, he determined that he’d be inheriting a pretty good situation for his first foray into head coach duties.

Besides, he felt a strong community feel at South Granville, reminiscent of his time in Cleveland both as a player and a coach.

The Vikings beat the Vipers pretty good last year, but Johnson said his team is going to have to be ready to play when it faces a Vipers team, known for its offense and its winning history.

“We’re going to have to play to our best abilities,” he noted. “We’re just going to have to play our best and hope things turn out in our favor.”

 

Area High School Football Games for Week 2:

  • Vance County (0-1) vs. South Granville (1-0)
  • Franklinton (1-0) @ Bunn (0-1)
  • Wake Forest (0-1) vs. Leesville Road (0-1)
  • Heritage (1-0) @ Millbrook (1-0)
  • Knightdale (0-1) @ Enloe (0-1)
  • East Wake (1-0) vs. Rocky Mount (0-1)
  • J.F. Webb (1-0) @ Warren County (1-0)
  • Louisburg (0-0) @ Southeast Halifax (0-1)
  • Wake Prep (0-1) vs. North Moore (0-1)
  • Mecklenburg County, VA (0-0) @ Brunswick, VA (0-0)

 

 (Note that it was announced that the High School Football Game between Vance County & South Granville would be moved to Thursday after Wednesday’s SportsTalk had concluded.)

Vance County hosts South Granville on Military and First Responders Appreciation Night for Week 2 of the 2026 season on Thursday, August 27th 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.

CLICK PLAY!

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vance County Football Week 1 Recap

/by

Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue recap Vance County’s loss to Warren County back on Thursday.

High School Football Scores from Week 1:

  • Warren County 52 Vance County 12
  • Franklinton 34 Person 14
  • Southern Durham 26 Wake Forest 21
  • Heritage 30 Wakefield 28
  • Southern Nash 33 Knightdale 13
  • East Wake 27 Riverside 20
  • J.F. Webb 28 Western Harnett 7
  • South Granville 27 Bunn 6
  • North Raleigh Christian 33 Wake Prep 13
  • Mecklenburg County, VA 19 Rustburg, VA 6

Click Play!

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Vipers Getting Prepared for Week 1 Rival

/by

UPDATE – FINAL SCORE 

Warren County 52

Vance County 12

RECAP MONDAY ON SPORTSTALK 

••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

Vance County High School Head Football Coach Aaron Elliott said tonight’s County Line Clash that takes the Vipers to Warren County High School is going to come down to which team can be more disciplined and more in control of emotions – it’s Week 1 AND a rivalry, to boot.

The game was moved to Thursday because of the threat of storms on Friday.

But that’s ok with Elliott. “This is my favorite week as a coach,” he told WIZS’s Scout Hughes and Doc Ayscue on Wednesday. “You tend to get a little extra out of the kids – Week 1 and playing a rival – you get the best out of them this week.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Warrenton.

Elliott said the Vipers’ offense is shaping up pretty well after playing a couple of scrimmages. They moved the ball pretty well during the Jamboree and had some positive runs against last week’s scrimmage against Sanderson in Raleigh.

The Vipers will need that and more when they take the field against the Eagles, a team that Elliott said is a physical team. “They like to get after it. They’re going to play hard…they’re going to bring their A game,” he said.

Coach Victor Hunt’s team has athletes “all over the field,” and the Vipers have been able to review a bit of film to create a game plan for the matchup.

The Eagles are a 2A team, but the County Line Clash always seems to be a close one, although Vance County has more W’s in the rivalry.

Tune in to WIZS for the pre-game show at 6:50 p.m. tonight and then listen to the play-by-play for Week 1 of Friday Night Football.

Area High School Football Games for Week 1:

  • Vance County @ Warren County
  • Franklinton vs. Person
  • Wake Forest vs. Southern Durham 
  • Heritage @ Wakefield 
  • Knightdale vs. Southern Nash 
  • East Wake @ Riverside 
  • J.F. Webb vs. Western Harnett – Game at Granville Central MS
  • South Granville vs. Bunn 
  • Wake Prep @ North Raleigh Christian

Vance County travels to Warren County High School for Week 1 of the 2026 season on Thursday, August 20th 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.

CLICK PLAY!