Warren Central’s football players mobbed each other and danced on the field after last Friday’s thrilling overtime win over Clinton. The dancing and singing continued when they got into the fieldhouse, and likely long into the night.

When they woke up on Saturday morning, however, it stopped. The next challenge was only six days away and there was little time to dwell on the last one. That’s life in Region 2-6A, where flushing big wins is as important as flushing difficult defeats.

After beating Clinton to all but wrap up a playoff spot, the Vikings will hit the road this Friday to play a powerful Starkville team.

“We’ve enjoyed it, and it’s been really good for everybody involved,” Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said of the 35-31 win over Clinton. “But it’s time to go to work and get back after it. The good thing is, it’s Starkville. It’s a big challenge on the road. It’ll be easy for us to focus.”

Beating Clinton likely put Warren Central (4-4, 3-2 Region 2-6A) into the playoffs. It needs to beat either Starkville (8-1, 4-1) or Provine (3-5, 1-4) next week, or have Clinton (6-3, 2-3) lose one of its last two games against Greenville (1-8, 0-5) or Starkville.

Clinching a spot this week will be a difficult task, however. Starkville spent the first half of the season ranked No. 1 overall in the Associated Press statewide poll, is ranked No. 5 this week, and has outscored its opponents 435-82 this season. Only two of its nine opponents have scored more than one touchdown, and it’s coming off a 71-0 rout of Murrah last week.

Throw in a winning tradition — Starkville won the Class 6A championship in 2015 and reached the state title game in 2017 — and it makes for a very formidable opponent.

“They are a very good football team. Weapons all over the place,” Morgan said. “They’re leading the district by a sizable margin as far as points per game and points given up. They’re super explosive on offense. They’ve got a Dandy Dozen running back, an all-state kicker, and a quarterback that’s playing really well.”

The Yellow Jackets are also in a bit of a must-win spot. They could miss the playoffs if they lose their last two games, and also need to win to keep pace with Northwest Rankin and Madison Central for one of the top two seeds in the Class 6A playoffs and the right to play a home game in the first round.

A loss to Warren Central would put Starkville into a three-way tie for second place and into a true must-win game next week against Clinton just to get into the postseason.

“Last year when we beat them they didn’t have a loss and they were still in. Now they’re sitting with one loss, so the stakes are a little higher for both of us,” Morgan said.

Although Starkville is the favorite against most teams that it plays, Warren Central in the past has not seemed fazed by that status. In five meetings since the teams became regionmates in 2013, Warren Central has won two and its three losses have all been competitive. It blew a 17-0 lead in 2014, threw a mild scare into the 2015 state championship squad with a second-half comeback, and lost 35-28 in 2016.

Last season, in a driving rainstorm, the Vikings handed Starkville its first shutout loss in a decade with a thorough 23-0 beatdown.

If nothing else, Morgan said, he knows his team won’t be intimidated facing another championship-caliber squad on Friday night.

“You’re wasting your time if you have that mindset,” Morgan said. “Our guys in the past have had that instilled in them and we’ve tried hard to make it the culture of our program. Believing is half the battle, but you can’t fake it.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES
All games start at 7 p.m.
Warren Central at Starkville (Radio: 105.5 FM)
Callaway at Vicksburg (Radio: 107.7 FM/1490 AM)
p-St. Aloysius at Leake Academy (Radio: 101.3 FM)
Greenville at Clinton
Hazlehurst at Port Gibson
p-Riverfield at Central Hinds
Tallulah Academy at Franklin Academy
Riverdale at Briarfield Academy
North Sunflower at Sharkey-Issaquena
Rebul Academy at Wilkinson Christian
Madison Parish at Richwood
p-MAIS Class AAA playoff game

ONLINE: For live scoring updates on Friday night, visit vicksburgpost.com and follow us at twitter.com/vixpostsports