The McComb Tigers ran into the Florence Eagles for the second time in their first three district games thanks to the weather.
The girls lost 6-0 and the boys fell 5-0, but with Florence out of the way the Tigers’ focus turns to a busy next two weeks.
McComb played Brookhaven Thursday night, and it showed Friday.
“The girls came out a little flat,” McComb head coach Cody Hall said. “There was a little fatigue there. They played a lot better in the second half. With a different start we might have been looking at a different game.”
The boys never did find a consistent attack in their game, which allowed Florence to dictate just about everything.
“We never got in a rhythm,” Hall said. “They had one for the entire game.”
The boys beat Brookhaven on Friday night 2-1, which helps in McComb’s fight for the playoffs.
They travel to Mendenhall on Monday and face Brookhaven on the road this coming Friday. The Tigers still have two games against Lawrence County to play as well.
With a win against the Panthers already under their belt the Tigers can see their path to the playoffs.
“That sets us up to make a pretty good run,” Hall said. “We’re where we need to be right now.”
Franklin County 6, Natchez 0
By James O. Covington
David Brown scored his team-leading 17th goal right after Hunter Hatcher scored his 16th to help Franklin County win 6-0 over Natchez Friday night at the new Bulldog soccer stadium in a boys-only varsity contest.
Franklin County resumes play Tuesday night, playing host to district rival North Pike at 5 in Bude. The Bulldogs beat the Jaguars 5-0 earlier this week in Summit.
The Bulldogs (11-3-1) used some nifty footwork by Brown and Hatcher to overwhelm Natchez. Both Brown and Hatcher kept the Natchez defense off balance the entire game.
Franklin County senior goalkeeper Joey Shelton started the game and had three saves before moving into a field position to keep the Bulldogs fresh. Junior Will Rouse replaced Shelton and had four saves to his credit.
“We passed and hustled for the ball really well tonight,” Franklin County coach Jamie Madison said. “Our defense did a good job, and our offense made some plays.”
Madison watched his Bulldogs score three goals in each half. Senior Adam Chance scored his first goal of the season and was followed by goals from sophomore Coleman Graves and freshmen Kin Mullins. Shelton also scored a goal to top off the celebration.
“We’re hitting our stride at a good time,” Madison said. “We’ve got some big games coming up.”
Franklin County is in second place behind Natchez Cathedral in the District 7 standings. The Bulldogs have district games remaining against North Pike, Loyd Star, and Cathedral over the next few weeks.
Franklin County won at Loyd Star 3-1 last month.
