Some football teams ease into the season. Some come out flat. Warren Central, in recent years, has hit the ground running.

The Vikings have won seven consecutive season openers in the Red Carpet Bowl in a streak that began in 2016. Perhaps not coincidentally, they’ve won eight games or more in a season six times in that span. Head coach Josh Morgan said the Week 1 success is no accident.

“We try to prepare our guys. We put a lot into spring and summertime with our guys. There’s not much wasted time,” Morgan said. “So I feel like by Week 1 we’re a prepared bunch — not perfect by any means, but we’ve done a decent job to prepare our guys and condition them and have them set up for success. Hopefully that bodes true again for this week.”

Warren Central will play Clinton in the 62nd annual Red Carpet Bowl Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Viking Stadium. Vicksburg and Holmes County Central will play in the RCB’s other game, also at 7:30 p.m., across town at VHS’ Memorial Stadium. Tickets are $10 for each game and are available through GoFan.co.

The Red Carpet Bowl was originally scheduled as a single-site doubleheader, but was moved to two venues and the times changed because of concerns about excessive heat.

Warren Central and Clinton will begin their game about 30 minutes earlier than originally planned, but Morgan didn’t mind the changes. He said having a firm time for kickoff helped with pregame preparations.

“It’s actually better because we don’t have to wait,” Morgan said. “Sometimes you don’t know when you get to kick off. You’re trying to keep your boys locked in when there’s a game going on. It doesn’t affect us much at all.”

Warren Central’s seven-game winning streak in the Red Carpet Bowl is its longest since an eight-game run that lasted from 1985 to 1995. The latter is the longest in the game’s storied history.

The current streak has been marked by dominant victories. Three of the seven have been shutouts, and the Vikings have allowed a total of 25 points. They beat Clinton 28-7 last season.

The Red Carpet Bowl loss started a 1-9 season for Clinton that was the program’s worst record since going 1-10 in 1954. Longtime coach Judd Boswell stepped down after 12 seasons, replaced by Louisiana-Monroe assistant John Carr, as the Arrows changed directions.

The Arrows jumped out to a 21-7 lead on Vicksburg in a two-quarter scrimmage last week before hanging on to win 21-20.

Morgan said one of the new wrinkles Carr is bringing is an up-tempo offense that can give opponents problems if it gets into a rhythm. It’s an especially big concern early in the season, when defenses are still moving personnel around and conditioning is an issue.

“It gives everybody problems when they get first downs and get in a rhythm. Tempo is the new phenomenon that puts a lot of pressure on you,” Morgan said. “It takes away a lot of things that you could normally do, which is personnel — getting people in the right place, getting a breather here or there, getting a really good call in. It just speeds everything up. Then you take a hot August night and if you’re not able to get off the field it puts you in a tough spot.”

Warren Central, meanwhile, beat Northwest Rankin 21-14 in its preseason scrimmage. Nash Morgan threw a touchdown pass and ran for a 28-yard TD late in the second quarter for the game-winning score. Gavin Davenport also had a rushing touchdown.

Morgan was happy with the team’s performance, but noted that winning is an ever-evolving process.

“We knew we were going to have things to fix. Didn’t know quite what they were. So there’s plenty to work on on our end. I thought we did enough good things that we feel good about but have plenty to clean up,” Morgan said.

For now, the Vikings are dialed in on winning Week 1 — again — and having some fun. The Red Carpet Bowl has become a Vicksburg tradition during the past six decades, and adding another layer to its history is always enjoyable, Morgan said.

“It usually marks the beginning of everything and the beginning of our year. We’re excited to get everything cranked up and going, and excited about the opponent that we’re playing,” he said. “Clinton is one of, if not our oldest, rival. It’s just added that the Red Carpet Bowl and what they do for us, and what they put on for us. It’s a heck of a way to start your year off.”

FRIDAY’S GAMES
MAIS regular season – Games at 7 p.m.
Prentiss Christian at PCA (Radio: 104.4 FM)
Cathedral at St. Aloysius (Radio: 101.3 FM)
Tallulah Academy at Franklin Academy
Red Carpet Bowl – Games at 7:30 p.m.
Holmes County Central at Vicksburg (Radio: 107.7 FM)
Clinton at Warren Central (Radio: 105.5 FM)
• Red Carpet Bowl tickets are $10 for each game and are available online at GoFan.co
• Fans are also encouraged to review the Vicksburg Warren School District’s new clear bag policy before attending games this season