NATCHEZ — With only a couple of weeks left in the high school football regular season, playoff scenarios in some district are beginning to crystallize while other districts are in a blur of confusion when it comes down to who will make the postseason.

A few area teams have locked down playoff spots, but several others still have some work to do if they want to make the postseason.

The team hanging on the most precarious perch is the Natchez High Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are currently in a three-way tie for third place in Region 3-6A with Oak Grove and Brandon with a 3-2 record.

The top four teams in each district in Mississippi make the playoffs.

Natchez coach Lance Reed has said he doesn’t care about playoff scenarios, he just wants his team to continue winning and the scenarios will take care of themselves.

That is true for the Bulldogs, who can clinch a playoff spot with wins in their final two games, over Wingfield and Hattiesburg.

Natchez can all but clinch a spot this Friday with a win over Wingfield and an Oak Grove loss to Brandon.

In that scenario, Brandon would then have to beat last place Wingfield in its final game to ensure Natchez gets into the playoffs even if the Bulldogs lose to Hattiesburg in their final game.

That would put Oak Grove (if it beats a poor Jim Hill team in its final game) and Natchez tied for fourth place with 4-3 records, and Natchez holds the tiebreaker with a head-to-head victory over the Warriors.

However, if Oak Grove defeats Brandon on Friday, Natchez’s playoff position would be much less secure.

That way, a Natchez loss to Hattiesburg in two weeks and a Brandon victory over Wingfield would put those two teams tied for fourth place, and Brandon would have the tiebreaker thanks to its head-to-head victory over Natchez.

The only way Natchez controls its own destiny for sure is to win its final two games over Wingfield and Hattiesburg.

The Cathedral Green Wave face a similar position in Region 4-1A, but their playoffs position is a little more secure than Natchez’s.

The Green Wave are currently in a three way tie for fourth place with St. Aloysius and Bogue Chitto with a 2-3 record.

Cathedral has the tiebreaker if those three teams end up tied at the end of the season thanks to a better point differential in the games the teams played against each other.

Cathedral defeated Bogue Chitto by 10 points last week and lost to St. Al by three to give them a plus seven point differential.

St. Al’s point differential is minus two after a five-point loss to Bogue Chitto and three-point win over Cathedral, while Bogue Chitto’s point differential is minus five.

Cathedral will make the playoffs if it wins its last two games over Dexter and Salem, but can also make it even with a split in those two games as long as the three teams all split their final two games and end the season with the same record.

While the playoff scenarios in those two regions are fuzzy, the picture is quite clear in other local regions.

Franklin County and Jefferson County are tied for second in Region 7-3A with 3-1 records and have both clinched playoff spots.

The two teams play each other on Friday for the right to finish in second and host a first round playoff game.

Wilkinson County also has an outside chance of making the playoffs.

The Wildcats will make the postseason with a win over undefeated Tylertown and a Hazlehurst loss to a winless Amite County team.

The playoff scenarios are also clear in the MAIS districts.

In District 6-A, Trinity (2-0) clinched the district championship with a win over Tallulah last Friday.

The Saints play Huntington on Friday in a game that won’t affect the standings, as the 0-2 Hounds have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

In District 5-AA, Centreville and Central Private both have clinched playoff spots with 3-0 district records.

The two teams will play each other on Friday with the winner claiming the district title and first round home playoff game that goes with it.

Adams County Christian and Wilkinson County Christian must rely on power points to get them in the playoffs as wild cards because they will not finish in the top two in the district.

However, a wild care berth isn’t likely for either team as both are hovering around a .500 record.

Across the river in Louisiana, only the top team in each district is guaranteed a playoff spot.

The other teams are placed in the playoffs based on their power points.

A shocking loss to Lake Providence last Friday knocked Ferriday out of first place in District 2-2A and into a tie for second with a 2-1 record.

Farmerville is in first place at 3-0 and the Farmers and Trojans will meet in the final game of the season with first place potentially on the line.

However, even if Ferriday doesn’t finish in first place, they are in good shape to make the playoffs thanks to their strength of schedule giving their power points ranking a big boost.

Vidalia can only wish its power points ranking was higher.

The Vikings were eliminated from winning the district with a 19-14 loss to Bunkie last Friday.

The Vikings are in a tie for third with a 2-2 record. Vidalia must win its final two games and pray that its power points ranking will put them in the playoffs.

Block has no such problems. The Bears are cruising toward a district title in District 3-1A.

At 3-0, Block has already handily defeated the two teams directly behind them in the standings.

They need only to defeat the bottom two teams in the district (LaSalle and Tensas High) to win the district with a 5-0 record and cruise into the playoffs.