Football: Eric Anderson thrilled to have opportunity to be the next head coach at Oakcrest

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher When rumors began to swirl that Mainland Regional football coach Bob Coffey might be retiring at the end of the 2015 season, Oakcrest assistant coach Eric Anderson’s ears perked up. He knew that the Falcons’ head coach, Chuck Smith, who is a teacher at Mainland, likely would apply for the Mustangs’ job, leaving a void atop the Oakcrest coaching tree. The scenario played out, as Coffey retired and Smith was named the new Mustangs coach early in the offseason. And now, after serving as an Oakcrest assistant for 14 years, Anderson is the man in charge. His nomination as the next Falcons head coach was approved by the board of education in February, and now Anderson — who also is the head coach of the Oakcrest winter track team — must get to work on building upon the recent success Oakcrest enjoyed under coach Smith. “It’s exciting. It’s a welcome challenge, and I’m just trying to get all my ducks in a row. Equipment is getting refinished and ordered and we’re just trying to get the kids out to the weight room and involved in spring sports, keep them busy and get their grades right,” said Anderson, who said he spoke with Oakcrest Athletic Director Dave Bennett as soon as Smith announced he was stepping down. “I was on the phone with Dave the same day. It was definitely something I wanted,” Anderson said. Anderson played his high school ball at Holy Spirit, and grew up the son of a football coach. His dad, Ron, coached at Pleasantville in the 1970s and 80s, and Anderson said he spent a good portion of his youth hanging around coaches meetings. “I always watched his meetings and picked his brain. I was always into football, like every other kid. It’s in my blood,” Anderson said. “I’d always see the coaches meeting and talking, they’d have the typewriters going, the film projectors and all of that. It was all part of my growing up experience.” Anderson said he was stressed in the weeks leading up to the announcement of his promotion, and was filled with a sense of relief once he found out he had gotten the job. “Dave pulled me into the office to tell me. I was kind of speechless at first,” Anderson said. “I was more relieved because I was just waiting and waiting, couldn’t sleep, I was stressing about it. So it was a big weight being lifted off my chest, and I had a great night of sleep that night. (My wife, Cynthia) was happy. It was a relaxing time for us.” Anderson, who served as Smith’s right-hand man in running the offense for the past six years, is well-liked by the Oakcrest players, and he feels his rapport with the players will play a big role as he transitions from assistant to head coach. “The kids are really happy, and I think that’s the coolest thing. I’m the guy that they wanted, and to be able to say that I’m that guy and have them excited to get to work every day, I think that’s the coolest thing,” he said. Anderson said that his experience as a head coach in winter track will help, but he realizes that’s not the same thing as being a school’s head football coach. Eric Anderson will be the head football coach at Oakcrest next fall after serving as an assistant for many years under Chuck Smith, who left to become head coach at Mainland. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “I’ve been a head coach for eight years in winter track. It’s a totally different sport, but I’ve dealt with parents, I’ve had to go to NJSIAA meetings. The paperwork is easy enough, I’m already familiar with how the budget system works here. I welcome the challenge (for football). It’s something new, and it’s something I’ll take day by day,” Anderson said. “You always take bits and pieces from guys you have coached under, different people you’ve met along the way and crossed paths with. I’ll definitely incorporate things I’ve learned under (coach Smith) as well as previous coaches, and bring in stuff that is different. I’m a players’ coach, so I’ll try to coach them hard and then love them, that’s what I bring to the table.” Oakcrest went through a couple of lean seasons when Cedar Creek opened five years ago, as players who normally would have gone to Oakcrest now were attending a brand new high school. But the Falcons have made the playoffs the last two seasons as players such as Terrence Smith, Kendall Elliott and Yaier Hinton have flourished. Hinton, a tough linebacker, and Elliott, a big, mobile quarterback, return next fall, but Anderson will have to find a way to make up for the loss of Smith, who graduates this spring. Smith is the school’s all-time leading rusher with more than 2,000 career yards, and is Oakcrest’s all-time touchdowns leader. Anderson said his philosophy going forward will be a combination of old-school, hard-hitting football and new age formations where he can maximize Elliot’s talents. “I love the old school stuff, but I’d consider myself a little bit unconventional. I’m not afraid to take that risk, to go for it on fourth down or throw in a crazy formation here or there when people don’t expect it,” Anderson said. “I like to keep people guessing. I don’t like to be predictable. One game it might be this, another game it might be that.” He’s also coaching in a time when there are a lot of distractions for teenage athletes, such as social media, which is something all coaches have to deal with. But, technology also has its advantages. A computer program called Hudl is in use by most high school teams these days, and it allows players to watch film anywhere and anytime, right on their smartphones. “It’s the same stuff we deal with as teachers with social media. You really have to keep reminding kids not to put stuff out there. It’s the old adage, don’t give anybody any more billboard material than they need, watch what you say and post. Hopefully, that’s stuff they are getting educated about every day, but you have to keep reminding them to be smart. Social media is a great tool, but if you abuse it, it can come back to bite you,” Anderson said. “We use Hudl here and it’s a great tool for not only watching film, but kids can pull a play off of it and put it on their highlight tape and get it right out to coaches. It’s awesome.” For now, Anderson said his main priority is keeping the players focused. He wants them to get involved n spring sports as much as possible, and also hit the books as hard as they hit their training. “I’m ready for it. I’m starting to plan now, the calendar is almost done. The whistle has always been around my neck, just waiting for the next date on the calendar,” Anderson said. “We just have to keep the kids focused on school and to finish out the year. I try to get the kids involved in as many sports as possible, because I’m a big advocate of competition. Don’t sit home and do nothing, get out there and compete. Join a team, lacrosse, track, baseball. Do something. “I have to keep them focused, and that’s the biggest thing right now. Keeping them focused and keeping their grades up so they can be eligible to play football. Anytime you lose the school’s all-time leading rusher and touchdown scorer, that’s never a good thing, but we do have a lot of talent on this team and I’m glad I have the keys to the car. I’m ready to test drive it.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]