Ryan Ferrington took the first shot of the game for Vicksburg High on Tuesday. It was perfectly placed, in the top right corner, and would have been a goal 99 percent of the time.

Then Andrew Simpson stretched out, snagged the ball out of the air, and set the tone for the rest of the night. For every good shot the Gators took, Simpson was in the right spot. On every run, Madison Central was a step ahead.

In other words, the Jaguars were just better.

Logan Jones scored two goals, and Dylan Jones scored one and assisted on another as Madison Central routed Vicksburg 6-1.

Madison scored three times in the first 11 1/2 minutes — twice on goals by Logan Jones — to take a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back.

Reed Rodgers scored VHS’ only goal at the 18-minute mark of the first half, as the teams combined for five goals in the first 40 minutes. Madison answered with a goal by James Hoye before halftime, then tacked on two more in the second half to put it away.

Still, despite the lopsided score, VHS coach Jason Bennett saw plenty to be happy with. On Saturday, his team lost 6-0 to the Jaguars with a listless showing. This time, the Gators fought hard for the full 80 minutes and were competitive in most phases of the game except the score.

“I was proud of them. They played hard from the first whistle to the last whistle,” Bennett said.

Madison, a perennial playoff team, exposed a lot of Vicksburg’s weaknesses. VHS lost seven regular starters from a team that won 20 games and made it to the second round of the playoffs last season. Their replacements are mostly freshmen and sophomores, and injuries to returning starters Patrick Parker and Bowen Woodson also hurt the Gators on Tuesday.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys, had an eighth-grader on the field at the end, and four ninth graders got in,” Bennett said. “That means a little less speed, not as big of players as what we’ve had before.”

Woodson played on a sore ankle, while Parker missed the game with an ankle injury. Both players should be at full strength for the meat of the schedule, but the newcomers will need time to grow into their roles — which are constantly changing. Bennett said he has had a different lineup for almost every game so far.

“This is the fifth or sixth different lineup I’ve had, and that was probably one of the better ones,” Bennett said.

Tuesday’s game was part of a tough road for the Gators. They’ll play Northwest Rankin — another team that’s a regular in the Class 5A playoffs — then a doubleheader with Neville and McComb on Saturday.

The main competition will come from Ridgeland and Pearl, two more teams that have made a name for themselves in Class 4A over the last few years.

“We’re going to have to contend with Pearl and Ridgeland. If we can come out on top of one of those, we’ll be all right,” Bennett said.

(G) Madison Central 6, VHS 1

Vicksburg coach Kevin Manton called this a retooling season. Madison Central made it look like the Missy Gators were in need of a complete overhaul on Tuesday.

Adriana Mercier scored three goals in the first half, Chandler Evans scored two in the second, and Kristen Mitchell had a goal and an assist as Madison routed VHS at Memorial Stadium.

“They make us look bad,” said Manton, whose team also lost 3-0 to Madison Central on Saturday. “They have great ball movement, great anticipation.

“They’re one of the better teams we’ll see all year.”

Like the boys’ team, the Missy Gators will have to go through strong teams from Pearl and Ridgeland to compete for a playoff spot, and will have to use a young lineup to do it. VHS only has one senior on the roster and lost five starters from a season ago.

One returning starter is Diari Gilliam, who scored the Missy Gators’ only goal against Madison on a rebound.

(G) WC 4, Terry 2

Kristine Fischenich scored three goals and had one assist to lead the Lady Vikes (2-0-1) to a two-goal win Tuesday night at Viking Stadium.

Lindsey Burris had a goal and an assist. WC led 3-2 at the break and then added Fischenich’s third goal for a 4-2 lead.

(B) Terry 4, WC 3

J.T. Coward’s goal with 5 minutes, 30 seconds left in the game lifted Terry past WC Tuesday night. Terry (1-2) also got goals from Bryson Wright, Timmy Hill and Wes Price.

WC (1-2) led 2-1 after Heath Carroll scored. Terry tied it in stoppage time in the first half at 2-2.

Carroll had his second goal in the second half to forge a 3-3 tie. Eric Chapple had the other WC goal.

(B) St. Al 4, Brookhaven 4

Adam Thornton and Steven Mazzanti each scored two goals as the Class 1A Flashes earned a tie with Class 4A Brookhaven. Thornton and Richard Cowart assisted Mazzanti’s goals, while Mazzanti assisted both of Thornton’s goals.

(G) St. Al 5, Brookhaven 0

Taylor George scored all five goals to lead the Lady Flashes past Brookhaven. Haley Davis, Riley Griffith, Ansley Fulcher, Stephanie Rivera and Rebecca Sigh all had assists.