Adam Sneed knew he had big shoes to fill as Sacred Heart's primary running back.
Sneed, who plays on both sides of the ball, needed to replicate starter DJ Booth's previous production of over 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns.
So far, Sneed has been up for the task, as he ran for 211 yards and scored three touchdowns in Sacred Heart's 42-22 win over North Panola.
"Last year, I learned a lot from DJ," Sneed said. "Every day, I would watch him go hard at practice. I've just carried that over to this year. I've got that work ethic and working in practice every day.
"I give all the credit to the offensive line. I would not be able to do any of that without the five guys up front. I give it all to them."
Sneed scored the Crusaders' first two touchdowns after erupting for a 20-yard touchdown on the opening drive. The senior followed that by pounding in a 1-yard touchdown run to give Sacred Heart a 14-0 lead.
"He's got really good vision," Sacred Heart coach Ed Smith said. "He's got tremendous speed. He's a 4.5 guy. He has a low center of gravity, and that helps. He's hard to bring down. He makes some great cuts sometimes, and when you go back and watch the film, you can't believe he did that. He's also got guys that are blocking well in front of him
"He's not able to get the number of carries because he is having to play on defense. He is still having to play a lot of plays playing both ways."
Sneed's most memorable run came in the second half after breaking away for a 76-yard touchdown run that extended the Crusaders' lead to 35-14.
"Last year, Adam was right there with DJ," said Sacred Heart senior wide receiver Gary Duckworth Jr. "I knew this year he would be just as good as DJ."
At wideout and defensive back, Duckworth is equally as imperative to Sacred Heart's team. Duckworth came down with a 49-yard touchdown on a deep from quarterback Kyron Murphy to extend the Crusaders' lead to 21-0.
"I don't have to worry about anything," Sneed said. "He's an all-around player. Gary can do anything on offense or defense. Wherever you need him, he's going to be there. He's always accountable."
Murphy threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled for a 6-yard score in the first half.
North Panola (1-3) found life with the quarterback-wide receiver duo of DJ Presley and MJ Goings. Presley threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 60 yards, while Goings hauled in eight catches for 163 yards and three scores. The duo linked up twice in the first half, with Goings from 72 and 37 yards out to narrow the score to 28-14.
Following Sneed's big run, the North Panola duo connected again on a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 35-20. The Cougars drove inside Sacred Heart's 20-yard line on back-to-back drives but were turned away both times – one of which featured North Panola facing a down of third and 55. Duckworth then put the game away as he came down with a catch on a slant pass and broke away for a 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"On the slant, I knew that they were going to play bump and run on me," Duckworth said. "I saw that the safety was on the other side of the field, and I knew it was going to be an easy touchdown."
For the second straight season, Sacred Heart stays unbeaten and improves to 4-0.
"Everybody is going hard, and everybody is doing their job," Sneed said. "Everybody is buying into the coaching, and everybody is listening to the coaches. We are all prepared well, and I think we are just ready to play and go as far as we need to go."
The Crusaders go on the road next week to face Richton.
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