NATCHEZ &045; If there’s one thing Natchez High’s coaching staff found out in its debut last season, it was that 5A football can be the most unforgiving.

No one really cares who you are, what you can or can’t do or what you’re trying to do. And for the Bulldogs, it required a renewed commitment to have a productive practice every day heading into Friday’s night game.

Now at 2-3 overall but 0-2 in Region 3-5A, the Bulldogs need a win to be competitive. But more important, they need to put together a complete game Friday on the road against Brandon and have a good week this week as MHSAA schools in the Miss-Lou enter Week 6.

&8221;One thing we’re trying is we’re trying to put together solid practices,&8220; NHS head coach Lance Reed said. &8221;Even though with things that come up, we do our best to get out there and get some good work in. We felt like (Tuesday) we had a fairly good practice, even with other issues around us. We get a little competitive in practice, and that makes us better when we compete against each other.&8220;

The Bulldogs remain in the hunt for their first region win since the final game of the 2001 season when they claimed a 15-14 road win over Petal. The losing streak has grown to 23 games, and they’ve lost 28 of their last 29 in region dating back to that 2001 season.

If the coaches have their way, that could change soon and maybe this week. Last week up against one of the top teams in 5A, the Bulldogs played one of their better games defensively in falling to Oak Grove 28-6.

When those two teams met up last year, Oak Grove won handily, 53-12.

&8221;Defensively, we played fairly well,&8220; Reed said. &8221;We gave up some big plays in certain areas, and we had some busts. Overall, we played an excellent game considering Oak Grove is a very good team. Number 1, we had several stops. We pretty much executed what we intended on.&8220;

This week’s opponent may not have the same credentials as Oak Grove, but Brandon is entering the game playing well and making a push for the top two spots in the region. After starting the season 0-3 with losses to Pearl, Clinton and Northwest Rankin, Brandon has reeled off three straight wins, including a 21-14 win over Hattiesburg.

&8221;We’ve got to get our kids prepared to play teams of the caliber we’ll play every week,&8220; Reed said. &8221;It’s our job to get them prepared. What I see is just a well-coached team that executes their system. They run their pretty well, and they play hard. It’s the same ol’ story &045; we’ve got to get ourselves ready to play.&8220;

Cathedral at Enteprise

NATCHEZ &045; It may have been the best news coaches at Cathedral have heard in a while &045;&160;starting quarterback Patrick McDonough was cleared to play.

Others remain out, including tailback Zack Calhoun, but one experienced starter back surely helps a team that can use him. Injuries will still have Calhoun, Kole Junkin and Daniel Jenkins out Friday night, but now the Wave offense has some options with the spread attack.

&8221;Hew as a little rusty, but he’s been getting better with each day,&8220; CHS head coach Ken Beesley Sr. said. &8221;If we give him time to throw the ball, that’ll be the key. If our offensive line does a good job of pass blocking, We’ve been working with our receivers all week, too. It’s a combination of our receivers need to step up a little bit, too.&8220;

The loss of Calhoun in the backfield puts more on the shoulder of fullback Daniel Hollowell, who had 20 carries last week in the loss to Mount Olive while still not completely healed from an earlier ankle injury.

Franklin at North Pike

MEADVILLE &045; Franklin County was the worst team in need of a break in the Miss-Lou, and the Bulldogs finally got it.

West Marion sure did find its way on the receiving end.

&8221;I feel like we did, but we still had too many fumbles and penalties,&8220; FC coach Grady McCluskey said. &8221;We just played a team we could physically dominate. But we did some good things also. We’re just trying to find our groove and get on some kind of roll.&8220;