A few years ago, when Warren Central was in the midst of a 20-for-21 streak against archrival Vicksburg, former WC coach Robert Morgan pointed out that the Gators would have to win 20 in a row to catch up in the series.

Vicksburg hasn’t done that — yet — but it has certainly shaken off the image of the rivalry as one-sided.

The Gators’ 7-0 victory on Friday night at Memorial Stadium was its second in a row over the Vikings, and third in four years. It’s a marked shift from the first two decades of the series, when Warren Central won 21 of the first 23 meetings.

Including junior high games, the current group of Vicksburg seniors finished their careers with a 5-1 record against WC. VHS coach Alonzo Stevens credited them with turning the tide.

“Those guys are a special group all the way through. You find a group that never finds fault with each other, that loves each other like they do, that’s a coach’s dream,” Stevens said. “I think we’ve turned a corner, because the ninth-grade group is another special group … There’s another group coming that’s good, because we’ve got some quality sophomores and juniors that are going to fit right in.”

Warren Central will certainly be glad to see a couple of Vicksburg’s seniors leave. Quarterback Les Lemons scored the game’s only touchdown in each of the last two meetings. He returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown in a 7-0 win in 2007, and scored on a 14-yard run in the second quarter Friday. Lemons finished with 90 yards rushing on 14 carries.

“Like coach said, we’ve got something to look forward to when we come back for the reunion,” Lemons said with a smile.

Stevens and the Gators seem to have taken a page out of Warren Central’s familiar playbook to beat the Vikings. All three of VHS’ wins during their current run have been shutouts, and the defense came up with pivotal plays in all three games.

In 2005, when VHS won 10-0 for its first victory ever at Viking Stadium, its defense held WC to 189 total yards and only 31 snaps from scrimmage. In 2007, Lemons’ interception return in the fourth quarter broke up a tough defensive struggle.

And on Friday, Vicksburg’s defense saved the day with a goal line stand in the final minute. VHS linebacker Carlos Williams stuffed WC tailback Joel Forbes on fourth-and-goal with about 30 seconds to play to preserve the 7-0 win.

The stop also continued another recent trend of dramatic finishes. All three of Vicksburg’s wins against WC have been decided in the fourth quarter. All of the points in the 2005 and 2007 meetings were scored in the final period, and the goal line stand punctuated a close, hard-fought game.

“It’s awesome. When you win a game by 15 or 20 points, you don’t have a good time. When you win a game like we’ve done, it’s something special. That’s the way it should be between two good football programs,” Stevens said. “That’s how a great rivalry should be. Tonight, we leave it all on the field. Tomorrow, we’ll talk and be together.”