Last Friday, the Trojans went on the road to Lockhart and defeated the Lions 57-14 for a decisive 7th victory on the season. The win secured the Trojans a spot in the playoffs and gave them their best record since 2010 when they went 9-1 in the regular season. To put that in perspective, the last time Anderson was this good, Toy Story 3 was the top-grossing movie of the year, Kesha’s “Tik Tok” was the Billboard 100’s top song (spending nine weeks at number one), and Barack Obama was just two years into his first term as president. Furthermore, not a single current Trojan had begun kindergarten yet.
Now, 14 years later, Anderson has returned to glory, scoring a school-record 441 points in just nine games! The high-powered offense is led by a pair of Division 1 commits, quarterback Max Gerlich and wideout Ed Small, who have been electric this fall. The duo has hooked up for 18 touchdowns this season and arguably is the best connection in Trojan football history. With just one week to go, Gerlich and Small top the 5A leaderboards for yards at their respective positions. Additionally, Max has thrown for 40 touchdowns on the season with just two interceptions, and Ed became Austin ISD’s all-time leading receiver earlier this year.
Outside of Gerlich and Small connecting for four scores against the Lions, Ben Hatcher also caught 3 passes for 134 and a touchdown, and Jay Fullmer was a workhorse, carrying the ball 27 times for 204 yards and 2 scores of his own.
Defensively, Gage Webb was outstanding, with over 20 tackles and a jaw-dropping interception against Lockhart. Webb was the Statesman’s Central Texas Player of the Week for his stellar performance and is now up to 100 tackles on the season, which is the most in the district and 9th best in all of 5A. His 10 sacks are also more than anyone else in the Trojans’ district and rank 5th among all 5A players. Junior Alex Longoria also had a big day with career highs in tackles (14) and passes defended (3), while Liam McMillian had 11 tackles and Hodges Smith had 10 including a big one for a safety.
Colin Haines also snagged an interception against the Lions, and if not for flags during the return, would’ve had an unbelievable pick 6. He’s up to a career-high 4 INTs on the season, good for second in the district and 12th in 5A. Furthermore, Haines now has 7 career interceptions and needs just one more to tie the career record for the Trojans.
On the third side of the ball, Ryan Ostboe has been lights out for Anderson. He’s a perfect 4-4 on field goals and has made 53 of his 54 extra-point tries thus far. Those 53 successful PATs rank 3rd most in 5A and 11th amongst all kickers across Texas.
Overall, it’s been the most successful season for the Trojans in ages, and the individual accolades will only continue to stack as the season wraps up. As a team, the Trojans have clinched the playoffs and will look to win a playoff game for the first time in 14 years, making for a special November for Anderson faithful.
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