Sacred Heart is again eying history as the Crusaders try to win a program record of seven wins.
“I’m proud of these guys,” Sacred Heart coach Ed Smith said. “They have really played hard. We have talked about that this week.
“You can’t spend much time patting yourself on the back. You have to get ready to play again.”
Sacred Heart overcame having to limit running back Nick Pipkins as the Crusaders defeated East Rankin Academy 28-6.
In a limited role on offense, Pipkins produced 57 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
“Nick played for us on Friday,” Smith said. “He played mostly on defense and played a little bit on offense for us.
“He showed a lot of toughness going out there and playing. He’s going to have to play with pain. He did a really good job because we really needed him on defense. He made some plays for us the other night.”
However, filling Pipkins’ role last week was Anthony Boyette, who rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
“Boyette did a great job filling in and stepping up,” Smith said. “We did a good job team-wise of guys stepping up and doing what they have to do.”
This week, Sacred Heart will face East Marion (2-6). Despite the Eagles’ losing record, all of East Marion’s losses are to quality opponents; notably, two of the losses are from forfeits at the beginning of the season. The Eagles’ four on-the-field losses came against Harrison Central, Northeast Jones, Loyd Star and Bogue Chitto combine to have a 25-7 record.
“We better have our running shoes on because those guys can fly,” Smith said. “They are not real big. Upfront, they have some good-sized kids, but their skill kids can fly. It’s not just one or two of them. They have guys all around the board that can move.
“They have played some pretty good teams. They have a pretty good football team as far as athleticism and team speed.”
As an offense, East Marion has averaged 19 points per game. Leading the offense is dual-threat quarterback Amere Woodham.
“He can run around back there and by himself a lot of time,” Smith said. “He can pull it down and run with it. That’s where he gets you in trouble. He moves around behind the line of scrimmage, and if you commit and come forward to make a play on him, then he can throw it. He throws it well.
“We are still trying to come up with a game plan. He’ll be a tremendous challenge. We are not going to stop him. Just slow him down. They run a little bit of everything. They give you a lot of stuff to prepare for.”
As a defense, the Eagles have allowed an average of 26 points per game this season.
“They are going to try and match you up with man-to-man coverage,” Smith said. “They’ll put several people up there. You have to be able to get rid of the ball quickly and run good routes. They make it hard for you to run the football.
“Seven wins will be the first time in school history. You don’t get opportunities like that often. It’s not something that’ll just happen. I think it’ll take our best game of the year to win it. That’s the challenge.”
