Dan MohrmannWhen The Classical Academy football team hits the practice field, it’s hard to not notice the 6-foot-5, 190-pound athlete roaming the field.
He has the stature and the poise of someone who looks like he should be sitting in a pocket and picking apart opposing defenses.
But he just kicks.
He looks like he could sling the ball down the field and rack up some of the most impressive passing numbers in all of Class 2A.
But nah, he just kicks the ball.
Anders Carlson isn’t just a member of the Titans’ special team unit, he’s what makes it one of the most feared units in the entire Tri-Peaks League.
“I grew up playing soccer,” Carlson said. “I never really understood football until I played in eighth grade. Obviously, I kicked there. I played some receiver too, but it’s something about the ball and my foot. There’s always been a good connection, a big pop.”
It’s a very big pop.
While his teammates are busy going through offensive and defensive drills, he’s working on his kicking technique and then setting up for practice field goals in excess of 50, 60 and even sometimes 70 yards.
He’s just waiting for the right moment in a game when he can get a chance to boot one that will break the state record of 67 yards.
“It’s a cool opportunity, getting deep looks like that,” he said. “Even my coach trusting me with one of those is just so special.”
Carlson has already committed to Auburn where he’ll look to succeed a very familiar face. His older brother, Daniel, is in his junior year with the Tigers and is also a TCA grad.
Carlson, who will play in the Under Armour All-American game, will follow the path that his big brother took and assuming that he redshirts for his freshman year, he’ll step in just as Daniel heads out for a hopeful career in the NFL.
“They’re different,” Titans special teams coordinator Chris Caughlin said. “They grew differently, they’re different types of athletes. Obviously we were hoping for big things from (Anders), but we tried to treat him as an individual as much as possible.”
Same with his parents and even his brother. None of them pushed Carlson to commit to Auburn, but just seeing the atmosphere led him to make that decision on his own.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Which means an SEC-level kicker routinely boots field goals in the Colorado Springs area. That’s on top earning first-team all-state honors in boys soccer as a sophomore and second-team honors as a junior.
But he opted to just focus on football this season. Caughlin said that was a plan that was formulated in Aug. 2015. The focus for this season was just to be on football and the results have paid off.
The Titans are currently the No. 2 ranked team in the 2A CHSAANow.com poll. And as they’ve played well, they’ve continued to give Carlson the opportunity to hit field goals from distances that even surprise his holder.
“That happens a lot,” Titans senior Sawyer Weeks said. “We’ve lined up for kicks beyond 50 yards more than three or four times. We line up and I tell him, ‘Well Anders, I believe in you.'”
And he should.
Carlson did get a chance to try for a 75-yard free kick field goal, but it was no good. He’s happy to keep trying those, but with the postseason rapidly approaching, he would much rather get a 20-yard chip shot to ensure a win.
“It’s definitely winding down where every kick is really important right now,” he said. “I say to myself that I need to concentrate 100 percent and do my job.”
As much as it looks like his job should be driving the offense down the field, it’s really all about the leg.
As one of the most athletic looking kids on the field, his job is to just kick.