Warren County football fans, circle Sept. 7 on your calendars. It’s the new date for the biggest game of the year.

Vicksburg High and Warren Central will meet that Friday night at Viking Stadium in the renewal of their annual grudge match. It’s the second game of the season, and the first time the rivalry game has been played in September.

The date was moved from November because of Vicksburg’s drop from Class 5A to 4A in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s latest realignment. The game also will be played in September in 2008.

The new date was welcomed by coaches at both VHS and WC. They said the later date and emphasis on the rivalry made it hard to regroup for a playoff game the next week.

&#8220I like it like this because it gives both programs time to refocus,” VHS coach Alonzo Stevens said. &#8220All these rivals, I think we were the only one left doing it at the end of the season. I think it should benefit both programs.”

The WC-VHS game will be part of a tough early schedule for both teams. In the Red Carpet Bowl on Aug. 31 at Viking Stadium, Warren Central will host four-time defending Class 5A state champion South Panola and Vicksburg will play Class 4A runner-up Clarksdale.

Following the WC-VHS matchup, the Gators will take on Richwood, La., one of two Louisiana schools to play Warren County teams, and will follow that game with one against region-foe Callaway.

WC gets South Pike in the third week of the year, then will play Neville, La., a Monroe-based Class 5A school across the river.

VHS has 10 regular season games because Class 4A begins playoffs a week before the 5A playoffs because the smaller class has twice as many playoff teams.

Vicksburg High Schedule.

Aug. 31 Clarksdale (at WC) 6 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Warren Central 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 at Richwood, La. 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 *Callaway 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 *at Pearl 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 *Yazoo City 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 *at Yazoo County 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 *Lanier 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 *Canton 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 *at Ridgeland 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 Class 4A playoffs begin.

* Region 3-4A games.

Warren Central Schedule.

Aug. 31 South Panola 8 p.m.

Sept. 7 Vicksburg 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 South Pike 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Neville, La. 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 *at NW Rankin 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 *Greenville-Weston 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 *at Madison Central 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 *Murrah 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 *at Clinton 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 *at Provine 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 *Grenada 7:30 p.m.

*Region 2-5A game