WEST POINT — There’s often a razor thin line between winning and losing. A play here, a penalty there.

The Vicksburg Gators tried too often to walk that line this season and ended up getting cut. Their 24-14 loss to West Point in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs Friday night ended a season that started full of hope, but ended in nothing but disappointment.

It was the Gators’ third straight loss, a late losing streak that saw them go from a potential region championship to one-and-done in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

“What blows my mind is, the things I thought were going to be great assets for us hurt us,” Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens said. “I hope, to be a champion, they understand you have to play every night.”

Among the assets that hurt the Gators in their late skid was a sputtering offense. Quarterback Stanton Price threw for nearly 1,700 yards this season — and 4,144 for his career, just 192 short of Ernest Moore’s Warren County career record — and 13 touchdowns. Receiver Delmon Robinson set the Warren County career record for receptions, while John Qualls and Les Lemons turned into big-play threats.

For all its offensive prowess, though, Vicksburg struggled to run the ball consistently for the second straight season and was shut out in the first half in two of its last three games.

Against Canton, that equated to an 18-0 deficit and an eventual 18-13 loss. Against West Point, it was 24-0 before the Gators rallied for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Vicksburg had no first downs and minus-29 yards in the first half against West Point, and 17 of its first 25 snaps were inside its own 25-yard line. Two low punt snaps and a blocked punt led to the Green Wave’s first three touchdowns.

“We made so many little mental mistakes early, and that was deja vu,” Stevens said. “We lollygagged and lollygagged, and our defense kept us in it. Then we hit our stride and started to do something, but it was too little, too late.”

One bright spot down the stretch was, in fact, the Gators’ defense.

It only allowed more than 20 points twice this season — in the season-opener against Clarksdale and the finale against West Point. In both games, special teams mistakes and turnovers gave the opposition short fields and led to relatively easy scoring drives.

That kind of season-long performance gave Stevens at least one reason to smile on Friday. His entire defensive line and linebacking corps will be back next season. Several members of the secondary won’t return, but with only 11 seniors on this year’s team there will be plenty of players on the 2008 squad who saw playing time. Vicksburg had 35 juniors and 31 sophomores on this year’s roster.

So long as the returning Gators get a year better, not just a year older, the future looks bright. The hope for next year still doesn’t completely erase the sting of a wasted opportunity this time, though.

“That irks you,” Stevens said. “But it lets these guys know, that are coming back, what they have to do to get themselves ready next year.”