Players and coaches on both sides like to reference Tiddlywinks when talking about the Vicksburg vs. Warren Central rivalry. As in, “It doesn’t matter if they’re playing Tiddlywinks, both teams are fired up for it.”

That game is indeed special, but it’s time to let you in on a little secret. On a lot of levels, Vicksburg is not the only major rival Warren Central has. It might not even be the biggest. That honor is being claimed, more and more each year, by Clinton.

Warren Central has a longer history with Clinton than it does its neighbor across town. They’ve been playing each other in football since the days of the Little Dixie Conference in the early 1970s. Their proximity has made them natural rivals.

Since Vicksburg dropped to Class 5A and Warren Central stayed in 6A a few years ago, Clinton’s status as a competitive rival has crept up. In baseball, softball and soccer, they’re the top dogs in their division. In football, they’ve battled each other for playoff seeding and the games have been insanely close. Three of their last four have been decided by a total of four points.

They’ll match up again this Friday night at 7 at Viking Stadium in what is, hands down, the biggest game in Mississippi this week. Clinton (8-0, 4-0 Region 2-6A) will come in ranked No. 1. Warren Central (7-1, 3-1) is No. 4.

Clinton has five-star quarterback Cam Akers, and a slew of other all-star caliber players. Warren Central has one of the best backfields around, with running backs Demarcus Jones and Joe Shorter, and quarterback Jesse Wilson.

It’s not just a big game to see where they stand against each other, either. It has big-time playoff implications. In a crowded and stacked Region 2-6A lineup, a loss by either team might mean the difference between going on the road and staying home in the first round of the playoffs, or dropping into the bottom half of the division and facing a powerhouse like Tupelo or drawing a weaker team in round one.

Star power. Stakes. History. This game has it all. It’s everything you’d want not just in a big football game, but a rivalry game.

Friday night at 7. Just about 24 hours away. Get there early, follow it online, listen on the radio. Just whatever you do, don’t miss it. It should be one for the ages.

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Ernest Bowker is a sports writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com