MEADVILLE &045; For the first time since their loss to Hazlehurst on Oct. 8, the Franklin County Bulldogs actually found themselves trailing in a game. But that did not last very long at all.

Franklin County, the No. 2 seed from Region 7-3A and the No. 4 team in all of Class 3A, erased an 8-7 deficit by scoring 21 points in the second quarter and left little doubt as to why it is one of the top contenders for the Class 3A state championship with a 49-8 win over Columbia.

And the Bulldogs (10-1) did so with a pounding running game led by D.J. Shaw and Deandre Cameron as they both had their way with the Wildcats (5-6), the No. 3 seed out of Region 8-3A.

Shaw had 153 yards rushing and scored the first four touchdowns for Franklin County while Cameron had 161 yards rushing and scored the final three touchdowns and Jasper O’Quinn had 62 yards rushing as the Bulldogs finished with just over 400 yards rushing in the game.

Block 35, Delhi 8

DELHI, La. &045; The Block Bears have mainly been known as a running team, but on a night in which the District 4-1A championship was on the line, the 6th-ranked and visiting Bears went to the air to do more than just open up the running game.

Quarterback Matt Johnson connected with Reginald Bowie on a 50-yard touchdown pass with 7:14 to go in the first quarter to give Block a 7-0 lead. The two hooked up on an 8-yard scoring pass with 1:11 to go in the opening quarter for a 14-0 lead.

Delhi tried to get back in the game as it scored its only touchdown on defense with a fumble recovery in the end zone. The two-point conversion was good as Delhi trailed only 14-8 with 3:10 to go until halftime.

It was all Block from there as Johnny Lee scored two touchdowns in the second half, first on a 16-yard run with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter and then on a 20-yard run with 3:28 to go in the fourth quarter. A.J. Sharp scored on a 44-yard run with three seconds left in the third quarter.

Greene Co. 30, Jefferson 26

LEAKESVILLE &045; It was supposed to be a long trip and perhaps a long game for the Tigers, a team that backed its way into the Class 3A playoffs, having to travel across the state and play the defending Class 3A state champions in Greene County.

Claiborne 39, Tensas 12

HAYNESVILLE, La. &045; Just like two weeks ago, the Chiefs’ defense had no answer for the Rebels’ outstanding running game led by Claudell Bell and Dederick Ridley as they combined for nearly 400 yards.

Claiborne (9-3) scored a touchdown on special teams, defense and offense to take a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. After Bell scored his first touchdown early in the second quarter, Ridley took off on a 70-yard touchdown run with 4:32 to go in that quarter as the Rebels took a 33-0 halftime lead.

Tensas (7-5) finally got on the scoreboard when Cody Hill scored on a 4-yard run with 1:30 to go in the third quarter.

Brandon 75, Natchez 38

BRANDON &045; The score was wild enough to be mistaken for a basketball game.

The Natchez High Bulldogs moved the ball well enough on offense to score 38 points, but the remainder of the game was a nightmare as they fell to Brandon thanks to nine turnovers for the game.

The Bulldogs trailed 35-14 at halftime and rallied to cut it to 42-30 in the third quarter thanks to a 60-yard touchdown pass from Jason Bruce to Rodney Gray and a long touchdown run from Bruce.

That’s when the bottom fell out. The Bulldogs turned it over on five straight possessions, and Brandon punched it in each time to eventually take a 75-30 lead.