Nerd Notes: 2023 Season Opener Edition

Written by on September 1, 2023

It’s the time of year when you walk into a store with temps in the mid-90s and see things like pumpkin spice, deer corn, and tailgating essentials in the same space. Football is back! While other sports have celebrations for “opening days,” there is something about the first game of football season, especially high school football. Schools across the country have the excitement of “this could be our year!” There’s nothing like it. Minden High School will open season 107* tonight at W. W. Williams Stadium (The Pit) against the Parkway Panthers. Parkway isn’t necessarily a rivalry game, but there have been some memorable games between the two schools over the years. Let’s dust off the stat book and look at the week 1 edition of Nerd Notes for the 2023 season!

  • Parkway and Minden have met 28 times since 1970. Parkway leads the overall series 19-9, having won the last 9 games in the series, dating back to 2007.
  • Minden won the first game in the series in 1970 at Parkway, 13-0.
  • Parkway’s first win came the following year at Minden, 21-14.
  • Minden’s longest winning streak in the series is 4 games. (1997-98, 2001-02)
  • Minden’s longest losing streak in the series is the aforementioned 9 games. (2007-12, 2019, 2021-2022)
  • Biggest win by Minden in the series: 33-15 (1992)
  • Biggest loss by Minden in the series: 33-0 (2010)
  • Most points scored by Minden in series: 47 (2006)
  • Most points allowed by Minden in the series: 46 (2011)

There have been a few single game records that have been set in this series.

  • TQ Mims holds the 6th place spot all time in passing attempts vs. Parkway (47 in 2008)
  • Lou Watkins holds 6th place in longest field goal made all-time, also against Parkway (40 yds, 1995)

A season opening game is bigger in football than possibly any other sport, with the season being shorter than all the other sports. With just 10 regular season games, every one of them is important most years in determining playoff position, and in older times before the power ratings—a district championship. With some early year records hard to find or poorly reported and recorded, Jake Chapman and I have “officially” logged 1,058* recorded games of Minden High Football.  So, here are a few bonus nerd notes for the season opener in 2023.

  • Minden has an all-time unofficial record of 52-37 in recorded season openers.
  • Longest winning streak: 6 games (Twice, 1978-1983 and 1997-2002)
  • Longest losing streak: 5 games (1970-1974)
  • Record under Coach Heard in season openers: 3-6

Welcome back, high school football! See you at the game tonight, but if you can’t make it, be sure to listen on 104.5 FM KBEF or online at kbef.com!

*We are still finding games earlier in the 1900’s. At last stat reconciliation, we have games recorded in 1914.


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