Warren Central shuts out Pearl for first win of season

Published 12:33 am Saturday, September 7, 2024

By Blake Bell

Warren Central bounced back from a rare Red Carpet Bowl loss with a 21-0 thumping of Pearl on Friday.

The Vikings made good use of their three-headed monster in the backfield, as running backs Eric Collins Jr., Aden Greer and Jadarius Miller ran up and down the field at will and scored a touchdown apiece.

Defensively, Warren Central (1-1) pitched a shutout and notched four takeaways — two fumble recoveries and two interceptions — en route to the season’s first win.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

“It was a great response by our football team. The level that we played at. We had a rough showing last week, so it was good to see us play like we’re supposed to be playing,” Vikings head coach Josh Morgan said.

That response began early in the game when Ronnie Blossom recovered a fumble at the Pearl 28-yard line, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run from Collins five plays later.

An interception by Dekasei Crump and a blocked punt by Tekarius Qualls gave Warren Central the ball in Pearl territory, but both drives ended in missed field goals.

Miller also lost a fumble at the goal line late in the first half, but made up for his mistake midway through the third quarter. He capped off a touchdown drive with a 3-yard run to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead.

Late in the third, T’Kylan Wright recovered another fumble, ending Pearl’s most threatening drive of the game and setting up the Warren Central offense at its own 20-yard line.

Greer rounded out the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes to play.

Landon Green cut the Pirates’ next drive short with a pick-six at the Pearl 38 that was called back because of a penalty. The points didn’t stand, but the Warren Central possession nailed the coffin shut on the Pirates.

Warren Central recorded its first shutout since Oct. 21, 2022 against Terry.

“I think we still left some points on the field when we didn’t execute and things like that, but this team can be really good when we slow down and play together and do what our jobs are,” Morgan said. “We’re building that and we are in that process early in the year.

“I’m very proud of how we ran the ball and of our O-line,” Morgan added. “That’s a really good defense. And obviously, our defense with the takeaways and the shutout. It’s hard to beat somebody. It’s really hard to shut somebody out. So really proud of our guys.”

Morgan said the win will help build the confidence needed to improve from week to week, but not before his team takes a moment to enjoy the early-season victory. They’ll go on the road next week to face Germantown.

“It’s a long journey, and it’s one week at a time. Keep working. Keep getting better. Keep the big picture in mind,” Morgan said. “We’re going to enjoy this night and we’ll get back and get ready to play a really good football team in Germantown.”

More Sports

Game Plan: Nov. 5-10, 2024

Who’s Hot: Nick Anderson

Hinds football head coach Larry Williams steps down

College football and NFL TV schedule: Nov. 5-11, 2024

Print Article

SportsPlus

  • Polls

    Is the U.S. presidential election causing you anxiety?

    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

  • Mississippi River level at Vicksburg

  • Calendar