NATCHEZ — After going undefeated in non-conference games, the Natchez High School football team suffered its first setback of 2011 in last week’s game against Meridian.

The Bulldogs (4-1) opened Region 3-6A play last week with a 49-0 loss to Meridian High School on the road, and NHS head coach Lance Reed said the loss showed him some things about his team.

“We see that we have to step up our game all the way around to compete with the big-time programs in the state,” Reed said. “We just have to regroup ourselves and get back on the right track.”

Reed said Meridian was able to use its athleticism to cause all kinds of problems for the Bulldogs’ offensive front.

“They really were an athletic group,” Reed said. “They flew around on defense and made plays. They were aggressive, and they beat us at the point of attack.”

As NHS prepares to host Terry High School (2-3) tonight at 7:30, Reed said he’s taking a positive approach with the team, even after such a tough loss.

“Sometimes you have to learn how to win or lose,” Reed said. “There’s nothing negative about losing — you win some, you lose some. Our focus is to regroup and get some more victories.”

In order to do that, Reed said consistency in the trenches is the main thing that has to get better.

“We’ve been trying to gain some consistency,” Reed said. “We’re still licking our wounds, so hopefully (tonight) gives us the opportunity to get that winning taste back in our mouths.

“We need more consistency up front on both sides of the ball. We have a lot of expectations for both groups, especially on the offensive side. We have to control the line of scrimmage, because that’s what wins games.”

Reed described Terry as a scrappy team and said his Bulldogs cannot afford to sleep on them.

“They can cause us trouble if we don’t come to play,” Reed said. “They like to run the ball, and they have several players that can do that for them. They have two pretty good runners, and their quarterback moves the ball well, too.”