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VIDALIA — The Vidalia High School Vikings continue to be one of the biggest surprises in the Miss-Lou are this season as they defeated the LHSAA Class 3A Buckeye High School Panthers 32-12 last Thursday night at Dee Faircloth Viking Stadium.

Class 2A Vidalia scored two touchdowns in the first quarter for a 12-0 lead. The Vikings would take that lead into halftime. Led by senior quarterback Sema’J Hayes as well as senior running back/wide receiver/defensive back Chris Brooks, the Vikings made sure there would be no comeback win for Buckeye.

The Vikings outscored the Panthers 12-6 in the third quarter and 8-6 in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated in 2022.

“Our quarterback has to have a good game. We had three or four different players score touchdowns,” Vidalia head coach Michael Norris said. “Chris Brooks scored a touchdown on offense and returned an interception for a touchdown. Our whole offense, our playmakers made plays.”

Norris told his team before the game that Buckeye had some “big dudes” up front and that his offensive and defensive lines would have to control the line of scrimmage. And for the most part, the O-line and D-line would do just that.

“We didn’t give up any sacks. The offensive line did a good job,” Norris said. “Our defense did a good job. We shut them out in the first half. Other than a couple of big plays, our defense played good. They played well in space. It was a total team effort. The defense played solid as a unit.”

Despite the 20-point win over a team from a higher classification, Norris added that there was one thing he was not too thrilled with.

“The only negative was we had four turnovers. That’s something we’re going to have to work on going forward. Ball security,” Norris said.
Having an extra day to get ready for its next opponent will be critical for Vidalia, which improved to 4-0 on the season. The Vikings play host to Concordia Parish and District 2-2A rival Ferriday High School next Friday at 7 p.m.

“The biggest thing is it’s going to help us heal up. It will help us heal from minor injuries. Let us lick our wounds,” Norris said.