We&8217;re now at the midway point of the season, and now is as good a time as any to take a look at what our area teams have done thus far and what they may do as the season progresses.

Natchez High (4-1) came out of the gates charging, winning four games in a row to start the season &8212; including hard-fought wins over Vicksburg and Franklin County.

Unfortunately, last week saw the dream season derailed as Meridian ended the Bulldogs&8217; perfect season bid.

This is what we know right now &8212; Natchez is fast. Quarterback Jason Bruce and company can move the ball at will when the offense is clicking simply by running around, by or through defenders. Unfortunately, Meridian may have found the trick to stopping them, which could be trouble with six games still to play.

The Bulldogs still seem like a playoff team, but this week&8217;s game at Oak Grove could tell the story for the rest of the season.

Trinity (5-0) and Huntington (5-0) have simply steamrolled the competition thus far, with no end of that in sight for a couple more weeks. Huntington will hit the meat of its schedule in two weeks when it visits University Christian. Two weeks later the Hounds will take on Glenbrook and River Oaks. Sandwiched in between those games is the game of the year in the Miss-Lou, when the Hounds and Saints finally get it on at Trinity. Trinity has plenty of tough competition both before and after that big game.

Both hot shots in MPSA Class A are certainly vulnerable for a loss or two before the season finishes out, but don&8217;t be surprised to see the state championship come through Natchez or Ferriday.

Ferriday (3-0) has been a pleasant surprise with its hot start. Plenty of uncertainty prevailed heading into the season with a new quarterback and many of last year&8217;s leaders now graduated, but the Trojan offense has been splendid early on this season, averaging 46 points per game thus far. The defense hasn&8217;t been too shabby either, as Ferriday is only allowing six points per game.

This week should tell us how good Ferriday really is, as they travel to Lake Charles Boston for what should be a very entertaining game.

Cathedral (3-1) has been a surprise as well, taking upset victories at Dexter and at home against St. John after a tough season-opening loss to St. Aloysius. Things won&8217;t get any tougher for them the rest of the year after this week when they face off with Mt. Olive on the road. A playoff appearance certainly won&8217;t be easy, but the Green Wave will definitely be in the hunt throughout the rest of the season.

Vidalia (2-2) and ACCS (2-3) &8212; two gritty, tough teams &8212; have had a rough going of it thus far with tough early season schedules. While both teams are not lacking in heart, that may not be enough to gain them a playoff bid. Both are certainly fun to watch for any fan of old-school football.

This season has been great thus far. Things will only heat up as we now head into October.

Tim Cottrell is the sports editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached by phone at 601-445-3632 or by e-mail at

tim.cottrell@natchezdemocrat.com

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