Vikings advance to North State after defeating Lake Cormorant 24-7

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Warren Central High School advanced to the North State Championship for the second year in a row after defeating Lake Cormorant 24-7 on Friday night.

“We had to play as a team and we found a way to win,” WC head coach Josh Morgan said. “We used everything that we had and a lot of credit goes to our players and coaches.”

The Viking defense set the tone early as T’Kylan Wright came up with a big stop on the opening series. Late in the first quarter, quarterback Nash Morgan connected with Blake Caruthers for a 25-yard pass and Layton Lee for a 20-yard gain. Fred Mixon pushed the ball inside the 5-yard line before Morgan finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Jonah Artman’s extra point made it 7-0 with 4:14 left in the first quarter.

WC forced a punt on the next drive, and a few plays later the Vikings struck again. Morgan hauled in a reverse pass from his brother, Doss Morgan, for a 43-yard touchdown on the final play of the quarter to put WC up 14-0.

Early in the second quarter, the Gators broke loose for a 60-yard run. Landon Green and Fabian Davenport recorded tackles in the backfield, but Lake Cormorant eventually scored on a 22-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 14-7.

Caruthers later returned a punt to the 19-yard line. A few snaps later, Nash Morgan hit Mike Hall for a 19-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21-7. Graham Streif added an interception just before halftime to halt LC’s momentum.

Both teams played a scoreless third quarter dominated by defense. WC’s defense overcame costly penalties in the fourth until Chaka Walker recovered a fumble. Kourtland Dillard sealed the win with a late interception.

Artman added a 34-yard field goal to close out the scoring at 24-7.

Warren Central will host Ridgeland High School in the North State Championship next week. The Titans defeated Neshoba Central 55-45 on Friday.