Natchez getting back to basics to salvage losing season
Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 12, 2000
The Natchez High Bulldogs face another yet another ranked challenge tonight when they host the No. 11 Wayne County War Eagles at 7:30 p.m. in a Division 6-5A match-up.
The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-2) are coming off a 27-21 overtime win at homecoming over Jim Hill of Jackson.
The War Eagles are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in district play.
&uot;We’re going over the basic fundamentals,&uot; said Natchez High head coach Elbert &uot;Mo&uot; Lyles. &uot;That win over Jim Hill last week helped us. It’s a plus for the kids.&uot;
Lyles said that with the exception of Roderick Conner, the Bulldog running back who is out for the season with a knee injury, &uot;we’re going to have everybody back.&uot;
They’ll need all hands on deck, as Natchez will face a Wayne County team that averages 30 points a game and gives up only 4.5 points per game, the fourth-best average in the state.
&uot;They’re aggressive. They get after you,&uot; Lyles said. &uot;They’re a strong, well-coached team.&uot;
The Bulldog defense will face an I-formation offense, he said. &uot;They love to run the football.&uot;
Wayne County’s offense is led by quarterback Johnathan Sellers, who, Lyles said, is 70 percent of their offense. Sellers also plays at the cornerback position.
Lyles said he plans to make no changes on offense or defense.
Columbia at ACCS
The Adams County Christian School Rebels are looking for their second win of the season when they host the Columbia Academy Cougars in a non-district contest at 7 p.m. today.
The Rebels go into the game with a 1-7 record while the Cougars are 3-4.
&uot;Practice has been pretty good this week,&uot; said ACCS head coach Bo Swilley. &uot;We still have some nagging injuries, such as sore ankles.&uot;
The good news is there are no injuries that will keep any of the Rebel players from playing in tonight’s game.
The Cougars run a Wing-T offense, Swilley said.
&uot;They don’t have a tremendous amount of speed, but they come right at you,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;Their quarterback has a pretty good arm. He’s not real big, but he runs the ball pretty well. They also have a couple of good lineman.&uot;
The Rebel offense will see a 5-2 defense from the Cougars, Swilley said.
&uot;They have an average size line,&uot; he said. &uot;They don’t have any standouts.&uot;