When they are gone, they are gone.

That is the word officials with Warren Central High School and the Vicksburg Warren School District are saying about tickets to Friday’s football playoff game between Warren Central and Clinton.

Warren Central and the VWSD received 5,000 tickets from the Mississippi High School Activities Association, and will also have around 3,000 of its own tickets for sale. The regular-season game between the longtime rivals was a sellout, and with a trip to the Class 6A semifinals on the line demand once again figures to be high.

“We sold out for the regular season game and fully expect to sell out for this game,” Warren Central principal Eric Green said. “We have already started getting calls from people in Clinton asking to buy tickets.”

Extra bleachers were moved from Warren Central’s baseball field to Viking Stadium to accommodate more fans. Approximately 7,500 people were in attendance when they played in October.

Tickets are $8 each and can be purchased at Warren Central High School and at the Vicksburg Warren School District office on Mission 66. They will be on sale through 1 p.m. Friday. After that, whatever is left will be sold at the gate on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“This is one of the biggest games in Warren Central’s history. We want to make sure as many people as possible can get in to see it,” VWSD athletic director Preston Nailor said.

Green said he and other officials are not only asking fans to purchase tickets early to make sure they have a seat, but asking them to arrive earlier. Kickoff is at 7 p.m., but traffic and parking around the school on Mississippi 27 will be congested.

“Yes, we are asking people to plan to arrive earlier, because of the expected traffic,” Green said. “We are also planning to open the gates earlier; opening them at 5 p.m. instead of 5:30 p.m.”

Green said the MHSAA provides the bulk of the tickets that can be sold for the playoff game, and that even district employees, such as teachers, administrators and support staff, must buy a ticket this time around.

“During the season, those with the district can get in with just showing their ID,” Green said.

“That’s not the case this time. Everyone will have to buy a ticket.”

And while a home football game during the regular season means a lot to the athletic department, a playoff game does not have as much impact. A large percentage of the gate goes to the MHSAA and the visiting team.

And, what about the concession stand money?

“The concession stands are run by the Warren Central Baseball Boosters,” Green said. “They must think this is like Christmas.”

Green said he has been working with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department and the system’s security firm, Baker Security, to make sure Friday’s game is safe for everyone involved.

“Overall, I would think between the sheriff’s department and Baker that we will have more than 50 personnel here,” Green said.