One of the bright spots of the Anderson offense this year has been wide receiver play. They have provided clutch deep bombs to spark the team when needed and earned quarterback Brady Gephart’s trust. By watching the games, you can clearly see the impact Anderson’s receivers have had on the success of this Anderson team, but this article will explore if the stats back this up.
The clear Trojan wide receiver one is Ed Small. Through seven games, Ed has accumulated 797 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is the most reliable option on the Anderson offense and has accounted for over half of the touchdowns the Trojans have scored this year. Ed is the spark to the success of this Anderson offense. The wide receiver two and three roles are interchangeable. Zayden Sharp and Tristan Waidelich have accounted for 294 and 291 yards this season, respectively. Zayden has speed that can take the top off the defense, which shows in his 19.6 yards per reception and five touchdowns. Tristan is a reliable target for Gephart and has 35 receptions, only second to Ed. Zayden and Tristan complement each other with different skill sets that challenge opposing defenses. A pleasant surprise in the Anderson receiving core has been sophomore Ben Hatcher. Over the past seven games, Hatcher has racked up 187 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He has developed into an offensive threat and is another Trojan receiver for which defenses need to account.
The stats show that the Trojan passing offense has been the primary contributor to their offensive success. Anderson has gotten 66% of their total yards and 78% of their touchdowns through the air. Brady has taken full advantage of the plethora of talented Trojan receivers and will need to continue doing this if Anderson wants to make a late-season playoff push.
