The Vicksburg Gators are officially out of the playoff run, but they still have plenty to fight for. The Gators (1-8) fell short last week against Canton High School with a 37-33 loss.
Respect is the key thing Vicksburg is playing for from here on out, starting Friday night against the Calloway Chargers (4-5) who are fighting for a playoff spot. Despite their upsetting record, Vicksburg has plenty of talented players, such as Cedric Phillips who had more than 200 yards rushing in the last game to break the 1,000-yard mark. Phillips is the first Gators player in eight years to have 1,000 rushing yards since Darius Youngblood hit the mark in 2011.
Tim Hughes is in his second year as head coach for the Gators, and he is continuing to help improve the strength of the team. Hughes took over in 2018, and the team suffered some losses before his arrival. In most cases, it takes a new coach at least three seasons to make an impact on the team they inherit.
The Gators still have plenty of fight left. They travel to Jackson tomorrow to play Calloway. If they can pull off an upset, it will hurt the Chargers chance at a playoff appearance.
Kick off is 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at Calloway.