NATCHEZ &045; It’s rivalry time.

Though Natchez High and Cathedral aren’t exactly known as rivals &045; huge Natchez and tiny Cathedral are at opposite ends of the size spectrum, so don’t even play each other in most sports &045; tonight will be different.

As the only schools in the area with soccer teams, the two schools will face off in what they’ve dubbed the &uot;Natchez Classic.&uot; It’s the final game before the Christmas break for the teams, and bragging rights are

most definitely up for grabs.

&uot;This is a big game. It’ll be a challenge for us,&uot; Natchez’s Brandon Lewis said. &uot;They have a good program over there. It’s a nice cross-town rivalry.&uot;

For the boys, it’s also a rematch. Cathedral (2-3, 2-0 in district) took a 3-0 win over Natchez (1-4) Saturday at the Brookhaven tournament, so the Bulldogs will be looking for a little revenge.

&uot;This is a big game for bragging rights. Most of these guys know each other and talk to each other, so it’s a big game,&uot; Natchez head coach Dennis Hogue said. &uot;But it will be a different game this time.&uot;

To get some revenge, Natchez will have to limit its mistakes and get some offense, something the Bulldogs have struggled with this season. A young defense has come together well for Natchez, but the offense is still lagging behind.

&uot;They got us Saturday at the tournament,&uot; Natchez’s John Isaac said. &uot;We have to capitalize on a few things we didn’t do Saturday, like passing and giving more effort at some things.&uot;

The Bulldogs should only get better as the season continues. With almost an entirely new starting lineup, Natchez has taken its lumps in the early going, but Lewis for one thinks that may change as the season goes on.

&uot;We’ve been working a lot on teamwork, communicating and using signals,&uot; Lewis said. &uot;I see a whole lot of improvement.&uot;

Cathedral is a little more philosophical about the game. With a win over Natchez already under their belts, the Green Wave doesn’t place quite as much importance on the game. Instead, the boys at Cathedral are just working to improve their squad and keep winning in district.

&uot;We’re just trying to keep getting better, working on our aggressiveness,&uot; Cathedral head coach Rick Freeman said. &uot;Our passing has been good, our defense is doing well and our goalkeeper Chase (Laukhuff) has come a long way.&uot;

Laukhuff had never played in goal before September and is in his first season starting for the Green Wave.

&uot;(The defense) is doing a pretty good job in front of me,&uot; Laukhuff said.

Natchez girls at Cathedral

For the Lady Bulldogs, things are starting to fall in place.

&uot;The team is doing great,&uot; Natchez head coach Lena Yarbrough said. &uot;The offense has picked up. The passing game is better and we’re working together as a team. We’ve always had good defense, so we’re almost there.&uot;

Despite a team with a number of new faces, the Bulldogs (3-2) are off to a good start and still looking to get better. But Yarbrough said they moved beyond the basics, at least to some extent.

&uot;Now we’re working on what I call using their heads,&uot; Yarbrough said. &uot;Things like talking to each other, spreading out on offense and some strategies for attacking defenses.&uot;

At Cathedral, coach David Gaudet has his team in good shape as well.

The Lady Green Wave (2-3, 2-0) are undefeated in district play and want to continue that streak. Thus, playing cross-town rival Natchez isn’t as important as some people might think.

&uot;(The Natchez game) is a big deal,&uot; Gaudet said. &uot;But it’s not a district game, so it’s not critical. We do want to be the No. 1 girls soccer team in the Miss-Lou.&uot;