WC at Murrah in rare Thursday game|[10/12/06]

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 12, 2006

Vikings need victory over Mustangs to keep playoff aspirations alive.

All season long, Warren Central has been painting itself into a corner.

Each fumble, every missed opportunity, was a brush stroke that pushed the Vikings further and further back against the wall.

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Now, with only four games left on the schedule, they can’t go back any more. The margin for error disappeared in last week’s 20-9 loss to Madison Central, putting WC into a must-win situation from here on out if it’s to keep its 21-year streak of playoff appearances alive.

The Vikings (2-5, 1-2 Region 2-5A) start their do-or-die gauntlet tonight at 7 against Murrah (2-5, 0-3) at Newell Field in Jackson. It’s arguably the easiest game left. After that, WC must beat Region 2-5A frontrunners Clinton and Provine, along with archrival Vicksburg, to have any chance of reaching the postseason.

&#8220At this point, we’ve got to win every one of them,” WC coach Curtis Brewer said. &#8220It’s not going to be easy. That’s why Madison was such a critical game. It just gave us a situation where if you have a bad game, you can still bounce back. That’s gone now.”

WC didn’t get into this predicament overnight. All season long, the Vikings have struggled to make a mismatched collection of parts work.

In the beginning, speedy skill players were an ill fit for a huge offensive line that was better suited to surge straight ahead. The skill players also were inexperienced – no receivers or backs were starters last season – leading to typical youth mistakes like fumbled exchanges and handoffs.

WC has fumbled 20 times in seven games, losing 12 of them. The number has decreased in the last few weeks, but only after Brewer said the coaching staff scaled down the scope of their schemes.

&#8220We cut down on turnovers by restructuring what we do on offense. We’re trying to do the things we do well and keep ourselves in the ballgame,” Brewer said.

A switch at quarterback, from Jakoby Johnson to Keaton Sanders, has also helped solve some of the turnover issues but presented another problem. Sanders, a sophomore, is an accurate passer but stands only 5-foot-7 and has a hard time seeing down the field.

&#8220Keaton has done what we wanted him to do, as far as not fumbling the exchange,” Brewer said.

One of the things WC has done well is keep the score down and give the team a chance. The Vikings are holding opponents to an average of 184.4 yards of offense and 14.5 points per game. Only Meridian has scored more than 20 points against Warren Central.

The defense has not done a good job forcing turnovers, however, making its offense drive long distances for what scores it can get. Since forcing five turnovers in the season-opener against Memphis Kirby, WC has managed only nine takeaways. It has an overall turnover margin of minus-6 for the season.

Brewer said that, along with a missed assignment here or there, has been the difference in most of the Vikings’ losses.

&#8220Defensive miscues allow them to go down and score, whereas in years past we made the big play,” Brewer said.

Against Murrah, the Vikings will need to be sharp. The Mustangs employ a fast-break offense that can score in a hurry and put the Vikings into a shootout they’re ill-equipped to win.

Still, no matter what, WC needs to find a way each and every week from here on out or the longest streak of success in Mississippi history will fade into the record books.

&#8220Every week is a championship fight, and we have ourselves in a position where the only thing we can do is knock the opponent out,” Brewer said. &#8220I assure you, when we go out we’re going to go out fighting and with blood on our nose.”