BLANCHARD – On a hot and humid night at Jerry Burton Memorial Stadium, the Minden Crimson Tide got off to a 1-0 start with a 17-0 win over the Southwood Cowboys.
The Crimson Tide defense was the story of the night, absolutely pummeling the Cowboys’ offense on their way to a shutout.
This was Minden head coach Spencer Heard’s first win over the Cowboys in three tries since taking over the Crimson Tide three seasons.
“It feels good to get the first win of the year,” Heard said. “It’s nice to sort of get that monkey off our back so to speak. The defense, I thought they played really well and gave us good field position all night. They had a few mistakes here and there, but the main thing is coming out with the win.”
Halfway through the first quarter, Minden’s Ty Harris recovered a fumble to set up the Tide inside the Southwood 20 yard line.
A few plays later Rodtravion Rogers cashed in from 3 yards out and Pedro Hernandez converted the extra point try to make it 7-0.
The Minden defense kept Southwood from doing anything the rest of the half, highlighted by a Kenneth Francis interception and a Pedro Hernandez 25-yard field goal that sent the two teams into halftime with the Tide leading 10-0.
In the third quarter with his team needing a spark, Dekeltric Freelon stepped in front of a Southwood receiver for his first interception of the season.
Taking over from the Cowboys’ 25 yard marker, running back Kolby Jackson got loose for a 25-yard touchdown run. Hernandez added that PAT to make the score 17-0 where it would stay.
“I still think Southwood has a very good team,” Heard said. “I thought we held up well up front and played well in the secondary. We had two interceptions and forced a fumble. Coach Ensminger did a great job bringing the blitzes. Overall, glad to get the win.”
Rivette finished 4-11 passing with a pair of interceptions, but made up for it with 116 yards on the ground to lead the team in rushing.
Rodtravion Rogers finished with 61 yards and one touchdown on eight carries, while Kolby Jackson ran for 58 yards and a score on 14 carries. Jackson added two catches for 26 yards to lead the Tide in receiving, followed by Tavarius Edwards who caught two balls for 22 yards.
This Friday, the Tide will have to play much better to win, as they welcome Haughton to The Pit for a huge home opener.