Last year, the Anderson football team both exceeded expectations and underperformed.
After the first five games of the 2025 season, the Cubs held a 4-1 record, and it looked like they were on track for a playoff appearance. It was a team of experienced seniors that head coach PJ O’Connell called one of the most talented group of athletes he’s ever coached.
In the five games that followed, however, the Cubs posted a 1-4 record and finished the season 5-5.
It wasn’t the lack of talent that held the Cubs back, it was the lack of discipline.
“We started off hot, but if you can’t get quality practices in, if you can’t implement things as a coach, if you aren’t buying in culture-wise, that catches up to you,” O’Connell said. “We beat Etna 38-0. We had over 100 yards in penalties that game. In our final game against West Valley, we had 150 yards in unsportsmanlike and personal fouls alone.”
Last year was O’Connell’s first as Anderson’s varsity head coach, and restoring the program’s culture has been his top priority.
“The stuff that I’ve been seeding and the culture that I am trying to impart on these guys, it seems like everyone is buying in,” O’Connell said. “From what I’m feeling and hearing, it sounds like the community is buying in.”
O’Connell said summer participation jumped from fewer than 10 consistent attendees a year ago to around 30 this summer.
Running back Jagger Johnson, receiver Connor Bushey and lineman Bear Wilson are three of the most accomplished returners, and they’ll be leading the squad as captains in 2026.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Bushey said of his new leadership role with the team. “I’m planning on just taking that next step and trying to lead my guys to a winning season.”
Bushey is a talented multi-sport athlete with great hands out wide and an even better feel for the game. Bushey also experienced the self-inflicted wounds that prevented the Cubs from reaching their full potential.
“Last year, we had a lot of opportunities to do well on offense, but our penalties really messed us up,” Bushey said. “We’re going to lock down on that a lot this year and that will be a key factor.”
Johnson was an all-league honorable mention a year ago and one of the top returning running backs.
“I’m never really excited like this, but this year is something different,” Johnson said. “I think the (new players) are going to fit perfectly; we’re going to come out with a lot more enthusiasm and we’re going to stick with it.”
Johnson recorded 478 rushing yards, 395 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a junior. He’s expected to be one of Anderson’s primary weapons on both sides of the ball as a senior.
Junior Ivan Ramirez was the junior varsity quarterback a year ago, and he’s expected to slide right into the starting varsity spot.
“We have great chemistry,” Bushey said of himself and Ramirez. “His throwing is on point, and he has a great arm. Me and him, we’re going to be pretty dialed in this season.”
Outside of the few returners and those that saw playing time on JV, many players on the Cubs roster are inexperienced.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids, a lot of new football players that have quite literally never played the game before, but they’re hard workers; very disciplined,” O’Connell said. “I’m not saying we lack in talent, because we have plenty of talent. What they lack in football knowledge, they’ll make up for because they’re very coachable.”
It might take some time for the Cubs to hit their stride. There are a lot of moving parts and question marks, some of which might not get answered until midseason.
The shift in personnel will also impact the team’s scheme. The Cubs relied on their passing game all throughout the 2025 season, but behind Johnson, the team will likely switch to a run-heavy offense.
As Ramirez continues to get more comfortable in the starting quarterback role, the passing game will only evolve.
“We have a group that might struggle early on,” O’Connell said. “Maybe we pick it up by Week 1, but I see us playing our best football Weeks 7, 8, 9, 10 going into playoffs.”
Every team wants to win games. The Cubs have their eyes on a Northern Athletic League title, but they don’t want to lose sight of what it takes to get there.
“If we don’t have a successful season as far as wins and losses, but our last game and our last practices are the best practices and games we’ve had all season long, and we showed some kind of progress, and my kids have 4.0s and everybody is talking about how great they are in the classroom, and everybody around town is talking about how great they are in the community,” O’Connell said. “That’s ultimately what we’re trying to do.”
The Cubs open their season at home against Ferndale on Friday, Aug. 28. They’ll kick off Northern Athletic League play at West Valley on Oct. 9.
“All I come out here to do is just play and try to win,” Bushey said. “I think we’re going to beat teams that people aren’t going to believe we’re going to be able to beat; I think we’re going to do a lot better than what a lot of people think.”
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Anderson football embracing culture shift entering 2026
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
