It might be a sign of how far Warren Central’s football program has come in recent years, that one of its biggest concerns during spring practice hasn’t been replacing 14 departed starters. It hasn’t been figuring out how to give experience to an entirely new defensive line, or finding playmakers to take the place of two top receivers.

It’s finding a kicker, punter and long snapper.

The Vikings lost all three of those starters among the 26 seniors that will graduate in a few weeks. Special teams have always been a big part of the team’s approach, and the departure of Nick Wright (kicker), Brooks Boolos (punter) and Tyler Vroman (snapper) left a big hole in the lineup.

“We’ve got a really good competition going on. We’ve got some capable kickers, snappers and punters, and we’re going to use the spring game to see who’s doing what under pressure,” Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said. “We’ve got about five kickers working right now. We might wind up have three different guys doing three different things when it’s all said and done.”

Warren Central will play its annual spring game Thursday at 6 p.m. at Brandon. While special teams are one key focal point, they’re hardly the only one. The Vikings are tying to replace seven starters on each side of the ball, including the entire defensive line and most of the linebacker corps.

“It’s definitely one of our major concerns,” Morgan said of the special teams, before adding, “Along with replacing an entire defensive line, linebacker corps, three offensive lineman and two great receivers. We’ve got a lot to replace.”

Unlike in past years, however, Morgan said the program has reached a point where new players are ready and capable of stepping into bigger roles. Warren Central finished with a 10-3 record and reached the second round of the Class 6A playoffs in 2015, and is 27-10 over the past three seasons.

Throughout its recent run of success, Warren Central has had one of the top defenses in the state. It’s also weathered some turnover in the lineup by working younger players in whenever possible. That means a lot of the newcomers are actually veterans who will simply receive more playing time.

“Our program has been really good for us in the ninth grade and junior varsity. That seems unimportant sometimes, but for a football program it’s extremely important to have that next man up mentality,” Morgan said. “It’s a big boy league, and it’s meant for big boys. We’re fortunate to not have to play somebody before they’re ready to play.”

On Thursday, the Vikings will go head-to-head with a Brandon squad that has won 11 or more games each of the past four seasons. It will be a regular game, with four 12-minute quarters and full contact. The junior varsity teams will have brief 10-play scrimmages between quarters and at halftime.

“It’ll be 2 ½ hours of constant football,” Morgan said.

Winning or losing isn’t really important, however. Morgan said both coaching staffs will dial in on how their players execute what they’ve learned in spring, and then will apply that to their roster decisions heading into the summer workout period in June.

“Our spring game is going to be about us and our guys, and seeing our guys play. The perspective with us, and I’m sure with (Brandon), is they want to see guys making tackles and making blocks, and being in gamelike positions. That’s what we want to see,” Morgan said. “It’s really a live interview. We use it to coach and try different things with different personnel, and see how they respond.”

SPRING GAME:

Warren Central at Brandon

Thursday, 6 p.m.