At first glance, it was an odd celebration.

Warren Central’s players and coaches, huddled together at Jackson’s Newell Field following a 16-9 victory over Jim Hill on Friday night, smiled, cheered and held three fingers in the air to signify their third-place finish in Region 2-6A. It was emotion typically reserved for championship celebrations, not middle-of-the-pack finishes.

Considering where the Vikings had come from, however, and where they seem headed, it was a hard-earned moment of triumph.