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ROANOKE RAPIDS -- Two teams with one combined loss. A share of first place in the Northern Carolina Conference at stake. An overflow crowd at one of the state's most storied gridiron venues. Bunn's first game since legendary coach David Howle announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season.
And a star player for one club -- Bunn's D.J. Jones -- who was a former standout at the opposing school (Roanoke Rapids) before transferring to BHS last year.
Certainly, the Bunn-Roanoke Rapids showdown last Friday had plenty of subplots, and it delivered in entertainment value before the Wildcats rallied in the second half to defeat the Jackets 28-17 in a hard-fought NCC event at RR's historic Hoyle Field.

LOUISBURG -- Louisburg High School has made it through the regular season of volleyball with a perfect record -- but veteran head coach Erica Wammock hopes the best is yet to come.
Certainly, Wammock is thrilled by the 22-0 regular season, which was capped Monday when LHS clinched the Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference crown with a three-game sweep at rival Granville Central.

LOUISBURG -- For most of the season, the Louisburg College men's and women's cross country squads have been training hard to peak for the postseason -- and that moment will begin Saturday.
Louisburg will serve as the host for the annual Region X Cross Country Championships, which will be held Saturday morning at Owens Park in Louisburg (the former Bull Creek Golf Course).

LOUISBURG - Shirley Jean Hawkins Williams, 75, died Sunday, Oct 16, 2016, at Wake Med in Raleigh. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Haywood Baptist Church. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

SPRING HOPE - Funeral services for Marvin Donel Richardson, 47, who died Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, were held Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Pine Chapel Baptist Church in Hollister. Burial followed in the Pine Chapel Church cemetery.

FRANKLINTON --Funeral services for Archie Alvin "Bro" Alston, 73, who died Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, were held Monday, Oct. 17, at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Louisburg. Burial followed in the Sandhills Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake.

WASHINGTON, DC- Funeral services for Frederick Cecil "Jack" Richardson, 50, who died Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016, will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, at 12 p.m. in the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel in Louisburg. Burial will follow in the Perry's Missionary Church cemetery.

YOUNGSVILLE -- Hazel Burnette Hailey, 91, died Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16, 2016 at Franklin Oaks Nursing Center in Louisburg. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Youngsville Baptist Church, with the Rev. Chuck Stratton officiating. Burial will follow in the Youngsville Town Cemetery.

LOUISBURG - Dennis Ruffin Smith, 61, died Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 at the VA Medical Center in Durham. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. at Corinth Baptist Church, with the Rev. Matthew Bowden officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

PILOT - Clinton Reid Carlyle, 80, passed away Monday, October 17, 2016. He was born March 27, 1936 in Franklin County to the late Rufus Maryland Carlyle and Crettie Riley Carlyle. He honorably served his country in the National Guard from 1954 to 1962. Clinton owned and operated Carlyle Grocery and Carlyle Insurance Agency. He was a Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner. Clinton was past president and co-founder of the Pilot Lion's Club and was active in the Democratic Political Party.

LOUISBURG - Sheppard Allen DeHart, 90, of Louisburg, N.C. and formerly of Patrick County, Va., died Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. at Moody Funeral Home in Stuart, Va. Burial will follow in the Woolwine Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

LOUISBURG - Hazel Mae Smith Gilliam, 94, died Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. The family will receive friends at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 2-2:45 p,m. where funeral services will be held at 3 p.m., with the Rev. Nathaniel Williams officiating. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery.

LAKE ROYALE --James "Jim" Allen Lee Sr., 75, died Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016 at his residence. A memorial service honoring his life was held Friday, Oct. 14, in the chapel of Bright Funeral Home.

YOUNGSVILLE --Alma Williams Johnson Booth died at home on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016 after a lingering illness. Funeral services were held in the Bright Funeral Home Chapel on Friday, Oct. 14, with the Rev. Gary McNair officiating. Burial was in the Oak Grove Baptist Church cemetery, Youngsville.

YOUNGSVILLE - Bruce Strickland, beloved husband and father, friend to all and a true southern gentleman, passed away on October 14th from complications of a massive stroke. Bruce was a quiet man of few words. He was admired and respected by all who knew him. Bruce never said an unkind word about anyone.

LOUISBURG - Elsie Grey Blaylock Mayo, 87, of Louisburg, passed away on Thursday, October 13, 2016. She was born in Nash County on August 22, 1929 to the late Homer and Lena Fish Blaylock.

FRANKLINTON -- Needing a victory to stay alive in the Northern Carolina Conference football race, the Franklinton Red Rams came up with one Friday -- but it certainly didn't come easily.
Instead, Franklinton and Warren County dueled into double overtime before the host Red Rams used a 13-yard touchdown run from Tyreese Williams to defeat the Eagles by a 41-35 total at the FHS Football Field.

ROANOKE RAPIDS -- Two teams with one combined loss. A share of first place in the Northern Carolina Conference at stake. An overflow crowd at one of the state's most storied gridiron venues. Bunn's first game since legendary coach David Howle announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season.
And a star player for one club -- Bunn's D.J. Jones -- who was a former standout at the opposing school (Roanoke Rapids) before transferring to BHS last year.

GASTON -- Louisburg prepped for its key Tar-Roanoke Athletic Conference football showdown next Friday at Granville Central by picking up another league decision this Friday.
The Warriors broke open a tight game at halftime and went on to defeat homestanding KIPP Pride by a 42-20 margin in Northampton County.
Louisburg is now 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the TRAC heading into the meeting at Granville Central, which will feature first place in the conference going to the winner.

The Franklin County Health Department will be under new direction next month.
The Board of Health selected Scott LaVigne as the new director.
LaVigne comes to Franklin County after serving as the Director of Community Services for Seneca County, New York since September of 2007, county staff said.

PERFECTION ACHIEVED. The Louisburg Parks and Rec Warriors went undefeated as part of 8-Under Fall Baseball action against area opponents. Pictured are (back, l to r) Coaches Casey Lundy, Jason Crawford, Brannon Inscoe and Jonathan Alford; (middle, l to r) Tyson Lundy, Carson Champion, Jackson Alford, Colin Ball, Kade Highfield and Waylon Murray; (front, l to r) Connor Crawford, Cameron Edwards, Anderson Inscoe, Benjamin Inscoe and Easton Crawford. Not pictured is Bryant Nelms.

LOUISBURG -- Franklin County roads washed out, sewers spilled and hundreds are still without power, but overall, emergency staff said, residents dodged a bullet.
Hurricane Matthew, a category 4 storm, dropped about half a foot of rain in the region, but there was no loss of life, even if there were losses of limbs in the county.
"We ran a lot of calls, between fire and EMS, about trees down, roads flooded and motor vehicle accidents," county Emergency Management Director Jeff Lewis said at the height of the storm, "but we were very lucky.

LOUISBURG -- Residents urged county officials to pay attention to the details and fine print before selecting a new medical provider for Franklin County.
On Oct. 24, county commissioners are slated to decide whether Duke Lifepoint, Franklin County Healthcare Hospital and Practice Accountable Group or WakeMed becomes the county's next hospital operator.
Before that, though, hundreds of those interested in health care showed up during an Oct. 6 public hearing to make sure county commissioners know what they want in a Franklin County hospital.