The second half of the soccer season begins tonight, albeit a week late, for Vicksburg and Warren Central. And all that will be on the line is the rest of the season.

Warren Central’s boys team and Vicksburg’s girls can take major steps toward locking up a playoff berth with victories tonight on the thawing tundra of Viking Stadium.

Vicksburg’s boys and WC’s girls, who lost the first meeting to their archrivals in December, need a win to stay alive — or at least avoid having to dominate tough Clinton teams in their remaining division games.

“I wouldn’t say it’s do or die. But we would have to beat Clinton by three goals. So this game is important,” VHS boys coach Jason Bennett said.

Bennett’s Gators (6-11-2, 1-2 Division 4-6A) have been up and down this season, but may have a big advantage tonight. They got one game in last week before frigid temperatures settled across Mississippi, allowing them to get their feet back under them after the long holiday break.

Warren Central wasn’t so lucky. It had to postpone three games — two of them division matchups with Clinton and Greenville-Weston — because of the weather. Tonight’s game will be the first time in exactly a month, since Dec. 12, that WC will play a game.

“That’s the only thing that worries me, is we hadn’t played in a while. I’m afraid we might be sluggish,” Vikings coach Greg Head said. “We’re in shape. We’ve practiced. I think we’ll be playing together as a team.”

While both coaches expected the usual tightly-contested match, Head said the tone of the match could change quickly depending on the score. Because the first tiebreaker between teams is head-to-head goal differential, the two regular-season meetings are essentially one long match. WC will enter tonight’s contest with a one-goal lead in that category after its 2-1 shootout victory in December.

“We’ve got strategies for if we’re up one or two goals or down one or two goals,” Head said. “It’s maybe one man switching from offense to defense. Our guys are smart enough and experienced enough to do whatever we need to.”

The Warren Central Lady Vikes can still clinch a playoff spot no matter what happens tonight, by virtue of their two remaining games against Clinton. They start a goal behind Vicksburg, though, after losing 1-0 in December.

That goal was scored by Tabitha Hayden, the Missy Gators’ leading scorer. Stopping Hayden this time around is a top priority, WC coach Janet McMaster said.

“If we can shut her down, that’s what we’re going to have to do to win,” McMaster said.

Vicksburg will have a slightly different look this time around. It has changed coaches, from Kevin Manton to David Case, since the last meeting. The players are the same, but Case said their attitude and style of play has changed a bit.

“It’s the same group, but it is a different team,” Case said. “We worked hard all through Christmas, in 28- and 30-degree cold, and they never balked. That’s a big sign to me that they’re very positive about this.”

Like all the other teams, the Missy Gators could also use a win to avoid needing a dominant victory over Clinton. Vicksburg lost 2-0 in its first game against the Lady Arrows. Winning tonight wouldn’t quite lock up a playoff berth, but it would help a lot.

“We’re district runners-up at the present, but a lot has to happen for us to keep that. There’s no givens,” Case said.

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com