WOODVILLE — Wilkinson County Christian Academy is hoping to avoid the trend of the previous two years of starting out strong then sputtering late.

The Rams have started the season 2-0 against Ben’s Ford and Prentiss Christian, and they’ll hit the road tonight to take on Glenbrook Academy.

Last season, the Rams were 2-3 after five games, but didn’t win any more down the stretch to finish the season 2-8. In 2009, WCCA won its first three games but only won one more en route to a 4-6 record.

But there’s already a sense of newness this year, head coach Ray McDaniel said. And this Rams team has no intention of peaking early.

“The whole team overall is changing its attitude and personality,” McDaniel said. “They’ve started believing they can win, focusing on the job ahead and stuff like that.”

Still, McDaniel admitted it’s nice to start out 2-0.

“It feels really good, but we still have a lot of improvements to work on,” he said. “I’m happy with the progress.”

After two games, the Rams’ defense in particular has been strong, yielding just 14 points to Ben’s Ford in a 48-14 victory. WCCA shut out Prentiss Christian 20-0.

“Coach (Albert) Lewis has a great scheme, and we just have 11 guys than can run,” McDaniel said. “As good as they are right now, I think they can get even better.”

Now, the Rams face their first road game of the season, and McDaniel said they’ll have to be ready for some things they’re not used to.

“Practice has been going really well this week,” McDaniel said. “Glenbrook is going to be a little different for us. They like to spread it (with four and five wide receivers) and throw the football a lot.

“It’s a new challenge for us. Ben’s Ford was more of a downhill running team, and Prentiss Christian kind of mixed it up a little bit.”

Having the game on the road also opens the door for the unexpected, McDaniel said.

“It’s the first road game, so you never know how the kids are going to react, getting on the bus and going somewhere else,” he said.

“If we can control the line of scrimmage on the offense, and do the same on defense, I think we have a really good chance of coming out on top.”

The crowd will also be a factor in the game, McDaniel said.

“We’re probably not going to have as big a crowd as they do, so it’s going to be a hostile environment for them,” McDaniel said. “They’ll have to be mentally focused.”

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.