[12/14/01]Warren Central coach Jay Harrison hopes to find out today if he’ll be without one of his top offensive players for this weekend’s Brandon Tournament.

Zach Richards was red-carded and ejected in a 4-1 loss to Brandon Tuesday night when he upended Brandon goalie Will Sowell as the two players went for a ball.

Harrison didn’t expect any additional sanctions or a suspension from the MHSAA, but said he was preparing to play without Richards in today’s game against Tupelo just in case.

Richards’ red card came on the heels of last week’s game against Vicksburg High, when several scuffles broke out and WC’s Chris Grafton and Barrett Burnworth were both red-carded and ejected.

Harrison said no suspensions had been handed down by the MHSAA from that game, but he did suspend both players for two games.

“I don’t think we’re getting a reputation,” Harrison said. “We don’t teach bad things.”

VHS’ Russell Morrison was also red-carded in that game for his part in one of the scuffles. Gators’ coach Josh Harper suspended Morrison for one game for taking his shirt off as the incident unfolded, but also said he didn’t expect any more suspensions.

“Everything else was taken care of as breaking team rules’ and dealt with,” Harper said.

St. Al keeper Gough

out for 3 weeks

The holiday break can’t get here soon enough for St. Aloysius coach Shirley Agostinelli.

All-State goalkeeper Andy Gough, the 2001 Vicksburg Post Player of the Year, was added to St. Al’s injured list on Tuesday after straining his right knee in practice. He will miss about three weeks.

Gough injured the knee when he and a teammate tried to kick a ball at the same time. He should be back in time for a Jan. 8 game against Bailey, but will miss Saturday’s game against Natchez Cathedral.

“Right now, the doctors are saying no surgery … ,” Agostinelli said.

Freshman Steven Rottman started for Gough against division rival Crystal Springs on Tuesday, but he didn’t face any shots.

Michael Engle, Vincent Banchetti and Patrick Sadler have all missed games to injury, and Michael Strickland has been nursing a groin injury since the start of football season in August.

Agostinelli doesn’t plan to practice over the holidays, and hopes the three-week break is enough to get her entire team healthy.

“Hopefully they’ll all be back after Christmas break,” Agostinelli said. “Thank God our district game turned out OK.”