(Editor’s note: Thanks to Mark Chreene of KASO/KBEF Radio for sharing the statistics.)
By Pat Culverhouse
Head coach Spencer Heard will be leading his Minden Crimson Tide into the state Division II Non-Select playoffs Friday night when the Wossman Wildcats invade W.W. Williams Stadium for a first round contest.
Minden will be coming into the contest fresh off a 38-21 win over Southwood to cap an 8-2 season and finish 5-2 in District 1-4A. In the state’s power rankings, the Tide places in the 12th spot; Wossman finishes in the number 21 position.
Wossman also finished the regular season with a win, downing Peabody 26-6 to square its season record at 5-5 and a third place finish (3-2) in District 2-4A. The Wildcats’ two district loses were to a pair of 9-1 teams, Franklin Parish and West Ouachita.
Friday’s meeting will be the first time Minden and Wossman have met on the gridiron since 1998 when the Wildcats took a 27-12 win. Overall, the Wildcats hold a 14-4 edge in series meetings, but Heard will rely on a punishing ground game to advance to the second round.
On the season, the Tide has rushed for 2,217 yards with a pair of backs bearing the bulk of the duties. Junior Caylien Aubrey comes into the game as Minden’s leading rusher, averaging just under seven yards per carry while picking up 707 yards on 102 attempts. Senior Denarius Crowe, a converted offensive lineman, is right behind with 111 carries for 624 yards.
Freshman Lucas Owens has contributed 411 yards on 81 tries while junior Kaiden Shine has carried 30 times for 228 yards and a team-leading 7.6 average per carry. Senior Porter Neal is averaging five yards per carry, totaling 195 yards on 39 attempts.
Minden’s passing attack, which has been used sparingly this season, has been in the hands of junior Hudson Brown. Brown has thrown for 349 yards, going 37-for-84 with three touchdowns and six interceptions.
In its 10 regular season games, the Tide has outscored opponents 286-174.
Defensively, the Tide has relied on a big, aggressive unit which has given up an average of just over 217 yards a game, equally divided between rushing and passing.
Leading tackler for the Tide is talented freshman Javen Calloway, a six-foot, 237 pounder who has recorded 19 solo tackles and three sacks. Calloway also has 17 tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Treshun Young has 14 solos to go along with junior Kameron Harris’ 13 solo hits. Harris also leads the team in interceptions with four.
Other double digit tacklers for the year include senior linebacker Landyn Huddleston with 12 solo tackles, senior lineman Jarvis Davis with 12 solos; junior defensive back Jamal Carey has12 tackles and lineman Demetrius Robinson also has 12. Junior defensive back Brayden Britton has totaled 11 solo tackles.
Sophomore lineman Jeremiah Jones, a 6’4’’, 248-pounder, leads the Tide in sacks with five.
Heard, who is in his 12th season as the Tide’s head coach, will be hoping to lead his team to its first playoff win since a thrilling 21-14 overtime victory over Leesville in 2020. It would also be win number 73 for Heard, who already holds Minden’s record for most win in a career as a head coach.