The Vicksburg Gators put together only one drive Friday night against Clinton.

It was enough.

Jomar Hunt scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:05 to play, and Mario Gray returned an interception 50 yards for a score one minute later as Vicksburg earned a crucial Region 2-5A win, 14-3.

The Gators improved to 4-2 overall (1-1 in region play) by holding Clinton to 142 yards of total offense and sealing the win with three interceptions in the last two minutes. The victory kept Vicksburg in the hunt for a playoff berth, while the performance of the defense showed it might be able to carry the team to even bigger things.

&#8221These guys are a special group. They’re young, and the best is yet to come,“ Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens said. &#8221We want to stay under the radar. We want to just continue to work hard and be a good football team.“

Neither offense was able to do much all night. Clinton (2-4, 0-2) moved inside Vicksburg’s 30-yard line twice – including a drive that started at the VHS 22 after a blocked punt – while Vicksburg didn’t get that far until the fourth quarter.

Clinton’s best drive came in the second quarter, when it went 71 yards in 15 plays to the Vicksburg 9-yard line. The march took more than five minutes off the clock, but ended with just a 26-yard field goal by Joseph Cole that gave the Arrows a 3-0 lead with 48 seconds to go in the first half.

The Arrows nearly tacked on more early in the third quarter when Vicksburg punter John Howard bobbled a low snap and was tackled at his own 22-yard line. A holding penalty and a sack pushed Clinton out of field goal range, though, and a fourth-down pass was incomplete.

&#8221Getting out of field goal range really hurt. There were a lot of miscues,“ Clinton coach Scott Brown said.

The teams traded short drives and punts for the next 10 minutes or so, until the Gators finally got their offense clicking.

Starting from their own 13-yard line, Vicksburg embarked on a 10-play, 87-yard drive that eventually gave it the lead. Three runs – a 23-yarder by Hunt, a 26-yarder by Chavous McWhorter and a 28-yarder by Tyler Wells – ate up most of the yards.

Wells’ run took the ball to the Clinton 11, where the drive stalled. After two runs went nowhere, Stanton Price completed a 6-yard pass to Delmon Robinson to bring up a fourth-and-6 from the 7 and Stevens sent out the field goal team.

Clinton lined up offsides, however, moving the ball to the 3 and giving Stevens a chance to rethink his strategy.

He sent the offense back onto the field, and Hunt made him look like a genius by barreling into the end zone off the left guard to put the Gators ahead 7-3.

&#8221They asked for it. I liked the look in their eye. They didn’t want to cop out and kick it,“ Stevens said of his offense. &#8221At that point, I knew we were either going to make the season or break the season. And the surge up front was unreal.“

Moments later, Gray sealed it with his interception return. Clinton had moved the ball from its own 17 to the 44-yard line by completing two hitch passes to the left side. When they tried it to the other side of the field, Gray was ready.

He read the route, stepped in front at midfield and went the distance to make it 14-3.

&#8221I was just reading the quarterback,“ Gray said. &#8221I was looking for it. I was expecting it.“