Vicksburg quarterback Eugene Morgan (10) scrambles out of the pocket away from Warren Central’s Larry Walker during Friday’s 37-0 loss. Morgan finished 5-of-19 for 63 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. (Jon GiffinThe Vicksburg Post)

[11/8/04]After Friday’s season-ending 37-0 loss to Warren Central, Vicksburg High tight end Sean Gibbs gathered the seniors together. He asked them to run with him for a lap around the field at Memorial Stadium.

“I just wanted to get the guys together after the game was over,” Gibbs said. “We just had our last time in Memorial Stadium, so I thought I’d get my ’05 class together for one last lap around the field and talk about what happened.”

The group left the fieldhouse, through a throng of waiting parents, and jogged around the darkened field for the final time as Gators. As they ran through the empty stadium, they discussed the season the expectations that never came to fruition and the feeling of emptiness after their biggest loss of the year.

Despite the lackluster season, the Gators kept their heads up after the game and tried to remain optimistic about the future.

“I expect the team from next year to be stepping it up, keeping it rolling,” Gibbs said.

Senior quarterback Eugene Morgan echoed Gibbs’ sentiments.

“I had fun with these guys. I had fun with the coaches and everything,” Morgan said. “I’m just hoping I can leave something here for them that they can feed off of from me.”

The group of seniors had never experienced a season like this on the high school level. Over their previous three seasons, the Gators had finished a combined 25-13 and 17-4 in region play. They also had reached the playoffs each season, falling two wins short of the state title in 2001.

But this was different.

Entering the year, Vicksburg had lost 10 starters on offense and nine on defense, and had to replace them with a group that did not have much playing experience. The result was a 5-6 record the Gators’ first losing season since 1997.

“I hope we learn from this,” said coach Alonzo Stevens, who incurred his first losing season at Vicksburg. “I never want to feel that way again.”

The year was marked by bad breaks, missed opportunities and inconsistency. The defense was mostly solid, but Vicksburg never could get its offense in a groove. In all six losses, the Gators scored 10 or fewer points, and they were shut out twice. Excluding a 52-6 win over lowly Natchez, Vicksburg averaged a measley 13 points per game.

The lack of a big-play threat showed against Warren Central on Friday. The Gators moved the ball at times, but never got the breakaway they needed to spark a scoring drive. Their biggest play of the night came in the final quarter as Morgan found Tyler Wells on a short pass that he took for 33 yards Vicksburg’s only play of 20 or more yards.

“We moved the ball,” Stevens said. “We did things and then, like we did all year, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot … It’s hard because we did it in the crucial times. I hope we just grow up. In the offseason we’ll be working on those things.”

Junior Chavous McWhorters and sophomore Wells, who combined for 852 rushing yards and nine TDs, both come back next year. Seven members of the defense, including three defensive linemen and all three linebackers, also return.

And those behind the starters on the depth chart did see plenty of time on the field this season, marking a promising outlook for the program.

“In no way is it a dim future, the future’s bright,” Stevens said. “We’re going to be in the hunt. Don’t feel sorry for the Gators. We took our lumps. … We’ve just got to get to work.

“We’ve got to get more consistency, a little more mental toughness. We’ll get there, though.”