WOODVILLE — For Wilkinson County Christian coach Sam Byrd, the key to success in Friday’s game against Central Private comes down to one main thing — stopping Bobby Muse.

The standout Central Private running back is having a spectacular senior season, having rushed for over 1,000 yards this season.

He also scored five touchdowns last week in the Rebels’ 33-21 victory over Adams County Christian.

“He is running harder than I’ve ever seen him run,” Byrd said of Muse. “Bobby is a tough kid and runs hard downhill. Definitely the key is stopping him. He’s a good, quick runner and once he makes contact he keeps his feet moving. Obviously he is the main focus for us this week.”

Friday’s game will be WCCA’s third District 5-AA game of the season and a game the Rams desperately need to win if they want to make the playoffs.

WCCA is 0-2 in district play, having lost to ACCS 28-21 in its first region game earlier this season and then 40-13 to Centreville last Friday.

“(Centreville and Central Private) have definitely been two of the top teams around for awhile,” Byrd said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us (Friday).”

And while the Rams’ defense must stop Muse, the WCCA offense also has a difficult task of moving the ball against Central Private’s stout defense.

“Defensively they flow to the ball real well,” Byrd said. “Their defense really gets after you and gives you a lot of different looks. They’re coming from all over the place.”

Byrd said the Rams must get the ball into the hands of their playmakers, such as running back Tip McKenzie, in order to be successful against the Rebels defense.

“We’ve got to do some things to keep them off balance,” Byrd said. “We’ve got several kids who can score of they get their hands on the ball. We moved the ball well last Friday, we just couldn’t get in the end zone. We got in the red zone three times and came away with no points. When we get in the red zone, we’ve got to score.”

The Rams offense has been helped by the return of senior quarterback Todd Gonda, who missed two games with a separated shoulder.

“Last week was Todd’s first game back, and he was a little rusty,” Byrd said. “But he came along as the game went on. I was real pleased with the game he had. I’m looking forward to him getting back in the swing of things.”

Byrd said Gonda’s mobility and senior leadership are key to WCCA’s offensive improvement.

“Todd has escapability, and when things break down, he can make things happen for us,” Byrd said. “He has a good football presence and knows how the game is played. He can get the ball to our playmakers.”