[1/20/04]Before they can get to the postseason, there are a few other games to play for Warren County’s soccer teams.

Like a handful of regular-season games, the scouting game, and the waiting game, to name a few.

Warren Central and Vicksburg will open the playoffs next Tuesday, with VHS’ girls and WC’s boys hosting first-round games. The VHS boys and WC girls will be on the road.

The Missy Gators will face Ocean Springs, while the Lady Vikes will travel to play Pascagoula. On the boys’ side, WC will host Ocean Springs and Vicksburg will travel to Pascagoula. The game times have not been set.

St. Aloysius’ boys can earn a playoff spot with a win over St. Andrew’s today. The Lady Flashes have been eliminated from playoff contention in their first season as a program.

It’s been a week since VHS and WC played at Memorial Stadium to decide the Division 6-5A championships, but the Division 7-5A playoff teams weren’t determined until this past weekend. Until Monday, Missy Gators coach Kevin Manton and Lady Vikes coach Kristin Gough weren’t sure who they were playing.

The lag time has given all four Warren County teams a chance to catch their breath, but has also made planning and scouting difficult.

“It’s tough not knowing who we’re playing. There’s not much information on them, and no coaches really want to tell you a lot about them,” WC boys coach Jay Harrison said. “Sometimes it’s good playing blind, because you’re staying in your routine and not changing anything you’re doing for any one team.”

Harrison isn’t alone in his difficulty of obtaining a scouting report for his opponent. Most coaches depend on the word of other coaches, and Manton said the word isn’t always accurate.

“We have to rely on what somebody tells us and go from there,” Manton said. “Sometimes people on the Coast will tell you something, and the truth is something different. They’re looking out for themselves, and that’s understandable.”

Some coaches do have solid information to fall back on, though. VHS boys coach Casey Smith previously worked at Gautier, and should be familiar with many of the Coast teams. WC’s girls, meanwhile, recently played three of their potential playoff adversaries.

WC faced Ocean Springs and Hattiesburg in a tournament just 10 days ago and played VHS to a virtual standstill in two games this season, including last week’s 2-1 loss to the Missy Gators in double overtime. The first-round opponent is a mystery, though.

Gough had been preparing to play Ocean Springs until learning on Monday that the Lady Vikes would be traveling to Pascagoula instead. She said there were pluses and minuses with both situations.

“Having already played Ocean Springs, we knew what to expect,” Gough said. “In a way it’s good that we’re playing Pascagoula, because it’s hard to beat the same team twice.

“I think it’s easier to motivate a team when you don’t know what to expect.”