Cathedral head coach Rick Freeman said he knows little about the Greene County team that the Green Wave will host at 6 p.m. tonight, and as a result will approach cautiously.

“We’re going to have to come out and get a feel for their abilities and go from there,” he said. “Early in the game, the responsibility is going to fall on Curtis Maier and the defense’s shoulders to see what they are capable of.”

Freeman said his team is 100 percent, and everybody is ready to go. He said the Green Wave has not made any changes to their preparation for this first round playoff game.

“We are having good success at what we are doing right now,” Freeman said.

The only thing the Cathedral has added emphasis to in practice has been set plays.

Freeman said his team has done an excellent job at keeping up its intensity and has improved with each game in the latter half of the season.

“Our goal is to get a little better every game,” he said.

Bulldogs back in playoffs again

After winning back-to-back district titles, the Natchez High Bulldogs get ready to host Pascagoula in the first round of the state soccer playoffs tonight at 7 p.m.

This is also the second straight year that the Bulldogs have faced a team from the gulf coast. Last year Natchez fell to Biloxi in the first round.

Bulldog head coach Dennis Hogue said while he does not know much about Pascagoula, he anticipates the game being a tough match up.

“We’ll probably have our hands full, but I’m not worried,” he said. “They’ll all they got, they have done it all season long.”

Another reason for the lack of worry by Hogue is that his team is healthy and at full strength. He said he is also very confident in his bench and will not hesitate to go to it if necessary.

In practice the Bulldogs have mostly worked on set plays on offense and got down to the basics on defense. Hogue said he was not pleased with his team’s defensive performance in their last game.

“We got into the habit of ball watching last game and it hurt us.”

He said the defense also worked on containing their opponent’s attack.

For the most part, Hogue said his team has tried to remain loose as the game nears. He said the main goal for his team besides staying loose is to be smart with the ball.

While Hogue does not know what to fully expect from today’s match up, he said he has been pleased with his team’s progress. Winning another district tile and returning to the playoffs for the second straight year has made that progress evident.

“Each year we want to try to go a little further and build the program a little more,” Hogue said.

Lady Bulldogs face tough challenge with short bench

The Natchez Lady Bulldogs won their second straight district title with a very short bench that will be tested at 5:30 p.m. tonight at home against Pascagoula.

Lady Bulldog head coach Lena Yarbrough said her team has had to elevate their level of play this season because of the lack in depth, and added the shortage of players has made this season hard.

“It’s really been a real hard year, but the girls have bumped up their games to where they need to be and they are playing with all heart,” Yarbrough said. “They have never given up.”

Even though she knows little about Pascagoula, Yarbrough is anticipating a tough game.

“The girls down there breathe, eat and sleep soccer,” she said.

Having no bench, she said the Lady Bulldogs cannot afford to make moves that will result in excessive expenditures of energy. Yarbrough said her team must play smart.

She said her team has worked on their passing skills and communication to try and minimize their mistakes that may result in players tiring out early. On defense Natchez has focused on a man-to-man defensive strategy.

“If we don’t make stupid moves that wear us out and we play smart, we ought to do all right,” Yarbrough said.