Both Vicksburg High track and field teams were victorious again on their home track, but only one coach was pleased with the performances.

Coach Deborah L. Brown’s Missy Gators made it seven straight meets without a loss, taking the Division 6-5A meet title away from defending 5A state champion Natchez 109-90.

But Brown was not happy.

“I’m not happy. Our effort was not here today. We’ve started to take these other teams for granted. We had too many complaints today,” Brown said.

Coach Toriano Wells, on the otherhand, was quite pleased with his team’s rally to the boys divisional title. VHS slipped past rival Warren Central 98-78 in a meet that was tied 69-69 after 12 events. Natchez made a late push to finish third with 64 points and Forest Hill had 16.

“Today the kids came out real aggressive with the idea of winning the divisional championship,” Wells said. “Our middle distance guys came through again like they did last Saturday, but the difference this time was that we got points out of our pole vaulters.”

The seven points John Qualls and Terrence Benson picked up in the pole vault helped keep the Gators within three points of the Vikings coming out of the field events.

WC took its largest lead of the day at 62-55 after Fred Payne won the 100 meter dash (10.89) and the 4-by-200 team won their relay (1:30.24).

But the Gators surged back in front with a 1-2 finish in the 1,600 meter run from James Wood (4:54.89) and Jeff Grimshel (5:00.25).

“My main job was to keep guys off James, but after that Natchez guy went ahead on the second leg, I started worrying about making the top four,” Grimshel said. Only the top four finishers in each event advance to next Saturday’s regional meet which also be at Vicksburg’s Memorial Stadium.

Not to worry. Grimshel came on strong to finish right behind Wood with a personal best time.

“Getting to 5-flat is the highlight of my season,” Grimshel said. It also put the Gators ahead 65-63.

The Vikings won the 400 meter relay (42.80), keyed by a great final leg from Payne to make it 69-all after 12 events.

VHS broke the tie with Adrian Mitchell’s second place finish in the 400 meter dash. Travis Washington of Natchez won the event, one of his two wins on the day. The other came in the 200 meter dash (22.72).

The Gators finally pulled away in the 800 meter run as Wood collected his third win of the day (2:12.72). He also won the 3,200 run (12:21.91).

Wells’ team capped off its day by winning the 4-by-400 relay in 3:37.64.

“Vicksburg is just real strong in the distance events,” WC coach Larry Tyrone said. “They either went 1-2 or 1-3. After two races, that can put you down 10 points.”

Payne won the triple jump to give him two wins in the meet. Larry Warner took the long jump (22 feet, 11 inches) while Joseph Glapion won the pole vault (9-6) and James Kinnard won the shot (41-11).

On the girls’ side, Vicksburg’s Rachel Jenkins doubled, taking the long jump (17-2) and the triple jump (35-9). Patrice Johnson doubled in the shot (33-7) and the discus (89-8) and sprinter Courtney Prentiss also won twice, in the 100 meter dash (12.31) and the 200 (25.20).

Warren Central’s girls finished third in the team standings with 33 points.