CLINTON – The ball bounced right for Warren Central in its annual back-yard battle with Clinton Friday night at Roy Burkett Field.

The Vikings held off the Arrows 24-21, scoring two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes, 27 seconds to remain in the hunt for the Region 2-5A championship.

The best bounce of the night came right when it appeared the Vikings (6-3, 4-1) had the game locked up after Dexter Carson’s 22-yard interception return to the Clinton 13 with 59 seconds left.

Instead of just taking a knee, the Vikings went for the score. A 9-yard run by Carleton Davis reached the 4-yard line. Then Carson tried to cash in on his pick with a fullback dive, but lost the ball near the goal line. Fortunately for the Vikings, Ryan Williams carried out his fake, saw the ball on the ground, and fell on it for a touchdown with 34 seconds left.

&#8220I got too much sweat on the ball, and it just slipped out,” Carson said. &#8220But Ryan, like a good quarterback, was there.”

For Williams, the score, which put the Vikings up 24-14 following Joey Bonelli’s extra point kick, helped erase his major mistake when he overthrew a third-down pass right into the arms of Clinton’s Julius Harris. Harris returned the pick 57 yards for a touchdown, erasing a 10-7 Viking lead with nine minutes left.

&#8220I threw that interception and I knew we needed some good plays to come back,” Williams said.

The Vikings got it from the fresh legs of Michael Holt. Holt took a fake reverse 40 yards to the Clinton 36. Fifteen more yards were tacked on for a late hit and the Vikings were now at the 21.

Two short gains got it to the 17. On third down, Holt found a lane to the outside and then made a dive past the pylon for a 17-yard TD run.

&#8220I knew I had to get this, I just dove for it,” said Holt, who covered 61 of the 64 yards in the Vikings’ clutch, go-ahead drive that made it 17-14 following Bonelli’s kick with 6:27 left.

Clinton quarterback Wesley Mounger tried to rally the Arrows. With a minute to play, he faced a third down at his own 35, but threw the ball to the Vikings’ Carson instead.

Mounger did come back to find Cornelius Cavett for a 58-yard TD pass with two seconds left that made for the 24-21 final.

Clinton cashed in a break to open the game after the Vikings botched a hook-and-lateral play. Tim White scored on a 17-yard run to cap the 31-yard drive.

The Vikings answered later in the first quarter, marching 60 yards in eight plays. Davis got the score on a 2-yard run. Bonelli’s kick made it 7-7 with 1 minute, 43 seconds left.

A blocked field goal gave WC good field position at its own 45 with under two minutes to play in the half. Williams hit Tiger Robinson for a 24-yard gain to the 26. A 13-yard roughing the passer penalty moved WC to the 13. They settled for a 23-yard field goal by Bonelli to make it 10-7 with 36 seconds left in the half.

Davis led WC with 106 yards on 24 carries and Williams had 46 yards passing.