Prep football: WCCA ready for another rematch

Published 12:02 am Friday, November 9, 2012

WOODVILLE — For the second week in a row, Wilkinson County Christian Academy will square off in a rematch game.

The Rams (10-1) are set to host Heidelberg Academy (4-6) tonight in the second round of the MAIS Class A South State playoffs. The Rams topped the Rebels 16-6 in their regular-season game Sept. 28.

“They have a high-powered offense and have scored some pretty big points,” WCCA head coach David Wright said.

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Wright said the Rebels like to run out of a spread offense and will try to get the Rams’ defenders out on islands and get them out of alignment.

“We did a pretty good job against them last time, but they seem to have run more smoothly (as a team) later in the year,” Wright said.

The Rebels will sometimes send five receivers to the line and will also look to get into the shotgun with two-back sets.

“They are pretty well-balanced between the run and the pass, so it means a little bit more game prep for us,” Wright said.

Defensively, the Rebels run a 4-3 base defense and have five or six seniors on that side of the ball, Wright said.

“We struggled to move the ball consistently against them last time,” Wright said. “We had some drives stall out and had some miscues and penalties. I don’t know if the kids took them lightly, but we definitely won’t this time.”

The Rams actually trailed the Rebels 6-3 at the half in their first meeting, but big plays by WCCA allowed it to pull out with a win.

“Protection was really rough for the passing game,” Wright said. “Hopefully we made changes and have gotten better since then. We’re going to have to pin our ears back and stop the run (this time).”

Wright said quarterback Taylor Prevost is looking for a second shot against the Rebels’ defense, and Kaleb Sterling will be relied upon heavily at running back.

The last time, WCCA played on the road at Heidelberg, and Wright said it was nice to have the game at home this time around.

“The bus ride is tough,” Wright said. “It’s tough to get off the bus and get acclimated to a school. You’re at a new field and you have to get the bus ride out of you, and it sure is a distraction. It’s a pleasure to play at home and have the home fans here.”

Kickoff is set for 7 tonight at WCCA.