NATCHEZ — The Natchez High School track team will take to the starting blocks on a big stage Friday.

The Bulldogs will head to the University of Southern Mississippi to participate in a track meet that will feature teams from around the southeast.

“This is a big meet for us,” Natchez track coach Larry Wesley said. “Each and every time we go down there we always leave saying we have to practice more and that’s good.

“USM and most of the big meets we go to are measuring sticks where we come out of that meet and have a good idea of what we need to work on and where we should be.”

Wesley said two runners who will be crucial for the Bulldogs’ success Friday are Asia Smith on the girls’ side and Emmanuel Griffin on the boys’ side.

Smith recently moved to Natchez from Beaumont, Texas, and she said this season has been an adjustment for her.

“It was hard at first,” she said. “I was not used to running with other people. I got used to running with the other girls (in Texas).”

Smith, a sophomore, said she is still dealing with her transition, but she believes she is getting more comfortable.

Wesley said Smith’s specialty is something the team has missed for a long time.

“She brings something different in that she’s a pretty decent sprinter,” Wesley said. “She wins all her heats. She brings a better sprinter to the women’s side, and we are glad to have her.”

Smith said she hopes to place in each of her sprints at the USM meet and anchor the relay team.

Emmanuel Griffin said his junior season is going well so far, but he still has improvements to make and the USM event is one he has marked on his calendar.

“It’s a good meet with some good teams running good times,” Griffin said. “I just want to try to prepare and try to come in first.”

Griffin has participated in the USM event before, and he said that experience would help him with some of the Bulldog runners that have never been to the event.

Griffin knows the competition at USM will help him with the district meet right around the corner.

“It’s going to tell how I’m doing and where I have to improve for district,” he said.

Natchez will compete in the district championship meet Tuesday.

Wesley said Friday’s meet would showcase a lot of talented runners performing at their best.

“At this time of the year everybody should be running at top speed, and this puts our children on a national level, since it will be on the Internet,” Wesley said.

Griffin said he hopes his performance Friday will put him on the radars of college track scouts.