There is the common saying, “it’s just a game.”

Tell that to the Warren Central players and coaches who saw their dramatic run through the playoffs come to a rough ending Friday evening.

The Vikings fell to DeSoto Central 16-2 in Game 3 of a Class 6A quarterfinal series at Viking Field. It was a brutal finish for the Vikings, who took a hard-fought loss in Game 1 and battled back in Game 2 only to get blown out in the decisive game.

“It’s never a way you want to end the season. When the season ends, it’s always tough,” Warren Central coach Conner Douglas said. “But these seniors have laid a strong foundation for this program to continue building.”

Desoto Central (24-9), last year’s Class 6A runner-up, advanced to face Northwest Rankin in the North State championship series next week.

Warren Central finished its season with a record of 18-13. It reached the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Along the way it claimed victories over Desoto, Northwest Rankin and Clinton — the other three teams in the North State’s final four.

“They are a great team and they showed it tonight,” Douglas said of Desoto. “But our players, through these playoffs, have proved to themselves that they can play with anyone. That’s what we are going to take with us as we head into the offseason.”

While a back-and-forth game through the first three innings, it was the fourth inning in which Warren Central’s season came unraveled. DeSoto batted around and rattled off 10 runs.

Overall, the Jaguars scored 16 runs on 16 hits, while receiving a little help from six Viking errors. They also had nine extra base hits, including two doubles by Tre Spann and a three-run home run by Brant Blaylock in the fourth inning.

It was a far different game from the one the Vikings won 2-1 on Thursday to even the series at one game apiece, forcing Friday’s Game 3.

“That fourth inning was tough. They have some good hitters and they got to us,” Douglas said. “But, now our younger players know what it takes. We have a number of returners coming back next year and will continue the building process these seniors have started.”

While disappointed with the outcome, Douglas was thrilled with the atmosphere his players got to experience and the support from the community.

“This is the type of experience, the type of atmosphere, they will use going forward,” Douglas said. “The crowd tonight was fantastic and we can’t thank them enough.”