Vicksburg High’s football game against Terry on Friday night has been moved from Memorial Stadium to Terry because of poor field conditions.

The field at Memorial Stadium was torn up during last week’s Red Carpet Bowl doubleheader, when several days of rain turned the dirt into soft, thick mud. The holes and divots left by players could not repaired in time to make it playable for Friday night. The decision was made Thursday night to move this week’s game to Terry, Vicksburg coach Marcus Rogers said.

“It is a long-term move to save it. We’ve got five more home games and three playoff games,” Rogers said. “It’s going to throw me into a scramble this morning, because we haven’t packed anything. I didn’t find out until after practice last night. I’m about to show my face in the school and then head down to the fieldhouse and get to work.”

Vicksburg Warren School District athletic director Preston Nailor said the decision to move the game was made not just for safety reasons, but with the big picture in mind.

Vicksburg is scheduled to host crosstown rival Warren Central next week, and it’s hoped staying off the field tonight will buy time to get it ready.

“We definitely didn’t want to move next week’s game,” Nailor said.

A dozen eighth-grade, ninth-grade, junior varsity and varsity games are scheduled at Memorial Stadium before the end of September. Four of Vicksburg’s first five varsity games were scheduled to be played at Memorial Stadium.

An eighth-grade jamboree earlier this week was moved to Vicksburg Junior High, as have the eighth-grade team’s season opener next Tuesday and a junior varsity game on Monday.

“That way we’ll minimize traffic on the field, overseed it and hope for the best,” Nailor said. “Preserving a field in Week 2 of the season is something you don’t want to have to do. It is a long-term move, because Vicksburg has five more games, plus all of those eighth- and ninth-grade games, JV games. Looking at the wear and tear on it, the call has to be made and we decided to do what was best for the kids.”