Warren Central and St. Aloysius have one goal this summer — find some players.

On Thursday at Viking Field, both schools got a long look at their young talent as the Flashes took on the Vikings’ junior varsity. WC won both games, but St. Al coach Sean Weaver said after the varsity lost eight senior contributors off its back-to-back Class 1A state championship club, any game experience is beneficial.

“You can call this a summer of learning,” said Weaver, who is just a year removed from leading the Flashes to the first of two state titles in 2009. Weaver is a redshirt freshman catcher at Hinds Community College. He is one of four former Flashes that are running the summer program as head coach Clint Wilkerson is not expected back and his two assistants have departed for other jobs.

“We’re kind of working a platoon of coaches between me, Pierson (Waring) and Red (Stephen Evans),” Weaver said. Ryno Martin-Nez, who like Evans and Waring just completed their senior seasons with the Game 3 triumph over Myrtle on May 28, is coaching the St. Al junior varsity.

“We work around our summer games. I had one on Tuesday, so Red and Pierson had them against Hillcrest,” Weaver said. Evans and Waring are playing again for the Jackson 96ers this summer.

For Warren Central, the leadership is stable compared to the situations at St. Al and Vicksburg High after this week’s resignation by Jamie Creel. Head coach Josh Abraham has delegated his assistants to run the summer teams.

“What we have here are the kids who are going to be in the ninth and 10th grade this fall,” said Warren Central

volunteer coach Brad Babb. “What Josh wants us do is to identify nine or 10 guys who can contribute next season. We have a very large incoming junior class, so it’s important for us to find guys behind that class because we are going to need them in the next couple of years.”

Babb said the younger Vikings have responded. They are 4-2 after sweeping St. Al Thursday.

“We split with Brandon and Quitman and we got two today. We pitched Devon Bell and Willie Thomas in the first game and in the second game, we had Zach Boyd and Tyler Gore. Our hitting has been sporadic. We’re getting near the stage where we are driving the ball better. It’s been hard for them to go from facing pitchers at 85 mph down to 75 mph this summer. They’ve got to learn to stay back,” Babb said.

The Vikings junior varsity will likely play 25 games this summer concluding with the Madison Central Tournament.

The Flashes will probably play the same number. They lost two close games to Hillcrest 3-2 and 7-6 on Tuesday at Bazinsky Field.

“The main thing with us is to get guys some playing time. We’re coming along okay,” Weaver said.

Weaver, who sat out this season as Hinds won the MACJC title, said he’s learned a lot under Hinds coach Sam Temple.

“I haven’t had to use but one of Coach Temple’s speeches. I’ve actually enjoyed coaching these guys, but I don’t know if I want to do this as a profession,” Weaver said with a laugh.