WOODVILLE — Wilkinson County Christian Academy was all set to host Porter’s Chapel Academy out of Vicksburg Friday for the first round of the MAIS Class A South State playoffs. Then things got hectic.

Heidelberg Academy was forced to forfeit all of its games this season due to playing an ineligible player, causing the South State bracket to get realigned. When the dust settled, Park Place Christian Academy was the Rams’ new opponent.

“Porter’s Chapel moved from a 4-seed to a 3-seed, and Prentiss moved from a 3 to a 2, so we’re playing Park Place,” Rams head coach Ray McDaniel said.

“They’re a young team. Their coach told me this is their first year to have a graduating senior class. They have a couple of good skill kids, and they like to run out of the spread like most everyone else does.”

McDaniel said he found out Monday afternoon of the switch, despite having already planned for Porter’s Chapel.

“It messed us up a little bit, because we already had the film on Porter’s Chapel when we got the call,” McDaniel said. “We’ll make do, though, and I think we’re prepared for (tonight).”

After winning MAIS District 3-A, McDaniel said there’s a lot of excitement around the school. This marks only the third time a Rams team has won at least 10 games.

“If we win (tonight), it’ll be the first playoff win since 1988, I think,” McDaniel said. “We were state runners-up in 1986 when they finished 11-1, and we won the state title in 1988 and finished 10-3 that year.”

But with a postseason berth, McDaniel said his players are enjoying reaping the rewards of their hard work.

“They’re excited. It’s something new for them, but they’ve worked and prepared hard, and they’ve had a good week of practice,” McDaniel said. “They should be ready to go (tonight). They have confidence, but I guess winning does that.”

Kickoff at WCCA is at 7 p.m. today.

Lamar Academy at Centreville

CENTREVILLE — Centreville Academy assistant coach Brian Stutzman said his Tigers will have to be ready for a balanced attack when they host Lamar Academy tonight.

“They were in Triple-A for a while, and from what we’ve seen, they like to mix the run and the throw,” Stutzman said. “They’ll probably run it 60 percent and throw it 40 percent. Their offensive line is much bigger than our guys. Their fast, and they have a good team.”

That speed will be especially evident when Lamar Academy lines up on defense, Stutzman said.

“Defensively, they have smaller kids, but they’re quick,” Stutzman said. “They do a lot of blitzing, and they play with four- or five-man defensive fronts.”

Centreville has been working on its passing game for the last month, but Stutzman said it’s not where the coaches want it.

“It’s better than we started with, though,” Stutzman said. “We have to be able to use play-action passes. If we can control the football, we can pass, but hopefully we won’t have to pass it.”

Kickoff at Centreville is at 7 tonight.