NATCHEZ — If you want to win in the playoffs, you’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities, especially if you’re playing one of the top five ranked teams in the state.

Unfortunately for Natchez High, they couldn’t do that and it resulted in a 35-15 loss to Oak Grove that ended their season in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

The Warriors will move on to the South State championship game, where they will face Meridian.

Two trips inside the Oak Grove 10-yard line resulted in just three points for Natchez, and throw in an interception in the end zone in the first quarter and the Bulldogs left 18 points out on the table.

“We had missed opportunities and errors once again,” Natchez head coach Lance Reed said. “That’s what happens when you’re in the playoffs. You play good teams and you’ve got to be prepared.”

While Natchez squandered several scoring opportunities, Oak Grove was only too happy to take advantage of all of theirs.

The Warriors scored a touchdown just 49 seconds into the game after recovering a fumble by Natchez running back Willie Newman on the second play of the game.

Newman was injured on the play and did not return to the game.

The Warriors scored on their first offensive play when quarterback James McMahon hit Jonathan Duncan down the middle for a 24-yard touchdown pass.

“Errors and turnovers on our part got them out to a fast start,” Reed said. “It’s tough when you’re chasing right from the start.”

After forcing Natchez to punt, Oak Grove went right back down the field and scored again, this time on a 24-yard pass from McMahon to Raphael Peters.

The Oak Grove quarterback was just getting warmed up, and would look to big play receiver Steve McNair Jr. for the remainder of the half.

McMahon hit McNair on a screen pass that the receiver turned into a 43-yard gain on the Warriors’ next possession that set up the third touchdown of the game, this one a McMahon 3-yard run.

McNair would get a touchdown of his own on Oak Grove’s next possession when he caught a short pass and outran the entire Natchez defense down the sideline for a 50-yard touchdown that put the Warriors up 28-0 midway through the second quarter.

McNair finished the game with 191 receiving yards on just seven catches while McMahon threw for 386 yards, including 271 in the first half.

“We were really clicking in the first half,” Oak Grove coach Nevil Barr said. “We threw well, caught well and blocked well. We came out on fire and played hard all the way through.”

Natchez responded with a drive inside the 10-yard line in the final minute, but were stopped and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Charell Carter with 16 seconds remaining in the half.

The Bulldogs defense forced a turnover on each of Oak Grove’s first two possessions of the second half, and the Natchez offense took advantage of the second one, when Rico Richardson scampered around left end for a 28-yard score to trim the deficit to 28-9.

When the Natchez defense forced a punt on Oak Grove’s next possession, it looked like the momentum had shifted.

The Bulldogs drove down inside the Warrior 5-yard line with under a minute left in the third quarter, but Javon Washington was stopped for a two-yard loss on fourth and two from the 3-yard line.

Once again, Oak Grove took advantage of an opportunity, as they drove 95 yards for a touchdown. The big play on the drive was a 44-yard completion to McNair.

The Warriors scored when running back Jay Hughes fumbled the ball into the end zone and McMahon fell on it with nine minutes left to make the score 35-9.

Natchez made the final more respectable when Joel Davis scored on an 11-yard run with 15 seconds remaining in the game.

Despite the loss, Reed said he was proud of his team for making it into the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and winning their first round game last week.

“This is a special group,” Reed said. “They worked hard for us and will do good things in the future. We’re still eager and hungry for more. The future should be bright for us.”