By Cory Gunkel

The Vicksburg Post

VICKSBURG — It wasn’t a homecoming game for Warren Central, but the atmosphere surely mirrored one.

The Vikings dominated both sides of the ball in front of an energetic crowd in their home opener Friday night, and dispatched Natchez 30-0 to cap their first undefeated run in non-region play since 2002.

WC’s defense stonewalled a Bulldog offense that entered the contest averaging 35.6 points per game en route to pitching consecutive shutouts.

“It feels great. To be there is very important, but at the same time, what we’ve got to do is keep everything in perspective,” Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said. “All we’ve done is everything that was asked of us that was put in front of us so far, so it’s great to see us come out on top and be where we are right now heading into district.”

It took no time at all for Warren Central to showcase its supremacy, as the Vikings needed just eight plays and 3:46 to strike first on a 2-yard DeArius Christmas run.

Natchez countered with a three-and-out that culminated in a stuffed fake punt, putting the Vikings back in business deep in Bulldog territory. After a flag and a 5-yard rush by D.J. Knight, quarterback Alex Stevens found Knight for a 19-yard touchdown pass that opened the floodgates and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Stevens would end the game 7-of-12 passing with two touchdowns and 140 yards. He threw just two passes in the second half — both of them interceptions — but it didn’t matter. Warren Central’s deadly run game wore down Natchez and eventually put the game out of reach. Knight finished with 78 yards on 19 carries and helped milk the clock to put the game to rest in the second half.

“We were very effective early in the game, and it was kind of disappointing that we could not continue that for four quarters, which is really what we wanted to see,” Morgan said.

Warren Central’s vaunted defense suffocated Natchez’s high-profile offense from the opening whistle and flooded the perimeter with gang tackles in space that prevented the Bulldogs from ever really finding a rhythm. Natchez mustered only 207 total yards and coughed up five turnovers to go along with two sacks and a blocked punt

“It almost looked easier than it actually is. Once they get going — and we saw it right before the half a little bit — their explosiveness and what they’re able to do and moving the ball up and down the field,” Morgan said. “They have weapons all over the field and our guys rose up to the task and stood tall.”

Natchez coach Pete Melvin called the experience a humbling one as his team looks to regroup heading into district play in two weeks against Wayne County. The Bulldogs (3-1) took their first loss of the season.

“Of course it is. It should be. The only thing I can say is this — we’ve just got to get better,” Melvin said. “When you play a sound team, you’ve got to expect that that’s what you’re going to get. I don’t want to be cliché, but they are who they are.”

For Morgan and his program, the win serves as a punctuation mark to a dominant start that has provided the team a huge spark of momentum as it moves into the Region 2-6A schedule.