Vikings look sharp in spring game win over MRA

Published 9:30 am Friday, May 9, 2025

1 of 8

Warren Central running back Javid Scott carries the football during Thursday's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. Scott finished with 81 yards on 15 carries as the Vikings won 28-14. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central football players Caleb Lane (0), Michael Hall (1) and Ke'Anthony Wynn (27) celebrate in the end zone after Hall caught a touchdown pass in the team's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central's offensive line prepares to run a play during the spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central defensive lineman Samuel Ross celebrates after sacking the quarterback during Thursday's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central running back turns upfield after catching a pass during Thursday's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central kicker Jonah Artman attempts a field goal during Thursday's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central runningback Landon Green carries the football while offensive lineman Daniel Pitzer (71) looks for a block during Thursday's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren Central quarterback Nash Morgan (10) celebrates with offensive lineman Patrick Bowman (79) after scoring a touchdown during Thursday's spring game against Madison-Ridgeland Academy. Morgan ran for 63 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings won 28-14. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

From gaining experience to finding playmakers on both sides of the ball, Warren Central marked every box on its spring football game checklist.

Quarterback Nash Morgan rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Vikings ran for 242 yards as a team in only three quarters as they beat Madison-Ridgeland Academy 28-14 on Thursday.

“It was a bunch of questions and we were looking for answers,” Warren Central head coach Josh Morgan said. “To come out here and do what we did against a really good football team, we challenged them and I was pleased to see them perform the way that they did tonight. There’s a lot of guys that this was their first start, and that’s why this was so important.”

Warren Central is replacing 16 starters — including several two- and three-year starters — from a team that finished 9-4 and reached the MHSAA Class 6A semifinals last season. The spring practice period was the first phase of that reloading process, and Thursday’s spring game a test for the players who will step into bigger roles in 2025.

There were a couple of hiccups, like two turnovers in the first quarter, but by and large the Vikings passed with flying colors.

The defense held MRA to 18 rushing yards and had one turnover and one sack.

On offense, the Vikings averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 42 attempts. Eight players had a carry and five of those gained at least 20 rushing yards.

Javid Scott led the team with 81 yards on 15 attempts. Nash Morgan had 63 yards on eight attempts, including touchdowns of 1 and 8 yards.

“I think we did pretty good. That’s all we worked on in practice the other day, so that’s the outcome,” said Scott, a sophomore.

Nash Morgan also finished 12-of-20 passing for 100 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. In the first quarter, Michael Hall reached over a defender to catch the ball, then tapped both feet down just inside the end line in the back of the end zone for a highlight-reel 33-yard touchdown.

“They’re only going to get better at it. We’ve got several players that are going to be big time for us and be able to do that,” Josh Morgan said. “I thought we got to play a lot of guys. Mike (Hall) made a big play. Landon (Green), Javid (Scott) and Tommy (Nelson) ran well. It all starts with the offensive line. We have a veteran offensive line and I thought they did really good.”

As impressive as the rushing totals were, the way the Vikings gained them was even moreso. All four of their scoring drives lasted eight plays or more.

One of the best drives came right before halftime. After the defense stopped MRA inside the 5-yard line, Scott carried the ball six times in eight plays to get the Vikings out of the shadow of their own goal post.

They converted two fourth downs on an 18-play drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. It ended with a long missed field goal — Jonah Artman had plenty of distance on a 46-yard attempt but pushed it wide left — but flipped the momentum of the game.

Warren Central started the third quarter with another 10-play drive that took 4 1/2 minutes and ended with Nash Morgan’s 1-yard touchdown run to make it 21-7.

“We stopped them on a goal line stand, were able to come out of the end zone and make a little push,” Josh Morgan said. “I wish we could have scored right before half in that kind of situation, but we put a long drive together that snatched momentum and set the tone. They were kind of playing in chase mode after that.”

Warren Central also finished strong. It got the ball back with 4:58 left in the third and final quarter and converted two third downs on the way to a clinching touchdown. Fred Mixon’s 4-yard run made it 28-7 with 42 seconds left.

MRA got its final touchdown on the next play, as Austin Banks threw a 70-yard pass to Will Jones. Banks finished 9-of-22 passing for 197 yards, while Jones caught five passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

The late defensive breakdown hardly seemed to be a big cause for concern for the Vikings, though.

“I thought it was a really productive spring game. I thought we had it organized and the format went really well,” Josh Morgan said. “We got a bunch of guys some reps. None of them had big eyes and were unsure. This is such a great experience for them, so I’m really proud of that. Our older boys did a good job of leading.”

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

More by Ernest