The Minden High Crimson Tide is riding a wave of momentum following a convincing 40-20 victory over the Woodlawn Knights at The Pit last week.
The Tide won that game with a 26-0 run in the second half that had the home fans on their feet.
This week poses a tougher challenge, as Minden will make the short trip to Shreveport for a matchup with their unbeaten district rivals, Fair Park, at Independence Stadium.
The Indians are 4-0 and head coach Spencer Heard knows his young team will have to bring their best to beat Fair Park.
“It’s been business as usual at practice,” Heard said. “We’re just trying to get better everyday and make sure we don’t make any of those mental mistakes that can cost you.”
The Fair Park team the Tide will face this week can surely force teams into mental mistakes. On their way to a 4-0 start, the Indians have done most of their damage in the fourth quarter. Last week they scored 14 points in the fourth in a 16-14 comeback win over Huntington.
“They’re very athletic.” Heard said. “They will throw it around but they can really run around, especially the quarterback.
Defensively, Heard described the Indians as ‘scrappy’.
“They won’t quit,” Heard said. “Three of their four games they’ve come back in the fourth quarter, we have to be prepared to go all four quarters.”
A win over Fair Park would move Minden to 3-2 and 2-0 in district as well as give them valuable power points.
“It’s just another game, but there are several implications,” Heard said. “It’s a district game and it would look good in the power point system. Our kids could also gain a lot of confidence from knocking of a 4-0 team.”
Last season the Crimson Tide got the best of the Indians, 34-21. However, this year’s game has a different feel with the district contest being played under the lights of Independence Stadium.
Heard doesn’t believe that should faze his team.
“It doesn’t change what we do,” Heard said. “We have a lot of guys who are excited to play on the turf but that’s about it. I think playing at such a big stadium kind of makes the crowd feel smaller sometimes.”