NATCHEZ — While the Natchez High School offense put on a show Friday night in its 41-40 victory over Oak Grove High School, the Bulldog defense was making just enough plays to win the game.

Oak Grove’s pass-heavy offense put up big numbers against the Bulldogs, but defensive players like senior Evin Hunt made big plays when it mattered most.

Hunt finished the game with 11 tackles — including a stretch of five-straight in the second half — and led the defense to the win.

“Evin has a lot of ability, and it was great seeing No. 52 play the way I know he capable of playing,” head coach Lance Reed said. “I was proud of his effort tonight.”

The win gave Natchez a 7-4 overall record, but the Bulldogs fell just short of the playoffs. Hunt said it was disappointing to miss out on the playoffs his senior season, but winning Friday would be something he would always remember.

“It’s great going out on a win,” he said. “We stayed together as a team, and this was a big win for us. My senior class beat Meridian, which is something we haven’t done in a long time, and Oak Grove in the same year.”

Hunt said he hopes to continue his football career in college next year, but he is unsure of where he is going to school.

Trinity Episcopal

Demarcus Fleming’s name would have shown up on the stat sheet as a complementary piece to Tanner Cage’s strong showing for Trinity Episcopal against Silliman Institute Friday.

But time and time again, the Saints called on Fleming to give Cage a breather and get tough yards in the trenches. And Fleming didn’t disappoint tallying 61 yards on 14 attempts.

While many would point to Cage’s 220 yards rushing Friday, Saints head coach Josh Loy said he’s continued to be impressed with Fleming week after week.

“He’s only a ninth grader,” Loy said. “The upside on that kid is tremendous. He ran like he did earlier in the year, and we’ve been challenging him to do that. He was tough tonight. He gave us a lot of tough-earned yards, and we needed that.”

Loy also continued to sing praises for defensive back/wide receiver Jacob Sandrock, who added two more key interceptions to his name Friday, including one in the fourth quarter with 3:20 to go that stopped a Silliman drive. He also had a catch for 33 yards on offense.

“He’s one of our best players right now,” Loy said. “He’s making plays every week on the defensive end of the ball. He’s catching the ball when we throw it to him. He’s playing great football right now.”