Warren Central got punched in the mouth early Friday night, then got up and delivered a savage retaliation to Greenville-Weston.

The Vikings scored 54 unanswered points after giving up an early touchdown and falling behind for the first time this season, and hammered the Hornets 54-7.

Alex Stevens threw two touchdown passes, and seven different players found the end zone for Warren Central, which only punted once in the game.

“It was good to see us rebound from a slow start and get back going strong,” WC coach Josh Morgan said. “We looked really sharp after the slow start and played a bunch of guys. I was tickled to death with the way the young guys played and executed.”

Greenville-Weston (1-5, 0-2 Region 2-6A) recovered an onsides kick on the opening kickoff. Although it didn’t amount to anything, the Hornets later cashed in a turnover to take a 7-0 lead on WC (6-0, 2-0).

It was the first time this season that Warren Central, which has allowed just 32 points, has trailed — and it didn’t last long.

The Vikings tied it on a 1-yard run by DeArius Christmas with 4:09 left in the first quarter, then took the lead for good on a 6-yard touchdown run by D.J. Knight in the second quarter.

WC scored two more touchdowns and added a 29-yard field goal by Nick Wright before halftime to take a 31-7 lead.

Derrick Thomas returned a fumble 40 yards for a TD and Alex Stevens tossed a 20-yard scoring pass to Marcus Ragan during the big second quarter.

In the second half, Stevens threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Larry Ferguson, and Joe Shorter and Josh Wilson had touchdown runs. WC also registered a safety when a Greenville punt snap sailed out of the end zone.

“It wasn’t the ideal start, by any means, but we handled it well,” Morgan said. “Once we got back settled in, we started putting our stamp on the game.”

Warren Central 54, Greenville-Weston 7

Records: WC (6-0, 2-0 Region 2-6A); Greenville-Weston (1-5, 0-2)

Up next: Warren Central hosts Madison Central

Skinny: Vikings score 54 unanswered points after falling behind for the first time this season