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FRANKLIN COUNTY -- Football's 'Second Season' begins this Friday with all three of Franklin County's high schools in the state football playoffs -- and two of them will be at home.
Bunn will begin defense of its East Regional Championship on the 2AA level with a first-round home game against St. Pauls.
The Wildcats, who finished 10-1 in the regular season and won the Northern Carolina Conference crown, are seeded second, while St. Pauls is a No. 7 seed.

BUNN -- It was almost a given that Alli Davis was destined to be a standout athlete.
After all, her mother, Melinda, and older sister, Melanie, were both multi-sport stars at Bunn High School -- and Alli was able to replicate that family feat.
But from the time when she was a younger, it was also clear that softball would be Davis' sport of choice if she wished to pursue athletics on the collegiate level.
That opportunity came true for Davis last week when she signed a letter-of-intent to continue her fast-pitch career at the University of Mount Olive.

LOUISBURG -- Coaches always have a soft spot for team-oriented student-athletes who will do whatever it takes for their club to be a success.
And if they boast an array of talent, that makes things even better -- and that is the best description for Louisburg High School multi-sport standout Mackenzie Wood.
Wood, who also plays softball and basketball, just wrapped up her volleyball tenure at Louisburg by helping the Lady Warriors to the Class 1-A Eastern Regional Championship, along with a runner-up finish in the state finals two weeks ago.

BUNN -- The end result didn't go as planned for the Bunn High School boys soccer squad during the 2016 season -- but getting there was half the fun.
The Wildcats made program history by finishing 19-2-2 overall while winning the Northern Carolina Conference crown for just the second time. Bunn roared into the third round of the Class 2-A State Playoffs -- for only the second time in school history -- before seeing its campaign close last Thursday with a tough 1-0 home loss against Washington.

LOUISBURG -- Once again, Louisburg College enjoyed successful seasons this fall in men's and women's soccer -- a fact that was reinforced when Region X recently released its all-league squads.
Louisburg sophomore Andrea Viano was tabbed as the Men's Player of the Year, while LC's Martin Dell was the Men's Coach of the Year after guiding the Hurricanes to the regular season championship.

Louisburg's Mackenzie Wood delivers a kill during action in the Class 1-A State Championship Volleyball Match at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

BUILDING PLAN. Volunteer Tommy Piper helps out as concrete is poured for what will be a pad as part of the main building at the Miracle League of Franklin County's baseball facility as Long Mill Elementary School in Youngsville. Piper indicated that all of the work is being done by foundation, and he hopes the building will be completed next May or June.

Senior Haley Marshall was effective along the back row as a libero this season for the Louisburg High School volleyball squad. Marshall was recently saluted with an honorable mention selection on the All-Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference Team.

CHAPEL HILL -- Listed are the brackets for the upcoming Class 1-AA and 2-AA State Football Playoffs, which will begin this Friday:

The Youngsville Heat recently took first place at the GameOn Winter World Series 9-Under Baseball Tournament, which was held in Oxford. The Heat received rings and trophies after defeating North Wake Tsunami by a 12-6 margin in the championship game. Pictured are (back, l to r) Coaches Mike Nash, Allen Holmes, Richard Rusnak and Jim Wisler; (middle, l to r) Keith James, Ethan Wisler, Easton Smith, Cooper Greer, Will Holmes, Peyton Rivers and Owen Mitchell; (bottom, l to r) Shawn Thomas Journigan, Cooper Nash and Bat Boy Chris Brown; (front, l to r) JB Brown and Kaden Blackburn.

The Youngsville Punishers recently picked up a gold medal in the silver bracket of the 11-Under Division at the AAU Winter State Baseball Tournament.

Bunn's Tarik Cohen was recently saluted as part of Senior Day for the North Carolina A&T football team. Cohen has broken several school rushing records for the Aggies.

CHARLOTTE -- Five members of the Shaw University football team received Central Intercollegiate athletic Association All-Conference honors recently.
In addition, two Bears were named to the 2016 All-CIAA Rookie Team and Freshman Devon Hunt (Rockingham, NC) was named the 2016 CIAA Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Defensive lineman Dominique Hannibal (Chesapeake, VA) earned the only first team honor while linebacker Keelan Jones (Kansas City, MO) and Hunt received second team accolades.

BUNN -- Unlike some coaches, Bunn's David Howle doesn't cut any corners when it comes to working with his junior varsity football program.
"We treat our JV kids the same way we do our varsity,'' Howle said. "We have the same coaches and do the same drills.''
It's a formula that has worked at Bunn, which was won eight of the last 10 Northern Carolina Conference JV gridiron crowns.
The Junior Wildcats added another league title to their lofty list this fall thanks to a 5-0 mark against NCC opponents.

LOUISBURG -- The Vance-Granville Community College Bioprocess Technology degree program will be based at the college's Franklin County Campus, starting in January.
The program has been located at the college's Main Campus in Vance County since its inception in January 2006.
"Moving to the Franklin County Campus will strategically locate our program closer to Novozymes and other major employers in the biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, while also promoting economic development in the Franklin County area," said VGCC Bioprocess Technology program head/instructor Dr. Tara Hamilton.

GREENSBORO -- Sharing is not nice.
Through their play over the first 10 games of the football season, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central obviously believe this philosophy.
After the two long-time archrivals have shared the MEAC title over the past two years, one of them will win it outright this Saturday.
The winner will also receive the league's invitation to the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl to be played Dec. 17 at the Georgia Dome against the SWAC champion.

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Funeral services for Mary B. Battle, who died Friday, Nov. 11, 2016, will be held at 12 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at Social Union Baptist Church in Nashville, with the Rev. Terry Dunnings officiating. Burial will follow in the Gardens of Gethsemamne Cemetery.

LOUISBURG - Funeral services for Lillie "Bam Bam" Epps, 78, who died on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m. at Haywood Baptist Church in Louisburg, with Pastor Douglas Harris officiating. Burial will follow in the Hargrove family cemetery.

FRANKLINTON - Louise Strother Bragg passed away Monday, November 14, 2016 at home. She was born in Granville County to the late B. Thorne Strother and Zelma Holmes Strother in 1926.

FRANKLINTON --Hattie Bell Thomas, 96, died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 at Wake Med in Raleigh. Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 14, at Cutchins Family Mortuary & Cremations in Franklinton, with the Rev. Samuel Tunstall officiating. Interment followed at Union Grove Baptist Church, Youngsville.

WAKE FOREST--Donald Scott Johnson, Jr. "Donny" died on Thursday, November 10, 2016 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Tampa, Florida, the son of Donald S. and Nancy M. Johnson. He was a graduate of Wake-Forest Rolesville High School. In 2000, Donny graduated from East Carolina University, where he earned a degree in Construction Management. He was an avid Pirates fan. Mr. Johnson was employed by the State of North Carolina Department of Labor.

LOUISBURG - Albert Columbus Alston, 84, died Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016.  Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at William Toney's Funeral Home, Spring Hope. Interment will follow in the Alston family cemetery.  A visitation will be held from 3-7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Keeble Davis, 38, of Youngsville, behind the steering wheel, escaped serious injury on Monday afternoon after she ran into the back of a tractor trailer on Bickett Boulevard near the intersection of N.C. 56/581. Heather Gwin of Warrenton, center, a nurse who happened to be heading by, was one of the first people on the scene and helped stabilize Keeble.

LOUISBURG -- Just like the nation, Donald Trump secured Franklin County, besting Hillary Clinton by more than 3,500 tallies -- garnering nearly 54 percent of the vote.
Trump earned 16,321 votes in Franklin County to Clinton's 12,811 votes.
According to unofficial tallies, Trump did not secure the popular vote across the nation, getting 59,058,307 to Clinton's 59,204,408, but he secured the electoral college vote -- a race to 270 -- by getting 276 of those votes to Clinton's 218, making him president-elect if official tallies hold up.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County will continue to be represented by Bobbie Richardson and Jeff Collins in the N.C. House as both incumbents secured re-election.
Richardson retained her District 7 seat, beating out a challenge by newcomer William Hancock II, 23,153 votes to 11,010.
She also carried Franklin County with 6,362 votes to 3,334 for Hancock.
"I am happy that I won the election and I wish my opponent good deeds," she said. "And, hopefully we can work together."