WOODVILLE — Brian Isaac’s 78-yard fumble return may have ignited the Natchez High faithful last Friday, but it also served as a dagger in the hearts of Wilkinson County fans.

When the two faced last Friday, the Bulldogs rode the momentum of Isaac’s third-quarter heroics to a 34-7 win. Now, Wilkinson County will be looking to avoid big plays when it hosts Raymond High School out of Raymond this Friday.

“Our players know that play was crucial, and that it’s very important to protect the football. We drill them and drill them on that,” Wilkinson County head coach Elbert Lyles said.

“It the heat of the moment though, they’re just trying to make a play, and things happen.”

Fullback Stevenson Veals was going for a first down when the ball was knocked loose from his grip, and Lyles said he wasn’t too hard on Veals for the play.

“We kind of preached to him in a positive way that those things happen, and you just have to move on,” Lyles said.

“He was fighting for yardage, and we would’ve had (the first down) if he didn’t lose the ball. Obviously, we prefer those things not happen, but sometimes they happen.

“We have to just bounce back and play football when they do happen, and I don’t think we did a good job bouncing back.”

With their attention turned to Raymond now, Lyles said his team would have to contain Raymond’s multi-talented quarterback.

“He’s their lead rusher, and has a quick feel to him. He’s a shifty type of kid that will run the ball, so we have to focus on containing both him and the pass,” Lyles said.

“We have an athlete, Kenyon McDonald, that simulated him in practice (Tuesday), and he’ll probably do it again (today).”

Lyles also said Raymond’s offense would look a lot like what his team saw against Natchez last week.

“They bring a spread set similar to Natchez. They’ll go to the I formation some, but they’re a spread team for the most past,” he said.

Ball protection isn’t the only thing the Wildcats are focusing on in practice, Lyles said.

“We’re trying to work on getting more of a push from or offensive line, and on our coverages. I feel like we gave up some plays that we shouldn’t have,” Lyles said.

“From a defensive standpoint, we want to be more aggressive. I felt like there were a number of things we needed to work on.”

This week’s matchup against Raymond is just one of four home games for the Wildcats.

“That’s definitely going to be a big challenge for us. After Raymond, we’re on the road for the next four weeks. We definitely need a win in order to get ourselves ready for four weeks of traveling,” Lyles said.

“I think our guys will be up to the task, though. They’ve been working hard since the offseason. No doubt we’d rather be at home, but three of our five district games are home games, so that’s a plus.”

Kickoff at Wilkinson County will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday.