O-R Athlete of the Week: Brandon Meier, California
Name: Brandon Meier
Grade: Sophomore
School: California
Sport: Football
Meier’s week: It was a moment he’d been dreaming of for a long time: being the starting quarterback for the California football team. Meier made the most of his first impression by accounting for six touchdowns in the Trojans’ 40-6 win over Mohawk.
Meier threw four touchdown passes and rushed for two more.
“Without my team I wouldn’t be able to do this, but I will say it was surreal feeling showing out for my hometown in my first start, especially against a good opponent in Mohawk that won a playoff game last year,” Meier said. “It was a surreal feeling. I worked my tail off this entire offseason, so I knew what I was capable of coming into our first game.”
Meier finished 11 of 15 passing for 266 yards and rushed for 91 yards on eight carries.
He connected with Chase Shemansky for two touchdowns of 16 and 10 yards. Weston Monticelli hauled in an 18-yard touchdown and Meier hit Alan Dennis for a 68-yard score.
Meier admitted there were some nerves going into his first varsity start, even if his performance showed little signs of that being the case.
“If somebody says they aren’t nervous before their first varsity start, they’re probably lying,” Meier said. “I would say I really settled in after I hit my first deep pass to Weston Monticelli. After I threw him that ball, I knew it was going to be a big night. After that we really started connecting on offense and it was pretty smooth from there.”
Meier is also a starting safety for the Trojans and held that role as a freshman. He recorded an interception against Mohawk. Playing both a quarterback and defensive back gives Meier a unique perspective on each position.
“It allows me to stay versatile and keep a high football IQ on both sides of the ball,” Meier said. “Knowing where the defenders will be as a safety and what the quarterback is going to do reading defenses with their eyes. It helps a lot.”
Former waterboy: It wasn’t that long ago that Meier was a waterboy for the California football team. He held that role during his seventh and eight grade years. It provided him with an up-close look of what it’s like being on a varsity sidelines.
“The coaches usually pick four or five kids from the middle school team to help out with the high school team,” Meier said. “It allows you to get familiar with the players, the team and the different play schemes and things like that.”
TB12: Meier has wanted to play football for as long as he can remember and growing up, he idolized former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. The six-time Super Bowl champion is a good player to learn from.
“I always tried to emulate (Brady) when I was little,” Meier said. “He made me fall in love with football.”
When it comes to playing safety, Meier enjoys a newer player, former Ohio State standout and Dallas Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs.
“I like the way he works in run support and he’s versatile,” Meier said. “He does well in run support and coverage.”
Simple math: While Meier likes adding numbers to the scoreboard on Friday nights, he also enjoys doing so in the classroom.
Meier’s favorite school subject is math.
“It comes pretty easy to me,” Meier said. “I’ve always been pretty good with numbers.”
Compiled by Jerin Steele