JACKSON — A perfect play at the perfect time landed Warren Central a much needed win over Murrah Friday night at Newell Field.

The Vikings broke out a hook-and-lateral play from quarterback Keaton Sanders to Cordell Valentine, who then made a perfect pitch to a streaking Willie Fields. Fields flew 57 yards for the game-winning touchdown with just under four minutes to play to give the Vikings a 23-21 lead.

Larry Davis’ second interception with a minute left, sealed the victory. Warren Central (3-4, 2-2) picked up a key Region 2-5A win and keeps alive its playoff hopes.

“We’re just trying to get on the bus and make a playoff trip,” Sanders said. The senior quarterback hit on all four of his passes for 77 of his team’s 80 yards on the final drive.

“We ran a special play that we’ve been working on all year,” Sanders said of the hook-and-lateral. “It worked out to perfection. It came at a perfect time.”

WC coach Curtis Brewer credited coach Larry Tyrone for the call.

“Coach Tyrone made a heckuva call. They sucked in on Cordell after he made the intial catch and Willie just took it from there,” Brewer said.

Murrah (4-4, 1-3) had taken a 21-17 lead on a 42-yard run by Joe Thomas with 9 minutes, 31 seconds left in the third quarter. The Newell Field clock did not operate after the score. Mack Orr kicked the PAT to give the Mustangs the four-point lead.

WC had a chance to get within one late in the third quarter but Jared Thames missed a 33-yard field goal.

Murrah, which had 290 yards in total offense through 3 1/2 quarters, did not get another first down until its final drive. The Mustangs faced a fourth-and-20 when Davis made his second interception.

His first interception set up  a 2-yard TD run by Fields on the fifth play of the second quarter that tied the game at 7 following Thames’ PAT kick.

Two more Mustang turnovers handed the Vikings 10 more points over the next four minutes. David Cosby’s pick of Lacarious Harris set up Thames’ 23-yard field goal to make it 10-7.

Harris then fumbled away the ball on the next possession and that led to Sanders’ 15-yard TD pass to Valentine on the 20th play of the quarter. Thames’ kick made it 17-7.

Murrah came right back, getting a 26-yard TD pass from Harris to Terrance Ledbetter and Orr’s kick cut the WC lead to 17-14 at the half.

Sanders finished 10-of-17 passing for 130 yards and two TDs. WC played the entire game without its leading rusher Joel Forbes, who was out with a pulled  hamstring. Shon Jackson rushed for 75 yards on 12 carries, while Fields had 52 rushing yards.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com.