MADISON — It was the kind of game that, for so long, Warren Central had had against its hated rival Madison Central.

The kind where nothing seems to go right, and when it does it blows up in their face a moment later. The kind where they can’t seem to gain traction.

The kind where they lose.

Madison Central scored three touchdowns in a five-minute span in the first half, then held off a late comeback bid to beat Warren Central 21-14 Friday night in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.

“It’s disappointing. The bottom line is, we just did not make enough plays. It just wasn’t our night,” Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said.

Madison’s Jack Walker completed 10 of 20 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a touchdown, while Jaylon Uzodinma rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown. Warren Central’s Larry Ferguson had four receptions for 100 yards, and Shaunterrance Walton caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.

Madison Central advanced to the North State championship game against Starkville, which beat Clinton 45-27 in another second-round game Friday. Madison Central (9-5) has not been to the state championship game since winning the Class 5A title in 1999, but this will be its sixth trip to the semifinals in eight years.

Warren Central’s best season in more than a decade — it was the first time since 2002 that it had won a playoff game and the first time since 2004 it reached 10 wins in a season — ended with a 10-3 record, lots of pride in its accomplishments and hope for the future, but ultimately with frustration at coming up short of a championship.

Warren Central has not been to the state semifinals since 1994.

“I’m not going to lie. It hurts,” Warren Central senior defensive lineman Caleb Watts said. “But it’ll help us get stronger.”

This was the first time in 23 meetings between the Region 2-6A rivals that they’d played in the postseason, and the outcome swung on one five-minute stretch late in the first quarter and early in the second.

In the final minute of the first quarter, Walker threw a crossing route to Will Brooks on third-and-6. Brooks slipped two tackles as he crossed the field from left to right, and then ran up the right sideline and into the end zone for the game’s first score.

A three-and-out by Warren Central was followed by a quick drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown run by Uzodinma. The Vikings fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Walker cashed in with a 4-yard touchdown run to give Madison Central a 21-0 lead with 8:35 left in the second quarter.

“Getting a lot of momentum going into the half, it was huge,” Madison Central coach Brad Peterson said.

Warren Central had several chances to get back in the game, but never seemed able to turn fleeting success into something lasting.

A blocked punt midway through the second quarter bounced away from DeMarcus Jones, turning a potential special teams touchdown into a mere turnover that didn’t lead to any points. Two trips inside Madison territory ended on downs when the Jaguars sniffed out and defended well a fake punt and a hook-and-lateral play — two plays the Vikings have used to great success in recent years — on fourth downs.

Another promising drive ended with a missed 47-yard field goal by Nick Wright.

“We just couldn’t get something going. We just didn’t get to establish our run game. Jumping out early takes us out of what we do, and we never really got our feet on the ground,” Morgan said. “We didn’t make those plays that you’ve got to make. They’re a very good team. Teams you play in the playoffs, you’ve got to make those special plays to move on and we just didn’t make enough of them.”

Warren Central had just 77 yards of total offense in the first half and didn’t get on the board until early in the fourth quarter. Jesse Wilson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Shaunterrance Walton gave the Vikings some life, and a 29-yard TD pass from Brooks Boolos to Miraculous Powers gave them a chance.

Suddenly trailing 21-14 with 3:29 remaining, Warren Central tried an onside kick. It bounced off the hands of two Madison Central players and through a patch of open field before going out of bounds.

From there, the Jaguars picked up two first downs and bled the last 3 ½ minutes off the clock to get out with the victory.

“Our guys have done that all year,” Morgan said of the Vikings’ comeback bid. “They’re extremely tough. Tough-minded as well. They’re big-time competitors and I’m proud of that effort.”