Vikings thump Magee in playoff tuneup
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, January 31, 2018
- Warren Central’s Braylen Greer (8) tries to take the ball between Magee defenders Aimon Chislom (13) and Ethan Hopkins (20) in the first half of Tuesday’s game. Greer scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Vikings to a 7-1 victory. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)
Warren Central’s offense was silky smooth. Its defense was soul-crushing.
It was exactly what they wanted to see in their final tuneup for the Class 6A playoffs.
Braylen Greer scored two goals and assisted on another, and Graham Tweedle had a goal and an assist as Warren Central finished its regular season by dismantling Magee 7-1 on Tuesday.
The Vikings (17-3-2) will host either Hernando or Desoto Central in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs next Tuesday, and this win over a solid Magee team was a good springboard toward that. Magee (12-3-1) had won 11 consecutive games before running into the Vikings.
“It’s good, because we’re trying to get to that point where we’re working the ball up the field instead of just kicking it. We wanted to work on our switches out of the back, which was working pretty in the first half. Some of these things are coming together pretty good, so I’m happy that we’re going into the playoffs playing this well,” Warren Central coach Greg Head said.
Greer set what is believed to be Warren Central’s single-season record for goals with his 28th and 29th of the season. His first came in the 16th minute, when he dribbled deep down the left side of the field and ripped a shot that deflected off keeper Zack Teater’s hands and landed across the goal line.
After setting up Brandon Gilliam for a goal in the 37th minute, Greer scored again in the 38th to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead heading into halftime. He also hit the crossbar twice in the first half.
“Since seventh grade I’ve always wanted to pass Erik Chappell,” Greer said, referring to the former WC star who had held the record since scoring 28 goals in 2010-11. “Whatever he did, I wanted to do better. I just based everything on him.”
The two quick goals before the half opened up on the scoreboard a game that was one-sided on the field. Magee was outshot 19-1 in the game. Its only goal was scored by Freddy Tobar in the 72nd minute, long after WC’s starters had been pulled.
Sean Dixon, Treyce Keyes, Dequarian Buck and Tweedle scored for the Vikings in the second half. Hank Holdiness, Karsten Keyes and Tweedle had assists.
(B) Greenville 2, Vicksburg 1
Greenville converted a late corner kick into a goal to edge Vicksburg High on Monday night and keep the Gators (0-16-2) winless on the season.
Sam Newton scored four minutes into the game to give Vicksburg an early lead, but Greenville tied it by halftime and then won it with the late goal.
Vicksburg will finish the season with a road game at Forest on Thursday, and then a home game Friday against Terry.
(B) Laurel Christian 6, PCA 3
Cameron Harvey scored two goals and Holden Ginn added another, but Porter’s Chapel Academy lost to Laurel Christian on Monday.
Laurel Christian scored three goals in the second half to pull away, after leading 3-2 at halftime. PCA, which had the minimum 11 players active and no substitutes, had six shots on goal in the last five minutes of the game.