VIDALIA &8212; Today at 6 p.m. coaches and fans will get their first glimpse of the 2006 Vidalia Vikings when they take the field against the Jena Giants.

After battling a lack of experience at nearly every position last season, coach Dee Faircloth and the Vikings are feeling better about the outlook for this year.

&8220;We took our lumps last year,&8221; Faircloth said, referring to the team&8217;s 3-7 finish.

Taking their lumps last year has the team excited about the opportunity to see if they can dish some of their own out this season.

&8220;I feel like the old mother cheetah, who is about to take her cubs out for their first wildebeest hunt,&8221; Faircloth said. &8220;We&8217;re going to get to see who is going to hit, who can play and who can&8217;t.&8221;

But even with the added year of experience the team is still young by comparison to most schools, who are not counting on players before they are physically strong enough to play.

While most programs wait until late in the season to pull freshman players over from the junior varsity team, Vidalia won&8217;t have that luxury this year, as Faircloth expects at least three freshmen to see significant playing time with the varsity team.

Quan Riley, Seth Barlow and Joe Williams are all freshmen expected to make contributions on defense this season.

In terms of scheme, Faircloth said to expect the unexpected, as the team is likely to employ multiple sets on both offense and defense.

On offense, the depth chart is pretty much set at the skill positions. Most of the players you see start the scrimmage tonight will be on the field late in the season. The one exception will be Viking quarterback Brandon Hawkins, who is out do to a hip-injury. Replacing Hawkins will be backup quarterback Trey Barnes.

&8220;Well it never hurts to see who you have backing up your guys at the skill positions,&8221; Faircloth said.

Apparently, that mindset applies to the non-skill positions as well, as Faircloth said that nearly everyone would see some playing time, with the exception of the younger players.

&8220;I expect this to be a good test for us,&8221; Faircloth said. &8220;Coach Mack (Fowler) has been at it for 30 some-odd years.

He and I know each other well &8212; it&8217;ll be a battle of the two old ball coaches.&8221;