When thinking of tonight’s game a few words might come to your mind: daunting, intimidating, maybe even impossible. While all of that may be true, it’s also a chance for the Trojans to make a statement. It’s a chance for Anderson to show the state of Texas who they are because a win would be the biggest upset many have ever seen.
Westlake’s offense is solid, but it’s their defense that’s more likely to give the Trojans fits tonight. A formidable front seven could cause significant issues for the Anderson offensive line that has struggled against Bowie and Johnson this year. To combat that, Brady Gephart will have to play the game of his life to beat the Chaps. He’ll likely need over 300 total yards and 3-4 touchdowns to give the team a chance to win. RPOs, rollouts, quick screens, hitches, slants, and the like should be the focus of tonight’s offense.
It’s also likely that the Trojans will struggle to run the ball as well, so per usual Gephart’s legs will be heavily relied upon for offensive success. If Westlake doesn’t respect the run at all, they’ll drop 7-8 guys in coverage making it almost impossible to move the ball down the field effectively. It’s vital that the Trojans show some sort of life in the run game.
Additionally, there’s no reason that Anderson shouldn’t bust the playbook wide open tonight, as unpredictability will give them the best chance to win. Ed Small should throw a pass, call a direct snap to Zayden Sharp, run double reverses, hell, throw in a Philly special. The Trojans need to do everything in their power to keep the Chaps’ defense off balance.
The Anderson defense will have a tough job too, but will likely find more success than the offense. Stopping Air Force commit Jack Kayser from running it down their throats is key, so stacking the box and daring Westlake’s quarterbacks to beat them deep is the way to go tonight. Hopefully, this will lead to a mistake or two that the Trojans can capitalize on and turn into short fields or scores to help out their offense.
Jack Middleton is the key to the Anderson defensive line, but Westlake will be prepared to stop him. Whether they can or not remains to be seen, but there needs to be significant other contributions in pass rush from the other linemen tonight. Gage Webb and the linebackers need to hit their gaps and can’t afford to struggle in run defense because any mistakes will give the Chaps an easy path to victory.
Bottom line, the Trojans need to play mistake-free football to even have a chance at winning tonight. They need to play their best game of the season and then some to defeat a powerhouse like Westlake, but if there’s ever been a chance to do it, it’s tonight. The weather could play a factor, with potential wet turf, and if Anderson can hang around into the second half, anything can happen. I think the Trojans will put up a valiant effort, but in the end, fall short of what would be a huge upset. Westlake 35 Anderson 14
