@HuskerlandBob Sez: This article was originally published as part of Huskerland’s 2014 preseason football magazine and is designed as a tribute to former Sidney Red Raiders star running back Chance Anglin, who died tragically late last week. He was only 24 years old.
I am fond of all the kids I have interviewed over the years but Chance was a special case, a kid with a great smile, a personality which lit up a room, and a kind way of treating those around him. Especially Alison, the daughter of his head coach Todd Ekart, who was only, what, seven or so the day we had our photo shoot in Sidney. It was clear she was crazy about Chance in the fun and innocent way little girls are and Chance was great with her, treating her like a princess. As a dad myself, it was fun to watch.
That’s how I will remember Chance, a fun-loving person who made those around him feel like the king of the world. We need more people like Chance, not fewer.
So in memory of this great kid here’s his story...Chance, we hope you spike the ball now that you’ve reached that big end zone in the sky...Bob.
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Kids are great. Their boundless optimism is uplifting, an asset that would seem to have come in handy if you were a member of the 2013 Sidney football team. Yet Chance Anglin believed, his teammates believed and he’s not surprised to find out a year later that Panhandle football coaches believed in the Red Raiders for 2013.
Why, why you ask, would there be that kind of belief in a program that was coming off a 1-8 season and hadn’t qualified for the playoffs since 1994, not won a playoff game since 1993? Athletes, Sidney had athletes, that’s why, among them this outstanding young running back named Chance Anglin.
All that belief proved well deserved as the Red Raiders won the district title and won a playoff game before losing a road game at unbeaten Gretna. While not the team’s No. 1 option in the running game - that role was reserved for 2,000-yard rusher Logan Lewis - when Anglin got his hands on the ball he was exception, rushing for 1,200 yards of his own.
“We were so young two years ago but we were getting better and then we had another great lineman move in (Oregon transfer Jake Sager) and we just took off,” says Anglin, now a powerfully built 5-7 and 175 pounds. “Going into last season it was pretty exciting because we knew we were going to be pretty good.”
One of the primary reasons Sidney was so good was its high powered running game which led Class B in yards gained. Lewis and Anglin took turns torturing opposing defenses and in 2014 that role becomes mostly Anglin’s and he’s ready for the challenge.
“I actually haven’t thought about it that much but I realize it’s a big responsibility. I’ll take it one game at a time and count on my teammates, especially my linemen, to help me get the job done. Plus we have some good young backs who are going to get their carries and help us out.”
Sidney head coach Todd Ekart, the architect of the program’s renaissance, loves not only Anglin’s production but his approach to playing the game. “Chance is a great kid, a fun kid, who is an intense competitor and a real leader for our team. He contributes much more than just statistics to our team...but he’s also going to put up some big numbers this year.”
Anglin, who has an older brother and sister, moved with his family from Stanton, Nebr. to Sidney when he was four years old, his father taking an administration job at Cabela’s headquarters. (“When you’re the baby you always get your way, right?” He says it with a big enough grin I believe him.) Anglin carries a 3.3 GPA and ran a leg on Sidney’s third-place 400 meter relay at the state track meet. He’d like to play college football but hasn’t really spent much time thinking about the whole process, not yet. He plans to study business.
Over the summer Anglin has worked like a mad man to make himself a better athlete, lifting at 5:30 in the morning, grabbing a quick breakfast and reporting for a cross-fit training session at about nine. Later in the day he reports for his job as a life guard at the city pool.
Over the past year he’s chosen to grow his hair out, going with dreadlocks, a distinctive look for sure. “My hair started to grow and decided to stick with it and go with the dreads for my senior year. It makes me feel fast,” he grins. He looks fast to me.
In 2014 Sidney football is in a position it hasn’t been for two decades - the hunted, not the hunter. Sidney is again expected to be a top ten Class B team, Anglin an all-stater. You still have to do it - can’t just talk about it - but Anglin loves the vibe running through the Red Raider program.
“Our attitude is so great, everybody’s really excited about what we can be this year. Our line is going to be really good again, Lane’s (Harvey) a real experienced quarterback who’s improved a lot and we are going to have a great set of receivers,” says Anglin, leaving out the part where Sidney might also have another 2,000-yard rusher but whatever. “Our defense is going to be good at every level and we have young players to add some depth. We just have a great mix.”
