Anderson’s sting felt on both sides
Braylan Anderson was at a loss for words. All he could do was laugh.
The Hazen junior running back was named the Most Valuable Player in Friday’s Class 2A state championship game where the Hornets defeated Carlisle 44-6 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock thanks to Anderson’s three rushing touchdowns.
“I’ve been working for this all year,” Anderson said. “We know how hard they work. They work just as hard as us. We just had to practice hard all week, stay focused and take care of business.”
Anderson broke an early 6-6 tie when he jump-cut past a Carlisle defender and ran down the right sideline for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 12-6.
Anderson rushed seven times for 134 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards per rush in large part due to the open holes made by his offensive line.
“I knew I was gone. I knew once I [saw the hole],” Anderson said. “All credit to my linemen, you know, they work hard, just as hard as us skill players.”
For as much as Anderson did to score points for Hazen, he was equally responsible for Carlisle’s inability to match.
On Carlisle’s next drive, Anderson forced a fumble and Hazen took over at its 31-yard line. Hazen quarterback Luke King turned that into a touchdown seven plays later with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Justin Schlenker to make it 18-6.
On the ensuing Carlisle drive, Anderson struck once again. He stripped Carlisle’s Jason Sullivan to give Hazen the ball back 1:24 after its last touchdown. Anderson rushed 9 yards to end that series with a touchdown, making it 24-6 in favor of the Hornets.
On defense, Anderson and Hazen forced six turnovers.
“That’s big when you play a team like Carlisle who can take that ball and just drive it down your throat,” Hazen Coach Joe Besancon said. “You’ve got to create opportunities. And our defense did a really good job of forcing some turnovers, and then offensively we were able to turn those into points.”
Anderson was responsible for 7 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 1 tackle for loss at outside linebacker. He combined with Collin Kee on the outside for 21 tackles.
The Hazen defense forced a turnover on downs on Carlisle’s first drive of the second half. On the next play, Anderson rushed 67 yards untouched for a score to make it 38-6.
“That dude is a beast. He’s a beast,” King said. “He’s quick. He’s fast. It’s hard to stop him. He’s very good.”
“Braylan is special,” Besancon said. “You look at him and you say, ‘Hey, no way that guy can do that,’ but he can run, he can see the field, he’s as strong as can be. In the playoffs, he really picked it up. He’s been a big key to our success all year.”