[09/27/02]The success Warren Central has achieved through the first four weeks runs much deeper than just the varsity.

Robert Morgan’s Vikings are 4-0 with wins over a pair of ranked teams, but the junior varsity and ninth grade teams are each 3-0 under coach Buddy Wooten.

“That’s the program and because of that, we are able to be successful,” Morgan said. “I tell our junior high coaches every year that they are the most important thing around here.

“I heard on the TV the other night that football is not about Xs and Os but about the Jimmys and the Joes. If your Jimmys and Joes are better than theirs, you’ll be all right, but you have to have Jimmys and Joes.”

So far this season, despite having only one player named Jimmy and none named Joe, the Vikings are rolling right along.

Tonight, they’ll open the Region 2-5A schedule against a Forest Hill team that celebrated a win over WC last season and marked the first time Morgan’s Vikings had ever started 0-1 in the division.

“They had a good team last year, but we didn’t get it done,” Morgan said.

“We should have won the game. We hadn’t gotten it together by then.”

The Rebels started last year 6-0 before collapsing at the end and failing to reach the playoffs. With two offensive and three defensive starters returning. The Rebels (1-3) are struggling on every side of the ball.

“We should beat them, you can print that,” Morgan said. “We have a better football team on film and on paper. My job this week is to make sure we play.”

The Vikings, ranked sixth in the latest Associated Press poll, won their third road game last week over Natchez and have taken down South Pike and McComb, both ranked at the time WC beat them.

“We’ve got ourselves into a pickle of a mess,” Morgan said. “We’ve gone from no ranking to being ranked and whether you like that pickle or not, you are in it.”

Another positive Morgan looks to is that four of his final seven games are at home and one is at crosstown rival Vicksburg.

The only road trips left are to Madison Central and Murrah.

“We haven’t done anything yet to start boasting about or getting the big head about,” Morgan said. “Our toughest ball is definitely ahead of us. I feel like our team has some possibilities.

“Right now we are all even. There are eight teams that have the same record and at the end, we’ll see how we come out of this thing.”