Any momentum Warren Central established after an impressive 49-0 season opening romp over Indianola Gentry may have been lost to Hurricane Katrina.

Vikings head coach Curtis Brewer said his team lost a week of practice because of the destructive storm that cut power to thousands of Warren County residents.

“It’s affected our conditioning and timing,” Brewer said. “We were out all of last week and then Monday was Labor Day. Some of the kids got together and called a practice. About 45 of them came out for that.

“Tuesday was the first time we’ve had the whole team together since the Gentry game. Still, having 10 days off, I’m worried about our timing.”

The Vikings (1-0) will face a Grenada club that has had no such practice issues and should be quite prepared. The Chargers bashed Greenwood 36-6 in their season opener on Aug. 26.

“They have a team that plays hard for four quarters, are very well coached and fundamentally sound,” Brewer said. “They are very fast on defense and are very disciplined in their assignments.”

Grenada is led by quarterback Matt McCrory, the coach’s son. Against Greenwood, McCrory completed 13 of 17 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

“He’s a senior this year and he looks to have a whole lot more confidence,” Brewer said of McCrory. “They have a multiple offense. They run the shotgun, the I-formation and some wishbone. But they really like to throw it because McCrory can air it out.”

The Charger ground game gives the team balance after gaining 127 yards against Greenwood. The team’s defense held Greenwood to 76 total yards.

The Charger defense is led by free safety Maurice Singleton, linebackers Laurin Martin and Aubrey Shelton and defensive tackle Sean Turner.

“Turner is very quick off the snap but the whole line is good and very disciplined,” Brewer said. “Singleton has a good nose for the ball and plays hard all night. They are very aggressive in covering the run.”

Grenada coach John McCrory liked his team’s overall showing for the opener.

“I was very pleased with the way we played on both sides of the ball,” he said. “We were good on offense and we were good on defense.”

The Vikings, however, represent a big step up in competition from 4A Greenwood. The Vikings allowed only 89 points through 11 regular season games last year.

“It will be a whole different creature this week,” McCrory said of the Vikings. “They have a quality program year in and year out and will be a challenge for our football team. It will definitely be a measuring stick for us.”

The Vikings are led by free safety Chico Hunter, who had an interception return for a touchdown to go with a sack and a blocked punt against Gentry.

The Vikings offense had 11 different rushers help combine for 169 yards. Carleton Davis led the way with 85 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Holt scored twice on just four attempts.