Andrew Patten of Warren Central (30) stiff-arms Vicksburg’s D’Eldrick Taylor during their game on Nov. 8. Patten, who saw time in the Power-I backfield against Starkville, will try to help lead the Vikings to the North State championship game. WC hosts Southaven in a second-round Class 5A playoff game tonight at 7. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

When it comes to playing down his club’s abilities, Lou Holtz has nothing on Southaven coach Calvin Aldridge.

“We don’t do anything well,” Aldridge said when asked what his team’s strengths were. “(Warren Central’s) defense is a tough bunch. We’re going to do good to get a first down against that bunch. They’ve got athletes all over the place.”

That’s from a coach who has led his team to a 9-3 record against a schedule that has included nine road games. Southaven has posted wins over Starkville, Clinton, and the No. 2 team in Arkansas, El Dorado, and has advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.

The Chargers boast a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Chris Barnett and Adam Nester, and have totaled more than 3,500 yards of offense while forcing 41 turnovers on defense.

So it’s no wonder Warren Central coach Robert Morgan just laughed when told about Aldridge’s comments.

“They’ve done a good job of putting their team together,” Morgan said. “They used to be the team everybody wants to play for homecoming, and now they’re a good team and a good program.”

Southaven will face WC (9-3) in a second-round Class 5A playoff game tonight at 7 at Viking Stadium, and it figures to be a slugfest. Both teams feature suffocating defenses and bruising, run-oriented offenses.

Southaven has three shutouts to its credit and has rushed for 2,875 yards this season, while WC has held opponents to 13 points per game and features 1,300-yard rusher Richmond Fields.

Fields broke loose for 165 yards and a touchdown in WC’s first-round win over Starkville last week. Beyond simply advancing to the second round, that victory was huge for the Vikings on several fronts.

It not only gave them their first playoff win over Starkville in six tries, it broke a three-game losing streak that threatened to derail a memorable season.

WC started the year 8-0 and was ranked as high as No. 4 before a 6-0 loss to Clinton started the slide, which continued with stunning losses to Murrah and Vicksburg.

“I believe we just let our record get to our head,” said WC fullback Henry Williams, who has rushed for 530 yards and five touchdowns this season. “We thought we couldn’t get beat, and forgot what we were playing for.”

To break the slump and breathe life into an offense that had gotten “funky” and “stale”, Morgan went back to basics. His gameplan for Starkville included a lot of the Power-I formation, a WC staple for years.

“We were funky on offense. We were kind of stale on offense, and we thought the Power-I would give us a little lift. Then it rained and we looked pretty smart,” Morgan said.

Southaven, however, may beat the Vikings at their own running game. The Chargers have averaged nearly 5 yards per carry this season and run the ball five times for every pass they attempt. WC, by comparison, has a 3-1 run-to-pass ratio.

“They don’t run a lot of plays, but they run so many formations and shifts, and they do it so quick that they catch you with your britches down,” Morgan said, adding that Southaven quarterback Chad Lampling (42-for-88, 653 yards and eight TDs) can also hurt defenses. “They throw good when they have to. If we get them to where they have to throw, though, I’ll be very happy.”

WC has been more balanced on offense this season, relying not only on Fields and Williams to run the ball but quarterback Jeremy Ferguson to throw it.

Ferguson has been very effective, completing 49.3 percent of his passes for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns, with only three interceptions in 150 attempts. His favorite target has been Larry King, who has caught 32 balls for 434 yards and five touchdowns.

Ferguson will face a tough defense this week, however. Southaven has intercepted 23 passes this season, returning two for touchdowns.

“It’ll be a lot like Vicksburg was,” Ferguson said of Southaven’s defense. “Come at you fast and strong. They’ve got a real good secondary, from what coaches have told us and what we’ve seen on film.”

Although Southaven will be making the long, 4-hour bus ride from extreme North Mississippi, WC will hardly have a homefield advantage.

This will be the Chargers’ ninth road game of the year, and they’ve beaten heavyweights Clinton, El Dorado, Ark., and Starkville on the road. Aldridge said his team was used to playing on the road, although he admitted it does have an effect on a team.

“I think it does affect you. We may have to pull the bus over on the interstate and go out and run for a bit,” Aldridge joked.

The Vikings, however, are all about business this week. After being humbled during their late-season losing streak, they’ve refocused and are ready to continue their playoff run.

“It felt good (to beat Starkville). We regained our composure. Folks thought we lost it, but we’ve still got it,” Fields said. “We’re just on a mission, and the mission is a state championship and whatever it takes to win it.”