Warren Central opened its region schedule by perhaps opening some eyes.

Brooks Willoughby racked up 13 strikeouts in five innings, and Kylan Landers and Maddox Lynch drove in two runs apiece as Warren Central beat Northwest Rankin 6-1 on Friday night in the MHSAA Region 6-6A opener for both teams.

Warren Central (7-4) snapped a five-game losing streak to Northwest Rankin (6-1), and beat them for only the second time since 2016. Northwest Rankin, the defending Class 6A champion, is ranked No. 2 in Class 6A by MaxPreps.com.

Northwest Rankin had a six-game winning streak snapped.

Landers hit an RBI double and Blake Channell scored on a wild pitch in the third inning to give Warren Central a 2-0 lead, and it never trailed.

In the fifth inning, Landers hit an RBI single, stole second and scored on another single by Seth Sterling. Lynch followed with a two-run home run, his second of the season, to make it 6-1.

Willoughby allowed two hits and three walks in five innings. Connor Watkins finished up with two scoreless innings of relief to give the Vikings not only a noteworthy win over a quality opponent, but a key victory within Region 6-6A as well.

Warren Central plays at Brandon Saturday at 1 p.m., and then will go to the Coast late next week for three games in the Battle at the Beach tournament.