09/12/2026
SENIOR QUARTERBACK NASH MORGAN CARRIES DEFENDING MHSAA CLASS 6A STATE CHAMPION WARREN CENTRAL TO 12TH STRAIGHT WIN WITH 42-35 VICTORY OVER MHSAA CLASS 7A GERMANTOWN
Warren Central High School
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Photo by Blake Harrell
Story by Robert Wilson
Warren Central quarterback Nash Morgan led the Vikings to a state championship last season as a junior, something his father, Josh, and uncles, Rob and Brett, all three quarterbacks at Warren Central, weren’t able to accomplish for the Warren Central back when they were playing.
Warren Central’s state title last season, an MHSAA Class 6A state title, was the first for the school since 1994 and the third in school history (the other one was in 1988, coached by Nash’s grandfather, Robert, who coached his three sons at Warren Central).
Nash Morgan, a Mississippi State commitment, and Warren Central, coached by Josh Morgan, looked the part of another state championship team Friday night as they defeated MHSAA Class 7A Germantown 42-35 at Germantown’s Maverick Field aka The Ranch in Gluckstadt.
Warren Central - ranked No. 1 in MHSAA Class 6A and No. 8 in Mississippi - improved to 3-0 and won its 12th straight game, dating back to a 32-24 loss to Madison Central last year.
Germantown - ranked No. 4 in MHSAA Class 7A and No. 5 in Mississippi - dropped to 1-2 and lost its second straight close game, losing at 7A Oak Grove 28-25 last week.
Nash Morgan ran 21 times for 213 yards, 10.1 yards per carry, and scored one touchdown and completed 7 of 13 passes for 68 yards.
“Nash has been our constant,” said Josh Morgan, who has a 123-72 record in his 17th season at Warren Central. “The way defense was playing, all in the box and zero man behind it. If you have a quarterback who can run with an extra hat in the blocking game. Nash ran tough and was physical. We were able to run the football. That’s our identity.”
Possibly the biggest play in the game happened with seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter when Germantown fumbled near the Warren Central goal line and Warren Central senior strong safety Jonas Green picked up the fumble and ran 100 yards for a score. Instead of the game being tied at 28-28, Warren Central led 35-21. And the Vikings never gave up the lead after that.
Germantown drove 90 yards and junior quarterback Langston Branson completed a 4-yard TD pass to sophomore wide receiver Christian Mumford to close the gap to 35-28, but Warren Central answered with when junior running back Javid Scott ran for a 48-yard score to push the lead to 42-28 with five minutes to play.
Germantown closed again to 42-35 when Branson completed a 25-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Jackson Avalon to complete an 8-yard drive with four minutes to play.
Branson completed 31 of 39 passes for 323 yards and four TDs (Mumford, Avalon, Bryce Johnson, and Brooks Newton) and ran 13 times for 132 yards and one TD. Germantown starting running back Sy McBeath did not play due to an injury.
“It was another hard fought game that our kids played well enough to win,” Germantown coach Russell Mitchell said. “Hopefully, we can learn and grow, and be better next week as a result. I’m proud that our kids gave it their all for four quarters.”
Warren Central football is family affair. Not only did Robert Morgan Jr, coached his three sons at Warren Central and Josh is now the head coach, Josh’s brother, Rob, is the offensive coordinator. Josh is the defensive coordinator. The other brother, Brett, is the head coach at Starkville. Robert Morgan coached from 1985-2003. Rob played quarterback for Warren Central in 1993 and 1994, Josh in 1996 and 1997 and Brett 2001 and 2002. Josh played safety at Mississippi State from 1998-2002 and Rob played quarterback at MSU from 1996-98.
Winning the state title last year has given Warren Central belief and confidence. .
“We have been close so to break through last season was special,’ Josh Morgan said. “I was so proud of our guys. We have a vision and a goal and then for our guys to experience that was great. We want to build upon that and take it to another level. We have even more belief and confidence in what we are doing and if we continue to play well we have a chance to reach our ultimate goal to finning another state championship.”
And Nash Morgan is a big part of that. He completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,452 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 1,577 yards and 27 TDs last season and led Warren Central to a 12-2 record and the state championship. Morgan has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 322 yards and one TD and ran 44 times for 424 yards and five TDs in three games this season.
“Nash is a competitor,” Josh Morgan said. “He has a strong desire to succeed and works hard. He has good speed and can drag people to get that extra yard or two. He has God-given abilities and good size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds). We threw him in the fire out of necessity as a ninth grader and did a good job. He’s been a blessing to coach.”
There were many players who contributed to the Warren Central win.
“Jonas not only caused and picked up the fumble to run for a touchdown for a 14 point swing in the fourth quarter, he also caused a fumble earlier in the game,” Josh Morgan said. “Our kicking game with Nick Lee was good and kept teh ball away from Germantown’s big time players. Our offensive line, led by seniors Braden Cooper (6-3, 270) and Patrick Bowman (6-2, 220), played great. We have seven starters back on defense and five on offense so we a good group returning. But we still have a lot of work to do. Germantown gave us a battle last night. They are a very good team and fought us hard. That was two teams who wouldn’t quit.”
