ANDERSON TACKLED HIMSELF; PALMDALE'S STAR BACK RUINED OPPORTUNITIES.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer There was a time when talk of Palmdale High football always started with running back Jason Anderson
As the 1997 football season progressed, Anderson's stock (several Pacific-10 campuses were interested) plummeted, so much so that by midseason he was splitting time with Shaun Perez at tailback tail·back n. Football The back on an offensive team who lines up farthest from the line of scrimmage. tailback Noun Brit a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction . Teammates and coaches tired of Anderson's selfish attitude and complaints about the blocking. And there were difficulties with academics. Anderson said he scored 600 on the SAT, which is below the NCAA's Division I standard. ``It was a very hard time for me,'' Anderson said recently while preparing for tonight's High Desert All-Star Football Game. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Palmdale High. ``All I could do was stress out about making it to college and passing the SAT. It was so hard to stay focused.'' Anderson, 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and blessed with 4.4 speed, started the season as one of the area's top recruits, having rushed for 2,271 in his first two varsity seasons. He solidified so·lid·i·fy v. so·lid·i·fied, so·lid·i·fy·ing, so·lid·i·fies v.tr. 1. To make solid, compact, or hard. 2. To make strong or united. v.intr. his status with 127 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener. After a solid second game, Anderson slumped. In the next four games he managed 158 yards on 52 carries. ``Teams started keying on me, so every time I got the ball I couldn't go anywhere,'' he said. ``There was nowhere to run.'' Palmdale coach Jeff Williams For the poker player, see . For the physician, see . For the astronaut, see . Jeff Williams (born June 6, 1972 in Canberra) is an Australian-born, left-handed pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. cut back Anderson's carries - against Lancaster, Perez outrushed him 211 to 58 - but remained supportive. Williams knew that Anderson, whose repertoire of open-field moves most teenage running backs have never even contemplated, would come around. But Anderson had no grasp of team concepts, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Williams. ``I think Jason learned a valuable lesson,'' Williams said. ``He couldn't do it all by himself. He has to do his job and 10 others have to do their job to be successful. He had to stop second-guessing himself. It became a confidence thing.'' Teammate Nick Carrillo, an All-Golden League lineman, suggested Anderson became too confident. ``I think of Jason started thinking he could just go half-speed,'' Carrillo said. ``He needed to wake up and realize this was his senior year, and it was time to show how good he really was.'' Anderson did wake up. He rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns against Quartz Hill, followed by 256 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win over rival Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley . In the regular season finale, Anderson gained 200 more yards on 28 carries in a win over Highland. His season ended two weeks later in a 28-6 Division II quarterfinal quar·ter·fi·nal adj. Of or relating to one of four competitions in a tournament, whose winners go on to play in semifinal competitions. n. 1. quarterfinals A quarterfinal round. 2. A quarterfinal match. playoff play·off also play-off n. Sports 1. A final game or series of games played to break a tie. 2. A series of games played to determine a championship. Noun 1. loss to Hart. Anderson finished with 1,321 yards (6.7 avg.) and 11 TDs. A solid season but not one that would secure a scholarship. Anderson has spent the last six months to contemplate what could have been. Lessons? ``I learned not to go off on my teammates if I'm not doing well,'' Anderson said. ``Also, I learned to keep my mind on the game.'' Carrillo says Anderson's performance against Antelope Valley proved the running back thrived on motivation. ``I think Jason just exploded ex·plode v. ex·plod·ed, ex·plod·ing, ex·plodes v.intr. 1. To release mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy by the sudden production of gases in a confined space: against AV,'' Carrillo said. ``He got mad. They were taunting him and that's when he really started to play. He was running so hard because he was so fired up. Against Antelope Valley, Jason was our most valuable player. If it wasn't for him, we would have lost.'' Anderson will play football at Langston University History Langston University is named for John Mercer Langston (1829-1897), civil rights pioneer, first African American member of Congress from Virginia, founder of the Howard University Law School, and American consul-general to Haiti. in Oklahoma, a low-profile NAIA NAIA abbr. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes program that won just one game last year while averaging 2,200 fans. Langston granted Anderson a half-scholarship for one year. Anderson says Langston coach Ted Alexander and his staff (which includes ex-Palmdale assistant James Harding James Harding (1838 – 13 November 1864) was a pastoralist and explorer in colonial Western Australia. While exploring in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1864, he was murdered by Australian Aborigines. ) promised he would ``start and not sit on the bench.'' Langston is a far cry from the Pac-10. But Anderson vows to make the most of the opportunity despite having his attitude questioned again. In late April, Anderson was kicked off the track team by Williams for missing practices - he was a returning Golden League champion in the 100 and 200 meters. ``For Jason, football is different than track,'' Williams said. ``Track is more for individuals and Jason likes structure. That's why he excels so much in football. He's learned he can't do it alone. That's why I think Langston got the steal of the year.'' JASON ANDERSON FILE Anderson will start in the High Desert all-star football game tonight at 7 at Palmdale High SCHOOL: Palmdale High HT/WT: 6-1, 200 pounds POSITION: Tailback STATS: 1,321 yards, 6.7 avg., 11 TDs in 1997; career 3,592 yards, 7.1 avg., 34 TDs FAST FACT: State single-game record 57.3 yards per carry (229 yards, four carries) as a Monroe sophomore vs. Reseda on Nov. 3, 1995. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box PHOTO (1--2) Palmdale High's Jason Anderson will play in the High Desert All-Star game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games . Hans Gutknecht/Daily News BOX: JASON ANDERSON FILE (see text) |
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