woodville — The Wilkinson County High School football team used Labor Day weekend to get healthy and get some needed rest before heading into the bulk of its schedule starting Friday.

The Wildcats had an off night last Friday, and this week they will travel to South Pike High School (2-1) to start a stretch of eight straight games.

“Hopefully (the off week) gave us a chance to get a little break and get a few people a chance to heel up,” head coach Kenneth Brown said. “It also gave us time to work on other phases of the game, without having to play a game.”

Brown said his team went back to the basics during the break.

“We basically just focused on fundamentals, and put in some new plays here and there,” he said.

But the Wildcats are back to their normal preparation this week and getting ready to face South Pike.

“South Pike is physical as usual (this year),” Brown said. “They don’t seem to play a lot of kids, but the ones that play really get after it. It will be a physical contest, and we will have to match their intensity and physicality and hopefully we will come out on top.”

Brown said he was happy with the way his team started the season.

“We’re pretty pleased right now to be 1-1,” he said. “We opened with Natchez and played a pretty good game, and the we came back to win in overtime against Amite County. We expected (Amite County) to be tough because that’s our rivalry, and we played hard and were fortunate to step up in overtime and win the game.”

Brown said his team spent some of the off-week working the offensive line, an aspect of the game that the Wildcats struggled in to open the season.

“This week we spent time on line play,” he said. “We still feel like we’re not getting productivity out of the offensive line. They are making blocks but not maintaining them and getting the push we need.”

With the offensive line struggling, Brown said his team has been forced to put the ball in the air more often than he planned.

“Really we were hoping to be able to run the ball a little more effectively, but since the season started we’re pretty much passing more than we thought.”

Brown said they have also worked to improve the play of their young quarterback Devin Voorhies. Brown was pleased with Voorhies’ play in the first two games, but also wants to continue to see improvement from his signal caller, he said.

Brown has also been impressed by his defense and his young running backs, he said.

The focus Friday will be more on the Wildcats’ mentality than on strategy, Brown said.

“The key is for all our kids to match up with the intensity South Pike will bring,” he said. “Barring injuries, we can be successful if we match their intensity.”

Brown said a win would be a big boost for his team and the Wilkinson County football faithful.

“It will be a positive for the kids, the school and the communities in the county,” he said. “If we could put together another win it would really give us momentum and fan support.”

The win would also give Brown his first winning record as the head coach of the Wildcats.

“So far (the season) has been good,” he said. “We are still looking for coaches to come in and help out, because I just prefer letting my coaches work, and as long as I see progress being made we are good. I am getting experience, and hopefully things will continue to go well.”

The Wildcats will travel to South Pike and kickoff their third game of the season at 7:30 p.m. Friday.