Snider Shows No Fear

— Blade Snider had a good idea where Osceola quarterback Maurian Carr wanted to throw the football, and the Greenland cornerback figured it was worth the gamble.

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BLADE SNIDER

School: Greenland

Height: 5-11

Weight: 160

Notable: Caught a 16-yard touchdown in the first quarter against Osceola, and he sealed Greenland’s 28-14 win in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs with a last-minute interception at the 1. ... Showed he’s one of the Pirates’ fastest players by returning a kickoff for a touchdown this season. ... Starting at both wide receiver and cornerback this season.

“It was just a spur of the moment kind of thing,” Snider said.

As soon as the ball left Carr’s hand, Snider stepped in front of an Osceola wide receiver at the goal line and made a diving interception last Friday at Jonathan Ramey Memorial Stadium.

Snider’s interception at the 1 with 26 seconds remaining sealed Greenland’s 28-14 win over Osceola and secured the Pirates’ first trip to the Class 3A quarterfinals.

After hearing from Greenland coach Lee Larkan that he shouldn’t be afraid to make a play, Snider showed with his last-minute pick that sometimes he just needs to take a chance and make a break on the ball.

Even if it’s right in front of the end zone.

“At the beginning of the year I was scared a little bit, but I kind of figured out that you can’t be scared,” Snider said. “You just got to play ball.”

Snider did just that against Osceola, giving Greenland (8-3) a 7-0 lead when he raced past a defensive back and caught a 16-yard touchdown pass with 8 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter. He also had a key fourth-down catch.

The 5-foot-11, 160-pound senior played only on defense a year ago, but he has taken on the additional role of wide receiver this season. He hadn’t played wide receiver in several years, but he didn’t have any reservation about starting both ways when it was apparent that the Pirates needed some offensive help.

“He’s got good skills. He’s one of our fastest kids, and we expect a lot out of him,” Larkan said. “He probably gets the hardest guy to cover every week (at cornerback). When you have that, you also have to have a short memory because you’re guarding their best usually and you’re going to get beat sometimes.”

Snider will likely receive another tough defensive assignment at 7 p.m. today when Greenland looks to keep its deep postseason run going by hosting Prescott (10-2), which is loaded with speedy skill players.

Facing the challenge of playing wide receiver, Snider said he spent last summer trying to improve his hands. He’d meet up with Greenland quarterback Darian Froud, who’d have his close friend run different routes and then throw him passes. The extra workout paid off for Snider.

“He’s made a lot of big catches for us this year,” Larkan said.

Snider said he enjoys playing both ways this season, though he has had to deal with getting beat at times on defense. As one of Greenland’s top defensive backs, he has gotten better at not letting a bad play stick with him too long afterward.

“It weighs on me for a couple of plays, but I try not to let it get to me,” Snider said. “I try to come back and make a play on them.”

Of course, it has helped that he has heard it plenty from Larkan.

“He has a short memory because (of) as much tail-chewing as he’s had over some of the stuff,” Larkan said, cracking a smile. “He’s had a good attitude about it all year, and that’s probably why he’s still successful now.”

And no longer afraid to make a play.

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