When you think of the best teams in District 26-6A, you probably don’t think of the Trojans. That’s not to say Anderson is a bad team, but it’s tough to compete with the Westlakes and Dripping Springs of Texas high school football. Because of that, you might also assume that the district MVP should come from Westlake or Drip or maybe Lake Travis, but you’d be wrong. An MVP award goes to the “MVP” or the “Most Valuable Player”, and nobody is more valuable to their team than Trojan QB Brady Gephart.
His stats alone blow every other quarterback in the district out of the water. His 2100 passing yards are almost 700 more than the second-place finisher, Cruz Tello, and his 27 passing touchdowns lead the district by nine. He also completed passes at a 65% clip, good for second in 26-6A, and we haven’t even gotten to his rushing stats. His 356 yards on the ground are good for 5th best of all quarterbacks in the district, but like I said before, the MVP award isn’t just about who has the best stats, it’s about who’s the most valuable player.
Brady Gephart is the Trojan’s offense, plain and simple. He’s got good weapons on the outside in Ed Small and Zayden Sharp, but they can’t be successful without Brady. Anderson had little production from their rushing attack and Gephart often enjoyed little time to throw as front sevens dominated a rotating door of Trojan offensive linemen due to injuries, so it’s incredible he was able to perform as well as he did. Without Gephart, Anderson isn’t nearly as good, and their offense would take a huge dive. Coach Hatcher told me that the best thing Brady did this year was “protect the ball”. The Trojans leaned on him a lot, and he came through. He had big shoes to fill after the loss of Fred Dale, and he exceeded expectations this season, completely replacing Dale’s production.
Now, many argue that MVPs need to lead their teams to the playoffs, and while that’s usually the case, it’s not a requirement. Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, and Bryce Harper have all won MLB MVP awards in the last decade despite missing out on the playoffs. Connor McDavid, who’s regarded as the best hockey player in the world and has won several NHL MVPs in the last 10 years, plays for a terrible Edmonton Oilers team. Yes, team success plays a factor, but missing out on the playoffs should not prevent Gephart from winning the award.
Additionally, Brady’s importance extends far past the playing field. He’s a team captain, and unquestionably the leader of the locker room. It’s these intangibles that truly make Gephart so valuable to the Trojans. “He coaches [the younger kids] up just like he coaches up the [older] guys,” Coach Hatcher said. It’s almost like Brady is an on-field coach, an invaluable characteristic that helps the Trojans greatly.
“We wouldn’t be where we’re at right now if it wasn’t for [Brady]”
– Coach Hatcher
It’s not just Anderson’s coaches and players who know how great of a season Gephart had. KVUE’s Jeff Jones told me that “after looking at the stats, [he] can comfortably call [Brady] ‘one of the best players in the district'”. He described a particular play he remembered where Gephart dropped back and threw a bomb deep down the field that was “one of the best throws we saw all season”. It “was one of those perfect deep balls that drops out of the sky right where it’s supposed to,” Jones said. He also called Brady “calm, poised, and in charge” in regards to the Taco Shack Bowl he was at for KVUEs game of the week.
He might lose out on district MVP to someone like Jack Tyndall who rushed for 1400 yards for Dripping Springs this year, but at the very least, he deserves serious consideration for the award. He dominates every other quarterback in the district through the air and I’d venture to call him one of the best leaders in the state. No single player is more valuable to their team than he is to Anderson. It’s time we stop overlooking Brady Gephart.
