NATCHEZ — Their high school football careers might have ended eight months ago, but two Natchez High players got to strap on the shoulder pads one more time and play one final game as high school athletes.

Recently graduated Natchez High football players Rico Richardson and Keith Dee played in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic at Mississippi College in Clinton on July 16.

Richardson recorded four tackles and intercepted a pass at cornerback and Dee recorded three tackles on the defensive line for the South team.

A third Natchez High player, Ernest Jones, was supposed to play in the game, but couldn’t because of an injury.

The South defeated the North team 30-14.

The Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic is for graduated seniors who have completed their high school playing career.

Richardson will play football for Jackson State this fall while Dee and Jones will play for Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Richardson said it was nice to play one more game of high school football.

“I loved it,” Richardson said of his high school football career. “I’m going to miss the high school game.”

Natchez High wasn’t only represented on the field. It was also represented in the sideline, as Bulldogs coach Lance Reed was an assistant coach for the South team.

“It was a great experience,” Reed said. “The coaches got a chance to relate with each other and share ideas. We really got along well.”

Reed said the game was a reward for four years of hard work players have put in for their high school teams.

“It was a good opportunity for those guys to come together and represent their part of the state and showcase their talents one last time at the high school level,” Reed said. “They were able to show off against the best players from around the state.”

And Reed said he was proud of the Natchez High player’s performance on and off the field.

“It was definitely an honor for them,” Reed said. “It’s always good to represent your school positively. And I think our kids did a good job of that.”