By Pat Culverhouse
Minden’s Crimson Tide used a smothering defense to completely shut down North Webster and take a 20-0 win Friday in Springhill. Minden moves to 3-0 on the young season while the Knights fall to 1-2.
North Webster managed only four first downs on the night and gained just 41 yards rushing on 35 attempts.
Minden’s Caylien Aubrey got the Tide on the scoreboard with 5:53 remaining in the first quarter when he squirted eight yards into the end zone to cap a short four-play, 24-yard scoring drive, the result of a fumble recovery. A missed PAT left the Tide up 6-0.
A Bryson Ranger 40-yard field goal built the lead to 9-0 with 4:10 remaining in the second quarter, a lead that stood for less than two minutes.
Minden’s Javen Calloway broke through to block a Knights’ punt, then scooped the ball and rambled15 yards to pay dirt. After a Knights’ penalty on the point after try moved the ball to the one-yard-line, quarterback Hudson Brown sneaked in for a two-point conversion and a Minden 17-0 lead with 2:34 remaining in the half.
Both defense units proved hard to penetrate, with Ranger’s second field goal of the game, a 26 yarder in the fourth quarter, providing the only scoring of the second half.
North Webster managed to keep the Tide bottled up deep in its end of the field for most of the third quarter, but the Tide defense managed to hold off any offense challenge.
While Minden’s stingy defense was doing its work, the North Webster unit held the Tide to 157 total yards on the evening on 41 attempts. Included in that total was 127 rushing yards on 34 tries.
Leading rushers for Minden were Caylien Aubrey with 54 yards on 10 attempts with one touchdown; Denarius Crowe rushed 11 times for 47 yards; Porter Neal had 19 yards on seven rushes; Kaiden Shine had 12 yards on three carries and Jaden Johnson carried once for four yards.
Brown threw for 30 yards with four completions in seven attempts with two interceptions. North Webster quarterback Christian Whitlock was one-for-four worth eight yards with one interception.
Leading North Webster runner was J’Kobe Lawson with 30 yards on eight attempts.
Minden kicks off District 1-4A play Friday, hosting Woodlawn at W.W.Williams Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Knights come to town fresh off a 28-0 wi over Lakeview.