The Warren Central Vikings haven’t been disheartened by a two-game losing streak that cost them a shot at the Region 2-6A championship. They’re not worried about possibly having to face undefeated South Panola in the first round of the playoffs next week.

All the Vikings are really concerned about is winning again, and getting some momentum back.

Warren Central (8-2, 4-2 Region 2-6A), which has clinched a playoff berth despite back-to-back losses, hosts Columbus on Friday night in the regular-season finale. A win would give WC the third seed in the region and allow it to avoid a road trip to South Panola, but coaches and players said that’s not the main goal.

“This whole week has just been, basically, we’re just trying to get back to winning. Just finding our identity that got away from us these last two games,” senior cornerback and receiver Chris Stamps said. “The games that we won, we ran the ball well. We got away from running the ball well. We limited our turnovers. We’ve been turning the ball over a little bit. We gave up a few big plays against Starkville. We’ve just got to eliminate those and just get back to the way we’ve been playing football.”

Despite the recent defeats, it’s easy to see why the Vikings aren’t taking them too hard. They lost 14-13 to No. 4 Clinton when a tying extra point sailed wide in the final minute. Last week, they led No. 1 Starkville 17-0 late in the third quarter before losing 28-17.

Taking two of the state’s best teams to the limit, win or lose, was encouraging for WC coach Josh Morgan.

“We came up short both games, but we were in both games. There’s lots of bright spots,” Morgan said. “I feel like we’ve gotten better these last two weeks.”

One of the knocks on Warren Central’s early success was that it hadn’t been battle-tested against tough competition. Morgan said the performance the last two weeks has him confident the Vikings can play with anyone.

“That’s one of the positives we’re taking. This is where we are and what we need to do to beat these teams we’re going to see in the playoffs,” Morgan said. “It’s not like we’re in some funk or skid. This is what we’ve got to do to win tight ballgames. If we can fix these issues, we’ll have a better chance in the playoffs.”

A win Friday night would give Warren Central third place in Region 2-6A — it can’t do better than that — and send it to Southaven (8-2) for the first round of the Class 6A playoffs next week. A loss would put WC fourth place and send it to South Panola (10-0).

Columbus (4-6, 3-3), meanwhile, is trying to get into the playoffs after starting the season 1-6. Four of the six losses were to teams ranked in the top five in their respective classes in this week’s Associated Press poll.

The Falcons have won three straight region games, and would move all the way up to third place with a victory Friday night. They could still get in with a loss and a Northwest Rankin loss to Murrah, but are essentially fighting for their playoff lives. That makes them a dangerous opponent, Morgan said.

“They’re hitting their stride at the right time. They have two good running backs and a good defensive line, and that’s where they’re winning ballgames,” Morgan said. “We have our hands full.”