Jack: In last year’s contest, the Trojans lost on a gut-wrenching last-second field goal by the Maroons, and combine that with a tough loss at Rouse last week, Anderson is gonna be fired up to win tonight. Brady Gephart had 53 receiving yards and a touchdown in this game last year, but tonight he’s under center and will look to lead the offense over what should be a subpar Austin High defense. I’m looking for Gephart to toss for over 250 yards, as well as using his feet when he needs to. Ed Small will have his catches, and he should make the most of them, as there’s really no one that can match up with him on the Austin High defense, but Gephart needs one of his other targets to break out and give him a strong second option against the Maroons. Defensively, Jack Middleton should continue to dominate, but the rest of the defense needs to step up and return to form after a poor second half of the Rouse game. Locking up Bryson Batts is key to getting a win tonight, as the all-district star is the only huge threat from Austin High’s offense. They’ll line him up all over the field, so it’ll be interesting to see who the Trojans match up with him. All in all, I think revenge is in the cards tonight. Anderson 38, Austin High 24
Sebastian: Last year, in heartbreaking fashion, Anderson lost to Austin High 21-20. The Trojans will definitely have this loss in mind as they try to rebound from their first defeat of the season against Rouse last week. The Maroons have started out their season 0-2, losing to Stony Point in a tight game, and getting blown out by Westwood. This matchup is the district opener for both teams, which only raises the stakes. In order for Anderson to win this week they will need to play mistake-free football. Turnovers cost them against Rouse and the Trojans will need to make sure they take care of the football this week. On the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans will need to contain the run game which killed them in the second half last week. Standing at 5’7, the Austin High running back Bryson Batts might not look intimidating, but he is shifty and has a knack for slipping out of tackles. Anderson will need to limit him if they want to limit the Maroon offense. I think the Trojans come out hot on offense and do not allow Austin High’s offense to get going. Anderson 28, Austin High 14
Trey: Coming off of a loss to Rouse, the Trojans look to bounce back against a shaky Austin High team. The Maroons haven’t been able to get their offense going, and their defense looks even worse with 73 points against and only 35 for. This comes in large majority to weak quarterback play, which will only become worse for them after facing the Trojan defense. More so, entering the day of the game, the Trojans have 3 of the top 5 in total tackles. The big defensive presence, of course, continues to be that of Jack Middleton, who has 29 total tackles, 24 solo, and 11.5 TFL, all district-leading stats. On the other side of the ball, the Trojans QB Brady Gephart continues to shine, leading the district in total passing yards (352 total, 176 per game). His receivers, such as Ed Small, make it easy for him, too. The junior is averaging over 100 yards per game, with a district-leading 246 total yards across 2 games. He also leads the district in total touchdowns with 5, and receptions with 20. I see no reason why the Trojan offense and defense can’t continue to be a dominant force. The Trojans should come out firing, limiting the crushing turnovers to smaller numbers. The impressive numbers that the team is putting up will mean nothing if they aren’t able to capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes and make fewer mistakes themselves. I believe the Trojans make a statement this game, and win by quite a bit. Anderson 33, Austin High 10
