There is still enough of the season left, including a full slate of region games, that the Vicksburg Gators aren’t panicking as they approach the halfway point.

Still, a win would be nice.

The Gators will go on the road to Yazoo City (1-3) Friday trying to finally break into the win column after an 0-4 start. The MHSAA Region 2-6A opener awaits after an open date next week, so gaining some positive momentum is a must.

“It’s very important to try and get a win before we go into the bye week, especially before two of our biggest games in the next four weeks,” Vicksburg coach Christopher Lacey said.

The Gators are 0-4 for the first time since 2017. They haven’t been blown out — none of the losses were by more than two scores, and all were in play in the fourth quarter — but they still don’t have much to show for the first month of the season.

Lacey said he expected growing pains with a roster that replaced a number of multiple-year starters with those stepping into the lineup for the first time. He admits it’s taken longer than he might have liked, but said he has seen progress.

The Gators cut a 28-0 deficit in half last Friday against Terry before losing 28-14. They rushed for 186 yards as a team, and the comeback bid showed a spark Lacey was looking for.

“That second half was the best half we’ve played all season because the kids played together. You saw them running around making tackles and making blocks and stuff like that,” Lacey said. “I left it energized, with the way they came back and fought and played.”

The challenge now is carrying it over to the next week.

Yazoo City beat Saint Patrick 48-7 to snap a 24-game game losing streak that started in 2021. Despite the recent lack of success, Lacey said the Indians have several college prospects and are not lacking for talent.

“They’ve got four dudes on their football team that are going to play Division I. They present a problem for anybody if you come in there slipping and allow them to do something,” Lacey said. “They’re playing very competitive football. And we’re 0-4, so we don’t have any right to look down on nobody. We’re going to go into that game and try to go 1-0.”

Friday’s game is a renewal of one of Mississippi’s oldest football rivalries. Vicksburg and its predecessors — the original Vicksburg High School, Carr Central and Cooper High School — first played Yazoo City in 1925.

This is the 65th all-time meeting between Vicksburg and Yazoo City. They played every year except one from 1952-2000, but this is only the seventh game in the series since 2000. The schools being in different classifications changed it from an annual match-up to an occasional one.

Lacey said he still appreciated the history, however. The only opponent Vicksburg has played more, and more often, is Greenville. That series started in 1922 and has had 70 games.

“Maybe it got lost in the shuffle throughout the years, just because of wins and losses, how big the schools have become, and things of that nature,” Lacey said. “But that’s good to know it is a rivalry. It’s something we can put on the billboard as a rival.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES
All games start at 7 p.m.
Central Hinds at St. Aloysius (Radio: 101.3 FM)
Vicksburg at Yazoo City (Radio: 107.7 FM)
Madison Central at Warren Central (Radio: 105.5 FM)
Porter’s Chapel at Tensas Academy (Radio: 104.5 FM)
Prairie View Academy at Tallulah Academy
Port Gibson at Crystal Springs
Ouachita Christian at Madison Parish (Thursday)