NATCHEZ &045; Moments after senior Broderick Jackson returned his second interception for a touchdown, the Natchez band played the SportsCenter theme.

How appropriate.

Natchez supplied fans with a season’s worth of highlights Friday night at Tom F. Williams Memorial Stadium, courtesy of a 49-8 victory over Jefferson County.

Jackson returned his first career interception 42 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half to give Natchez a 42-0 lead.

The second one &045; a 95-yard interception return with 10:28 to play &045; gave him a chance to celebrate with teammates for 75 yards of the return. A convoy of Natchez players escorted Jackson to the end zone.

&uot;It was beautiful,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;I just wanted to keep running into the locker room. Take it right on in.&uot;

Jackson wasn’t the only Natchez player to add to his personal highlight reel. Not even close.

Quarterback Jason Bruce turned a near-disaster into a touchdown in the first half.

Bruce gave the ball to Brandon Lewis on a simple handoff, but Lewis eluded several tacklers and cut back across the field. Just before several Jefferson County defenders converged on him, Lewis pitched the ball to Bruce.

&uot;I was telling him to keep coming around me so I could block,&uot; Bruce said. &uot;All of a sudden, I saw the ball in my face. He just threw it in my face. So, I caught it and took off with the ball.&uot;

Bruce raced around left end for a 34-yard touchdown run, which gave the Bulldogs (2-1) a 28-0 lead.

Bruce also threw two touchdowns in the first half &045; a 20-yarder to 6-foot-5 Dekeedrien Jackson and a 14-yarder to 6-foot-5 Calvin Hall.

Dekeedrien Jackson made his TD catch in the left rear corner of the end zone, but Hall outjumped a defender and kept his feet in bounds in the right corner of the end zone.

&uot;We’ve been working on that,&uot; Bruce said. &uot;I just throw it to the pylon and let those guys do their thing.&uot;

Perhaps the only disappointment for Natchez came in the fourth quarter &045; with the SportsCenter theme still echoing &045; when Jefferson County’s Christopher Williams returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Williams’ touchdown spoiled Natchez’s big for a shutout, something that would have been remarkable for a team that allowed 548 points &045; the most among MHSAA schools &045; in 2004.

Still, the highlight reel plays made up for the late-game disappointment.

&uot;Several of our kids have unlimited potential, and we tell them what they can be,&uot; Natchez coach Lance Reed said. &uot;A couple of those guys showed tonight what kind of talent they have. Now, we just have to be more consistent.&uot;

The Natchez defense played particularly well in the first half, allowing only 53 yards while Jefferson County amassed 55 yards on nine penalties. Jefferson County running back Anthony Williams ripped off a 31-yard run on game’s second play, but the Tigers (2-1) managed only one more first down before halftime.

Natchez forced seven turnovers &045; five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Jeremy Hargrave intercepted two passes in the second half.