By DAN BISER

Seven straight losses have started adding up to a long season for the West Columbus Viking football team.

Last Friday’s 45-7 homefield loss to undefeated East Bladen left the Vikings with an 0-3 Southeastern Conference record while their season record slipped to 1-7.

This Friday night, the Vikings will travel to Rowland where they will take on a South Robeson team that snapped a six-game losing streak last Friday with a 20-13 victory over West Bladen. Gametime is 7:30.

Coach Barry Leonard’s Mustangs are 1-2 in conference and 2-6 overall.

A victory is certainly in the realm of reason Friday for the Vikings, who put up a good tussle in a 24-13 loss to Fairmont in their conference opener and gave a reasonably good first-half showing in last week’s setback to East Bladen.

It’s been a big turnaround for the Viking football team this fall after going 8-5 and finishing runnerup in the Southeastern Conference last fall.

Last season, West Columbus celebrated its homecoming by trouncing the Mustangs 40-14 on the strength of a 26-point second quarter outburst.

This year, the Vikings’ and Mustangs’ seasons have been amazingly similar.

Coach Vernon Brigman’s West Columbus squad opened the season with a 48-25 homefield victory over Dixon while South Robeson opened at home with a 14-8 win over Hobbton.

West Columbus has since absorbed losses to East Columbus, North Brunswick, Whiteville, South Columbus, Fairmont, Red Springs and East Bladen.

South Robeson lost to Gray’s Creek, Whiteville, Providence Day, Ayden-Grifton, East Bladen and St. Pauls before snapping the string last week with its seven-point victory over West Bladen.

South Robeson has won four of its last five meetings with West Columbus.

After Friday, West Columbus has remaining games with St. Pauls and West Bladen.