Natchez overcomes slow start to beat Jefferson County
Published 12:00 am Monday, October 2, 2006
Fayette &8212; Derrick McGee and Willie Newman ran for over 100 yards each to fuel the Bulldogs 37-20 win on the road over Jefferson County.
&8220;It wasn&8217;t pretty, but a win is a win,&8221; Natchez coach Lance Reed said. &8220;They were exactly what we expected them to be which is a pretty tough team. They&8217;re kids played hard and kept playing hard.&8221;Jason Bruce connected on a 16-yard pass to Edward Johnson to give the Bulldogs to put the Bulldogs on the board first.
The Bulldogs row after Franklin County scored on it&8217;s next possession and then was able to make the two-point conversion and went up 8-6.
Facing a two-point deficit the defense rose to the occasion and kept the Tigers from scoring.
&8220;Calvin Grant and Johnny Williams came through and made some big hits which sparked the defensive unit,&8221; Reed said.
The offense also seemed to find its spark and went on to score 24 unanswered points to give the Bulldogs a 30-8 lead at halftime.
Newman scored the Bulldogs next touchdown as he and McGee churned out the yards.
&8220;McGee and Newman did a really good job running the football,&8221; Reed said. &8220;Our offensive line did a good job up front blocking and (Newman and McGee) did a good job running behind them.&8221;
As a whole, Reed didn&8217;t seem too pleased with the team&8217;s performance.
&8220;Offensively we&8217;re not nearly shoot for perfection and we have to do better if we&8217;re to keep winning,&8221; Reed said. &8220;Defensively, we had too many breakdowns and didn&8217;t execute the call like we should. We left knowing we had some work to do.&8221;
Next week Natchez plays at home at 7 p.m. against Franklin County.
&8220;They are a tough team. This will probably be the most physical team we have played all season,&8221; Reed said.