Bulldogs to face WCHS after off week

Krysten Oliphant

Published Friday, September 12, 2008

NATCHEZ — A week off can be good or bad, depending on how you see it.

For Natchez High football coach Lance Reed, it’s both as the Bulldogs take on Wilkinson County on Friday.

The Bulldogs’ game against Gulfport was canceled last week due to the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, and most of the team’s practices were canceled or abbreviated as well.

“We should be fresh -- our legs should be up under us,” Reed said. “But at the same time, games are your way of improving. Week-to-week your goal is to get better. We lost an opportunity last week to get better. We feel like Wilkinson County had to play their second game and had the opportunity to improve as a team more than we have.”

The Wildcats dropped a close one to Newton High this past weekend, scoring a touchdown with seconds left but missing a two-point conversion that would have tied the game.

Wilkinson County coach Elbert “Mo” Lyles said little mistakes cost them the opportunity for victory, something he hopes will be minimized this weekend.

“We need to defend the pass. We’ve been hurt with the pass a little bit too much,” Lyles said. “Also we’re just trying to not make so many mental mistakes on both sides of the ball, the basic stuff you need to do to at least try to have a good showing.”

To do so, the Wildcats will have to focus on the Bulldogs’ speed.

Lyles said senior running back Willie Newman and senior receiver Rico Richardson will be difficult to contain, not to mention sophomore quarterback Javon Washington.

“They have quite a few weapons. We just have to figure out how to slow them down,” Lyles said. “You’re not going to stop them, but maybe you can slow them down a little.”

Senior linebacker John Moore III and senior defensive tackle Zekendrick Patterson will have to step up, as will the entire front four defensive linemen to back up sophomore quarterback Brian Montgomery, who Lyles said is still trying to minimize mistakes and learn the gameplan.

Reed expects Region 7 3-A Wilkinson County to rely heavily on its running game to try to pull off an upset of the Region 3 5-A Bulldogs.

“They’ll load up and try to run it right down our throats,” he said. “Our job is to step up and contain them. I put all that on our linemen. Every lineman that we have, our front line and our linebackers are responsible for stopping that aspect of the game, and they have to step up to the plate.”

Lyles makes no pretenses that Friday’s game will not be tough for his team, but he said the Wildcats will still give their all in the game.

“We can come in and just play the best we can and not make many mistakes. You never know what might happen – that’s why the game is played,” he said. “Of course you always come in to win, no doubt about that. We know we’re underdogs and that we have to play above our ability to pull out a victory.”