Top Performers: Many vs. Kinder | Class 2A State Championship

Many’s coaches and players spoke last year before even leaving the Mercedes-Benz Superdome about their intense focus on getting back to another state championship and completing the mission. And the No. 1 Tigers lived up to those promises Sunday with a 16-13 survival of No. 6 Kinder in a defensive battle for the Class 2A title. The game was the teams’ much-anticipated "rubber match" from a pair of championship games they split in 2013 and 2014 and lived up to the physical, defense- and run-dominant expectations. But, when the dust-settled, coach Jess Curtis and company were able to escape the Yellow Jackets at nearby Northwestern State in Natchitoches to take the short trip home to Sabine Parish with the program’s second trophy. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oYJvlDrnsfY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <strong>2021 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Shelton Eaves — 6-0, 230 DL — Many</strong> In a defensive battle full of gritty performances in the trenches, the senior defensive lineman may have been the leader in Many’s championship effort. He finished with four tackles and disrupted several other plays, including a deflection at the line to help force a punt and a blocked extra point that helped slow Kinder’s momentum. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63604" first="Zequarrius" last="Rhone"] — 6-2, 188 DB — Many</strong> The ULM-committed defensive back prospect serves primarily as his Tigers’ quarterback at the high school level and provided his team some much-needed electricity on a 20-yard fourth-down run in the second quarter to finally set up its first score. He finished with six rushes for 36 yards, as well as four tackles and a couple breakups. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63582" first="Terrence" last="Williams"] — 6-1, 228 RB — Many</strong> The now-senior standout with college offers from about a dozen programs, including nearby Louisiana Tech, stated in the immediate wake of last year’s championship disappointment that the team would be getting to work the following Monday to ensure a different outcome. Many fed him early to begin powering its way at the Kinder defense, including a 16-yard gain for an early first down, and turned to him again late to move the chains and clock and seal the victory. He finished with 65 yards on 21 attempts. <strong>Austin Nolen — 6-0, 174 DB — Kinder</strong> The senior defensive back helped set his team set its stingy tone early with a big tackle near the line on Many’s opening possession and finished with seven tackles, including one for loss on the game. He also came up with a big 47-yard catch in the fourth quarter to help spark the Yellow Jackets’ push for a comeback. <strong>Bryce Savant — 6-2, 213 DL/P — Kinder</strong> A pair of punts for an average of 26.5 yards in the first half fell well below the Kinder standout’s typical average. But Savant came back after the break to boom a 59-yarder into the end zone, begin helping his team’s field position and improve his totals to 187 yards on five punts — an average of 37.4 yards per kick — including one down inside the 20. <strong>Collin South — 5-7, 195 DL — Kinder</strong> The Yellow Jackets’ defensive line was active and disruptive from start to finish to hold a Many team fresh off an 83-point semifinal performance to just 164 yards on 56 offensive plays. And, as many players as contributed to that effort, no one was involved in more plays than the undersized senior with 15 tackles, including a pair for loss. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LlOlJHSyk7I" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong> 2022 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>London Williams — 5-8, 166 RB — Many</strong> The junior provided a nice — smaller, shifty — compliment in the backfield to the Tigers’ bigger, more well-known Williams with 60 yards on 17 carries. <strong>Tylan Ceasar — 5-7, 190 RB — Kinder</strong> A 60-yard scamper from Ceasar provided the Yellow Jackets an early lead — and the vast majority of their offense until the late comeback attempt. He finished with 77 yards on 10 tries to earn his team’s Outstanding Player honors. &nbsp; <strong>2023 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Tackett Curtis — 6-3, 196 DB — Many </strong> The sophomore lived up to his hard-hitting reputation with a team-high six tackles, including a couple near the line on which he held impressive containment on the edge. But his hands and feet helped spark the Tigers out of their early offensive stagnation. He swiped an interception of a deflected pass late in the first quarter to set up Many’s first score early in the second. And a 36-yard punt return down to the Kinder 6-yard further helped set up the go-ahead field goal before halftime. &nbsp; <strong>2024 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Tylen Singleton — 6-2, 180 DB — Many</strong> With the Yellow Jackets still fighting to overcome Many’s 9-7 edge, freshman defensive back Tylen Singleton jumped a pass and darted 23 yards to the end zone for some insurance points that proved critical once Kinder finally did get some momentum going shortly thereafter. If he can continue to mature and improve his game, his late highlight could prove a coming-out party of sorts for a young defensive back with good listed measurable and an impressive play at a critical moment.