NATCHEZ — Forest Hill High School may be on a two-game losing skid, but Natchez High School shouldn’t take the Patriots lightly.

That was Bulldogs head coach Lance Reed’s message to his team during practice this week as NHS (5-1) is set to travel to Jackson tonight to face the Patriots.

“They’re a good team,” Reed said. “They started out 4-0, then they ran into a buzzsaw with Oak Grove and Brandon.

“They like to run the I-formation sometimes, and they’ll spread it out other times, but they like to throw. They have two receivers (Akheanaton Blackmon and Shaquan Holmes) that make plays for them, and a quarterback (Trevontae Willis) who both runs and throws well.”

And Willis will present a challenge for the Bulldogs’ defense, which must be careful not to over-pursue when they’re trying to put pressure on him.

“We have to keep our eyes on him,” Reed said. “Man coverage is an issue, unless we have one guy spying on him. If (Willis) manages to break containment, we’re going to have guys come up and help (defend him).”

Players will also have to make sure they stay in their lanes if Willis does decide to take off, Reed said.

“Our pass rush lanes are very important,” Reed said. “We have to maintain those and stay conscious of his ability. If you do that, you can counteract it pretty well.”

Reed said there are no major injury or grade issues at this time, though grades will come in for the Bulldogs in the next few weeks.

During the summer, Reed said he and his staff took the time to make in-home visits with the players’ families, and grades were an important topic of conversations during those visits.

“We wanted to touch base with the parents, and we think that went well,” Reed said. “Once the season got started, we kind of got caught up with some things, but we still want to get around to talking to all the parents.

“Everyone’s involved with grades. We need everyone’s support and help to be successful. We’re professionals, but the community and parents play a vital role in each student’s success.”

Kickoff at Forest Hill is at 7 p.m.