High School Football Player of the Week: Blake Anderson is Fountain Valley’s big-play guy
Chris Anderson didn’t know a whole lot about Blake Anderson when he took charge of Fountain Valley’s football program in January, but he quickly discovered the senior wide receiver would be one of the foundations of his first Barons team.
Blake Anderson had seen action as a junior, catching 18 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns, but he was in no way the go-to guy for a 5-6 squad that won one Sunset League game but qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the second straight season.
“I had seen him [last year], but he wasn’t one of their primary guys,” said Chris Anderson, who was Corona del Mar’s offensive line coach in 2018 after eight years on Jeff Brinkley’s staff at Newport Harbor. “He wasn’t someone that I knew a lot about, but when I got on campus and started meeting with the kids, you start asking around who are some guys coming back, and his name’s definitely up there.”
Then Anderson, in his first head-coaching job, started working with the 6-foot-4, 175-pound receiver. He knew he had something special.
“When a new staff comes in, there’s a mental aspect to learning a new offense and kind of understanding what you’re being asked to do and what your role’s to be,” he said. “But the thing with Blake is he’s a student of the game. He’s one of the guys that picked up the offense from day one.
“He’s a smart kid. He understands concepts. We talk to our kids all the time: If you can understand the big picture, and not just one specific area, it makes it a lot easier for you to understand what your role is and where you should be on a given play. He’s got that ability, that mind. He knows what we’re trying to accomplish and what his role is.”
Friday’s results involving Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach, Newport Harbor, Huntington Beach and Edison.
Blake Anderson’s role? He’s the Barons’ big-play guy, and he showed that off handsomely in a 42-6 rout over Agoura at Huntington Beach High on Sept. 20, catching eight passes from quarterback Jimmy Russell for 160 yards and four touchdowns.
“We want to run the ball to open up our passing game, and our tailback [Tanner Ciok] has had a lot of success the last few weeks,” Chris Anderson said. “Teams have started loading the box against us, which has allowed Blake to get more one-on-one opportunities on the outside, and he did a great job of making some plays and breaking some tackles.
“He’s our playmaker. He’s the guy we’re going to go to when we need a first down, and last week the results speak for themselves. To see him finally have that kind of breakout game was exciting.”
For Blake Anderson, it was something special.
“It was a big accomplishment,” he said. “Going from having only two touchdowns last year to going into one game and doubling that? It was just, like, ‘Wow!’ Nothing more than I dreamed about.”
It ought not have been a surprise. He’s been spectacular from the 27-13 opening-game loss at Elsinore, in which he caught eight passes for 126 yards. Two weeks later, in a 40-7 rout over Woodbridge, he snagged eight balls for 197 yards and two TDs.
Anderson has 32 receptions in the first five games, has scored eight touchdowns, and his 590 yards are third-best in Orange County, behind Caleb Peterson’s 764 for Aliso Niguel and Caine Savage’s 647 for Western.
“He’s a great route-runner,” Chris Anderson said. “He understands how to leverage a defender in space and use his body to position himself to get open, and he’s got great hands.”
Blake Anderson envisioned all of this. He was confident in his abilities, and “could tell this was definitely going to be a great year” during offseason workouts. He was ready for big responsibilities.
“I see my role as the guy on offense that it can come down to at the end to make a big play or score or get the first down,” he said. “Compared to last year, when I was just maybe the guy they threw it to [on occasion]. ... [I put great] commitment into working. My speed and my hands have gotten better, and I feel like I’m so much smarter in the game. I know how to read things, so I’ve definitely become better every game.”
He wishes he could see a little time on defense. He intercepted two passes (along with a TD reception on offense) when he got a start at defensive back in last year’s league finale against Newport Harbor, contributing mightily to the victory that got the Barons into the Division 8 playoffs.
“There are good parts [of playing only on offense], where, like, I get a break,” he said. “But there’s times where I think, ‘If you put me in on defense, I could make plays.’ Just because that’s who I am.”
Fountain Valley opened the season with losses to two ranked teams, but things have fallen into place in romps over Woodbridge, South Gate and now Agoura. The Barons are in their bye week ahead of the Oct. 4 Sunset League opener against a revitalized Newport Harbor team that’s ranked third in Division 9.
“Three wins in a row, big blowouts,” Anderson said. “It’s a huge confidence boost, especially going into league. Our league is very hard, so [these wins] give back to the team. ... Just watch out. Don’t underestimate us.”
Blake Anderson
Born: Aug. 8, 2002
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 6 feet 4
Weight: 175 pounds
Sport: Football
Year: Senior
Coach: Chris Anderson
Favorite food: Buffalo wings
Favorite movie: “Waterboy”
Favorite athletic moment: Catching four touchdown passes in Fountain Valley’s 42-6 win over Agoura.
Week in review: Anderson caught eight passes for 160 yards and four touchdowns — covering 23, 24, 27 and 51 yards — to lead Fountain Valley to its third successive blowout victory, a 42-6 win on Sept. 20 over Agoura at Huntington Beach High.
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