Fumbles doom Gators’ chances|[11/4/06]

Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 4, 2006

Warren Central coach Curtis Brewer was happy about a lot of things from Friday night’s 29-9 win over archrival Vicksburg before an overflow crowd at Memorial Stadium.

One of the biggest things was seeing his team get two gift-wrapped touchdowns off Vicksburg mis-adventures in punt snapping.

Then there was the mis-adventures from the Gators in the shotgun, where three more snaps were botched, including a critical loss in the fourth quarter. The bad snaps cost Vicksburg -minus 82 yards on offense. They wound up with an embarrassing low total of minus 68 for the game.

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&#8220We got some breaks we haven’t gotten all year,” Brewer said as he directed his victorious team to their buses.

The win helps ease the pain of seeing a 21-year playoff streak end. And it also buries last year’s 10-0 loss at the hands of the Gators on the Vikings’ home field.

&#8220Us old coaches, we’re use to winning. We’re not use to losing. But to me the best thing about tonight was the class both teams carried themselves. This was a good, clean football game. To me, that was the most important thing.”

WC defensive end Vincent McRaven was one of two Vikings to get a touchdown off the Gators botched punts.

&#8220We had trouble holding onto the ball ourselves,” McRaven said. &#8220I think it being cold had something to do with it. But yeah, that was an easy way to score. Our outside linebacker, Sean Elliott, hit the punter and I got the ball.”

Receiver Quinton Truly, who was lined up as an outside rusher on WC’s punt return team, got the first touchdown when the first punt snap sailed over VHS punter Michael Cooper’s head.

Cooper tried to pick it up near the endzone, instead of just punching or kicking the ball out of the endzone. Truly got a hold of it at the back of the endzone for the touchdown, just 2 minutes and 12 seconds into the contest.

McRaven’s score came with just 22 seconds left in the half. When Elliott knocked Cooper out of the way, McRaven picked up the ball for the score that made it 20-3, Vikings.

Vicksburg (4-7) was still in the game, though, in the fourth quarter down 20-9. They had a first-and-goal at the Viking 20, when another shot-gun snap sailed over quarterback Stanton Price’s head, resulting in a 25-yard loss. A penalty, a 4-yard loss on a pass play and a 13-yard loss on a sack of Price left the Gators with a fourth-and-57.

&#8220That was the one that nailed it right there,” McRaven said.

Vicksburg offensive coordinator Jackie Williamson offered a plausible explanation for the wayward shotgun snaps.

&#8220People don’t realize that our center, David Williams, was having back spasms all week. He showed great character just getting ready to play this game. And he was hurting the whole time,” Williamson said.

&#8220We also had other kids, Vernon Wolfe and Les Lemons, take physical therapy all week just to be able to play.”