Vicksburg Warren School District officials, using information from the National Weather Service, canceled Warren Central’s football game Friday night at South Pike.

As Hurricane Ike roared toward Texas, bands of foul weather, which were expected to produce massive rain and tornadoes in Southwest Mississippi, led to the cancellation, Vicksburg Warren Athletic Director Lum Wright Jr. said.

“We pulled up the weather forecast and it indicated harsh weather around Magnolia. Then we pulled up the weather for Hazlehurst and it indicated slight rain,” Wright said. “We made the decision based on National Weather Service reports.”

The Vicksburg Gators game against Hazlehurst went on as planned, a 17-6 Vicksburg win. St. Aloysius, which was playing at Salem in Walthall County, and Porters Chapel Academy’s game against Veritas in Jackson went on as planned.

Warren Central players and coaches were about to load the bus for the ride to Magnolia, a town located 10 miles north of the Louisiana line on Interstate 55, when the word came in. The Vikings’ equipment truck, driven by WC baseball coach Jason Abraham, had already reached Crystal Springs when the game was called.

“We looked at it for an hour and a half to two hours before we made the decision,” Wright said.

On Friday morning, WC officials offered to either host the game Friday, or play Monday. The Monday game was turned down by South Pike because the Eagles are scheduled to start Region play next Friday.

After players, coaches and administrators were released Friday afternoon, Wright said, South Pike coaches offered to have the game played today, but logistical problems and the threat of more rain today scrapped that idea.

For Warren Central, it’s the first game to be canceled since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina washed out the second week of the season statewide. WC coach Curtis Brewer also recalled a game years ago at Forest Hill that was called at halftime because of tornadoes.