BOGUE CHITTO &045; In the direst of situations, in the most critical game of the season, what works is the norm.

Your bread and butter. A crutch to stand on. Dancing with the one they brought you, they call it.

All year long when folks mention Cathedral’s football team, the stalwart &045; the stately oak &045; has been the Green Wave’s explosive offense.

However, Friday, needing a win to ensure itself of its first playoff berth since 1998, Cathedral summoned life from its defense of all sources to escape Bogue Chitto with an 18-14 Region 4-1A victory.

&uot;I thought our defense played its best game all year,&uot; Green Wave head coach Ken Beesley Sr. said. &uot;We got lucky in the second half with a couple of fumbles, but we were hitting (Bogue Chitto) pretty good.&uot;

Since it failed to win by a nine-point margin, Cathedral now needs a Mount Olive loss to guarantee them of a home playoff game in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.

Ahead by four with less than a minute remaining, Cathedral’s defense did not panic, despite the fact the Bobcats had run the ball successfully &045; as they did all night &045; from their own 43 to their opponent’s 33.

With momentum shifted to the home side of the field, the Green Wave (7-2, 6-2) defense bowed up to stuff Bogue Chitto running back Cory Washington two consecutive times to bring up a fourth and short at the 24, just outside of the red zone.

&uot;Bogue Chitto is a good team. By no means are they a slouch,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;They can do a lot of things offensively. Outside of Mize and Mount Olive, they’re they next best offensive team in our region. You cannot key in on one player.&uot;

Needing a lone yard, Bobcat (7-3, 6-2) head coach Gareth Sartin went to his automatic Washington to pick up the first. Washington’s dive off the right side didn’t get much and required a measurement.

Cathedral’s defense was positive the ball was short of the marker &045; springing up and down and signaling a changeover in downs &045; while Sartin was instructing his players to line up for their next play.

A stretch of the chains, which seemed like eternity, revealed the Green Wave has accomplished their job of not only holding Washington, who rushed 17 times for 129 yards Friday, but of guaranteeing a postseason date in two weeks. &uot;We told them to ‘go over there and give it everything you got,’ Beesley said. &uot;That’s what we did. I couldn’t be more proud of the way we played in the first half.&uot;

On the game’s opening drive, the Wave moved 59 yards on 11 picture-perfect plays like a fine-tuned army. Quarterback Turner Smith was money on his four passes of the drive, connecting on first down passes to junior Andrew Ellard (11) and senior John Paul Kenda (11).

The latter allowed Cathedral to open up shop in the red zone at the Bobcats’ 20. On first and 10 Jonathan Jackson took a direct snap up the gut for 12 yards and a first and goal situation.

Two plays later the senior halfback was hit at the line, spun like a top and rumbled in from four yards out to give the Wave a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest.

&uot;We had a big win last week&uot; over Mount Olive, Sartin said. &uot;We came out flat tonight. We knew (Cathedral) was a good football team. My hat’s off to them for doing what they needed to do.&uot;

A high snap that sailed over quarterback/punter Michael Blackwell’s head on fourth and 19 from his own 15 led to great field position for Cathedral, whose special teams sacked Blackwell at the five.

However, the Green Wave failed to cash in with six and opted for three on a 27-yarder from Kenda for the 10-0 lead with 10:16 in the second.

A stunned and disgruntled Bobcat offense retook the field and drove seven plays and 46 yards down to the Cathedral 22. On a fourth and 2, Washington busted up the gut to put Bogue Chitto on the scoreboard with 6:29 before halftime, 10-6.

&uot;We’re happy, but still a little disappointed,&uot; Beesley said of not locking up a home playoff affair. &uot;The main thing we wanted was a win.&uot;