The Vicksburg Gators turned to a budding star to save not only Friday night’s game, but to keep the Gators’ ship from sinking.

Sophomore Antonio Norfort’s 10-yard scoring run on the first play of the Gators overtime possession gave the hosts a 22-16 victory in a game in which they blew a 16-0 fourth-quarter lead.

The win evens the Gators’ record at 2-2, while Southaven falls to 3-1.

&#8220It would have been devastating (to lose) because we challenged the coaches and the players all week to play, play and not to stop,” said Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens, whose team was coming off back-to-back 6-point losses. &#8220In overtime, I looked in their eyes and no one’s head was down.”

Southaven began the extra period on offense – each team is given four downs from the 10-yard line – with quarterback Joel Rich tossing an incomplete pass into the end zone. A penalty backed the Chargers up to the 20 and two straight incompletions followed to set up fourth down.

Southaven coach Ed Rich, also the team’s baseball coach, pleaded for pass interference calls on two of the overtime passes to no avail. He chose not to comment following the defeat.

A 37-yard field goal attempt missed short and wide left setting up the Gators on offense.

&#8220It’s homecoming and I knew our defense would step up when we needed it,” Vicksburg linebacker DeKores Branch said. &#8220Coach told us before overtime to keep our heads up and play hard.”

With the ball on the 10, quarterback Stanton Price took the snap from center, handed to Norfort, who broke to the right sideline and shedded several Southaven defenders until he reached the end zone.

&#8220Coach told me we needed a touchdown and they were going to put me in the game,” said Norfort, who had only carried the ball three times before his game-winning score. &#8220I told him I wanted the ball and he said to do what I needed to do.

&#8220I got it, felt it in my legs and got it into the end zone.”

The victory comes none too soon to a Gators team that lost an overtime game to Natchez, then watched as Hazlehurst scored late last Friday to take a 20-14 win.

Unlike those games, the Gators came out smoking early.

Backed up deep in their own territory by a Michael Cooper punt – he had four punts land inside the Southaven 10 – Southaven gave VHS a safety with an intentional grounding in the end zone and a 2-0 lead.

Vicksburg went ahead 9-0 with 4 minutes, 14 seconds to play in teh first half on the first of two Price 1-yard touchdown runs. Vicksburg managed a meager 44 yards in total offense in the first half, but the defense held Southaven to 16 yards on 16 plays.

Rich, the Chargers’ standout quarterback, was harassed all half and completed only 1 of 7 passes for 10 yards. He finished the game 8-of-22 for 141 yartds and a score.

After Southaven punted to open the third quarter, Vicksburg drove 64 yards in 11 plays capped by Price’s second TD run. A defensive holding call on second down at the Chargers’ 11 set up Price’s run and drew Ed Rich’s ire.

It took until the 4:27 mark of the fourth quarter for Southaven to get on the board with a 21-yard scoring pass from Joel Rich to Brandon Jordan. The two-point conversion brought the visitors to within 8.

Southaven forced a Vicksburg punt and Jarious Farley picked up a muffed punt and danced and juked his way down the Southaven sideline for a touchdown. The two-point pass from Rich to Jordan tied the game at 16.

Price ended the game with 130 yards passing for VHS.

Vernon Wolfe and Cordell Watkins each had an interception in the win.

&#8220We’ve been here before on the other side,” Stevens said. &#8220They are a good football team that came in here undefeated. This is what it’s all about right here. We never quit. These kids never quit.”