Thunder In The Desert: Utah TE/DE Josh Anderson
St. George is the population and commercial center of Utah's Dixie; a nickname given to the area when Mormon pioneers grew cottonin the warm climate. St. George's trademark is its geology—red bluffs make up the northern part of the city with two peaks covered in lava rock in the city's center.
The northeastern edges of the Mojave Desert are visible to the south. Zion National Park can be seen to the east, and the Pine Valley Mountains loom over the city to the north and northwest. The climate has more in common with the Desert Southwest than the rest of the state, with scorching hot summers and mild, mostly snow-less winters.
Desert Hills High School star Josh Anderson looms large in this section of the desert plateau. The 6’3”, 235-pound tight end/defensive end is one of the most skilled student/athletes to ever emerge in Washington County.
“My family moved to the region three years ago from Salt Lake City. It was a blessing for me. A lot of my friends in middle school were getting into trouble. Doing drugs, committing crimes, having unprotected sex. The temptations were plentiful.
St. George has more of a small-town feel. Far more innocent. I’ve made some great friends. Love building bonfires, going down to the lake, cliff jumping, boating and skim boarding. It’s a spectacular setting for an outdoorsman like me!” said the 17-year old junior.
But Josh Anderson doesn’t long to be on the cover of Nature World magazine. He dreams of playing big-time Division I football.
Josh was always a big, agile youngster so his coaches in junior high school put him at center as a sixth-grader. He was so talented at both blocking and catching that he was moved to tight end the next year. He remained there until he was moved back to the line his sophomore season, at least temporarily.
“I started him at guard his 10th-grade year. We had holes in the line and Josh stepped right in. He is such a fast learner and has such a feel for the game, that he excelled on the line. But last year, I decided to move him back to tight end. And he was a major reason we advanced so far in the state playoffs," said Desert Hills head coach Carl Franke.
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