NATCHEZ — Whether it is through an opponent or around them, Natchez High is going to do nearly everything on the football field the same way this season — fast.

“We’re not big,” Natchez head coach Henry Garner said. “So we have to have the speed to compensate for that. I feel like if we can get our playmakers isolated, we have an advantage.”

Natchez isn’t the prototypical Class 5A football team. When the Bulldogs take the field, big men don’t tower over the competition. Instead, shifty and nimble skill players make up a majority of the roster.

“It is like candy to a baby,” Natchez quarterback Chris Scott said of having a multitude of fast receivers and running backs. “They are always going to run and it is a challenge out throwing them. I’ve tried, but they always catch up to the ball.”

For those playmakers, speed is potentially the most important aspect of their game, especially for Tydarrius Terrell.

“It is so important with me being so small,” said the 5’5” running back. “I need to be quick, and can usually move faster than other people.”

Terrell’s game has been taken to another level this year with two big running games already under his belt this season.

“Becoming a starter and having to step up and make plays has pushed me,” Terrell said.

Another player forced to fall back on his speed is receiver Malik Byrd. Byrd is just 5’7” and 140 pounds, but his highlights speak for themselves as the senior constantly finds himself running past opposing defenses. Byrd has two 50-plus yard touchdown receptions to his credit this season.

“I have to use my speed because I can’t really be as physical as I would like because of my size,” the senior receiver said. “So I’ve got to use it as an advantage.”

Byrd said overall, this is one of the quickest teams to come through Natchez.

“This is the fastest I’ve seen in years,” he said. “I think this is the fastest team that Natchez High has had in a very long time.”

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Even Scott is getting in on some of the action this year.

“Over the summer I started feeling more comfortable with my body and conditioning,” he said. “Last year, I couldn’t really run the ball, but this year as a quarterback, I have to make better decisions instead of just throwing. I’m going to have to use my legs.”

The Bulldogs aren’t just quick on the offensive side of the ball, though. With playmakers like Dalvion Jackson and Shavoke Herrington anchoring the defense, Natchez also puts out on of the quickest defenses every Friday night.

“I think it is more important to be fast on defense because of the fact we aren’t big up front,” Garner said. “We have to have guys that are going to fly to the ball. It feels good to know we have people capable of that, we just have to bring it all out of them.”

Ultimately, the Bulldogs feel their speed could be a deciding factor in games this season.

“I really think it can win us some games,” Byrd said. “I’ve seen other teams be just as fast, or close to being as fast as us, win games just because they have speed. So I think it can take us a long way.”