OAK GROVE &045; Oak Grove High celebrated homecoming Friday night by demolishing Natchez High 41-0, setting the stage for next week’s highly anticipated showdown with Picayune for the Division 4-5A championship.

And the Warriors appeared as motivated to play the Bulldogs (1-9) as one might expect they will be when Picayune comes calling on the Warriors next Friday.

&uot;I was just proud we didn’t have a letdown,&uot; said Oak Grove coach Nevil Barr. &uot;We took the attitude that we have to play one game at a time. I’m proud overall that as a team we stayed focused.&uot;

Oak Grove (9-0) quickly took command of the game early in the first quarter.

On the Bulldogs’ first drive, Chris Wright took an interception back 23 yards for a touchdown.

The Warrior defense stifled any attempt by Natchez to engineer an offensive drive. Meanwhile, the Oak Grove offense went into overdrive as senior running back Garry Pack scored on a 2-yard touchdown run.

Warrior defensive back Deon Young then added to the Bulldogs’ offensive misery, intercepting a Natchez pass and returning it to the Oak Grove 49-yard line. Young’s efforts were rewarded soon after with another touchdown run, this time a 9-yard scamper by Brandon Newson.

Up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, Barr decided to call his dogs off the Bulldogs, getting all of the Warriors into the contest at some point by the end of the game. Neither team scored in the second half.

Oak Grove starting quarterback Kyle Sellers gave way to backup quarterback Zack Harrington, who rolled eights in the passing department, going 8-of-8 for 146 yards, with three of the passes going for touchdowns in the second quarter. Harrington threw scoring strikes of 11 yards to Chase Carey, 23 yards to Terrell Walters and a 58-yard bomb to Torris Magee.

Harrington said despite the fact the Bulldogs owned just one victory coming into the game, he and his team refused to take Natchez lightly heading into next week’s big game.

&uot;Every game is big, regardless of the opponent’s record,&uot; Harrington said. &uot;They’ve (Natchez) got talent on both sides of the ball, and they could have slipped up on us. We had to come out ready. We just had to come out and play our game and stay totally focused.&uot;

Natchez coach James Denson praised the Warriors and predicted they would go far in the playoffs again this year. Oak Grove made it to the South State Championship game last year, when they lost to eventual state champion Wayne County.

&uot;The key to winning in high school football is tradition and momentum, and Oak Grove has been used to winning the last two years,&uot; Denson said. &uot;That (game) last year (losing to Wayne County in the playoffs) was a bitter pill or them. I think they’ve got a good chance this year (to succeed in the playoffs).&uot;