Gators clinched a playoff spot after beating Ridgeland 20-7

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Vicksburg High School clinched a playoff spot on Thursday after taking down Ridgeland 20-7.

“I think they played good but we left too many points on the board so we still got a lot of work to do and fix those mistakes,” VHS Head Coach Christopher Lacey said.

The Gators started things off right way with a 91-yard kick return for a touchdown by Tyler Henderson.

VHS stepped up defensively as well to regain possession of the ball. Malik Montgomery took multiple handoffs and gained some crucial yards but the Gators failed to get on the board after a missed field goal.

Multiple Gators on the tackle: Photo by Richard Miller

The Gators maintained their 6-0 lead heading into the second quarter where Jaheim Cattin grabbed a big tackle. Just a few plays later, Demarcus Johnson blasted Ridgeland’s running back and grabbed a fumble recovery.

Gators on the tackle: Photo by Richard Miller

The Titans managed burn time off the clock and eventually made their way into the end zone from a 1-yard run and took the 7-6 lead with 1:38 left in the half.

As the Gators got possession of the ball, DeCorey Knight Jr picked up a 12-yard run while Henderson caught a one-handed pass along with another nice catch. Quarterback Ronnie Alexander earned a 12-yard scramble but time would eventually expire as VHS trailed by one point going into halftime.

Ronnie Alexander drops back to pass: Photo by Richard Miller

Dennis Battle came out and made multiple stops after halftime just before VHS put together an 80-yard drive that resulted in a 3-yard touchdown run by Montgomery to put the Gators ahead 12-7.

A short time later, Tyler Carter picked up a fumble and returned it for a 45-yard score. A successful two-point conversion put the score at 20-7.

After Battle came away with a huge sack that caused a fumble, Ced Blackmore took off on a 40-yard run while Knight made a clean cutback for another first down as time would eventually run out with the Gators taking home the win.

VHS improved to 7-3 on the season and they will travel to face Grenada in the first round of the playoffs.

“We in the playoffs now we’re going to try to win a championship because that’s our goal and we’re chasing perfection,” Lacey added.