Wayzata Football Head Coach Brad Anderson shared insights in a recent interview with Daniel Gustafson, discussing the team’s recent victory over Apple Valley and providing a brief preview of the upcoming match against Minneapolis North.
In the interview, Coach Anderson expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance against Apple Valley, highlighting the exceptional defensive play and the ability to adapt to lineup changes. He emphasized the significance of maintaining composure during challenging moments in the game, “The big thing is, they had a big play, we were up 16-0 and they made a big pass play, got back into it. We had a turnover on our next possession and that helped them a little bit and they pulled to within 2, 16-14. The thing I was most pleased about is that we didn’t panic, we didn’t lose our composure and continued to play hard at that point. Obviously, the two big plays right before half, the long pass to Cecil Doe and the fourth down play really gave us momentum going into half time. The fact that we didn’t get rattled when they came back on us was a positive thing I thought.“
When asked about areas for improvement, Coach Anderson noted the need to minimize penalties and turnovers, identifying these as ongoing areas of focus for the team. “Defensively, you just can’t ask for much more than what we did. I know we can always get better, perform a little bit better, we know that. You can’t really pick apart a game like that and be dissatisfied. Offensively, the fact that we fumbled the ball again, and before the punt return for the touchdown we gave up, we took a penalty on a third and medium situation where we had the first down but it got called back because of a penalty putting us in a tougher situation. We had to punt out of our zone and maybe would not have had to if we did not get that penalty. Not getting penalties in the key points of the game and not fumbling the ball, that is the two areas we are still working on.“
Reflecting on key plays and players from the Apple Valley game, Coach Anderson pointed out crucial moments, including a long catch by Cecil Doe and an interception returned for a touchdown by Jack Egan. He commended Garret Englehardt’s performance, highlighting his ability to make big plays and run the ball effectively. “To me the first key play was the long catch by Cecil [Doe] in the first half. I thought it was a pretty even first half, but getting him down the field deep, one on one was huge. I know there was some discussion, did the ball hit the ground or not, we couldn’t tell. Those are the types of plays, if your receivers in the area and makes the effort, we can make big plays. The second one, I would say is in the second half. They were trying to get something going, and we really finished the game off with interception by Jack Egan. I thought that was huge because not only did he pick the ball off, he returned it for a touchdown and that really ended any hopes they had of coming back. I thought both those plays were huge.“
Coach Anderson emphasized the team’s depth and versatility on offense, with multiple players capable of making impactful plays. He acknowledged the challenge of selecting receivers due to the abundance of talent but emphasized that all are considered primary receivers. “We really feel that we have 5 or 6 receivers that can make big plays. Sometimes that is a problem because you don’t know which when you want to go to. (laughing) What I tell the players is that when we design the pass routes so that they are really all primary receivers and it is just a matter of what the defense is going to do to defend us. They all have to be ready for the ball. Likewise, when we are running the ball, we have 3 really good running backs right now who are playing well. They know over the course of the season, it’s a physical game, and you take some hits, and some weeks one of them might be dinged up and not able to go as much. By having 5 running backs, by having 3 receivers, the tight end, the quarterback who can distribute the ball, it really opens up the play book for me as the offensive coordinator.“
“We were going to play Matt a couple of series, but Matt, when I went to him, he was real comfortable playing the slot receiver and chose to play there on the third series of each half. I thought they both played really well. The thing they have now is that John and Matt understand the team from a quarterback’s perspective, so even when Matt is playing slot receiver, John can look at him, look at the coverage, and know that Matt is thinking the same thing. We have been able to audible a couple of times, the last couple of weeks, make big plays, the big completions because they both understand the quarterback’s perspective. That allows us to not worry what the defense is play as far as coverage.“
Looking ahead to the Minneapolis North game, Coach Anderson highlighted the opponent’s athleticism and fast playstyle. He noted the potential impact of limited roster depth for Minneapolis North, particularly in managing both offensive and defensive roles.
Regarding injuries, Coach Anderson mentioned typical nicks and bruises but expressed optimism about recovering players returning to practice. “Grant Olson, missed most of the week of practice, and played. Once he got warmed up and got over the pain he was feeling he had a injury that a lot of guys would have sat out the game, but he played through it.“
On a unique note, Coach Anderson explained his decision to allow Star Tribune writer John Millea into the coaching booth to observe play calling. He cited trust in Millea’s discretion and a desire to provide insight into the complexity of high school football strategies. “I’ve know John for a couple of years. He has covered high school football, and I got to know him a little bit as a person. I have a lot of trust in him that he will use discretion with what he shares, I guess that’s the number one thing. He came to me and asked me what we thought of him doing an article like this, and I thought about it, and I said, you know, it might be interesting for people to see what happens behind the scenes. The number one reason I allowed it to happen was my trust in John.“
As Wayzata Football prepares to face Minneapolis North, Coach Anderson remains focused on continuous improvement and strategic gameplay. The upcoming game is scheduled for 7:00 PM at Wayzata High School on Friday, September 26th, with Coach Anderson anticipating a strong performance from the Trojans.
