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WOODVILLE — The Wilkinson County Christian Academy Rams of MAIS 8-Man Class 1A will play host to a familiar opponent in the 8-Man Class 2A Hillcrest Christian School Cougars out of Jackson in the 2023 regular-season opener for both teams.

Kickoff for this game has been pushed back from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday. WCCA head coach Randy Holloway said this move was made because of the dangerously hot weather returning to southwest Mississippi once again.

The Rams did not participate in any jamboree games last weekend, but they have gotten in plenty of practice to get ready for a Hillcrest Christian Cougars team that WCCA defeated last year 50-36.

“I’m expecting that same type of game,” Holloway said. “Hillcrest is going to be big, physical, and very athletic. They have a lot of speed.”

Holloway noted that he expects to the Cougars to throw the ball a lot on offense and that he is concerned the most about their speed on defense, adding, “They run to the ball very well.”

To slow down the Cougars’ overall team speed on defense, the Rams have in practice been working on their inside running game with leads and traps.

As far as practice itself has been going heading into the season-opener, Holloway said, “It’s been going really well. It’s been hot. We’ve been acclimated to the heat. It’s been hot all summer long.”

Holloway said that junior dual-threat quarterback Jacob Sessions and senior middle linebacker Jack Orgeron will need to step up their game if WCCA is start the season victorious. 

“We need to limit our turnovers and limit our mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes will win the game,” Holloway said.

As far as dealing with the heat come Friday night, Holloway said, “We’ve had a great conditioning program this summer. We’ve had plenty of water breaks (during practice). That will help us win.”