Warren Central and South Panola don’t play often, but when they do something big, important and memorable usually happens.

There was the 1993 state championship game that is often called one of the best of the era. Four playoff games. The 2007 Red Carpet Bowl when the Vikings pushed South Panola — then in the middle of an 89-game winning streak — to the limit. A double-overtime region game in 2020.

The latest chapter in the series will be written Friday night, in the second round of the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs, and will certainly add to their story.

“There’s been some good games. It’s two good programs going back a long time. I think in making consecutive playoffs we’re at the top of it and South Panola is right there, too,” Warren Central coach Josh Morgan said. “This is two storied programs that take a lot of pride in football and have had some good players come through. It’s two good programs going at it. I’m sure it’s going to be another one Friday night and I hope we’re able to come out on top of it.”

While Warren Central (8-3) and South Panola (9-2) have a lot of history together, it’s much more recent personal history that they are more concerned with.

South Panola was the gold standard for Mississippi high school football when it won nine state championships in 12 seasons from 2003-14. Since that last state title in 2014, however, it has only won three playoff games. Two of those came last season, when it lost to Grenada in the Class 6A semifinals.

Morgan said South Panola still carries its old mystique, though, and has regained some of the swagger it might have lost during the past decade.

“They sure play that way. We played them in 2020 here when they were in our district, we went there and played them in the playoffs (in 2016), so they’ve still got a lot of those familiar names and they look the part and they play the part,” Morgan said. “They’re a good football team that’s going to be one of our toughest challenges we’ve had all year and we’re going to have to earn a victory.”

Warren Central, meanwhile, is in the second round for the fifth year in a row but has not gotten past that point. Morgan believes it’s not just time to put that bad history to rest, but that the Vikings are set up to do it.

Their defense has posted back-to-back shutouts and allowed a total of 32 points in the last six games. At the same time, the offense has scored 45, 35 and 43 points in its last three games after some ups and downs the first half of the season.

The Vikings have not committed a turnover in the last two games.

“We’ve really cut down on our negative plays,” Morgan said. “All year long we’ve been able to run the football, but it doesn’t matter if it’s second-and-15. That takes you out of your game plan. Staying in front of the chains, being consistently good, and just getting positive yards and taking care of the football, once we do that we can really get into a groove. That’s where you’ve seen us do really well the last three weeks.”

The recent hot streak has coincided with a fortuitous break for the Vikings. If they win Friday, the North State championship game next week against Grenada (11-1) or Neshoba Central (6-5) will be back at Viking Stadium because of how the MHSAA determines host sites.

Between that and the late-season surge, Morgan said he thinks the Vikings are read to finally return to the deepest of playoff waters. Their last state championship game appearance was in 1994.

“We couldn’t ask for any better situation. We’ve gotten better, gotten hot, got a lot of momentum going. We’re playing good ball,” Morgan said. “We’ve had a good year. I really feel like we’re built for this moment. We’ve had a tough non-district schedule and been improving week in and week out and playing good football. I definitely feel like we’re in a good spot.”

SOUTH PANOLA AT WARREN CENTRAL
• MHSAA Class 6A playoffs, second round
• Friday, 7:30 p.m.
• Radio: 105.5 FM
• Tickets are available through GoFan.co

MHSAA CLASS 6A PLAYOFFS
Friday, Nov. 22
All games start at 7 p.m.
South Panola at Warren Central (Radio: 105.5 FM)
Neshoba Central at Grenada
Pascagoula at Hattiesburg
George County at Picayune