After a 42-0 beatdown of McCallum last Thursday, Anderson will travel to Leander to face the Rouse Raiders (0-1) in their final game before district play begins next week. The Trojans are looking to win another big game and come out of Bible Stadium 2-0 to start the season.
Last year, the Trojans won handily, beating the Raiders 35-13 behind 391 yards and 4 touchdowns from Fred Dale. Bennett Blackerby had 11 receptions for 163 yards and a score, and Ed Small hauled in 3 touchdowns and 141 yards on just 6 catches. Anderson isn’t the only one who lost seniors though, as Rouse’s quarterback and leading rusher in the game are also gone.
Rouse didn’t fair so well last week either, losing 34-10 to a very solid Lake Belton team on the road. Sophomore quarterback London Morgan was 7 of 14 for 162 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers, and the Raiders managed just 56 rushing yards on 18 rushes, for a measly 3.1 yards per carry.
They also struggled with Lake Belton’s dual-threat quarterback, as Elijah Mascarenas threw for almost 300 yards, completing passes at a very high clip, and rushed for 49 more on just 4 carries. This bodes well for Anderson’s Brady Gephart as he’s at his best when he’s effective in the air and on the ground.
Rouse had no counter for the Trojan offense last year, and, despite a change in defensive scheme, there’s no reason to think this year will be any different. While Coach Hatcher wants to put an emphasis on the ground game, I still expect Gephart to have a huge game through the air. If he plays most of the game, I’d look for 200 passing yards, 50 more on the ground, and 3 total touchdowns. With that, I’ve got Small hauling in over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
[Rouse is] highly rated and we are excited to see how we compare.
– Coach Hatcher
Defensively, I think the Trojans are primed to take advantage of an inexperienced Rouse quarterback. Morgan is merely a sophomore and has played in just a single varsity game in his career. Morgan doesn’t like to throw on the run and is much better in the pocket than he is out of it, so if the Anderson rush can break down pockets early in plays, they can make it really tough on the young QB.
Based on that, I’d be unsurprised if Anderson brought more pressure than they did against McCallum. The Trojans play just 3 down linemen and 2 linebackers, but I can see a situation where they bring either senior Simon Burns or sophomore Liam McMillian on a safety blitz to take Morgan out of his comfort zone and disrupt the Raiders’ offense. Jack Middleton also has a chance to have another huge game after recording a career-high 8 TFLs against the Knights. It’ll be exciting to see what he can do against the Raiders.
Senior wideout Keller Rogers is likely Rouse’s best offensive player, and it’ll be key for the Anderson defense to shut him down. I’d expect the Trojans to place an emphasis on taking him out of the game with the use of corners Colin Haines and Jett Joseph and over-the-top safety help from seniors Adrian Popps and Tomas Benitez.
Overall, Rouse’s strength is on the offensive side of the ball, so it’ll be up to the Trojan defense to take care of business and help Anderson come away with their second win of the season. The Trojans have a fairly easy start to the season compared to the back half of district play, so it’s important for them to stay on track and keep the momentum going against the Raiders.
Bold Prediction: Anderson gets a score from their defense or special teams. The Trojans manage a pick/fumble six on defense, or Zayden Sharp runs one all the way back on a kickoff.
Score: Anderson 35, Rouse 17
