Tyler Anderson and Logan Sneed will be on opposite sides of the field Friday afternoon.
But the Heritage Academy standouts will be able to play with confidence because they know they won’t be alone.
Even though Anderson and Sneed will be the only Heritage Academy players on their Blue and White squads in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) All-Star Football Game, they will play with the support of 13 other classmates who could have been selected to participate in the annual game that features some of the state’s top seniors.
“I feel like there were a lot of people on our team that could have gone if they had more spaces,” Sneed said. “I am happy that we get to represent Heritage.”
The opportunity to play in the game at 2 p.m. Friday at Jackson Prep isn’t lost on Anderson or Sneed, who said they were part of a group of 15 seniors that helped Heritage Academy to one of its best season in the history of the program. Heritage Academy finished 10-3 and lost to eventual Class AAA State champion Indianola Academy 42-14 in the semifinals. The Patriots, who won a District 2 title, scored 486 points, which is believed to be a single-season record.
Anderson and Sneed played key roles in that offensive onslaught. Anderson spearheaded the attack at quarterback, throwing for 1,610 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushing for 607 yards and eight touchdowns. Sneed was a member of a senior offensive line. He also helped anchor the defense at middle linebacker.
Heritage Academy coach Sean Harrison, who will coach Anderson, Starkville Academy’s Dillon Carrell, and Oak Hill Academy’s Ken “Buddy” Dill on the Blue team, credited Anderson and Sneed for their leadership. He also praised their willingness to acknowledge their classmates in the team’s success. He said the seniors were instrumental in “buying in” to his philosophy in his first season as the school’s football coach.
“Those two were leaders on either side of the ball, Tyler on offense and Logan on defense,” Harrison said. “Logan made all our calls on defense, and obviously Tyler on offense. Without those two buying in, it would have been as much of a buy-in from the rest of them. We lose either one of them, and we would have been in trouble. There were a lot of guys like that.”
Anderson didn’t hesitate to say Harrison was the reason behind the team’s success, even if he said Harrison put him through the toughest preseason to get ready for the 2016 season.
“It was definitely the funnest football season I have had in a while,” Anderson said. “We had a good team around the seniors. It was a great year all around.”
Anderson said the team was so successful because it had an “incredible” offensive line and everyone did their jobs. He said he has more confidence at quarterback, even if he admitted he might have had “happy feet” on a few occasions.
But Anderson’s ability to make plays with his feet and his willingness to absorb contact to gain a few more yards helped make him a dual threat that worked well with junior running back Dontae Gray.
Sneed also benefited from a busy offseason that he said saw him gain 30 pounds. He said he “ate whatever I saw” to put on the weight. He said he enjoyed the diet, especially the boneless wings from Zaxby’s, and then worked hard in the weight room to prepare his body. He said he hoped to be a tight end as a senior, but he said the added weight allowed him to be a more physical player at guard and at linebacker.
“It was an unexpectedly good season,” Sneed said. “I had no idea we would go 10-3 and make it to the third round of the playoffs, but we worked really hard in the summer and it paid off really well.”
Sneed said he never would have imagined he would get a chance to play in the annual senior event. He said he tried to do his best every game and raised his level of play from pervious seasons.
“I already had the experience. I just didn’t have the physical capabilities,” Sneed said. “I finally got it this year. It just made everything a lot easier for me.”
Harrison said Sneed was one of the team’s leading tacklers. He
Sneed said this most likely will be his last football game. He said he likely will focus on academics next year when he attends Ole Miss or Alabama. He said he has applied to both schools and hasn’t heard if he has been admitted. He said he plans to study biochemistry or another field, biomedical engineering, a new field he recently learned about from his uncle.
Anderson isn’t sure if sports will be in his future after high school. If he doesn’t play a sport in college, he said he likely will go to Ole Miss and study physical therapy or business.
Anderson said knowing this could be his last football games make it even more special. He said the fact he and Sneed are representing Heritage Academy and their classmates adds to the importance of an already unique opportunity.
“I think you could put any two of our starting seniors on the All-Star team,” Anderson said. “I think everyone improved significantly from the years past. I think it started with the summer. Everyone was just working. We had never really bought in any other year like we did this year.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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