Editor’s Note: This story will appear in “Playmakers,” The Vicksburg Post’s annual football preview magazine. The 48-page special edition is included with the Aug. 24-25 weekend print and E-editions of The Post and includes previews, features and more for all of Warren County’s high school teams.

For some programs, losing eight three- and four-year starters to graduation and finding their replacements would be a massive rebuilding job.

Vicksburg High is hoping it’ll be more like adding a fresh coat of paint and some new light fixtures. Maybe a new piece of drywall.

The Gators have enough experienced players returning — seven starters on either side of the ball, as well as others who saw plenty of playing time last season — that the experience vacuum was quickly filled.

“We’ve done a pretty good job the past couple of years of playing guys early, whether they’ve been a freshman or a sophomore,” VHS coach Christopher Lacey said. “It’s helped us out tremendously with preparation and not having to ball up all the paper and starting over from scratch. This doesn’t feel like starting over from scratch.”

Indeed, while the Gators lost a lot of experience they have almost as much coming back. Running back DeCorey Knight Jr. and linebacker Dennis Battle are both three-year starters and have taken a big leadership role on their respective sides of the ball. Lacey said that was another thing he tried to prepare for long before this transitional season.

“That’s where leadership came in from the groups that were in front of them, to bring them along,” Lacey said. “Dennis and DeCorey started as sophomores, so they know what the expectation is. They know what the standard is. They know the hard games we’ve been in, the good games we’ve been in. They might actually be more prepared than the group that just left because they went through all the wars with them and they know what to expect.”

Battle had 75 total tackles and 12 tackles for loss last season, but is not the only playmaker on defense. Jadarius Henderson is also returning after earning first-team All-Region 2-6A honors, while Stephen Anderson and Cameron Nailor join them as veterans in the linebacker corps.

Wallys Curry, a sophomore, got some playing time last season as well and will be a starter this year.

Lacey is proud to point out that as many as 30 players have regularly rotated in and out of the defensive lineup over the past two seasons. That’s helped not only erase the experience gap, but built depth to help the Gators weather injuries.

“As many times as you can get a new face on the field to get used to it, whether it’s on special teams or clean-up time, or a guy who can just run one play, it’s good to get them out there to be able to do that,” Lacey said. “The more people you can play, the more depth you build and the more successful you can be while you’re in that season and when those guys in front of them leave.”

On offense, the biggest hole the Gators had to fill was at quarterback. Four-year starter Ronnie Alexander graduated and his presumed successor Michael Johnson transferred to Germantown. That thrust junior Jamikal Maxey to the top of the depth chart.

Maxey has not thrown a varsity pass in his high school career, but Lacey said he’s handled the job well during the summer workout period.

“(Maxey) is not the biggest speaker. He’s not the biggest rah-rah guy in the room,” Lacey said. “But he will always be on time. He knows every play in the playbook. He knows how to get people lined up. He’s starting to come into his own, so I’m excited with him for that.”

Three starters are back on the offensive line — Willie Edmond, Mickell Jones and Shaun Archer Jr. — and so are running backs Cedrick Blackmore and Knight.

The versatile Knight has 2,475 total yards and 29 touchdowns rushing and receiving in his first two high school seasons. Blackmore came into his own as a power back last season and rushed for 439 yards and three touchdowns.

The combination of talented backs and linemen should allow the Gators to lean on their running game while Maxey gets more comfortable at quarterback.

“We’ve got some big old guys up there. I think it’s one of the bigger groups we’ve had in a while,” Lacey said of his linemen. “You want them to take that weight and that strength and put it on people. That’s our mentality. We’re going to run the ball. You come to Vicksburg and we’re not going to shy away from it.”

Another reason the Gators aren’t conceding the 2024 season as a rebuild is simple. They’ve tasted success the past few years and like it.

Vicksburg reached the MHSAA Class 5A semifinals in 2022. In 2023 it finished 7-4 and lost in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs to state finalist Grenada. The current run of three consecutive winning seasons is the program’s longest since 2000-03. The Gators have been in the playoffs four years in a row, the first time they’ve achieved that feat since a seven-year run from 1988-94.

Vicksburg has broken out of a long run of mediocrity and become not only a postseason regular but a championship contender. The current roster has grown up in a culture where success — and the things it takes to achieve it — is expected rather than hoped for, and that isn’t about to change no matter how many players come and go from year to year.

“It’s either championship or bust for us,” Knight said. “We’ve experienced the big stage. Now we know what it takes to get there. Last year we didn’t quite meet the expectations. Us, and myself, and the team leaders and the seniors are pushing each other and the team to meet that standard.”

2024 Vicksburg High schedule
All games start at 7 p.m. unless noted
Aug. 30 — r-Holmes Central, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 6 — at Forest Hill
Sept. 13 — Natchez
Sept. 20 — Terry
Sept. 27 — at Yazoo City
Oct. 4 — Open date
Oct. 11 — *Neshoba Central
Oct. 18 — *Warren Central
Oct. 25 — *at Callaway
Nov. 1 — *Columbus
Nov. 8 — *at Ridgeland
r-Red Carpet Bowl
*MHSAA Region 2-6A games