There’s a snarling beast in Division 6-5A, and Warren Central coach Jessie Johnson wants no part of it.

The beast is Provine, the two-time defending Class 5A champion. WC has to play them twice. Johnson’s goal for the rest of the season is to put off a third meeting — which would come in the division tournament — as long as possible.

“That’s our main objective is to avoid the last place spot. We’re playing 25 games to win three,” said Johnson, whose team opens the season tonight at home against Lawrence County in the first round of the Vicksburg-Warren Classic tournament. “We’re not scared of them, but we just don’t match up well with them. Nobody matches up well with them.”

Don’t mistake Johnson’s objective with low expectations. Division 6-5A, after Provine, is generally even in talent with WC, Greenville-Weston and Clinton. Any one of the three can finish second, third or fourth. The key is to avoid being fourth, and stay out of an elimination game in the first round of the tournament against Provine.

The Vikings, who were just 8-21 last season, may be in a better position to do that than they have in recent years. They feature a guard-heavy roster that meshes better with Johnson’s up-tempo style than some of the teams they’ve had the last few years.

“We’ll probably start and play between three and four guards, because we’re so undersized,” Johnson said. “We try to play a more up-tempo game. We like to push and press a lot.”

Warren Central will, eventually, have a few big men, though. Forward Danny Bunch, a 6-foot-5, 270-pounder, will join the basketball team once he’s finished playing offensive line for the football team. So will senior Joel Forbes (6-2, 210), Joe Harris and Calvin Jones.

Johnson said the extra height would be welcome, but he was looking more for an aggressive spark from that group.

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com.