NATCHEZ &045; Winter can be in full bloom here in the Miss-Lou.

For a victory over crosstown rival and soccer dynasty Cathedral, Natchez High head coach Dennis Hogue is willing to take the Gatorade shower, such as the one he got Tuesday, anytime from his players.

A celebratory Bulldog pack dogpiled midfielder Tony Edgell, who put his penalty kick in the top right corner of the net, for the 2-1 sudden death victory.

&uot;I was trying to hit in the right corner and let it roll into the net,&uot; Edgell said of his game winner. &uot;I leaned back a little too far, and it went up &045; but right into the goal.&uot;

Whether he meant to or not, Edgell’s shot was a thing of beauty as Cathedral keeper Thomas Ater’s body wouldn’t allow him to extend far enough to deny Natchez its first win over the Green Wave in the two teams’ six year history.

Edgell, who admitted he was apprehensive walking to the box, was the first Bulldog to kick in the second round of penalty kicks after both clubs converted two shots during the first attempts.

Edgell followed Greenie Wyler Murray, whose shot was batted away by Natchez keeper Aaron Ratliff, who played stellar in goal throughout regulation and the one-on one chances.

&uot;(Ratliff) had some incredible saves,&uot; Hogue said. &uot;I can’t remember them all right now. We usually move him up the field in the second half because he’s such a spark for us. But the way it was going back and forth, we left him there for most of the game.&uot;

Cathedral was able to sneak one goal by Ratliff early in the second half when Nick Anderson’s incredible individual effort slammed into the back of the net.

Anderson navigated his way among Bulldog defenders, managed to stay on his feet after an inadvertent trip and powered a shot high and right to tie the game 1-all inside the sixth minute after halftime.

&uot;That’s his determination,&uot; Green Wave head coach Rick Freeman said of Anderson’s score. &uot;He had made up his mind that he was going to score and tie it up, and he proceeded to do it.&uot;

Anderson, who opened the first extra frame, also slipped his PK under the crossbar, going top shelf against neighborhood pal Ratliff.

After the Bulldogs’ first pair and Cathedral’s next two followed with misses, Natchez senior Matthew Henderson tied it up with a low liner past Ater.

Greenie Palmer Rinehart followed by going straight up the gut as a diving Ratliff guessed wrong.

However, Bulldog Brandon Jones came right back with a knuckler that Ater mistimed his dive on. The ball careened off the keep’s hands and into the net to draw even once again.

&uot;Dennis and I are calling this the Christmas classic, and I think it lived up to everyone’s expectations,&uot; Freeman said.

Each team had one kicker left after Jones was good; however, Ratliff denied Blase Gaude’s fireball with his stinging hands and Ater dropped to his knees to thwart the PK from Ratliff, who took the gloves off for his shot at being more of the hero than he already was.

That meant the two teams had to pick five more guys for PKs, but with the addendum that if one missed and the other made it, it was lights out.

The Bulldogs staked themselves to a 1-0 halftime lead after Curtis Holder waited patiently on a loose ball in the box and drove it into the back of the net inside the 28th minute of play.

With only four defenders back, as the Green Wave was sucked in to playing offense, the Bulldogs took advantage of the numbers and volleyed the ball over to Holder, who delivered.

&uot;Beating (Cathedral) is a big deal for us,&uot; Natchez assistant Brent Bourland said. &uot;It’s important for Natchez to have two teams that are so good here in town.&uot;

Natchez girls 4, Cathedral 0

The Lady Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five games with three second half goals and dominant play from keeper Tracy Davis.

Midfielder Ashley Mitchell had two goals, including her last where she weaved her way through the Lady Green Wave defense, around fullbacks and sent a wormburner past the outstretched hands of Cathedral keeper Lori Scurggs.

&uot;Passing period,&uot; Natchez head coach Len Yarbrough said when asked what the key has been during the past five games. &uot;They’ve been working together. They get along so well that they make for a real good team.&uot;

The Lady Wave never got many opportunities for shots at Davis, but every time they did press in the box Davis stood her ground and came up with the save.

&uot;I don’t think we were prepared for this team, and they were definitely prepared for us,&uot; Cathedral head coach Christine Krupa said. &uot;My hats off to (Yarbrough) and their team. (Mitchell) was very good. I was very impressed.&uot;

Kayla Floyd and Stacy Weaver added goals for the Lady Bulldogs in a three-minute stretch during the second half.