Vicksburg High went on the road and secured two come-from-behind victories earlier this season.

The third time was not a charm.

Neshoba Central’s Jon Parker Hancock kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:59 remaining and the Rockets held on to beat Vicksburg 21-20 on Friday night.

“I knew at some point we can’t keep trying to play football in the second half, and have a slow first half. We’ve got to be more disciplined,” Vicksburg head coach Christopher Lacey said.

Vicksburg (4-2, 0-1 MHSAA Region 2-6A) trailed by six points at halftime, but scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Ronnie Alexander to Tyler Henderson with 8:51 to go in the game to tie it. DeCorey Knight Jr. ran in the two-point conversion to put the Gators ahead 20-18.

After Hancock’s field goal gave Neshoba Central (2-4, 1-0) the lead again, Vicksburg had the ball and a chance to pull out the victory with less than two minutes to go. Knight was stopped on a fourth-down run near midfield with about 40 seconds left and Neshoba took over on downs.

“We just didn’t get the blocks. We didn’t execute on that play,” Lacey said.

Alexander and Henderson also hooked up for a 44-yard touchdown pass in the first half for the Gators. Knight had a 65-yard kickoff return TD as well.

Vicksburg was missing several defensive starters who were suspended for one game following a fight against Yazoo City on Sept. 22. Still, the Gators only trailed 18-12 at halftime and held the Rockets scoreless in the second half until Hancock’s field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Tyler Henderson had an interception to go along with his two touchdown receptions, and Jadarius Henderson had a fumble recovery.

“We had them where we wanted them. We just can’t make the mistakes that we made. It’s undisciplined stuff, and that starts on Monday,” Lacey said.

The loss put Vicksburg in an early hole in the Region 2-6A standings, with another tough assignment looming next week. It’ll head across town to Warren Central for the annual River City Rivalry game at Viking Stadium.

“It ain’t a hole,” Lacey said. “We’ve got to go in next Friday and do our jobs and win. We’ve got to start fresh on Monday.”