The Bulldogs may have added some bite to their bark.

Two and a half months after the resignation of Natchez High School head football coach Elbert &uot;Mo&uot; Lyles, the Natchez-Adams District announced Rolling Fork High School coach James Denson as its leading candidate for the vacant spot.

&uot;This is good. This is very good,&uot; said superintendent Dr. Carl Davis. &uot;Coach Denson is exactly what we’re looking for in Natchez. In a couple of years – or sooner – I think people will see what we’re talking about.&uot;

Davis and the committee of educators and community members that interviewed prospective coaches will present their choice Thursday to the Natchez-Adams School Board. If the board agrees with the committee, contract and salary negotiations will begin.

Denson, who has 35 years of coaching experience, has amassed a coaching record of 248-110-4. He also serves as Rolling Forks athletic director and was named Mississippi’s athletic director of the year for 2000 by the state coaching association.

&uot;He has already shown that he is a part of winning tradition, and that’s what we want here in Natchez,&uot; Davis said.

Rolling Fork – which is located in the Delta, south of Greenville – is a 3A school, and Denson is eager to graduate to the 5A level, Davis said.

&uot;He’s a perennial winner at a 3A school, but I think he wants the challenge of a 5A program,&uot;&160;Davis said. &uot;That fits with the challenge we face in building our program.&uot;

Natchez posted a disappointing record of 3-8 last season. The Bulldogs have had only two winning seasons in 11 years.

Eighteen coaches applied for the job, and the top eight candidates were interviewed by a committee appointed to give the community a voice in the hiring of the new coach.

&uot;After the season we had last year, I heard a lot of comments,&uot; Davis said. &uot;I heard so many comments from various individuals that I decided to put them to work on a committee. Maybe they could use all that energy and direct it in a positive way.&uot;

All applicants were rated individually by the committee members. Denson was the No. 1 choice of every committee member, Davis said.

&uot;He’s the one,&uot; said committee member Brenda Williams of Denson. &uot;He came across as a caring individual and a strong motivator.&uot;

Danny Adams, head coach at Monticello High School, finished a close second in all committee member rankings. Should a problem arise in hiring Denson, Adams will become the leading candidate, Davis said.

Other coaches considered by the committee included Alcorn State University assistant athletic director Robert Raines, Itawamba High School coach Lynn Moore and Natchez assistant coach James Woodard.

Denson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.