By Whitman McGee
Following a gutsy performance against 4A’s #2 ranked Neville Tigers, the Minden Crimson Tide look to snap their 4-game losing streak as they travel to Bastrop for a matchup with the 1-7 Rams.
The Tide were missing their anchor on offense last week, as QB Andrew Cooper was out dealing with a lingering shoulder injury.
According to Head Coach Spencer Heard, Cooper has been practicing and “looks good and healthy again.”
It’s important to note that Cooper hasn’t quite been 100 percent since Week 4’s matchup with the Mansfield Wolverines. It’ll be interesting to see what the can do after having a week to rest.
Coach Heard spotlighted sophomore Cameron Mitchell for stepping up last game, saying, “He played the slot and a rover-type position because of Jacolby Snell’s absence. He did really well to gut it out in a skill position like that throughout the course of a big game.”
Snell is on track to return this Friday bearing any setbacks.
Bastrop’s last two outings resulted in a combined score of 92-0 in favor of their opposition.
Coincidentally, their last two opponents are Minden’s next two opponents, Huntington and Franklin Parish, respectively.
Minden shouldn’t let Bastrop’s record deceive them as they’re sure to be hungry to break a losing streak of their own.
Speaking about records, Minden trails Bastrop in the overall regular-season series, 4-13.
With only three games left in the 2021 season, the Tide will most likely have to win at least 2 of their next 3 games for a chance at post-season play.
The importance of this matchup is evident to Coach Heard as he told The Journal, “I think it would be a big confidence and morale boost to go out and get a win Friday night.”
Heard added, “It’s a very important game for us.”
The Tide are backed into a corner, but what really matters is how they get out of that corner. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance throughout the year, but now is the time to put it all together by playing for each other.
If you can’t make the trip to Bastrop, you can tune in to 104.5 KBEF for radio coverage of the game.
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