Warren Central’s chances of winning its first region championship in eight years disappeared in a flurry of fourth-quarter touchdowns Friday night.

The Vikings, though, still have plenty to play for over the last month of the season.

WC can still finish second in Region 2-6A and host a first-round playoff game by winning its last four games. It’s a tough stretch that begins this Friday at Murrah, but certainly an attainable goal for a team that has already matched its win total from the past two seasons combined and established itself as a team on the rise.

“We have to look forward, because we do have a lot to play for,” WC coach Josh Morgan said. “We have to win ballgames to do what we want to do, which is make the playoffs. That’s the bottom line. We have to win, and we have some very good teams coming up. This is not the end of the world for us.”

As far as Warren Central is concerned, the Region 2-6A championship race essentially ended when it gave up 36 fourth-quarter points and lost 50-28 to Madison Central. The Jaguars (4-3, 3-0 Region 2-6A) are now the only undefeated team in the region, and also own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Warren Central (3-4, 2-1). That means Madison would have to lose twice in its last four games — and WC has to win all four — for the Vikings to move into first place.

Madison Central coach Bobby Hall said he liked where his team sits, but wasn’t engraving the Jaguars’ sixth straight region championship trophy yet.

“I tell you, we’re not very good, and nothing is easy for us. I do think we’ve beat the two best teams in it, but I promise you, the way we play, anybody can beat us,” said Hall, whose team has beaten Clinton, Murrah and Warren Central in its first three region games.

WC, meanwhile, is in a three-way tie for second place with Jim Hill (4-3, 2-1) and Northwest Rankin (3-4, 2-1). WC has already beaten Northwest Rankin, but won’t play Jim Hill until the regular-season finale Nov. 2.

Warren Central also has to face Murrah (4-3, 1-2) and its standout sophomore receiver Malik Dear this Friday night in Jackson, Clinton (2-5, 1-3) and archrival Vicksburg (1-6, 0-3) before the end of October.

“We’ve just got to win them all,” WC quarterback Carlisle Koestler said after the loss to Madison Central. “We wanted this one bad, but it’s over now so we’ve just got to go on to the next one.”