Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens wanted to clarify something Monday. The Vicksburg High Gators have never had a season like this one.

Last week, the Gators fell to 0-9 with a 27-7 loss to Murrah at Newell Field in Jackson. Friday night the Gators travel cross town to arch-rival Warren Central (5-4, 3-2 Region 2-6A). Vicksburg will close its season the next week at home against Clinton (8-1, 4-1).

An 0-11 season looks likely, but that hasn’t stopped Stevens from looking ahead or back.

“It’s never happened here and I’ve been here 35 years. It did not happen in 1969 because there wasn’t a Vicksburg High School back then. It didn’t happen when I was a Temple Buccaneer or the years when I started working as an assistant here or when I was an assistant at Alcorn State. This is unchartered waters for me,” Stevens said.

One of the predecessor schools for Vicksburg, Carr Central, went 0-10 in 1952.

The veteran Gator coach said he knows Gator fans and the parents of the players are not happy.

“I don’t like losing. I’m the same coach who went 9-3 last year. I’m the same coach who took this program to the North State title game against Starkville (in 2001). And I’m the same coach who lost 35 quality seniors off last year’s team.

“Then you look at who we had to play. Ocean Springs was loaded with seniors. So was Tylertown, and both those teams are looking to contend for a state championship. Richwood was loaded. We go up to Grenada and lose 7-6. That was a game we should’ve won. We go to Greenville-Weston, we rush for 200 yards, but we lose that one. But our kids are still fighting. They’ve haven’t folded up, even though there would be many teams that would have already done so. But my guys aren’t quitters,” Stevens said.

Vicksburg-Warren School District Athletic Director Lum Wright, Jr. knows the Gators have had a hard year, but he will wait until the season ends before meeting with Stevens.

“Myself, principal (Derrick) Reed, and coach Stevens will evaluate the program at some point at the end of the season,” Wright said.

Stevens said his team played one of its best games defensively of the season.

“It was one of the most spirited games that we’ve had. We shut down both of their really good wide receivers. But the very things that have hurt us in the past, hurt us again. We basically handed Murrah 17 points. We threw an interception that was run back for a touchdown. We had another interception set up another score and then we had a punt blocked,” Stevens said.

“The defense played really well. We just stunk it up on offense. But we still had a back in Darian Carral get near 100 yards rushing and he scored our touchdown,” Stevens said.

Carral was moved in to replace Mark Chiles, who was the Gators’ rushing leader. Chiles was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Stevens said he likes the progress of his younger players.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity this season, but we have 95 percent of our team coming back next year.”

Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com