NATCHEZ — When the Natchez High football team hits the field tonight against Ocean Springs, it might have a little bit of an advantage.

Instead of having 11 players out on the field, the Bulldogs will have 12.

No, the 12th player isn’t out there physically, but he is certainly there in spirit.

That 12th player is former Bulldog lineman Larry Brown Jr., who was killed in a car accident on Christmas Day last year, and who the Natchez team has dedicated their season to.

And what a season it has been, as the Bulldogs have rung up nine wins, their most since winning 11 games in 1997, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

And according to Brown’s teammates on the offensive and defensive line, that is no coincidence.

“When he was with us, he always had that winning attitude and motivation, that drive to be the best,” center Kevochie Pollard said. “Us as a team want to keep that going, keep having that winning attitude.”

And that winning attitude has helped the Bulldogs pull out several close wins this year, including a 48-45 victory over Oak Grove and a 19-17 win over Petal last week, in which the Bulldogs came back from a 14-0 second quarter deficit.

“It’s definitely a big motivation dedicating these games to him,” Pollard said. “We know if he was on the field playing with us, he’d be giving 110 percent, so we try to push it to the next level.”

The team has done numerous things to honor Brown this season. A big No. 59, Brown’s jersey number, has been painted at midfield all season and each player has worn a No. 59 sticker on their helmets all season.

Natchez began its season with a halftime ceremony in which they retired Brown’s No. 59 jersey and announced a scholarship in his honor.

The Bulldogs then went out and scored 59 points in their victory over Jefferson County.

And that’s not the only time the No. 59 has graced the Tom F. Williams Memorial Stadium scoreboard this season.

In Natchez’s final regular season home game against Wingfield, the Bulldogs put up 59 points in the first half, the final seven coming when Brian Isaac ran back a kickoff for a touchdown on the final play of the half.

And Natchez head coach Lance Reed says that is no coincidence.

“We started off with 59 points in a victory and it’s continuing,” Reed said. “We feel the spirit of Larry around us at all times, he hasn’t been forgotten. There is definitely something above watching over us.”

And while Reed is charged with teaching 70 players each day, he says he has learned a lot from Brown’s parents, Larry Sr. and Brenda Brown.

“I’ve learned a lot from them through their strength and support,” Reed said. “Larry Sr. is one of our biggest boosters and Mrs. Brown is definitely with us all the way. We’re happy that they’re so supportive because we really learn a lot from them.”

And while the season has already been one of the most special and memorable in recent school history, the Bulldogs can make it even more so with a victory over Ocean Springs tonight.

And defensive lineman Justin Hamilton says Brown might just provide the extra motivation the Bulldogs need to get the job done.

“We’re never going to give up because we know he wouldn’t give up,” Hamilton said. “Most teams play with 11 on the field, but we play with 12.”