Vicksburg has made some changes and the Gators are going younger.

Gators coach Alonzo Stevens said two sophomores have been inserted into the starting lineup and he hopes the changes can help Vicksburg stop a three-game slide and build some positive momentum going into division play next week. The Gators (0-3) will host Lawrence County (1-3) tonight for homecoming at Memorial Stadium.

“We made some line changes and we’re going to play some younger kids,” Stevens said Wednesday. The Gators have suffered 17 turnovers in three games and have been outscored 135-13 by three highly regarded opponents.

Lawrence County came into the season as a top flight team in 4A, but has suffered three losses, including a 34-13 loss at Warren Central earlier this season. The Vikings ran for 267 yards.

“We just couldn’t match up with Warren Central up front,” said Cougars coach Mike David after the loss. The Cougars may find the Gators to be a better matchup but Stevens is hoping his new lineup will pay dividends. Both of the sophomores Stevens has added to his offensive line are big.

“We’ve moved up J.J. Mounger and Jonathan Elmore to the starting offensive line,” Stevens said. “J.J. is 340 pounds and he’s been knocking people around this week. Jonathan Elmore is 6-2, 290 and is just a sophomore as well. We need to see if these guys can play.”

A third sophomore, Norman Price (6-4, 220), has been added to the defensive line rotation. Despite having given up over 40 points in all three losses, Stevens says his defense has played well.

“The defense has been solid,” Stevens said. “They’ve just been put in some bad spots by our offense and special teams. We lost two kickoff returns and a punt against Tylertown last week. On one of the kickoffs we had two seniors not call for a ball. There was no communication between the two. And then we fumble our first play from scrimmage.”

Some positive things Stevens was able to bring out of the 42-7 loss to Tylertown, the top ranked club in Class 3A, was some comments Chiefs coach Walter Denton made after the game.

“Coach Denton told me afterwards that our guys hit harder than any of the three teams he had played before us,” Stevens said. “He also said we were the first team that could match up with them speed-wise.”

Vicksburg also ended the game on a good note as sophomore quarterback Cameron Cooksey led a 79-yard drive in the final two minutes.

•

Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com