AA football: Senior tackle Wright leads Flathead into home opener

What did Flathead offensive line coach Jesse McFarland think the first time he saw 160-pound Anthony Wright?

“I never think anyone’s too small to play offensive line, but” McFarland said with a pause.

“How do I put this the right way? Anthony was definitely a small body.”

Wright has put on weight since the beginning of his junior year, when he and McFarland first crossed paths, but even generously listed at 5-foot-11, 190-pounds, the senior is still routinely the smallest body in the trenches when the Braves hit the field.

Head coach Kyle Samson moved Wright from the defensive line to the offensive line in the summer of 2014, and he has started every game at right tackle since the beginning of that year.

“We were thin on the offensive line,” Samson said of Wright’s move.

“And he’s ended up starting every single game for us. He’s done a great job going against guys who are 50, 60, 70 pounds bigger than him.”

Before high school, Wright had never played on either line, growing up in football as a linebacker and running back. Praised by his coaches for his unselfishness, Wright did not hesitate when asked to learn a new position.

“He didn’t say ‘boo’ (when asked to move),” Samson said. “He said, ‘yes sir, I’ll do it.’ He’s all about the team and that’s what I respect so much about him.”

“I was surprised,” Wright said of being asked to take over the right tackle spot. “But (Samson) knows what he’s doing. He made the right call and it’s the best position I can play right now for our team.”

Wright has not only held down the starting job, he’s thrived. He has quickly picked up on the nuances of the position and uses his lack of size — but superior agility — to his advantage.

“I think my quickness cuts those (defensive) lineman in half,” Wright said.

“They might be big but they’re not going to move as fast as you are. As long as you stay in front of them they’re not going to do anything.”

“All that (his lack of size) means to us is everything else has to be better,” McFarland said.

“His technique has to be better, his attitude has to be better, he has to be smarter, he has to be quicker, he’s got to be faster. All of that stuff.”

Wright is a force off the field as well, voted a captain by his teammates and elected president of the Student Council at Flathead.

The affable and diligent senior also wrestles for the Braves and plans to take up rugby for the first time this spring.

“He has a personality unlike anything I’ve seen,” McFarland said.

“He knows when it’s time to have fun and time to laugh, and he knows when it’s time to get to work. We rely on him to be able to understand when to flip the switch.”

Wright described he and his fellow captains as “a giddy group” before games, each doing their part to keep their teammates in the right frame of mind.

“It’s high school football,” Wright said. “You have to have a good time. When everybody’s not so serious about it, I think that’s when we play our best.”

Tonight, Wright and the Braves play at home for the first time this year, hosting Great Falls at 7. The Bison are one of the state’s biggest surprises at 2-0, and their matchup with the 1-1 Braves represents a meeting of two Class AA upstarts on the rebound from disappointing 2014 seasons.

“They’re a big team and they execute,” Samson said of the Bison.

“They don’t turn the ball over a whole lot. They’re opportunistic on defense. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Flathead’s opening-week whipping of Great Falls C.M. Russell invigorated Flathead’s students and fans, and a hard-fought loss at Helena did little to cool the enthusiasm for Samson’s second Braves team.

“Last year you’d walk around the school and teachers would be ‘oh, I heard you had a game Friday, good job’,” Wright said.

“And this year, every single teacher you see is excited for you. The whole school’s attitude has changed for us. Everybody’s different. The whole town.”

“You walk around town, you’re wearing your jersey and taking pride in that jersey, and they all look at you with a little more respect.”

Win tonight, and more respect will be coming the Braves’ way. But football players know respect is earned, something Wright’s had to do every time he steps on the field.

“I feel like a lot of the other teams might underestimate me a little bit,” Wright said.

“But after the first play they know it’s a fight.”