By Whitman McGee
The Minden Crimson Tide (2-4) suffered their third-straight loss last week, falling to the (2-4) North Desoto Griffins by a final score of 28-7.
Things won’t get any easier for the Tide this week as they host the 5-1 Neville Tigers.
The Tigers are positioned at #5 in the state and #2 in Class 4A. Neville’s lone defeat came in the form of an upset to the St.Thomas Moore Cougars.
“They have a really good running-back that we’ll have to try and stop,” Tide Head Coach Spencer Heard told The Journal. “They are very big up front, especially their tackles.”
Neville is also experienced on both sides of the ball. Close to half of their roster are seniors.
Dating all the way back to 1917, the Tide trail the overall series against the Tigers, 6-33-2.
Staying healthy is crucial for any team particularly this deep into the season. Coach Heard mentioned dealing with the injury bug this year, noting, “I don’t think we’ve been totally healthy since North Webster (Week 3).”
There is light at the end of the tunnel for Tide faithful though; Minden goes into Friday night’s matchup coming off of a good week of practice with no reported injuries.
For this week’s player spotlight, Coach Heard mentioned two guys who played “basically the entirety of last game.” Juniors Makhi Reed and Kielyn Combs of the D-line and O-line, respectively. Heard praised the linemen, saying, “Those two guys put up a tremendous effort and have given great effort all year.”
Minden will need great effort from all phases of the game as they hope to shock the Tigers in what seems to be a David vs. Goliath-esque scenario.
There is no debating that it’s been a tough year for the Tide thus far, but as legendary General George S. Patton once said, “Pressure makes diamonds.”
Coach Heard feels that through these tough times his guys are learning lessons that they can use off of the field, saying, “Your character is tested in adversity and we’ve seen some of that this year. I think in the end it’ll be good for them because in their lives they’re going to see some adversity as well.”
If you can’t make it out to “The Pit” for Friday night’s matchup, be sure you can tune in to 104.5 KBEF for radio coverage of the game.
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