Vicksburg and Warren Central play nothing but Class 5A schools the rest of the season. And it may prove to be a blessing.

The Gators (2-1) and Vikings (2-1) were both hammered by a pair of Class 3A powers on Friday night. Hazlehurst, unranked in 3A, led from the start in taking down Vicksburg 30-14, while top-ranked South Pike shut out WC, 31-0.

“We knew what kind of team they had and what kind of speed they had,” said Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens, whose team played Hazlehurst in a preseason jamboree. “I’m disappointed in the way we played, but take nothing away from Hazlehurst.”

In Magnolia, South Pike used a quick and strong defense to keep the Vikings off the scoreboard. On offense, the Eagles kept the Vikings off-balance with a mixture of quick-hitting runs, options and end arounds along with an accurate passing game of play-making quarterback Kelsey Island.

Island was sharp, connecting on 11 of 16 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came on seam routes where the Vikings were missing Vicksburg Post Defensive Player of the Year Chico Hunter, who was out with a knee injury. Hunter’s status should be more clear after a visit with a doctor this afternoon.

Still, the Vikings were able to cause a couple of early turnovers, putting the offense inside South Pike’s 38- and 25-yard-lines respectively. But they were unable to move against a solid 7-man front.

“Their defense fought hard early and had us by the throat but our kids were able to make some plays on defense, too,” said South Pike coach Randall Huffman. “We have nine starters back who’ve been playing together for the past two years. And they’ve got a leader in (DeWayne) Pittman who likes contact.”

Both times the Vikings were at the 25, South Pike came up with either a strip for a takeaway or a big hit that caused a fumble.

No play was as big as Pittman’s jarring hit of WC back Raymond Hunter. South Pike’s James Martin picked up the loose ball and ran it back for a 75-yard touchdown. Instead of being able to cut the lead to no less than three with a field goal, the Vikings were down 12-0.

“We couldn’t sustain a drive because we couldn’t hold on to the football,” said WC coach Curtis Brewer. “We can’t just leave our defense out there. We need to find a way to get over the hump on offense. The problems we had, we caused. This is one game, we still have to go back to work on Monday.”

Warren Central plays Meridian at home on Friday night, while Vicksburg will travel to Southaven.

The Gators will likley spend most of this week on offensive line work. Hazlehurst was routinely in the backfield as handoffs were being made, and sophomore quarterback Stanton Price was harassed all night.

Price threw for 98 yards and the Gators’ running game was held to 70.

“You won’t find many 5A’s better than Hazlehurst,” Stevens said. “They just flat-out wanted it. They had something to prove.”