MADISON – If Warren Central can put together four more games like the one it had Friday at Madison Central, the team could be looking at no worse than the No. 2 spot in the Region 2-5A playoffs.

The Vikings made a big stride toward righting their season with the 14-6 victory over the Jaguars. The WC offense had its most balanced attack of the season while the defense made life miserable for standout Jaguar quarterback Tim Buckley.

&#8221We knew we couldn’t afford another loss and we had to get it done,“ said Viking defensive end Desmond Carson, who along with his line mates and linebackers Trey Ettinger and Trey Robinson made it a long night for Buckley.

The Viking defense sacked Buckley three times for losses of 30 yards. They also produced four turnovers, including two in the final three minutes to quash the Jaguars’ final two offensive drives.

&#8221This was a really big game for us and a really big win for our defense,“ said Ettinger, who combined with Carson for a key stop on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line when the Jaguars tried to snag the lead after trailing 7-3.

Ettinger met MC back Pat Harrison in the hole and the result was a 2-yard loss. The Jaguars opted for a 20-yard field goal by Ryne Smith that made it 7-6 with 7:32 left.

&#8221I saw him the whole time and I was able to fill that hole,“ Ettinger said.

The stop also lifted the Viking offense, which responded with a 72-yard scoring drive. Using the speed of tailback Carleton Davis, the Vikings reached midfield with the help of a 15-yard late hit.

Then on second down, Davis spun off a would-be tackler at the line of scrimmage. When he broke free, he found an open lane to the end zone. He easily outran the Jaguar pursuers to complete the 48-yard touchdown run.

&#8221The guy was trying to strip the ball away from me and I yanked it away from him and spun away. It was a foot race then and I knew I was going to win that,“ said Davis, who finished with 108 yards on 17 carries.

Quarterback Ryan Williams connected on 9 of 14 passes for 129 yards. His 29-yarder to Tiger Robinson set up the Vikings’ first score on Davis’ 1-yard run early in the third quarter.

&#8221Carleton makes an amazing play on his long run and the offensive line just stepped up and played great,“ Williams said.