By Pat Culverhouse
Friday’s Minden/Northwood matchup at W.W. Williams Stadium will showcase two of District 1-4A’s top teams and could go a long way toward notching an envious spot in the upcoming state playoffs.
State computer rankings have the Tide currently rated number seven in Class 4A while the Falcons come in at 14.
While North DeSoto sits atop the league with a perfect 5-0 record, Minden and Northwood stand at 4-1 entering the final two games of the season. Joining the Tide and Falcons in the three-way tie for second is Loyola, and the Flyers meet North DeSoto Friday night in another premier 1-4A clash.
Northwood has a tough finish to its season, facing the Tide and then hosting Loyola in its final game. Minden, on the other hand, ends its season against a Southwood team that is winless going into Friday night.
On paper, the Tide/Falcons contest appears even. The teams do have one common denominator: the only blemish on their record is a loss to North DeSoto. Minden dropped a 42-0 decision to the Griffins while Northwood fell by a score of 38-21.
Both teams have shown an ability to put the football into the end zone.
In district play, Minden has outscored opponents 138-79; Northwood is winning by 197-80. Overall, Minden is outscoring the opposition 231-132 while Northwood is overpowering opponents 332-154.
Offensively, the Tide has relied on a strong running game, piling up 1,660 yards so far this season on 325 rushes. Three backs have gained more than 200 yards this season, and five backs are averaging more than five yards per carry.
Denarius Crowe leads the way, picking up 490 yards on 85 carries for an average of 5.8 yard per carry and close behind is junior Caylien Aubrey who has 481 yards on 73 attempts, averaging 6.6 per carry.
Freshman Lucas Owens has gained 341 yards on 66 carries (5.2 average) while senior Porter Neal shows 188 total yards on 34 rushes (5.5 per carry). Junior Kaiden Shine has 162 yards on 21 carries and a hefty 7.7 yards per try.
Through the air, junior quarterback Hudson Brown has completed 29 of 60 so far this year for 294 yards and two touchdowns. Brayden Britton is the Tide’s leading receiver with 73 yards.
On defense, the Tide has strong showings in seven of its eight games this year, holding opponents to an average of just over 16 points per game while the offense is averaging nearly 29 per game.
Northwood will prove a challenge for Minden’s defense, with the Falcons scoring more than 40 points in six of its eight games, including a 64-point outburst against Mansfield. Defensively, Northwood has allowed just 20 points in its last three games.
(Statistics courtesy of Mark Chreene and KASO/KBEF sports.)