Minor High School had not won a playoff game since Nov. 11, 2016. That changed Friday when the Tigers took to Lunceford Field and secured a hard-fought victory over the Arab Knights.
Minor started the scoring early, building a 12-point lead in the first quarter behind a strong running game.
Both offenses stalled after Minor's early lead. The Tigers relied on a stout run defense and exceptional pass coverage to keep them in the game as both offenses struggled to move the ball.
Arab reached the end zone late in the second quarter to cut the lead to 12-7 following a long drive led by Nicolas Stephens and Mason Ingram.
While Minor running back Kamari Bell rallied the offense in the second half, the defense put the game away
The Tigers relied heavily on a "bend-but-don't-break" mentality. Minor had many third- and fourth-down stands in the red zone that proved to be costly for Arab.
Junior Casey Smith was a standout player who frustrated Arab's wide receivers throughout the entire game. Moreover, he had the responsibility of guarding Arab's top receiver, Tucker Willis, on many of the snaps in the red zone.
When asked about his mindset going into the matchup, Smith emphasized the prep his coaches gave him in practice.
"All week we worked on fade balls, playing through the hands, and preparing for the big game" said Smith.
Minor's resilience in late-game pressure environments enabled the Tigers to get over the 10-year hurdle to win a playoff game and defeat the Knights 26-21.
Minor will now advance to face Florence next week, Nov. 13, in another 5A matchup.