In the end, things turned out fine for Warren Central last Friday.

The Vikings beat Clinton, 28-26, for their eighth consecutive victory. They improved to 5-0 in Region 2-6A and remained in a tie for first place with Starkville, which they’ll host this week.

Everything getting to that point was a challenge, though.

Some calls went against the Vikings, injuries mounted and they nearly blew a two-score lead in the second half. Even when victory seemed assured following a late stop on a two-point conversion attempt, they had to survive a successful onside kick and last second field goal attempt by Clinton.

The Vikings walked through it all, of course. It seems to be in their DNA this season.

“A lot happened to us, a lot was thrown at us, and if we weren’t mentally tough we couldn’t handle it. A lot of that credit goes to our coaches and our players. We handle it well, and I’m proud of them for it,” Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said. “It’s something we want our identity to be. We try to be mentally tough and not let our adrenaline affect how we execute. They’re a special group and extremely competitive.”

Warren Central (8-1, 5-0 Region 2-6A) has grown up a lot in nine games, partially because it’s been exposed to a number of different game scnearios. They’ve had two games go down to the final play; won a defensive battle with Madison Central and an offensive shootout with Pearl; learned how to bounce back from a loss after dropping the season opener against Wayne County; and have enjoyed several easy wins.

Senior running back D.J. Lane said the variety of experiences, and the fact it hasn’t all been easy, has helped the Vikings find themselves and build momentum from week to week.

“We came a long way. That Wayne County game, we were really struggling to find ourselves and restate our identity. But through the season we stayed ourselves and found out who we were,” Lane said.

Now it’s time to really find out what the Vikings are made of. Starkville (8-1, 5-0) is the reigning Region 2-6A champion and has been ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Class 6A poll for most of the season behind undefeated and defending state champion South Panola.

The Vikings, though, have had success against Starkville. They handed the Yellow Jackets their last region loss, 12-9 in 2013 at Viking Stadium. They also played them tough last season in Starkville, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter before losing 27-17.

In this meeting, Warren Central can clinch their first region championship since 2004 simply by winning. That was also the last time the program hosted a playoff game.

For a team whose identity has been forged by overcoming challenges and adversity, it seems like the perfect opportunity to make a statement that it’ll be a factor in the Class 6A playoffs next month.

“The kids have always liked a challenge, and Starkville is one of the programs that’s always been successful,” Morgan said. “The bigger the challenge, the better they play.”

Starkville at Warren Central

Friday, 7 p.m.

Radio: 105.5 FM

Online: For live scoring updates on Friday night, visit Facebook.com/thevicksburgpost or Twitter.com/vicksburgpost