Adam Morris Mead Year: Senior Sport: Football Position: Wr/Db

There’s no big secret why Adam Morris has scored nine of Mead’s 10 touchdowns in the last two games.

“We just got him healthy,” Panthers coach Mike McLaughlin said. “The quality of his play the last two weeks is directly tied to his playing without pain.”

McLaughlin said that after his all-purpose senior standout suffered a slightly separated left shoulder before the second game of the season, “when he ran the ball, he wasn’t running with wreckless abandon.”

Morris added, “It’s nice to play without pain. It’s a lot easier to run hard when you’re not worried about taking a shot to the shoulder.”

But there’s much more to it than that.

“Honestly, it’s got to be the blocking,” Morris said. “It’s been phenomenal the last two weeks. I probably haven’t been doing anything special. These guys have been incredible. That’s the only explanation I have for it.”

There’s even more, according to McLaughlin, than the obvious benefit of having Morris in the end zone.

“Everybody seems to play better. He’s the spark plug, captain, a three-year starter both ways,” McLaughlin said. “Every team needs a go-to guy, and he’s our go-to guy.”

And now everyone knows Morris is going to the end zone.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo