Vicksburg and Cleveland Central are an even 3-3 against one another since October of 2017, but not for long. The Gators will take on the Wolves at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Vicksburg will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.
Vicksburg is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Provine 55-6. With the Gators ahead 35-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Jermaine Gaines Jr had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 118 yards and two scores on only ten carries. Another rusher making a difference was Jadarius Henderson, who rushed for 44 yards and a pair of TDs.
Elijah Rainey
| 09/26/25 vs Yazoo City | 7 |
| 10/17/25 vs Provine | 5 |
| 10/03/25 vs Florence | 5 |
| 08/29/25 @ Natchez | 4 |
| 09/19/25 @ Warren Central | 3 |
| + 2 more games |
Vicksburg's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. In that department, Elijah Rainey was the leader with three sacks. He also made five total tackles, which is notable because Vicksburg is undefeated when he posts at least four total tackles, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Central scored first but ultimately less than Florence in their contest on Friday. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 21-18. The Wolves gained 121 more yards on the day, but it was the Eagles that made the best use of them.
Vicksburg will have to keep a close watch on Kyle Mitchell and Christopher Watkins, a pair of players who had a big impact on Cleveland Central's prior game. Mitchell rushed for 92 yards, while Watkins threw for 182 yards and one touchdown on only 15 passes. Mitchell's longest rush was for an impressive 68 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 2.7 yards per carry. While two picked up at least five total tackles, Orhyon Burnice stood above the rest. He picked up two sacks and made five total tackles (3.0 for loss). Cleveland Central's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.4.
Vicksburg pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 42.7 points over those games. As for Cleveland Central, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Henderson and Anthony Stephens Jr. Henderson just won't slow down this season and has run in 9 touchdowns while averaging 67.6 rushing yards per game. Stephens Jr has been a dominant force too and has averaged 97.7 rushing yards per game.
Everything went Vicksburg's way against Cleveland Central when the teams last played back in November of 2022, as Vicksburg made off with a 36-14 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gators since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
