NATCHEZ — Meridian’s offense proved too much for the Natchez High School Bulldogs Friday as they dropped their first district game to Meridian High School, 35-0.

The game remained scoreless through the first quarter before the Wildcats offense got going in the second. Meridian scored three touchdowns in the second quarter that either came off big plays or were set up by big plays.

“A good team came to town tonight, and we didn’t perform very well,” Bulldogs head coach Lance Reed said.

“We got off to a decent start defensively. Offensively, we had some opportunities, and the momentum kind of shifted really quickly. It was an experience for us, and we’ve got to get better.”

With 10:56 to go in the second quarter, Wildcats junior quarterback Antionee Atkins made several Natchez defenders miss tackles en route to an 84-yard touchdown run.

Later in the second half, a 62-yard pass set up the Wildcats’ second touchdown when Atkins connected with junior Jamie Clayton. Clayton made it all the way to the Natchez 4, and junior running back Kenya Roberts punched it in on the next play.

Pinned within their own 15 with a little over three minutes before halftime, Bulldogs quarterback Javon Washington tried to make something happen on a pass over the middle. Wildcats defensive lineman Lauren Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it to the Natchez 4 before fumbling it.

As the ball tumbled towards the Bulldog end zone, Meridian defensive back Casey Crowell picked it up at the 2 yard line and ran it in, putting Meridian up 22-0 at the half.

The game slowed down for the Meridian offense in the second half, but the Bulldogs’ still couldn’t get anything going offensively.

With 7:38 left in the third quarter, Meridian scored a touchdown on a 22-yard run by running back Jamie Barnett.

In the fourth, Wildcats runner Michael Hubbard had a 15-yard touchdown carry.

Natchez quarterback Javon Washington finished 14-of-24 in passes for 106 yards and one interception. He was sacked six times and was under pressure by the Meridian defensive line all night.

“They have a really good defense,” Reed said. “(They have) a lot of good athletes, a lot of guys who can move around and do some things, so they can cause some trouble for you.”

After the game, Reed said he spoke with his players and assured them they would continue to improve as the season moves forward.

“We’re going to get better,” Reed said. “We’re not quitters, and I’m going to find out (if there are any) quitters.”

Natchez fell to 3-2 on the season, 0-1 in Region 3-6A.