For a lot of teams, losing a leading rusher and top tackler in the same game would be a prelude to disaster.

For Warren Central, it turned into a minor inconvenience and a chance for their understudies to shine.

Backup running back Jeremy Lewis stepped into the starting role Friday for injured starter D.J. Knight and had the best game of his high school career, rushing for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Vikings lost linebacker Derrick Thomas to a foot injury but still managed to shut out Murrah 20-0.

The game was a showcase for WC’s depth, which has been an overlooked part of its success during the team’s first 8-0 start in 20 years.

“We feel good about our depth,” WC coach Josh Morgan said. “We prepare our twos like our ones. That’s why we do it, so they’re ready to step in. Our coaching staff has done a great job preparing our players.”

Lewis, a junior, was averaging 5.4 yards per carry before his breakout performance, but hadn’t carried the ball more than six times in a game this season. He had two carries all of last year.

Against Murrah, though, he was the Vikings’ workhorse. He got the ball 23 times and scored both of the team’s touchdowns. The first was a 10-yard run in the second quarter that put WC ahead 10-0, and the second came late in the fourth quarter to make it 20-0.

Lewis also caught two passes for 21 yards.

“He did an outstanding job,” Morgan said. “He was ready to play, and to be able to do that against a very good defensive ballclub was great.”

Lewis carried the load in the running game, but the passing game was equally diverse. Six different players caught passes, and five of them had more than one reception.

Senior wideout Marcus Ragan was the leading receiver with three catches for 42 yards. That gave him the school record for career receptions, with 61. Kourey Davis was the previous recordholder with 59.

“It’s well-deserved, and couldn’t happen to a better guy,” Morgan said of Ragan’s record. “He’s put himself in elite status.”

Warren Central might need some of its depth on defense if Thomas is out for any length of time.

The senior linebacker, a three-year starter who was The Vicksburg Post’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, injured his foot in the second half Friday night.

Thomas had 111 total tackles last season, and is second on the team with 49 this year. He had 12 tackles before leaving the game on Friday night.

Even without Thomas, the Vikings were able to shut down a high-powered Murrah offense that was averaging more than 30 points per game.

The Mustangs were shut out for the first time since 2010 — the year before Mississippi State-bound running back Malik Dear joined the varsity.

Dear, who has more than 5,700 total yards from scrimmage in his career, was held without a touchdown for just the third time in his last 30 games. Two of those games have come against Warren Central.

The Vikings (8-0, 4-0 Region 2-6A), though, have already moved on to their next challenge. Clinton (7-1, 4-0) comes to Viking Stadium this Friday night, with the winner likely securing one of the top two seeds in the region and the first-round home playoff game that comes with it.

“We enjoy it, and the players enjoy it. We know how to celebrate with the best of them. But come Monday, it’s time to go back to work, and everybody understands that,” Morgan said. “We’ve done a great job with that, and that’s a credit to our seniors. Their football IQ is very good. They understand the seeding and the importance of it, and what’s at stake. The leadership on this team is phenomenal.”