FERRIDAY &8212; Defense played a key role in Huntington&8217;s rousing victory over fourth-ranked Glenbrook Friday night, but a bigger key may have been in head coach Chad Harkins&8217; decision to keep his defense off the field.

Leading 6-0 midway through the second quarter, the Hounds took over on their own 15 yard line and promptly marched 85 yards in 18 plays, scoring with 18 seconds to go in the half on a 38-yard pass from Terrance Johnson to Jody Cottongin on fourth down.

The Hounds went for it on fourth down three times on the drive, and Harkins said he is never afraid to do so when he has the opportunity.

&8220;We&8217;ve gone for it several times this year when it&8217;s been fourth and a foot, a yard or even two yards,&8221; Harkins said. &8220;We did it against Trinity last week, we did it several times tonight. I believe my team can make it from there.&8221;

The Hounds (9-1) will close out the regular season this Friday at River Oaks.

King ecstatic with win at Centreville

Trinity head coach David King was happy to see his team improve to 8-1 on the season, but he was almost as complimentary of the other side following the win.

&8220;(Centreville) has a great team,&8221; King said. &8220;They&8217;ve got a chance to win their district. They just had some tough kids and had a good scouting report on every play we ran. They&8217;ll make some noise in the playoffs, just like they always do.&8221;

King also thought this may have been his team&8217;s first victory on the road at Centreville.

&8220;I&8217;m not sure if it&8217;s the first win down there, but it&8217;s at least been a long time,&8221; he said. &8220;Any time you can go up a district and get a win, that&8217;s a good win.&8221;

Trinity will host Porters Chapel Friday night in their home regular season finale.

Rebels hoping for just one more win

The ACCS Rebels&8217; (5-5) kept their playoff hopes alive with a 38-0 win over Tensas Academy Friday night, and head coach Bobby Marks said the Rebels had only one more hurdle.

&8220;We&8217;ve got to beat (WCCA),&8221; he said. &8220;You need six wins to qualify for the playoffs, so we&8217;ve got to have that one.&8221;

The Rebels playoff opponent is still uncertain, as a three-way tie between Centreville, Bowling Green and Central Private has yet to be decided. Whoever wins the district will host ACCS in the first round if the Rebels defeat the Rams Friday.

Green Wave happy over the unexpected

Earlier in the season, if anyone asked Cathedral coach Ken Beesley if he thought the Green Wave would be fighting to host a playoff game headed into the final week of the season, the answer would have been no.

With that being said, Beesley is pleasantly surprised that the team has a chance to do just that.

&8220;We felt like we had a good chance to make the playoffs, but I never thought we&8217;d have a chance at hosting a playoff game,&8221; Beesley said.

In order to host, the Green Wave will need to knock off Mercy Cross (7-1) next week.

&8220;The key is going to be slowing them down,&8221; Beesley said. &8220;I feel like if we can do that and not turn the ball over we&8217;ve got a shot.&8221;

Slowing the Crusaders will be no small task. They lead the region in offensive production this season.

Bulldogs down but not done with season

Success is not always measured in wins and losses, but if it were, then the 2006 season would have to be ruled a successful one for the Natchez High School football team.

At 6-4, the Bulldogs&8217; are assured the team&8217;s first winning season in almost a decade, but thus far that fact hasn&8217;t removed the bad taste not making the playoffs has left in the team&8217;s mouth.

&8220;We&8217;re definitely not happy with how things have gone for us,&8221; coach Lance Reed said. &8220;We had some things go our way, but it was the close games where things didn&8217;t go our way that has left us with a bitter taste.&8221;

Trojans stay on track by not looking ahead

The Ferriday Trojans kept on rolling Friday night in the 48-6 win over Lake

Providence. Many speculated that the team would be looking ahead to this week&8217;s game against Vidalia, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Games between the two rivals are always a physical affair, but with the extra pressure on the line, it may be even more so.

&8220;This is for the district championship,&8221; coach James McFarland said. &8220;Vidalia is a big game anyway, but the district title up in the air brings a little added importance to it.&8221;

That being said, don&8217;t look for the Trojans to prepare for this week any differently than they have all the others.

&8220;We&8217;ve played a bunch of big games this year, this just happens to be another one of them,&8221; McFarland said.