By Pat Culverhouse
High school football fans who enjoy an offense show got their fill Friday night at Loyola College Prep’s Messmer Stadium in Shreveport.
Loyola’s Flyers and the Minden Crimson Tide combined for a total of 119 points and 1,172 yards in total offense, and it was the Flyers who lit the scoreboard most often while romping to a 71-48 District 1-4A win.
Riding the arm of junior quarterback Bryce Restovich, the Flyers erupted for 40 second half points to overcome a Tide 34-31 lead at intermission and take their fifth win of the season to remain unbeaten.
Restovich had a career night, completing 25 of 31 attempts for 480 yards and seven touchdowns.
Minden got off to a good start, taking the opening kickoff 58 yards to pay dirt on Hudson Brown’s one-yard run with 8:56 remaining in the quarter. Braxton Glover kicked the Tide to a short-lived 7-0 lead.
Just one and a half minutes later, Restovich connected with Jake Black for a 63-yard scoring toss to tie the game and the footrace was on. With 4:28 remaining in the opening quarter Loyola’s Cooper Varnadore connected on a 24-yard field goal to make it 10-7, but that lead didn’t last long.
Glover hit on his first of two field goals on the night, this one from 36-yard out to tie the game 10-10, then Lucas Owens Jr. broke loose on a 45-yard run on the third play of the second quarter to put the Tide ahead 17-10.
Mason Drake tied it for the Flyers, bursting off tackle for a 38-yard score to again tie the game, but Tide quarterback Jaden Johnson connected with Kaiden Shine for a 53-yard TD pass and the lead changed hands again at 24-17. That lead would last less than 30 seconds.
A Restovich to Charlie McKenzie 65-yarder brought the Flyers back into a tie at 24-all, and a Loyola interception on a fourth-down Tide fake punt/pass attempt turned into another score. Four plays and one minute later, Restovich and McKenzie hooked up from 18-yards out and the lead went to the Flyers, 31-24.
Owens picked up his second TD of the game on a nine-yard scamper to end a six-play, 52-yard drive with 3:26 left in the half to again knot the score, 31-31.
Minden would take the lead going into halftime after Zaedin Howard intercepted a Restovich pass at the Loyola 41 and Glover booted his second field goal of the half, a 21-yarder to hand the Tide a 34-31 halftime lead.
Restovich put Loyola ahead 38-31 just 1:42 into the third quarter, hitting Ty Walsworth with a 22-yard scoring toss and Minden came right back, driving 52 yards in 10 plays with Caylien Aubrey blasting three yards up the middle to give the Tide its last lead of the game, 41-38.
With 3:53 left in the third quarter, Restovich started a streak of two straight quick strikes for the Flyers with touchdown passes to pull the Flyers away. He hit Black from 18 yards away, then connected with McKenzie on a 48-yard scoring toss and Loyola was up 52-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
Restovich hit Black on a 22-yard scoring pass to make it 58-41 before Minden crossed the goal line again with 7 minutes left in the game on a Johnson to Abreon Curry 24-yard touchdown pass.
Loyola’s final scores of the game came on a Drake eight-yard run and a four-yard run by Restovich.
While Restovich was filling the air, Loyola’s Drake added 140 yards on the ground with 15 carries.
Minden put up 518 yards in total offense, 275 of that through the air with quarterbacks Brown and Johnson completing 17 of 31 attempts. Johnson had 237 of that total, completing 14 of 24 attempts.
Owens Jr. led the Tide’s 243-yard ground game with 93 yards on 11 carries while Johnson added 74 yards on 10 attempts. Aubrey carried nine times for 30 yards, Brown picked up 18 yards on four attempts, Shine had 16 yards on five carries and Jardon Carey picked up 12 yards on three tries.
Aubrey had a big night in the passing game, hauling in seven catches for 111 yards. Shine had three catches for 80 yards, Kameron Harris caught three for 35 yards and Curry pulled in two passes for 35 yards.
Minden now stands at 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in District 1-4A play heading into Friday’s contest with another high-scoring opponent, North DeSoto, at W.W. Williams Stadium. The Griffins also stand undefeated following a 44-16 drubbing of BTW Friday.
