Featured photo courtesy of North Webster High School
The North Webster Knights scored with 10 seconds left to stun the Minden Crimson Tide 21-20 Friday night at W.W. Williams, Sr. Stadium.
Minden (1-3) led 14-7 at the half. The Tide took a 20-7 lead on sophomore quarterback Jaden Johnson’s 38-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. The PAT was blocked which proved crucial.
The Minden defense dominated most of the second half, pushing the Knights backwards. But North Webster came alive when sophomore quarterback Justin Stewart hit fellow sophomore Braylon Washington with a pass in the flat. Washington went down the Minden sideline 48 yards for a touchdown with 3:54 left in the game.
The Knights tried an onside kick that the Tide recovered around midfield. But Minden was called for offsides. The Knights then kicked deep and pinned Minden inside the 10.
The Tide lost yardage back to the 2. They almost got the first down but were forced to punt on fourth-and-2 from the 16. The snap was high but Braxton Glover still got a good punt off just inside the end zone and North Webster took over at the 35 with 2:07 left.
Donte Owens caught a pass tipped by a teammate and reached the 17. Stewart scrambled to the 9 on second down and Ja’Myrian Jackson carried twice to the 3 as the clock ticked down. Stewart pushed his way to the 1 and scored on the next play.
After a delay, Christian Whitlock kicked his third PAT to give the Knights the 21-20 lead.
Minden was unable to get a good kickoff return and a pass on the final play was incomplete.
Second-year North Webster Head Coach Christopher Wilson didn’t mince words when asked what the victory meant for his program.
“I think it’s a program-changer for North Webster,” he said. “I think this group has bought in to what we’ve been preaching since December of last year. We wanted to make sure we were building a quality locker room, a group of kids that cared about each other and were willing to fight for each other. “And all week every body around here told them Minden was bigger, Minden was stronger, Minded was faster.
“I told them it was going to be a 48-minute fight. And you had to fight for 48 minutes if you wanted to win the football game. And it took us 47 minutes and 50 seconds to get it done.
“It took us all 48 minutes to get it done and I’m just really, really proud of these kids. I’m proud of this coaching staff, the way they prepared and had these kids in the right situation that didn’t allow them to quit. “Nobody on that sideline allowed these kids to quit tonight. Last year our kids would’ e shut down and found a way to tuck their tail but this group full of sophomores and some senior leaders found a way to get it done tonight and I’m really, really proud of them.”
Until the big TD pass that cut the lead to six, the North Webster offense struggled in the second half against sn aggressive Tide defense.
“We’re not necessarily a throwing football team by any stretch but we work on that every week in the event we have to use it,” Wilson said. “And the youngsters, Justin Stewart, a dang sophomore, and Braylon Washington, a sophomore, they found a way to make a play.
“Those kids are going to be really good for North Webster for the next three years. And so I think this was the opportunity for them to realize that if they stick together and they play and learn how to fight and good things will happen. And I’m really, really happy for those kids because they deserve to have something good happen for them the way those kids have been playing all year.”
Sophomores played a big role in the game. Johnson, who had seen action in the first two games, played the entire second half at quarterback after senior starter Hudson Brown suffered a bruised thigh, according to Minden Head Coach Spencer Heard.
Johnson performed admirably. He threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Kaiden Shine to give the Tide a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.
The first half went by quickly. Minden had three possessions and North Webster just two. The Tide ran out the clock on its third possession after stopping the Knights on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 1:30 left.
North Webster ate up almost the entire second quarter on the drive which started from its 25.
Minden scored on its first possession. Caylien Aubrey capped the 67-yard drive with a 3-yard run. Brown scrambled fora first down on third-and-12 from the Knights 33.
North Webster answered with a 52-yard drive. Jakayden Jackson scored on a 21-yard run up the middle after a double handoff with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
The teams’ total yardage was almost as close as the final score. North Webster had 261 and Minden 237, per stats kept for the KBEF-FM broadcast.
Stewart completed 8-of-12 for 115 yards. Johnson was 4-of-6 for 73 yards. Brown was 1-of-2 for 13.
Jakayden Jackson rushed for 47 yards. Stewart had 39 and Ja’Myrian Jackson 33.
Johnson led Minden with 67 yards. Lucas Owens had 39 and Brown 24.
Jameson Harden had several receptions for the Knights.
Heard said Brown’s injury was “nothing serious” in a text message.
The Tide opens District 1-4A play Friday against Woodlawn at Independence Stadium. The Knights (2-1) defeated Lakeview 62-0 Friday night.
North Webster hosts Homer. The Pelicans (1-2) lost to Haynesville 54-6 Friday night.