The Red Carpet Bowl is a doubleheader again.

The 2008 Classic featuring five-time defending Class 5A state champion South Panola and Class 4A power Clarksdale, will be a two-game affair when it comes to Vicksburg High’s Memorial Stadium on Aug. 29.

Last year at Warren Central’s Viking Stadium, South Panola took on WC on a Thursday night. Clarksdale and Vicksburg battled the following night.

This year, Clarksdale will take on Warren Central in a game set to start at 6 p.m. Vicksburg and South Panola, owner of the nation’s longest winning streak at 75 games, will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the WC-Clarksdale tilt.

“We just felt having the two games back on the same night is a lot more convienient,” RCB Chairman Winky Freeman said Thursday. “I think it will work better for all concerned.”

Some RCB members were disappointed in the Thursday night crowd considering South Panola’s notoriety with its unprecedented success in Mississippi high school football.

“It’s true we anticipated a much bigger crowd and we did not get that,” RCB committee member Ricky Mitchell said.

The Thursday night game, which saw South Panola come from behind in the second half to beat the Vikings 31-18, had a crowd of nearly 4,500, but most were WC fans.

Red Carpet BowlAug. 29, at Memorial Stadium6 p.m. – Clarksdale vs. Warren Central8:30 p.m. – South Panola vs. VicksburgFreeman said there were two key reasons why the crowd numbers were down.

“First, Mississippi State was playing LSU on that same night and that took a lot of people away. Plus, for the Panola fans, many had to work the next morning,” Freeman said.

With a return to a doubleheader, visiting fans from Clarksdale and Batesville can avoid conflicts with work and travel and may even be encouraged to stay overnight in Vicksburg.

For Mitchell, the move is also beneficial for the county football fans.

“People around here had grown accustomed to the two games on the same day,” Mitchell said.

The move back to two games, though, did not come without concerns.

First, the RCB Committee had to petition the Mississippi High School Activities Association in order to allow for a 6 p.m. kickoff which put the Vikings and Wildcats playing a half in the daylight.

“The MHSAA had made a rule about no games starting before 7 because of the heat. We were able to get coach Brewer and coach Jim Hughes of Clarksdale to go along with it as well,” Mitchell said.

The second issue would be parking.

“I think the parking at Vicksburg High will be sufficient,” Freeman said. “There a lot of places around the stadium, like the baseball field.”

Also with two games, the RCB is hoping WC and Clarksdale fans will stick around to watch the Gators and Tigers.

“We’re really looking forward to it. South Panola has that big streak going and now Vicksburg will have its shot,” Freeman said.

In a related matter, the RCB committee is looking into making Warren Central the regular host site for the January basketball classics. Several of the committee members have expressed a concern about the space limitations at Vickbsurg High School’s gym and parking.