Owls breakthrough in Danbury

DANBURY - The Anderson-Shiro Fighting Owls notched their first victory of the season defeating the Danbury Panthers 12-9 Friday, Sept. 2, on the road.  

Sophomore Connor Daley took the reins for the Owl Offense, while junior Jordan Coronado played tight end and defense to start the game. The Owls (1-1) took their first lead of the season on a 92-yard drive. It was capped by a touchdown run by Daley over the right side.  

Daley worked the first half maneuvering the Owls down the field on numerous drives. Fans could see the young Owls building confidence, gaining momentum and beginning to flex their wings with every play. 

Late in the second quarter, Danbury utilized a short field to score and take a slim 7-6 lead into halftime. 

Coronado took over at quarterback in a planned move to start the second half while Daley continued to be a key contributor at wideout and defensive back. We had a personnel situation where we had to shuffle the deck a little bit this week in order to put ourselves in the best possible position, “explained Anderson-Shiro Head Coach Brad Hodges. “Those two [Coronado and Daley] do not come off the field. We are blessed with two guys that can run the offense and play several other positions on both sides of the ball. They both do whatever is necessary for the team. Leadership like that is a good problem to have.”  

The Owl offense had a miscue on a fumble leading to a safety early in the third quarter, allowing Danbury to increase their lead, 9-6. Prior to the ensuing kickoff, a fired-up Hodges rallied the players on the sideline, challenging them to finish the game, and not let it slip away.  

The players responded with a resounding stop on defense. Anderson-Shiro’s defense continued to stuff the Panthers all night only allowing 103 yards of total offense. “We had some seniors step up in the face of adversity,” stated Hodges. “We needed that. It was the difference in the game. That gives our entire team confidence when they see our juniors and seniors get after it.”  

Owls took over and jammed the ball down the field on a few big plays. Coronado ran down the far sideline for 12 yards finalizing the score, 12-9. 

The Owls and their fans will get a break from the road this week. They will host the (1-0) Snook Bluejays at home Friday, Sept. 9. Hodges said the fans, band and cheer squads have been “Amazing, especially late in the games. That was a long, grueling drive through Houston traffic last week. We appreciated them, we needed them, and they made a difference late Friday night. We cannot wait to get home and play for them in Anderson!” Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.