Woodville — It will be a special moment for Wilkinson County Christian Academy football coach Ray McDaniel when he steps on the field Friday for the Rams’ first game of the season.

McDaniel will be coaching his first game as a head coach, after taking over for Billy Caston at the end of last season.

“It will be exciting,” McDaniel said. “I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity.”

McDaniel will lead his Rams on to the field against Ben’s Ford Christian School, a team the Rams beat 46-0 last season.

“We played them last year, and I think they had a young team,” McDaniel said. “Their quarterback was a really good football player. We will have to contain him.”

McDaniel said Ben’s Ford would provide tough competition for WCCA in its first contest of the season.

“They brought back a lot (of players). They are a hard-nosed, scrappy team that will battle us for four quarters,” he said.

WCCA did not have the luxury of playing a jamboree last week to work out some of its kinks, and McDaniel said his players are ready to get on the field and hit someone else.

“They are excited and ready to go,” he said. “They’ve waited for this all summer long, but football is here now. I think we’re ready to play. They are tired of hitting each other.”

McDaniel said the lack of a preseason contest could cause issues for his team early in the season.

“We’re hoping to come out and look sharp,” he said. “I know it’s early in the year and it’s hot, but we will see what kind of shape we’re in.

“The first game out, and not really having a scrimmage or a game under our belt, we could see problems with penalties and turnovers.”

McDaniel said he does not know much about what Ben’s Ford will try to do Friday, and he is using this week of practice to focus on making his team better.

“We’re trying to sharpen up the things we do to make sure we do everything right,” he said.

McDaniel said offensive- and defensive-line play would be the key in Friday night’s contest.

Winning the first game would not only be a milestone for McDaniel, but also it would be an important step for the Rams’ 2011 season, McDaniel said.

“We hope we can pull out a win. It’s always good to get the season off on a winning foot,” he said.

WCCA will host Ben’s Ford at 7:30 p.m. Friday.