LAUREL — In a showdown with one of the top teams in MHSAA Class 5A, the Natchez Bulldogs struggled to do much, falling 45-0 to Laurel.

“They just made some big plays and handled their responsibilities,” Natchez head coach Henry Garner said. “We didn’t play the game we should have.”

Garner said offensively, the Bulldogs couldn’t find a spark.

“We just couldn’t get anything going,” he said. “The blocking fell apart a little bit, and we had some miscues on passes and stuff like that. I can’t take away from their defense though, they had a good defense.”

Natchez quarterbacks struggled in the contest, with starter Chris Scott throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Backup Paul Hargrave also tossing an interception.

Garner said despite the lopsided loss, there is still football to be played and the Bulldogs have to move on.

“We have to try and come back and get a whole lot better,” he said. “We just ran into a bump in the road. We still have quite a bit of football left to play and we have to get back on our horse and turn it up Monday. We will continue to get better and learn to play our game for four quarters.”