Senior Offensive Tandem Hopes to Bring Back the Magic

Not many state championship teams are lucky enough to return their starting quarterback and running back. The defending Class 7A state champion Hurricanes can boast that they have had the combo for three straight years.

Four-year starting quarterback Cord Sandberg and running back slash multi-purpose back Anthony Lauro go into the summer and fall of 2012 with a long-abiding chemistry and familiarity.

"We've played together ever since we were kids in youth league football," said Lauro.

Sandberg recently won the 2011 Class 7A Player of the Year Award.

If the Hurricanes repeat as Class 7A champions in 2012, it will have a lot to do with the two veterans.

The pair were wildly successful in 2011. Sandberg threw for over 2,000 yards, completed more than 72 percent of his passes and threw 19 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Lauro led the team in receptions (51) and had over 1,200 yards rushing and receiving.

Hurricane head coach Joe Kinnan said Sandberg simply "does not get rattled" and "is one of the most accurate passers I've seen."

Sandberg is accustomed to tucking and running, too. He led the team in rushing attempts in 2011 and was second on the team in rushing yardage. At 6-foot-3-inches and 210 pounds, he's not easy to bring down.

Kinnan, also the offensive coordinator, likes to move Lauro around the field. In two-back sets, Lauro can be spotted lining up in the slot or even split out wide. The Hurricanes like what they see in rising junior Travon Walters and hope he can be the backfield fixture that Leon Allen was last season. This takes much of that burden off of Lauro and frees him up to lineup anywhere on the field, a scenario that should keep defensive coordinators around the county awake at night.

Lauro is "cereberal, tough and he and Cord are on the same wave length," said Kinnan.

"He doesn't let things affect him," Sandberg said. "He's got that confidence that translates to the field."

Both recognize their roles as veteran team leaders. Lauro's advice to the younger players is to be comfortable and confident. 

Sandberg's advice: "I try to show the younger guys what a major influence you have not just over your own team but over their younger brothers and sisters, that people look up to you as a Varsity athlete, that sometimes what you do off the field has more of an impact than what you do on the field."