NATCHEZ — Last week, the Cathedral School players and coaches expressed their feelings that their first win would help get the ball rolling for the Green Wave.

The Green Wave (1-5, 1-2) finally got that win last Friday, defeating West Lincoln School 35-14.

Cathedral head coach Craig Beesley said his team’s practices have been more up-tempo than usual, but he also said it’s more than just the win that’s motivating his players.

“We’ve had a good week of practice,” Beesley said. “The energy level’s up, not only because of the win, but because we play our big rival (today).”

That rival is St. Aloysius School, which the Green Wave will host at 7 tonight.

“This rivalry has dated back many years,” Beesley said. “Over the last couple of years it’s gotten better and better. The last two years they’ve come back late in the game to beat us, so hopefully we can be the team to make plays late in the game (this year).”

The Cathedral-St. Aloysius rivalry is something Cathedral takes very seriously, as evidenced by the school put ting By michael kerekes

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Last week, the Cathedral School players and coaches expressed their feelings that their first win would help get the ball rolling for the Green Wave.

The Green Wave (1-5, 1-2) finally got that win last Friday, defeating West Lincoln School 35-14.

Cathedral head coach Craig Beesley said his team’s practices have been more up-tempo than usual, but he also said it’s more than just the win that’s motivating his players.

“We’ve had a good week of practice,” Beesley said. “The energy level’s up, not only because of the win, but because we play our big rival (today).”

That rival is St. Aloysius School, which the Green Wave will host at 7 tonight.

“This rivalry has dated back many years,” Beesley said. “Over the last couple of years it’s gotten better and better. The last two years they’ve come back late in the game to beat us, so hopefully we can be the team to make plays late in the game (this year).”

The Cathedral-St. Aloysius rivalry is something Cathedral takes very seriously, as evidenced by the school putting on two pep rallies for the game, one yesterday evening and one today during school hours.

“It’s not just about the rivalry, it’s also senior night for us,” Beesley said. “We’re trying to get a lot of support for our team (tonight), because we’ll need that fan support to help carry us.”

Beesley said he expects St. Aloysius to come out strong against his players despite a setback it’s dealt with in recent weeks.

“They lost one of their key players to a knee injury, but we know they’re a well-coached team,” Beesley said. “The coaches will have those players ready to go. We’re going to have to be prepared for multiple formations from their offense.”

Weather is playing a big part in local teams’ preparations, and Cathedral has been no exception. Beesley said he expects the wet conditions to play heavily into the outcome of tonight’s game.

“I’m sure with the weather being how it is, fumbles and turnovers will happen,” Beesley said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to execute our game plan well, and we’ll definitely have to be able to control the ball (tonight).”

Practices for Cathedral have been heavily adjusted this week thanks to both the weather and the fact that the Green Wave are playing a Thursday game.

“We went inside early Tuesday,” Beesley said. “(Wednesday), we had a good day of practice in shorts. We’re not going to change much — we’ll run what we normally run.

“With Thursday game, the disadvantage is that it makes the week shorter. You almost have to start on Sunday instead of Monday. The advantage is, if we win, we can go see other teams play on Friday.”

Beesley said he hopes to see the momentum his team gained after its first win carry through the rest of the season.

“If we can win another game or two here or there in the district, hopefully we can sneak into the playoffs,” Beesley said.