After taking a tough loss in their Region 2-5A opener last week, the Vicksburg Gators needed to bounce back in a big way Friday against Neshoba Central.

They wound up looking like a superball, coated in Flubber, being bounced off a trampoline by a hyper 5-year-old.

Joe Johnson threw four touchdown passes — three to Raheam Moore — and the Gators’ defense held Neshoba Central to 173 yards of total offense in a dominating 35-7 win at Memorial Stadium.

“It got us stronger and wiser. (Coaches) worked with us mentally, and we did some physical things like hitting,” Vicksburg defensive lineman Michael Sullivan said. “It pumps us up. Games like this make us better. Germantown showed us a lot. They did the running game, so we perfected it tonight and it paid off.”

The win was huge on several fronts for the Gators (5-2, 1-1 Region 2-5A). It not only evened their region record and moved them closer to their first winning record since 2008, it wiped out the bad taste of the previous week’s 33-13 loss to Germantown and kicked off a crucial stretch of the schedule on the right foot.

Vicksburg has four games in a row against sub-.500 teams, and can all but guarantee at least a playoff berth by winning all of them.

“We just needed to stay focused. I know last week we didn’t play like we could have played,” said Moore, who caught five passes for 84 yards. “This gives us momentum going into the district. I think we’re still going to come out as the number one seed in the district.”

Johnson finished the game an efficient 14-of-19 passing for 204 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He threw two touchdown passes in less than a minute late in the first quarter as the Gators jumped out to a big lead and never looked back.

Johnson hit Moore along the left sideline for a 25-yard TD with 4:21 left. Vicksburg recovered a Neshoba fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and three plays later Johnson zipped a pass between three defenders to James Allen at the goal line to make it 14-0.

“We call that ‘sudden change,’” Vicksburg coach Marcus Rogers said. “Once we turn the ball over we try to take a shot up top and catch the defense sleeping a little bit. Every week we’ve been forcing turnovers, whether it’s in the kicking game or on defense. We’re forcing three or four fumbles a game, and that’s a recipe for success.”

Johnson hit Moore again late in the first half for a 21-yard TD to make it 21-0 and then, in the third quarter, Vicksburg’s special teams came up with another big play.

Neshoba drove 16 plays — converting three times on fourth down along the way — to get on the board with Tyler Mathis’ 3-yard run with 4:02 left in the third quarter. Tyler Wilbert took the ensuing kickoff at his own 27, broke a couple of tackles, and went all the way to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown that immediately shifted momentum back toward the Gators.

Johnson threw one more touchdown pass to Moore on the Gators’ next possession, while Neshoba Central only had one first down on three drives following its touchdown.

“Any time you can get a win is good, especially in district play and bouncing back from a tough loss last week,” Rogers said. “I felt like the guys had a good week of practice. They came out and executed pretty well, and the result is a victory.”