Fans at the Friday’s 49th annual Red Carpet Bowl expected to see a pair of close games and see an improvement after Vicksburg and Warren Central combined for four wins last season.

What the fans got was a near repeat of last year. Vicksburg was overwhelmed by Brandon, 47-14, while Pearl took advantage of Warren Central’s mistakes in a 41-6 victory.

The combined score was Rankin County teams 88, Warren County teams 20. Ouch.

In the first game, the mismatch was apparent during the singing of the national anthem. Vicksburg dressed 55 players, while Brandon dressed more than 90.

In the second game, Warren Central and Pearl dressed more than 60 players apiece. But the difference is Pearl is a Class 5A school.

Both Vicksburg and Warren Central sit at the bottom of Class 6A attendance figures. According to the last reclassification, Vicksburg was 31st out of 32 6A schools with 1,106 students, while Warren Central was 27th with 1,165. The two schools are classic tweeners, too big for 5A, but realistically too small to compete in 6A.

It’s a numbers game and unfortunately, for Vicksburg and Warren Central, the line has to be drawn somewhere. Numbers don’t always add up to consistent winning football programs, as Greenville Weston, Southaven and DeSoto Central, which are in the top 10 in numbers, can attest. South Panola has won seven of the last eight state championships and is ranked 22nd in enrollment. But increased numbers can always help. It’s no secret that Madison Central, Meridian and Oak Grove are three of the biggest 6A schools and three of the most successful football programs.

Forty, 30, even 20 years ago, Warren County could support two large high schools with successful football programs. Now, the county’s population is able to support only one.

The results on the field bear this out.

When was the last time either of the two county schools was relevant on the state football scene? That would be 2008, when Vicksburg finished 9-3. Since then, the Gators are 3-20, counting Friday’s loss.

The Vikings, who won championships in 1988 and 1994, have fallen off significantly, too. Since 2004, when the Vikings finished 10-2, they have gone 28-40.

The facilities have mirrored the results on the field. Once, the two programs had facilities that were the envy of the state. Despite a new weight room at Warren Central, both schools are saddled with aging, obsolescent facilities.

If the county schools are to snap out of their doldrums on the gridiron, the phrase uttered by Christopher Lambert’s immortal character Connor MacLeod in the 1986 classic sci-fi movie “Highlander” comes to mind.

There can be only one. One high school that is.

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.