Tonight the Trojans (1-1) take on the Maroons (0-2) in what’s shaping up to be a fun matchup at Nelson Field. Last week, Anderson fell 42-21 in a tough matchup @ Rouse, and Austin High dropped a contest against Westwood 49-14. The Trojans lost a heartbreaking 21-20 game against the Maroons last season, and will certainly be seeking revenge tonight.
In last year’s game, Anderson’s passing offense excelled with Fred Dale completing 70% of his passes for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Ed Small throwing a touchdown on a trick play as well. Look for much of the same this year from Brady Gephart as through two games he’s thrown for 352 yards, 6 touchdowns, and just 1 interception, and those numbers would be even higher if he had played more than 4 drives against McCallum.
Small racked up 154 yards on 12 receptions last time these two teams met, and he’ll look to have another big game against what should be one of the weaker teams in the district this year. If the Trojans want to avenge their loss though, they’re going to have to get significant production from someone else to compliment Small. I feel like Ben Hatcher is due for a big game after just two catches against Rouse. If the pair can get going, it’ll be tough for Austin’s less-than-ideal pass defense to keep Anderson off the scoreboard.
A balanced attack on offense is key for the Trojans to win tonight. Last week, the Maroons’ defense gave up 500 yards in an almost perfectly even split; 250 through the air and 247 on the ground. For Anderson’s rushing offense to get going though, the Trojans need to win the battle of the trenches. Austin High is one of the weaker teams that Anderson will face for the rest of the season, so they need to impose their will and bully the Maroons at the line of scrimmage.
This is true defensively as well, as the play of edge rusher Jack Middleton is crucial to a win tonight. If he can get into the backfield early and often, he’ll wreak havoc on Austin High’s offense and be a driving force in taking down the Maroons. The rest of the defense will be keyed on junior Bryson Batts who dons the number 1. Austin High uses Batts in a variety of ways, both as a back and as a receiver, so the entire defense will be involved in shutting down the former 1st-team all-district star.
Other than Batts, I don’t see anyone posing real issues for the Trojan defense, and after the second half against Rouse, I expect the defense to be fired up to destroy the Maroons. Coming off a loss to Rouse, and a last-second heartbreaker against Austin High last season, this game has revenge written all over it. The Trojans are the better team and should be the hungrier one as well. Anderson features a fast offense, that I don’t think Austin can keep up with. Give me the Trojans by a pair of touchdowns. Anderson 38 Austin High 24
