[11/07/02]Ticket sales were brisk Monday morning as the final countdown to Friday’s Warren County showdown between Vicksburg and Warren Central began.

Tickets for the game at Memorial Stadium will be available at the athletic department on Mission 66 until noon on Friday, and at both high schools and both junior highs through Friday at 1 p.m. provided they don’t sell out before then.

“They are wide open. We’ve been selling a lot (Monday) morning,” Vicksburg Warren athletic director Lum Wright Jr. said. “We do expect a sellout.”

Wright encouraged fans to arrive early for the game to get their choice of seats. The gates will open at 6 p.m., and only reserved seats are guaranteed. Fans will be directed to vacant seats once a section becomes full, and are not guaranteed a seat on their school’s side.

“Once it starts filling up, we’ll just monitor which side has more and move people around,” Wright said.

In addition, no fans will be permitted to stand on the sidelines, Wright said.

“Coaches, players, managers and press only,” Wright said. “We will not hand out any sideline passes.”

Police will be handing out tickets, however, to people who park where parking is prohibited .

Vicksburg Police Lt. David Beard, head of the department’s traffic division, said there will be plenty of parking around Memorial Stadium and Vicksburg High. Areas where parking is prohibited, such as the east side of Confederate Avenue, will be clearly marked, he said.

“The same areas that have been off-limits,” for previous VHS games will be off-limits for Friday’s game, Beard said. “If people are parked in those areas, they will be ticketed.”

To avoid a long walk, Beard urged fans to show up early.

“I would strongly suggest people get there early if they want to get good parking,” Beard said. “If you wait later than 6:30, you’re going to get into a traffic jam and are not going to be able to find a close parking spot.”

After the game, no traffic will be allowed on Drummond Street north of Army-Navy Drive or south of Drummond and Polk.

Beard also cautioned fans not to block driveways on Drummond Street when finding parking before the game.

“If you park on Drummond Street, do not block somebody’s driveway or you will be towed,” Beard said.