One by one, Warren Central’s senior football players and their families gathered in the school’s library Wednesday morning. Once everyone had arrived it turned into a beehive of activity, an assembly line of photos and paperwork, and a roomful of smiles and congratulatory handshakes as they all charted their respective futures.

Six players put their names on letters of intent on national signing day Wednesday, and two more accepted preferred walk-on spots. Even equipment manager Steven Gatchell got in on the fun by accepting an offer to work at Hinds Community College.

It was a morning of celebration for the Vikings, and a postscript to a season in which they won 10 games and reached the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

“It’s an awesome feeling to know your brothers have a chance to do what you love, and to do what you’ve been doing your whole life,” said offensive lineman Sam Reed, who signed with Southwest Mississippi Community College.

Reed was one of seven Warren Central players who signed or committed to one of Mississippi’s junior colleges. Cornerback Derrick Dixon and safety Byron Galvin signed with Mississippi Gulf Coast, running back D.J. Knight with Copiah-Lincoln, tight end Booth Buys with Hinds and wide receiver Larry Ferguson with Mississippi Delta.

“They made me feel like I was at home,” Ferguson said of Mississippi Delta. “I felt comfortable going on my visit there. They kept checking on me and made me feel like they wanted me.”

Buys spent last season as a backup quarterback for WC and did not catch a pass, but at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds was the right size for Hinds to sign as a prospect at tight end.

“This is great. I’m extremely excited and blessed,” Buys said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid, and being able to sign is pretty great.”

Reed felt that way, too. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive tackle missed half of his junior season and nearly had his football career end because of a kidney ailment. He was treated and came back this season to be one of the Vikings’ best linemen.

“It was a goal to come back stronger,” Reed said. “I came back with a chip on my shoulder, and I’m going to make this the best season I’ve ever played.”

Defensive end Caleb Watts accepted a preferred walk-on spots at Hinds.

Another player, running back D.J. Lane, accepted an offer to be a preferred walk-on at Alcorn State.

The eight players who are moving on to the next level represent nearly a quarter of the 29 seniors on Warren Central’s roster. Two other players from past teams, cornerback Devontae Wilson and linebacker DeArius Christmas, also signed.

Wilson, who had been at East Central Community College, signed with Delta State and Christmas, a three-time Vicksburg Post Defensive Player of the Year who spent the 2015 season at East Mississippi, is headed to Grambling. Both players signed during the junior college signing period in December.

Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said he was proud of all of his players, past and present, and the way they’ve gone about their business.

“These are all program guys who have been here since the seventh grade,” Morgan said. “We watched them grow. A lot of folks fell by the wayside, but not these guys. They made their mark on the football field, and to play at the next level, what else can you ask for if you’re a football player?”

WARREN COUNTY SIGNEES

• Markell Haggard, DB (Vicksburg/MS Delta)

• Torrey Price, DL (Vicksburg/MS Delta)

• Antonio Brown, LB (Vicksburg/MS Delta)

• Roderick Williams, DL (Vicksburg/Ark. Baptist)

• DeMichael Harris, ATH (St. Aloysius/Hinds CC)

• Josh Price, DL (St. Aloysius/Hinds CC)

• Casey Griffith, K (St. Aloysius/SW Miss. CC)

• Booth Buys, TE (Warren Central/Hinds CC)

• Derrick Dixon, DB (Warren Central/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)

• Byron Galvin, DB (Warren Central/Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)

• Larry Ferguson, WR (Warren Central/MS Delta)

• D.J. Knight, RB (Warren Central/Copiah-Lincoln)

• Sam Reed, OL (Warren Central/SW Mississippi)

• Caleb White, DL (Warren Central/Hinds CC;walk-on)

•D.J. Lane, RB (Warren Central/Alcorn State;walk-on)

• Devontae Wilson (East Central CC/Delta State)

• DeArius Christmas, LB (East Mississippi CC/Grambling State)