The Trojans are riding high on a 3 game winning streak as we head into the final stretch of the season after putting up 50+ points in back to back weeks. Hendrickson and Cedar Creek were just no match for Coach Hatcher and his team, as the Trojans dominated both games from start to finish, winning each by 30+ points.
Against Hendrickson, quarterback Max Gerlich went 21 of 31 for a career high 413 yards and tossed five touchdowns to zero interceptions. He was electric in his best game of the season thus far and it led to high outputs from everyone on the offense. Ed Small, who recently received 4 star status as a recruit, had one of the best games of his illustrious career with a career high 265 yards on 11 receptions and a trio of touchdown catches. As if that wasn’t enough already, Small ran in a score as well. Fellow senior Tristan Waidelich built on some fantastic recent performances with 5 catches for 90 yards and one TD and Ben Hatcher caught 3 balls for 27 yards as well. Additionally, running back Jay Fullmer is putting together a sensational sophomore campaign and added to it with 87 yards on the ground and a 31 yard receiving touchdown against the Hawks.
The defense looked stout as well, led by Gage Webb’s 16 tackles and Hodges Smith’s 14. Webb added onto his stat line with 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks as the Trojans did not struggle to put pressure on the quarterback. They managed 3 sacks and 7 pressures against the Hawks, helping the secondary to force several incompletions and a turnover. With 6 deflections, it was an excellent game for the defensive backs, with Alex Longoria, Jake Laibo, Liam McMillian, Grayson Lake, and Colin Haines all managing at least one. Haines also snatched an interception against the Hawks, showcasing the phenomenal ball skills we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the past 3 seasons. Kicker Ryan Ostboe nailed both of his field goals, including a 42 yard boot, and all 7 of his extra points, continuing a very efficient junior season for him.
Against the Eagles, the offense shined once again, putting up 59 points behind 4 touchdowns from Max Gerlich, and a pair of scores on the ground from Dominic Mays. Ed Small and Tristan Waidelich each caught a pair of touchdowns, and the Trojans put up over 400 yards of total offense in this one. Backup quarterback Mason Randolph also got some snaps, showing well in his second half action.
Calvin Ballinger led the Trojans with 11 tackles, followed closely behind by Webb’s 9 and McMillian’s 8. Anderson’s defense did an even better job of getting into the backfield in this one with 7.5 TFLs and 7(!) sacks. Webb, McMillian, Ballinger, Smith, Noah Saldivar, Willie Adkins, Zach Cecalak, and River Anderson all got home on the quarterback and made it a rough day for the Cedar Creek offense. The secondary knocked down 5 passes against the Eagles, and Smith and Saldivar each forced a fumble with big hits against Cedar Creek. Ostboe was perfect on all 8 of his extra point attempts, and split the uprights for a 33 yard field goal as he has yet to miss a kick this season.
Gerlich now leads the district in passing yards and is 3rd across all 5A passers in the state, while Small leads the district in Receiving yards and touchdowns. Additionally, Ed is second in 5A for yards, and 9th for touchdowns. With 3 games left, both of these guys will be key in getting Anderson to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, and will be up for numerous individual awards with their stellar performances all season.
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