It only took the first half for both the Warren Central girls and boys soccer teams to get the win Thursday night against Vicksburg.

Warren Central scored all of its goals in the first half and the defense was able to shut the Gators out in a 6-0 victory in the boys’ game Thursday at Memorial Stadium. WC’s girls followed the same path to a 3-0 win.

The Vikings posted their fourth shutout in five games. Six different players scored goals.

“We had a game plan, which was working on a new formation that may help us in other games,” Vikings coach Greg Head said. “We were able to play it against this team. So we got a feel of how it may work. That was our main goal.”

In the first 15 minutes of the game Warren Central (5-0) took 14 shots on goal, but Vicksburg goalie Parker Demeranville was able to record 10 saves. He kept the Vikings off the board until Braylen Greer scored in the 17th minute.

Demeranville finished with 17 saves.

“Their goal keeper played really well. He made some great saves,” Head said.

The Vikings took 36 shots on the night and Vicksburg took six.

“We have a lot of inexperienced players. We only have about four boys on the team total that have played soccer before,” said Vicksburg coach Kristen Williams, whose team fell to 1-2 on the season. “We’re still trying to build a program and teach them technique, positioning.”

Each of Warren Central’s six goals was scored by a different player as Head substituted liberally at the end of the first half and throughout the second to allow his whole team to play.

“We got everybody playing time, which is good for them because they are the future of the team,” Head said.

Aside from the first goal by Greer, Hunt Holdiness scored in the 19th minute, Graham Tweedle scored in the 21st minute on an assist by Holdiness, and Zane Flaharty scored on a free kick from just outside of the penalty box in the 24th minute. Karstan Keys scored with a header on a cross from Jack Richardson in the 26th minute and Josh Griffin finished the first half with a goal in the 34th.

“When you have that many people scoring that helps out too. It doesn’t put it all on one person,” Head said.

(G) WC 3, Vicksburg 0

Warren Central (3-1-1) took 20 shots and was able to get all its goals early in a win over crosstown rival Vicksburg.

Laney Smith had two goals in the first eight minutes. The first was on a rebound, with an assist from Amanda Boleware. The second goal was a straight shot coming on an assist from Jayda Griffin. The final goal of the night came on a penalty kick by Boleware.

“Our coach (Jay Madison) said our head wasn’t really in the game today. I’m not sure what it was, but our potential was a lot more than what it showed tonight, but I’m proud we got the win,” Boleware said, adding she thought her team passed the ball well and attacked hard early in the game.

WC goal keeper Layken Stockstill recorded seven saves — one in the first half and six in the second. Boleware said going into the game the Lady Vikes’ main worry defensively was containing Missy Gators captain Mikayla Banks, and she felt the team did well in shutting her down.

Banks has scored nine goals in the first three games of the season. She had seven in a win over Lanier on Tuesday.

Vicksburg (1-2) coach Montra Edwards was optimistic about his team.

“We started off a little slow and went down 3-0, but I’m very proud of my girls’ effort. They continued to fight. They fought all the way through against a really good, well-disciplined and fundamentally sound Warren Central team,” he said.

Edwards was especially proud of seventh-grader Madison Banks.

“She was all over. She got knocked down. She got injured. She got right back up. She continued to play. I’m so proud of her effort, and I think she is going to be great before she leaves Vicksburg High School,” Edwards said.