The major rivalry in Warren County is between the Gators and the Vikings, which brings out the overzealous side of alumni and students. Warren Central went through another intense rivalry matchup with Clinton as it barely escaped their grasps by stopping a two-point conversion.

Rivalries are the heart of this grueling and grim world of sports; without them the excitement and intensity would diminish. The amount of emotion fans invest in these games might seem peculiar to those who don’t get sports, but perfectly normal to those accustomed.

In the coming weeks, SEC fan bases will witness three of the conference’s biggest and most tenured rivalries with LSU at Alabama, Ole Miss at Mississippi State, and Alabama at Auburn.

While the emotion makes up a majority of how the rivalry plays out, sometimes it can go too far. Some fan bases are civil enough to handle the taunting and dish it back in a humorous manner. Others feel disrespected and take it to the extreme, hurling threats at their own players. I’m looking at you, Michigan and Alabama.

After experiencing two jaw-dropping losses to in-state rivals, students from both institutions took to social media to voice their frustrations with Michigan’s punter and sent death threats to Alabama’s kicker. Although there is nothing worse than suffering a loss to someone you spend most of your time despising, telling someone to end his life is an even more despicable way of handling a situation. It also outshines any positivity and support coming from the fans.

On the flip side, there’s nothing better than winning a rivalry game, especially as an underdog.

Twice last season, Ole Miss was an underdog against Alabama and Mississippi State, respectively, and twice they were victorious. Ole Miss fans enjoyed their win against Alabama so much they stormed the field, celebrated with the players and tore down the goal posts, despite fines from the conference.

Since being in Vicksburg, all rival games I’ve covered between Vicksburg and Warren Central have been in good fun and nature, as they should be.

In the volleyball games, the Vikings’ football team supported their classmates in the second win against the Gators and were the loudest in the crowd. Vicksburg supporters started their cherished “VIC-KSB-URG” chant to combat the noise. It’s good to see the city being able to handle a rivalry and know it’s all fun and games.

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Alex Swatson is a reporter. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, Ext. 178, or via email at alex.swatson@vicksburgpost.com