Natchez travels, aiming for 4-0

Published 11:29 pm Thursday, September 14, 2017

Six years.

That’s how long it’s been since Natchez High School started a season 4-0.

Fresh off a bye week, the Bulldogs will look to continue their undefeated mark tonight when it travels to first-year program Jefferson Davis County.

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Natchez coach Roy Rigsby said this past week’s open date was both a positive and a negative.

“It gave us a chance to rest and get healthy, and a chance to make corrections on ourselves,” he said. “But if everything is going good, you want to be able to continue to keep rolling, so it’s 50-50.”

Jefferson Davis County formed as a school after Bassfield and Prentiss high schools merged following the 2016-17 calendar year.

While the Jaguars (3-1) remain an unfamiliar opponent in its first year, their head coach is anything but.

Former longtime Bassfield coach Lance Mancuso leads the program. Rigsby previously served as an assistant at Bassfield for three seasons.

“He’s one of the best there is — his knowledge of the game and his ability to get the most out of his players and the work ethic he brings to the game,” Rigsby said of his former boss. “It’s going to be a tough (game).”

JDCHS enters tonight’s showdown ranked fifth in the latest Class 3A AP Mississippi poll. Natchez, meanwhile, is ranked No. 7 in the Class 5A poll.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Bassfield.

“We have to minimize our turnovers and play with everything you’ve got,” Rigsby said. “That’s our main focus, and hopefully we can come out with a win.”