When Lance Reed was assistant coach out in Texas, he’d regularly drop some game tapes in the mail to a destination four states away.

Steve Davis, a fellow Natchez High graduate, was always quick to pop them in the nearest VCR and start studying. Davis liked some of them so much he even installed some spread and shotgun offensive sets in his unit at Class 4A Stone Mountain, Ga., High, where he served as quarterbacks coach.

Now Davis is back at Natchez High with Reed as part of the new regime with the football team. Reed finalized his staff about two weeks ago with some holdovers from last year and other newcomers.

The staff will hold a Meet the Coaches Night at 7 p.m. Friday at the multi-purpose building.

&uot;I talked to him one day in April,&uot; said Davis, the older brother of former Natchez High and current Stanford track standout Janice Davis. &uot;He told me he was called back down for his second interview. He called me about a week later and asked if I was ready to move, and I told him, ‘Yeah.’ From then on, we started getting the ball rolling.

&uot;I’m very happy because it’s always nice to come back home and coach.&uot;

Davis will be co-offensive coordinator on Reed’s staff this fall and will share the duties with Trey Woodard, now in his fifth year on the NHS football staff. Davis, who worked in wireless communications before landing his first coaching job in 1999, is a big hire for Reed as the staff is now complete.

&uot;We grew up together, went to college together,&uot; Reed said. &uot;It was pretty much one of those deals when I got the job, he was a guy who was eager to help me make a difference here. He didn’t hesitate to pack up and come on like I did &045; to make a difference. We sent a lot of game tapes to each other, and they ran some of the same stuff out there.&uot;

Now the staff is in place for the start of two-a-day workouts Aug. 2. Other assistants include Henry Garner, Ray Brown, Courtney Wilson, Cleveland Watts, Ivan Evans, Joe Johnson, Jason Wisner and James Woodard.

&uot;The main thing is these kids have a genuine interest in the kids of Natchez and the community of Natchez to make the program better,&uot; Reed said. &uot;That’s the common interest I see here. These guys are from Natchez. Everybody is excited about making a difference and getting the program where it should be and where it needs to be.&uot;

That’s been the mantra of Reed and everyone since he was named head coach back on May 5. The Bulldogs haven’t had a winning season since 1998 and finished the last three years 2-31 under former head coach James Denson.

The new staff, Reed said, has mixed with members of the previous staff well. There may be some technical things as far as X’s and O’s that may differ, but the holdovers from the Denson staff have the same goals as Reed and the newcomers.

They want to win.

&uot;No problem whatsoever,&uot; said Trey Woodard, who first joined the NHS staff under former head coach Elbert &uot;Mo&uot; Lyles in 1999. &uot;A 180-degree change. Everything is a little more enthusiastic. I’ve been through all the regimes. That’s a 180-degree change, too (with the players). It’s got them fired up, too.&uot;

An addition to being head coach, Reed appointed himself defensive coordinator and linebackers coach this season. He admitted he would have liked to have a bigger staff but couldn’t get everything to come together.

Instead he’ll coach the position he played while at Natchez High and Louisiana Tech.

&uot;We’re going forward with what we have now,&uot; he said. &uot;But that’s the main thing &045; everyone is on the same page as far as what we want to do. They’re ready for success.

The staff has been able to work some one-on-one with players reporting to hit the weights and get ready for the season. The players are excited to get the new season under way under a new head coach, and the coaches are just as eager to get going and start the 2004 season.

The Bulldogs will hold three two-a-day workouts Aug. 2-4 with a 90-minute session starting at 2 p.m. each day and a two-hour workout starting at 5 p.m.

&uot;I love them,&uot; Davis said of his three quarterbacks, returning starter Riley Trask and backups Jason Bruce and Travis Isaac. &uot;They love to work hard, and they don’t complain. All three of them are very, very talented. They have strong arms and live arms. It’s going to be very, very interesting working with those three.&uot;

Both sides of the ball will have to have players step up and fill holes left by some talented players &045; Michael Woods and Anthony Strauder on the D-line and speedster Kedrieck Gibbons at receiver.

&uot;We don’t have as much speed as we had, but we’re got probably the biggest receivers in the state,&uot; Trey Woodard said. &uot;The defense is kind of rebuilding. On offense, we’ve got some awesome, awesome young kids who are talented.&uot;