- December 22, 2024
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Dr. Phillips High football coach Rodney Wells knows ball; he has been around the game for more than 30 years.
As a player in the 1990s, he led the Panthers’ defense as an All-State linebacker before earning a scholarship to play at Syracuse University. Wells returned to his alma mater in 2005 to become the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, and in 2011, he was promoted to head coach.
Given his experience — and the fact that he’s the most successful football coach in West Orange and Southwest Orange — when he makes a statement about high school football, you should probably shut up, listen and assume he is correct.
This is one of those moments.
This is what Wells said about his 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior starting quarterback, Stanley Anderson-Lofton.
“He can do it all,” Wells said. “Stanley’s the best quarterback in Central Florida, because he can beat you with his feet, which we hadn’t really done yet. … He can make every single throw on the field. His intelligence is off the charts, and as he’s maturated in this offense, that he’s been in since ninth grade, he’s mastered it. He knows every part of it, knows where everybody should be at all times.”
It was clear at a young age Anderson-Lofton had the “it” factor quarterbacks need to be special. As he’s developed, both mentally and physically, Anderson-Lofton has been at the center of Dr. Phillips’ resurgence to being the championship-caliber team Panther Nation is used to seeing take the field at Bill Spoone Stadium.
“He came in with the confidence you need to be great; he’s had that since ninth grade,” Wells said. “But the biggest thing he’s done that’s improved his game is how he’s developed physically and mentally. … When he first got here, he was short and stubby, and now he’s 6-foot-2 and has a six-pack. That’s a perfect example of the effort he puts into his game. From working out with the track team to playing basketball, he’s been committed to developing his body and improving his conditioning.”
From Anderson-Lofton’s perspective, the effort he put into developing physically is only matched by the time he devoted to growing his knowledge of the game.
“I feel like I’ve developed a lot when it comes to understanding defenses, understanding what they’re trying to do,” he said. “I feel like early on that really slowed my game down. I was out there as a kid just playing football, not really thinking much about the game. But as I got older, I began to understand football is more than just going out there and playing. There are so many details I’ve learned when it comes to the game that’s helped me get better. Stuff like understanding the defense’s assignments and reads or understanding situations; like third and long, third and short, whatever it is. That mental side of the game has helped me understand what I need to do in every moment to help my team win.”
Wells also has seen that mental growth from his starting quarterback.
“His command and understanding of the offense is as high as it’s ever been, and it continues to get better and better every week,” Wells said. “He’s quicker with the ball now, he knows what the defense is doing, what the offense is doing. He knows where his first, second and third reads are and when to run and not to run. Those are things he struggled with as a freshman and sophomore — reading the defensive and knowing where he should go with the ball and when. I recently talked to a coach who was like, ‘Man, I was watching Stanley, and he just makes it look easy.’ I just told him that this only comes with growth and experience, because it’s not easy.”
After finishing 7-5 last season and being the last area team standing, coming into this season — with Anderson-Lofton returning for his third season as the starter, most of its offensive line returning and a plethora of weapons, both old and new, for Anderson-Lofton to get the ball too — the expectations were sky high for the Panthers.
As usual, those expectations fall most heavily on the shoulders of QB1.
However, thanks to the combination of Anderson-Lofton’s physical and mental development, which not only has earned him various scholarship offers (he’s currently committed to play college ball at Middle Tennessee) but also helped DP meet those lofty expectations and get off to a rolling start this season.
“I feel like I’m a better all-around quarterback,” Anderson-Lofton said. “I don’t think my game has changed much, it’s just improved exponentially. I feel like the things I can do now you don’t see everywhere. That comes from having full confidence in myself and the understanding that I’ve trained for these moments. I know I can do it. And seeing it play out on the field and experience that growth and to have that confidence, it’s a big thing. It feels like the real me is here now, and I only want to keep getting better.”
One factor probably giving Anderson-Lofton all that confidence is the Panthers’ 6-0 record going into Week Nine of the season, but to keep the train rolling, DP needs its quarterback to continue to be the leader he’s grown into.
“He’s contagious,” Wells said. “He has a great attitude. He gets the job done in the classroom; he has almost a 4.0 GPA. Everything he does is positive, from the locker (room) to around the campus. … He’s what you want in a leader: He’s somebody who’s fierce and relaxed at the same time. (At Syracuse) I played with (Philadelphia Eagles great) Donovan McNabb, and he expected more from everybody. He would go and pick up the offense or the defense, it didn’t matter. He would come into our defensive meetings to get after us. But then, in moments where the coaches would just tear into the team, McNabb was ready with a joke right after to lighten the room.
“That’s kind of how Stanley is,” he said. “He keeps everybody loose when they need it, and he keeps everybody straight when it’s needed. I tell him, though, that he needs to get on his teammates’ (case) a little bit more here and there. But, like I said, his attitude and what he brings to the table is contagious.”
When asked about his leadership style, it’s easy to see why Anderson-Lofton’s positive attitude is so contagious among his team.
“I just try to lead by example,” he said. “There’s a lot of young men out here, and with that comes a whole lot of testosterone and immaturity. Sometimes, the younger guys don’t want to listen to what you’re saying unless you show them that you’re doing it. So, I just show my guys that I’m doing it, and if I can do it, anybody can do anything.
“That’s my whole approach: I’m going to show you myself that we can do everything we need to do as a team,” Anderson-Lofton said. “Leading by example also means taking full responsibility, not partial responsibility, in the moments where I mess up. I have to take responsibility for those mistakes, because if I can’t be held accountable, I can’t expect the same from my teammates. So, I need to help them understand it’s their job to take responsibility, too, and if they don’t, we’re going to get on them for it, as they need to be getting on me if I don’t own my mistakes.”
With the best quarterback in Central Florida, whose leadership style reminds his coach of McNabb, the expectation Wells has for his QB is simple: Go lead us to a state championship.
“I just want him to go out there and be great,” Wells said. “Every time we’ve had a great quarterback here at DP, we’ve gotten to the state championship and won it. That just shows how quarterback play is everything in this game, because they touch the ball every play. To me, the biggest thing is not turning the ball over. You have to have sustained drives. You have to make the right play at the right time, and you cannot force things. That’s what young quarterbacks do; they tend to force things and get in trouble. When you have an older guy like Stanley, he understands that we can punt … because then we’ll get the ball back and you can score. So, if he can do those things that I know he can do — like not turn the ball over, continue to lead the boys, make plays when they need to be made — it’s going to be a great playoff for us.”
Anderson-Lofton is excited about the opportunity to lead this team on a state title run and leave his mark on the storied program.
“It means a lot to have this opportunity,” he said. “I’m very excited for the rest of this season and the chance to establish a legacy here. DP is known for being the best of the best … and for me to have my own legacy here by leading this team to a title is something I’m really excited about. I couldn’t be happier to be here, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
