PETERSBURG, Va. — Carlos Fields spent his playing days as a linebacker, directing defenses on the field and reading opposing offenses. Now the 31-year-old will be leading defenses and attacking offenses in a different capacity, as the new defensive coordinator at Virginia State University.

HENDERSON — Javonte Waverly is a household name in Vance County, having led Henderson Collegiate to a share of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A men’s basketball championship in 2020, the school’s first state title on the hardwood.

HENDERSON — Earlier this year, the National Federation of State High School Associations updated and implemented rule changes for high school football, focusing on player safety and sportsmanship.

HENDERSON — Eddie Hicks didn’t get a piece of Fox Pond Park named after him Friday just because he was a great football player. He’s been an active member of the community for decades now, perhaps best known for his tireless efforts as a Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department professional.

HENDERSON — This week, The Dispatch welcomed new sports editor Bryant Baucom, a UNC Chapel Hill graduate and native of Gastonia.

HENDERSON — The new Vance County football regime made sure to mix in a little fun during its team camp, held on campus Monday through Wednesday.

CHAPEL HILL — The Vance County High School varsity cheerleaders attended the Universal Cheerleaders Association Spirit Xpress Camp on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill July 22-24, winning a pair of team honors as three student-athletes earned the right to travel to Hawaii as All-Americans.

HENDERSON — Friday’s inaugural Vance County High School Youth Football Camp offered a glimpse of the type of program first-year Vipers head coach Aaron Elliott is building: an inclusive one involving all levels of county football players.

WARRENTON — Summer football can be good for a lot of things, but it won’t make a team any older.

LYNCHBURG, Va. — The Crossroads Christian volleyball team returned from Liberty University’s four-day team camp and skills clinic Thursday with good reason to be excited about the upcoming fall season.

DURHAM — The dynamic of Tri-County sports has changed greatly over the last decade or so, but the Vance Aquatics Barracudas’ annual participation in the Durham Summer Swim League Championships has remained a constant for much longer than 10 years.

The Vance Aquatics Club is set to compete in the Durham Summer Swim League Championship Meet Saturday at Cary's Triangle Aquatic Center.

HENDERSON — Only four players across three classifications in the Eastern region of the state were named a U.S. Lacrosse All-American for the 2022 N.C. High School Athletic Association season.

HENDERSON — With a nickname like “Cotton,” Lawrence Clayton wasn’t likely to be easily forgotten. But his elite prowess as both a high school and collegiate athlete have cemented his name in not only Vance County sports lore but on a statewide level and beyond.

GREENSBORO — The Atlantic Coast Conference is going forward with a plan to change its football scheduling model, with the biggest change being the elimination of divisions.

RALEIGH — Cameron Bynum, a rising Wakefield High sophomore was selected by STUDENTathleteWorld (SaWUSA) to represent the United States in the United World Games 2022.

HENDERSON — Seven-on-seven scrimmages won’t reveal terribly much about a football team as it relates to meaningful prognostication. But there’s something far more important Vance County’s new head football coach Aaron Elliott has already gained from the summer workouts that started two weeks ago.

HENDERSON — The Weta sailboat fleet debuted in the N.C. Governor’s Cup Regatta at Kerr Lake three years ago.

HENDERSON — The popularity of sailing clubs isn’t what it used to be when the sport experienced its heyday in the 1980s, but the N.C. Governor’s Cup Regatta is going as strong as ever, set to celebrate its 65th edition June 17-19 at Kerr Lake.

HENDERSON — When the North Carolina and East Carolina baseball teams met earlier this season, a play at second base involving Tar Heels sophomore Colby Wilkerson drew an animated response from his brother Daniel Wilkerson.

HENDERSON — On paper, it appears Vance County found exactly the type of leader it was looking for in Aaron Elliott, who was announced as the school’s head football coach last week.

HENDERSON — Raymond Noel has a unique job in front of him as Vance County High’s new athletic director.

OXFORD — The high school spring sports season is just barely in the rearview mirror but the Crossroads Christian and Oxford Prep men’s basketball teams took their first steps toward winter Thursday in a controlled scrimmage on the Griffins’ home floor.

HENDERSON — Vance County High School announced Raymond Noel Thursday as its new athletic director. 

HENDERSON — A pair of Vance Charter student-athletes earned conference Player of the Year distinctions for the spring, the school announced Wednesday, and another earned top honors for their position.

OXFORD — If ever there was a moment that typifies the Vance Charter softball senior class, and especially Allie Bliss, it was a home run by Bliss on Saturday to tie the score against Bear Grass Charter in the bottom of the sixth inning.

OXFORD — Junior pitcher Macy Bowen retired eight of the nine Vance Charter batters she faced Saturday in relief, leading the Bear Grass Charter softball team to a 5-4, series-clinching win in extra innings to secure the Lady Bears’ first-ever trip to a state championship.

WILLIAMSTON — Vance Charter was defeated Wednesday 3-1 on the road at Bear Grass Charter in the first game of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A East Region softball final, which had originally been scheduled for Tuesday but moved because of inclement weather.

HENDERSON — If you spot a Johnny’s Barbecue van in the Crossroads Christian parking lot, don’t get too excited if you’re looking for pork. There might not be BBQ available.

WILLIAMSTON — Vance Charter was defeated Wednesday on the road 3-1 at Bear Grass Charter in the first game of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A East Region softball final. 

OXFORD — One positive play can make all the difference for the Vance Charter softball team, according to senior left fielder Kayla Simmons.

OXFORD — Perquimans’ softball season ended Friday night at the hands of a strong, senior-laden Vance Charter team in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A quarterfinals.

WARRENTON — Three athletes will represent Warren County Saturday in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A track and field championships at N.C. A&T.