NATCHEZ &045; With the Natchez Trace and U.S. 61 close by, there’s beautiful stretches of miles that encompass the area.

However, the three-mile trail Natchez High head track coach Larry Wesley has his pupils trod over once, sometimes twice a day, is near and dear to junior Travis Washington’s heart.

Washington credits the path, which nearly traverses the school’s entire campus, and running 500-meter sprints to his evolution as one of the Mississippi’s premiere 400-meter sprinters.

&uot;Since I’ve gotten stronger, everything seems to be coming smooth for me,&uot; said Washington, whose winning time of 50.62 at the Division 6 District 6 meet in Vicksburg on April 13 is the fastest 400 time in the state this year. &uot;I know I’m going to have to bring it this week because everybody’s going to be stepping it up again.&uot;

The Region 3-5A in Hattiesburg Saturday features eight team, including the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs, vying for the right to compete in the South State meet followed by the State meet.

The top four teams from each gender advance to the next round.

After finishing in the top four in the three previous state meets, yet never winning a state title, Natchez’s boys are prepared to step out of the shadows cast by the girls team, which has won three of the last four state crowns.

&uot;There’s not one team out there that makes us afraid or nervous,&uot; standout senior Kedrieck Gibbons said. &uot;Not to sound cocky, but with me Anthony (Green), Travis and Jerald (Shelvy), there’s nobody that can hang with us in the state.&uot;

Gibbons currently holds the state’s best times in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles after first place finishes at the district meet, which the Bulldogs won before finding out they had lost by a half a point while eating dinner in McDonald’s in Vicksburg.

The 13.80 mark Gibbons set in Vicksburg is the third-fastest high school time in America, according to Track and Field News.

If the University of South Carolina signee could just equal the time at the state meet May 8, he would shatter the old mark of 14.05 set by Tupelo’s Deandre Eiland in 1999.

&uot;They look at me as a leader and I looked to them on helping me out,&uot; Gibbons said of his teammates. &uot;It’s a bond we’ve accepted over the years. It took a long time to figure out. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I think we want it more this year.&uot;

The Lady Bulldogs have been at that plateau the Natchez boys are trying to climb to.

The view from the top is vast, yet the Natchez girls have had to deal with its share of doubters this year with the omission of four-time state champion Janice Davis, who will be running for Stanford at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia this weekend.

All the undue skepticism has created plenty of motivation for the Lady Bulldogs to remain atop the totem pole.

&uot;One person can’t win a championship by themselves,&uot; freshman Ke’Airra Jones said. &uot;We’ve gotta come harder and work harder than we did the first time and just do it.

&uot;It takes a team effort,&uot; added Whitney Thomas.

What most forget is that while Davis and Lexi Washington were key components last year, Wesley returned everyone else, including junior Taji Dorsey and senior Tanieka Hill.

Hill, who is currently mulling over offers from Mississippi State and South Alabama, is a three-time state champion in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, and set a Class 5A record in the 300 at the state meet last May.

Her 100 time of 15.21 is tops in the state this year.

&uot;There’s certainly more competition this year, but I think we could do it again,&uot; she said. &uot;So many people are doubting us, we’ll prove them wrong because there are a lot of good athletes on this team.&uot;

The Lady Bulldogs finished second at the district meet to host Vicksburg when Wesley chose not to risk injuries to any of his girls due to the cold weather.

&uot;They really have something to prove because for years everybody equated us with Janice Davis. So what happens now?&uot; Wesley wondered.

For the fellows, there’s no time like the present. At the last three state meets, the Bulldogs have finished fourth, third and second in consecutive years.

The group is the antithesis to an expecting father: cool, calm and collected. That pococurante attitude makes you wonder whether the hunger eats at them enough.

&uot;I feel like they’ll be looking for us,&uot; Washington said. &uot;They’re plotting to beat Natchez. There’s some pressure on us, but on the other hand, I like going out and having fun.&uot;