After being shutout by Warren Central, the Natchez High Bulldogs were looking to get things back on track Friday night.

Unfortunately for them, their next opponent was another top-notch team in Wayne County (4-1), and the War Eagles were able to easily handle Natchez (3-2), 55-14.

“The game of football is all about running, blocking and tackling,” said Natchez head coach Melvin Pete. “And we didn’t do a lot of that.”

Pete said Wayne County was able to stick to what they did best during the game, and the Bulldogs were unable to stop them.

“They ran their basic stuff,” Pete said. “They are pretty much a zone team, but they started running up the middle. They kept it pretty balanced.”

The War Eagles also caused trouble for Natchez on the other side of the ball.

“We couldn’t generate anything offensively,” Pete said. “And they pretty much stayed on our side of the field the whole game.”

Pete said he played every quarterback on the team at some point during the game, and that the Bulldogs threw some interceptions they shouldn’t have.

The loss is the second in a row for the Bulldogs, who got off to a hot start this season. And Pete said he is worried about the potential drop in morale of his team.

“We don’t want anyone to abandon things,” he said. “That is our test. They’ve got to find out what type of guys they are.”

Natchez will look to use this loss as a teaching tool, and not just view it as a bump in the road.

“We’re going to have to move on, but in a different way,” Pete said. “Now we know the truth. It is my job to keep them learning from this and right the ship.”

Next up for Natchez is a home game against West Jones.