NATCHEZ &045; In case anyone didn’t know, Stevan Ridley is a pretty good running back.

Ridley rushed 11 times for 201 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half as the Saints opened the season with a 60-20 non-district home win over Amite School Center Friday night.

Amite coach Greg Walsh said he wasn’t surprised by Ridley’s performance.

&uot;Take him (Ridley) away and I think we’ve got a pretty even game. He’ll be playing on Saturdays. I wish he was playing on Saturdays right now.&uot;

Ridley started the season off in style, returning Amite’s opening-possession punt 41 yards to the Rebel 2. Quarterback Parker Brumfield found Kris Ford on the next play for the score.

Saint linebacker Kyle Dunaway ended Amite’s next drive with an interception. Two Ridley runs later, the score was 14-0 at 5:46 of the first quarter.

Amite squandered Aldridge’s 70-yard return of the ensuing kickoff by fumbling at the Trinity 20-yard line.

Brumfield found Ford again with a short pass. Ford broke a tackle and 80 yards later the score was 21-0.

Four offensive plays, three touchdowns.

Amite bounced back, completing an 80-yard touchdown pass of its own on the next play from scrimmage when Casey Aldridge got behind the secondary and Lee Turner found him.

Trinity took it in stride, marching down the field, using a 60-yard Brumfield keeper on the option to set up first-and-goal from the one. Two plays later, Aldridge stepped in front of Brumfield’s pass and raced 100 yards for a touchdown.

All of a sudden, it was 21-14, much to the chagrin of Trinity coach David King.

&uot;We got those three scores, and it was so easy, I think the team kind of shut down a little bit,&uot; King said.

They got it cranked back up in good time, as Ridley popped off a 58-yard run as the quarter expired to give the Saints a two-touchdown lead again as the first quarter expired.

What’s the best way to follow a 27-point quarter? Well, how about another 27-point quarter?

Wells Middleton intercepted a Turner pass to give the Saints the ball on the 30. Ridley took it from there covering the gap in two carries for his third score.

Trinity went for the two-point conversion, but the pass failed.

The defense got into the end zone on the next possession when Blaine Misita recovered a fumble in the Rebel end zone. Misita injured his ankle later in the half and left the game.

The Rebels’ Aldridge wasn’t finished just yet, though. He took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards &045; and through his counterpart Ridley along the way &045; for his third touchdown of the night.

Aldridge accounted for 360 all-purpose yards on the night, almost matching the output of the entire Trinity team’s offensive total of 409. He said that he just tried his best no matter the score.

&uot;It’s hard to stay focused when you’re down 30-40 points, but you’ve got to keep hoping,&uot; he said. &uot;I always think about the end zone.&uot;

He didn’t have much trouble find it Friday night. The problem lay in his team’s inability to hold onto the ball long enough to get it to him.

Ridley’s final touchdown came on a 30-yard jaunt through the Amite line at the 6:00 mark of the second quarter.

In addition to his duties carrying the ball, Ridley kicked extra points and kickoffs. For all of his heroics, however, one play stuck in his mind.

&uot;I expected the kick to go in the end zone,&uot; Ridley said of Aldridge’s return. &uot;I didn’t wrap up on my tackle and he ran it back. I tried to make a big hit for style points instead of wrapping up.&uot;