Warren Central wants an October to remember. The road to the playoffs starts tonight with Madison Central.

The Vikings (3-3, 2-0) are in a three-way tie with Madison Central (3-3, 2-0) and Jim Hill (4-2, 2-0) atop the Region 2-6A standings.

A win would give the Vikings their first three-game win streak since midway through the 2009 season and a great start to a month which will determine their postseason destiny.

But the Jaguars represent a tall order. Since 2007, they are 35-2 in region play and the Vikings haven’t beaten them since 2005.

“They (Madison Central) are and have been the district champs and that’s what we want,” WC coach Josh Morgan said. “If we want it, we’re going to have to get it from them.”

Offensively, the biggest story of the past few weeks is the dominance achieved by the Vikings on the ground. Thanks to a veteran offensive line that has gelled as a unit, running backs Aaron Stamps (484 yards, seven touchdowns) and Greg King (231 yards, two TDs) are putting up their best numbers despite facing defenses stacking eight or nine defenders in the box.

“I like the fact that people know we’re trying to run the ball, stacking the box and we’re still able to run the ball,” Morgan said. “You really, as a coach, like being able to do what you want to do rather than letting someone else dictate what you’re going to do.”

One key for WC’s young defense will be forcing turnovers, something it’s done well in the past two weeks. The Vikings are in the plus column this season in the giveaway/takeaway ratio, with 17 takeaways vs. 11 turnovers.

Madison Central’s offense will be one of the most potent the Vikings will face, averaging 28 points per contest.

Quarterback Jim Schwartz is the fulcrum on which Madison Central’s offense swings. He has completed 74 of 127 passes for 1,225 yards and seven touchdowns, with six interceptions. The senior signal caller might be even more dangerous running the option, rushing for 402 yards and six touchdowns.

The other two legs of Madison Central’s triple option attack, running backs Daniel Goodspeed (377 yards, 6.3 yards per carry, four touchdowns) and Doug Ball (300 yards, 9 yards per carry, two scores) are threats as well.

The Jaguars aren’t just an option team. They have a potent downfield passing component, thanks to Keith Williams (33 catches, 666 yards and four touchdowns) and Kelvin Williams (11 catches, 206 yards, two TDs).