After the first season of Anderson’s return to 6A, the Trojan defense looks to take a step forward in 2023. Going into his second season, Defensive Coordinator Coach Maldonado sees that his defense is starting to buy into what he and his assistants are preaching. The primary example of this is through the implementation of S.W.A.R.M. Linebackers Coach: Coach Holcomb found the acronym on Demeco Ryans’s (Former Houston Texan and Philidephpia Eagle Linebacker; Current Houston Texan Head Coach) call sheet, and it is the key for the Trojan defense. S.W.A.R.M. stands for Special Work Ethic and Relentless Mindset, values the Trojan Defense wants to adopt. Coach Holcomb says, “Initially, they didn’t understand it (S.W.A.R.M.), but as they bought into it, they played with more of a sense of urgency, confidence, and swagger that they didn’t have last year.” Holcomb says that S.W.A.R.M. not only has a mental aspect but one that is applicable on the field, “S.W.A.R.M. has a double meaning because not only do we want to play with a relentless work ethic and mindset, but we want to have 3, 4, 5 hats around the football making a tackle.”
Coach Maldonado identified some strengths and weaknesses of the Trojan defense. He thinks his defense has been “swarming to the ball and more opportunistic on turnovers.” He also praised the unit’s mindset, “We feel the guys have bought into S.W.A.R.M. and do their job each play.” He did admit that, at times, Anderson’s inexperience on defense has been a weakness. Although he sees that the young players are hungry and ready to contribute, he knows youth brings inexperience. He wants his young players to play often to gain maturity: “You can’t get experience without getting reps, so they’re more growing pains than a complete weakness.” Coach Maldonado sees his defense improving but wants them to be consistent and not have lapses like they had in the game against Rouse. The defensive coaching staff relies on their defensive leaders to achieve this consistency. Coach Maldonado mentioned Jack Middleton, Simon Burns, Adrian Popps, Colin Haines, Jett Joseph, Gage Webb, and Jesus Soto as leaders who can make “special plays to pull the defense along in critical moments.” A prime example of this leadership and experience was Colin’s game-changing pick-six in the first quarter of the Austin High game. Coach Maldonado says, “Man, Colin’s pick provided the spark for the team.” This type of clutch play is what Maldonado is talking about when he says he sees his team being more opportunistic on turnovers. He says, “Colin has shown that ability since last year, and we’re looking forward to seeing who’s next to make that next big play.”
The Trojan defense is trending in the right direction in the second year of a new head coaching staff. If this trend continues throughout the season, Anderson could put themselves in a position to compete in every game on their schedule.
