The last time they were on the football field, the Vicksburg Gators left it with a metaphorical black eye.

The bruises, however, will still be felt this Friday night.

The Gators will be without several defensive starters for their MHSAA Region 2-6A opener against Neshoba Central. The players were suspended for one game following a fight against Yazoo City on Sept. 22 and their absence against Neshoba Central will make a tough assignment that much more difficult.

“That’s unfortunate, but they understand that when you do something like that, that’s what happens. Everybody manned up and took what was coming down the rabbit hole,” Vicksburg coach Christopher Lacey said.

The fight against Yazoo City marred what should have been — and otherwise was — a good night for the Gators. They were leading 35-0 and well on their way to an easy homecoming victory when the fracas erupted midway through the third quarter.

Several players from both teams were ejected, and Yazoo City coach Justin Washington requested the game be called to avoid any more incidents.

“We hadn’t anything like that happen in the years that I’ve been here. Unfortunate situation. I learned a lot. They learned a lot. We learned a lot as a program about what not to do, and how to handle certain situations. It was a curse, but also was a blessing at the same time because our kids were able to learn,” Lacey said. “A lot of them needed to learn something, and I guess that’s what God threw on us — a situation where you have to humble yourself and understand there’s work to always be done. We did what we needed to do internally to fix the situation and prepare for something like that to never happen again.”

Under MHSAA rules, an ejection carries with it an automatic one-game suspension. As soon as officials informed both head coaches of the penalties, an agonized and frustrated Lacey spent a couple of minutes pacing. He knew immediately what it meant in the bigger picture.

Vicksburg (4-1) begins its region schedule with perhaps its two toughest opponents, Neshoba Central (1-4) and Warren Central (3-2). It’ll have the suspended players back for next week’s rivalry game at Warren Central, and Lacey said he has confidence that others can plug the gaps.

“Our junior varsity is undefeated. I’m confident I’ve got some guys who can step in. We practice for situations like that, next man up type situations. Everybody gets reps and everybody contributes at practice. It’s somebody’s opportunity to get up and learn and handle their business,” Lacey said. “We sat 15 kids out against Forest Hill and almost ended up pitching a shutout. So I have the utmost confidence in the entire roster.”

Although it has struggled early this season, Neshoba Central’s losses have come at the hands of several state powers who have a combined record of 19-3.

Neshoba Central also won three consecutive region championships from 2019-21, before Vicksburg broke the streak in 2022. Even if his team was at full strength, Lacey said, he would expect to have his hands full with the Rockets.

“The records don’t mean anything. We’re about to start a whole new season. It’s district play. New season, new motivations. This right here is about the trophy. It’s about district champs. It’s about trying to get a No. 1 seed,” Lacey said. “We’re the defending district champs so I know everybody’s coming for us. We’ve played Neshoba for the district title two years in a row, so in my mind it’s another district championship game.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES
All games start at 7 p.m.
Vicksburg at Neshoba Central (Radio: 107.7 FM)
Sharkey-Issaquena at Porter’s Chapel (Radio: 104.5 FM)
St. Aloysius at Columbia Academy (Radio: 101.3 FM)
Ridgeland at Warren Central (Radio: 105.5 FM)
Tallulah Academy at Prentiss Christian
Port Gibson at Wesson
Rayville at Madison Parish