Student-Athlete of the Week: Hagen Andersen

<strong>LOGAN—</strong> When Logan wide receiver Hagen Andersen went down with a torn ACL last year, his hopes of returning to field as he was before his injury were in doubt. The senior went through strenuous rehab in an effort to recover in time to play his final year of prep ball.

Andersen did everything that has been asked of him, and after missing the first few games of the season, his reward has been a complete comeback. He has returned to dominating the opposition and his 11 catches for 128 and two scores helped the Grizzlies survive a scare from Roy on Homecoming.

“I came back stronger than I was before,” Andersen said. “ I’ve been able to play and stay strong and haven’t noticed anything negative in my recovery.”

Logan head coach Mike Favero has been impressed with how quickly Andersen was able to come back and attributes that to his hard work ethic.

“He’s done a nice job fighting back from his injury to be a leader on this team,” Favero said. “His efforts to come back from rehab and play the way that he has, has been a huge example to our team.”

Through four games this year, Andersen has recorded five touchdowns and has amassed 306 yards on 24 receptions. He has been huge in the Grizzlies offensive arsenal and has made play after play since returning to the lineup.

“He is a returning starter and an All-Region guy for us, so obviously he plays a big role on our team,” Favero said. “He’s our best guy catching the ball in the air. The last play in the first half of the Roy game, that’s why we called his number. That’s one of his strengths. He made a great catch that gave us the lead and momentum going into halftime. Without that play, we probably wouldn’t have won the game.”

Andersen has been extremely important in Logan’s last few wins, specifically against Roy. In a great defensive battle between two high-powered offenses, Andersen caught a ball in back corner of the end zone from senior quarterback Luke Falk as time expired in the first half that helped propel Logan to the win.

“Big players need to make big plays in big games,” said Andersen, sounding a lot like his father, USU head coach Gary Andersen. “People expect you to do good things and when we do that, things come together and we win the game.”

Andersen has been there when his offense needs him most. When the game is on the line, Andersen wants the ball and his team knows that.

“We are getting used to playing with each other and we are trusting each other,” Andersen said. “We expect each other to do what their individual assignment is, and when we all execute in the right, good things come our way.”

Logan has been on an offensive surge lately, as they scored 52 points to spoil Sky View’s Homecoming last week. Andersen had a touchdown in that game as the Grizzlies piled it on in the second half.

“We just have lots of weapons this year. We have a big time quarterback that makes things a lot easier for us.” Andersen said. “We have a great offensive line that can’t be overlooked. You can’t really pick out one playmaker on this team. Everyone has to make a play and execute in order for everything to work and to go as planned. We have a powerful offense and we are going to come out and hit you in the face. “

Andersen and the Grizzlies offense are peaking at the right time. They are riding a six game winning streak going into a huge showdown with rival Mountain Crest and the confidence of the team is what’s carrying them to victories.

“We need to continue to play at this level.” Andersen said. “We are winding down the season and if we are doing to repeat as champs then we need to be working on all cylinders and trust in ourselves as well as our coaches.”

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