Redskins Win Division II State Championship

The Anderson Redskins brought home the school's first ever Team State Championship on Friday as they defeated the Louisville Leopards 31-25 in the State Football Championship. The Road to State was paved with hard work and determination by the team and included the FAVC Buckeye Division Title as well at the Region 8 Championship.

The Final Game was played at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Ohio in front of more than 11,000 spectators. The Redskins came out of the locker room focused and ready to play ball. They scored their first touchdown of the game in less than 2 minutes and demonstrated the same goal-oriented focus that had gotten them here until the end of the game.

Daniel Rod connected with Nick Truesdell on a 57 yard passing play to give the Redskins a 7-0 early lead. The defense demonstrated the same intensity as they took the field. Nick Aylward recoved a QB fumble giving the "O" good field position on which they capitalized. Once again, Rod connected with Truesdell on a 28 yard pass to give the Skins the early 14-0 lead.

The Redskins "D" stood out in the 2nd quarter. Nick Aylward was able to stop an impressive Louisville drive when he intercepted the ball on the 4 yard line. Kyle Nelson made a diving catch with 4:30 to go in the half to pick up the 2nd interception of the quarter - giving the Skins good field position. Daniel Rod lead the team to its 3rd touchdown of the night as he ran the ball into the endzone to give the Skins a 21-0 lead. Louisville quickly and firmly answered this TD making the score 21-7 with only a minute to play in the half. A minute and a determined Redskin team can only lead to more points on the board. The Redskins made us of the time remaining and a 44 yard kick-off return by Nick Truesdell when John Howard kicked a field goal as time expired in the half to give the Redskins a 24-7 halftime lead.

The 3rd quarter was much less eventful with both teams exchanging defensive stands and possessions. Louisville was able to cut into the lead late in the quarter when they scored a TD but missed the PAT. With the score now 24-13, the Redskins knew they must remain focused.

The 4th quarter remained a defensive battle until the last 3 minutes. Louisville was able to sustain an 80 yard drive and put the ball into the end zone with 2:57 to play. A failed 2-point conversion left the Redskins with a 5 point margin. This was not sufficient for the Skins and on their first play from scrimmage, Elijah Storey broke through for a 67 yard touchdown run that gave the Redskins a 31-19 lead with 2:44 to play. The ever-determined Leopards passed the ball down the field for their final TD of the night with only 0:20 to play making the score 31-25. Prepared for the onside kick, the Redskins coaching staff put the hands team on the field and the crowd roared when Justin Racer drove on the skidding football insuring a Redskin State Championship. The final play from scrimmage occurred when Daniel Rod took a knee and secured the Redskin Victory.

Congratulations to the players, coaches, parents, family, fans, friends, and alumni who all contributed to this UNBELIEVABLE year. The hard work, focus, dedication, and genuine teamwork of these boys is to be commended. The talent and teaching ability of the coaching staff has taken this team far beyond expectations. Forever, they'll be in the record books at Anderson High School, and the State Championship Banner will be proudly hung to denote this significant accomplishment. Well done, gentlemen!

Go Redskins!

Playoff Team Thanks
The Football Moms would like to say THANKS to LaRosa's for providing the Redskins with a Team Dinner to help them prepare for the Regional Finals. They would ike to thank Big Apple Bagels and Beacon Food Mart for providing sandwiches for them at their State Semifinal Game. They would also like to thank Panera, First Watch, and Servati's for their donations for the State Finals. Thanks, LaRosas, Big Apple, Beacon, Panera, First Watch, and Servatis!

Viewing Times for Redskin Review

The Anderson Redskin Review will be shown weekly on the Anderson Community Television Channel. The show airs on Channel 18 on Saturday at 5:00 PM and Sunday at 4:00 PM and on Channel 15 on Friday at 11:00 PM and Monday at 10:00 PM. The Redskin Review is a weekly program that featurs a review of the prior week's game by Head Coach, Jeff Giesting. The program includes player highlights as well as comments from other coaches and special guests. The Redskin Football Game is shown immediately following the Redskin Review.