Natchez High School coach Roy Rigsby wants fans to know while senior quarterback Chris Scott has the ability to lead his team’s offense, the Bulldogs are evolving.

Natchez (4-1, 1-0) is coming off a win over Wingfield last week, 31-0, in which it used 12 different rushers on the night.

“A lot of people think that we are a run team now because we have been running far more than we ever have here. It just seems like we run the ball more because we didn’t the last few years with Chris,” Rigsby said. “It was working last week so we just stayed with it, but that’s not what we envision. We envision balance.”

Natchez hopes to keep its momentum tonight when it travels to West Jones, and Rigsby said it could be another battle on the ground.

While the Bulldogs have a bevy of talent in the backfield, it also has an experienced offensive line, including seniors Melvin Harrison, Keewayne Jones, Chris Griffin, Khalin Boradway and Cameron Carradine.

“We have a lot of seniors up front and a well-experienced line offensively,” Rigsby said. “All of those guys have been playing together for a few years, and that is definitely significant.”

Rigsby said West Jones is a run team itself.

“They can do a little of both, but they would rather run the ball,” he said. “They also have good offensive line play, and a great defensive line. That’s definitely the high point for them.”

Since last season, Rigsby said he has  seen development on the Bulldogs’ defensive line.

“We stopped the run far better than we did last year, but we have areas of improvement,” he said.

The key to a win tonight, Rigsby said, is to play mistake-free football.

“It’s all about turnovers,” he said. “If we can keep those to a minimum we’ll be good.”

Kickoff for the MHSAA 3-5A matchup is set for 7 p.m.