NATCHEZ &045;&160;It’s getting to be ridiculous.

Before practice Wednesday, Cathedral head football coach Ken Beesley Sr. joked &045;&160;exaggerating only slightly &045;&160;that he had more players nursing injuries than he did on the practice field.

The Green Wave has had more than its share of injuries thus far. With tailbacks Zach Calhoun and Kevin Jenkins both out and quarterback Patrick McDonough nursing a broken finger on his throwing hand, the Green Wave is hurting &045; literally.

And this week, the latest casualty was Logan Brown. The offensive lineman, the team’s best lineman according to Beesley, is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff, a fact the coach only learned about before practice Wednesday.

&uot;I thought last year was the year I would have so many injuries, but this is starting to look like a repeat,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;Playing a lot of these strong, physical teams early in the season is tough from an injury standpoint, but injuries are part of the game.&uot;

Part of the game or not, they couldn’t have come at a worse time. Coming off a 33-0 loss to St. John Saturday, Cathedral (0-1, 1-2) should have its hands full again this week against Mt. Olive (2-0, 4-0), the No. 2 team in the state in Class 1A.

&uot;We know our competition. We’d have to play outstanding and they would have to have an off night for us to have a chance,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;Even at full strength, we would have a hard time matching up with them.&uot;

Mt. Olive is at least as big as St. John but much faster, Beesley said. St. John’s size spelled doom for the Cathedral last week as the Green Wave was simply overpowered.

The injuries will force some adjustments. With both tailbacks out, fullback Daniel Hollowell will move to tailback and linebacker Lee Hash will play fullback, Beesley said. Defensive back Alex Johnson will split his time between wingback and tailback.

And the Green Wave will pray there aren’t any more injuries.

&uot;I’m just hoping we don’t get anyone else hurt, especially early in the game,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;If we have one or two more hurt, we’ll really be in trouble.

Oak Grove at Natchez High

Things won’t be any easier for Natchez High.

Coming off a loss to Meridian, the Bulldogs (0-1, 2-2) will host undefeated Oak Grove (1-0, 4-0).

&uot;We knew it would be this way when saw the schedule at the beginning of the season,&uot; Natchez head coach Lance Reed said. &uot;There’s nothing to do but get ourselves ready.&uot;

Last week’s loss to Meridian was a learning experience for the Bulldogs, Reed said.

&uot;We faced a tough team last week that exposed some things we need to get better at,&uot; Reed said.

The Bulldogs had better fix those soon, because Oak Grove may be the best team they will face this season.

Asked why the Warriors are so good, Reed runs out of time before he name all the reasons.

&uot;Let me count the ways. They have an excellent passing game, excellent wide receivers, an excellent quarterback and they play excellent defense,&uot; Reed said. &uot;That’s what real 5A football is all about.&uot;

But the key for Natchez High is simply executing and transferring what they’ve learned from practice into game situations, Reed said.

&uot;It’s just a matter of putting the right plays out there,&uot; Reed said. &uot;We prepared for that game (against Meridian) and then we didn’t execute the game plan. It’s all about practicing. Our practices hadn’t been the best. When we get better practice, we’ll get better.&uot;

Wilkinson County at South Pike

In another road contest for Wilkinson County, the Wildcats will take on undefeated South Pike (2-0, 5-0). The Eagles are coming off a 44-0 win over Franklin County.

West Marion at Franklin County

Franklin County will be gunning for its first district victory against West Marion.

The Trojans have yet to win a game this season and are coming off a 38-0 loss to Columbia.

Jefferson County at Crystal Springs

The Tigers hit the road for a game at Crystal Springs with a chance to start the district schedule with a 2-0 record.