Andrean pulls ahead in NCC with win over Hobart
2A AP No. 5 and Indiana Preps NWI No. 5 Andrean 17, 4A AP No. 14 and Indiana Preps NWI No. 2 Hobart 7
By Paul Honeycutt
HOBART – If fans wanted to see Brady Elish on a football field, they got their money’s worth and then some.
“He barely came off the field (Friday),” Andrean coach Chris Skinner joked.
That’s because the senior quarterback played one of the best games of his career after finishing 18 of 22 with 185 yards and a touchdown, and he sealed the game with an interception.
Oh, and Elish was crowned homecoming king in Indiana Preps NWI No. 5 Andrean’s 17-7 Northwest Crossroads Conference win over NWI No. 2 Hobart.
When asked to rank how the events of the night turned out, Elish said the following.
“Obviously No. 1 is the W, the offense will come second, and then the pick,” said Elish. “This feels great because getting out there on defense makes me feel closer with the guys.”
Andrean (4-1, 3-0 NCC) forced a couple three-and-outs in the first quarter.
Hobart (4-1, 2-1) netted 40 offensive yards in the first half.
59ers junior running back Ethan Reyna scored on a 3-yard TD run at 3:33 in the first quarter, as Elish went 5 of 5 for 51 yards on that drive.
Elish continued his hot start by completing nine of his first 10 passes.
“We saw that they were loading the box, so you gotta throw it around a little bit,” Skinner said of his QB, who connected with six different receivers.
In the first half’s last drive, Reyna busted one open for 76 yards, which eventually set the Niners up at the Hobart 1. However, on the next play, Andrean fumbled and recovered it at the 9.
The Brickies held pat on the next two plays, forcing Andrean to settle for a Jax Alvarez 24-yard field goal with just eight seconds left.
On the ensuing possession after a short 59ers kick, Andrean was called for roughing the passer, giving Hobart one more crack at the end zone from the Andrean 39, but Hobart junior quarterback Aleks Tatum was picked off at the goal line in an untimed down to end the first half.
The most explosive play of the game came at the 8:39 mark of the third quarter after Elish hit sophomore wide receiver Tyler Vo on a 41-yard bomb after Vo sold a block simultaneously when Elish pump faked, springing Vo in the open field for the score.
During that drive, Andrean faced a first-and-25 in Hobart territory before Elish brought the 59ers back.
Before Friday, Hobart and Andrean matchups have been decided by single digits six of the last 10 years.
“We know this is always a battle with how many years in a row it has come down to the fourth quarter, so it doesn’t really matter what the records of the teams are, it always comes down to that,” said Skinner. “So it was important for us to go up by three scores and credit to our offensive coaches, they saw some stuff on film and we’re breaking it down at halftime.”
Vo caught eight passes for 93 yards and the score while Reyna ran for 83 yards and a TD.
“He’s very talented and very smart, which is important in our offense,” Skinner said of his No. 1 wide receiver. “With (Tyler) it’s about quickness, finding windows, it’s about understanding how to run routes, and that’s really what that is, that play, he had to sell block to get those guys to bite.”
Hobart scored its only touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Tatum to Stephen Miller after taking advantage of Andrean being flagged for roughing the passer on the previous play.
Andrean held Hobart to 111 total yards and are now at the top of the NCC with Lowell with four weeks left.
“We make a commitment in the season to get a lot of guys reps, a lot of younger guys because we know in a game like this, we’re gonna be playing guys that are bigger than us,” said Skinner. “We don’t just run a bunch of plays in practice, we also teach individuals because we wanna make sure we’re continuously improving fundamentals.”
Skinner said his team never looks ahead and doesn’t talk about winning any hardware before it actually happens.
“I don’t wanna downplay this game at all, but we never look ahead and I’m not a believer in that, so every week for us when you’re in conference is an opportunity to stay undefeated in conference,” he said. “Obviously with this one we know the stakes, but we don’t talk about what this could mean because you don’t peak in week five and we have a lot of respect for them, but it’s a win just like last week and KV the week before, so what else? What are you gonna do to get better?”
Andrean 17, Hobart 7
Hobart; 0 0 0 7 – 7
Andrean; 7 3 7 0 – 17
A – Ethan Reyna 3 run (Jax Alvarez kick), 3:33 1st
A – Alvarez 24 FG, 0:08 2nd
A – Tyler Vo 41 pass from Brady Elish (Alvarez kick), 8:39 3rd
H – Stephen Miller 9 pass from Aleks Tatum (Peter Janda kick), 3:14 4th
Hobart;Andrean
First Downs;6;15
Total Yards;111;292
Rushes-Yards;21-49;29-107
Passing;62;185
Comp.-Att.-Int.;7-23-2;18-22-0
Penalties-Yards;7-63;9-80
Fumbles-Lost;1-0;2-1
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – HOBART, Max Pickett 11-20, Aleks Tatum 5-16, Aiden Kasch 4-10, Nathan Sobczynski 1-3. ANDREAN, Ethan Reyna 15-83, Brady Elish 10-26, Jeremiah Gonzales 2-3, Brady Stovall 2-3, Tyler Vo 2-(-5).
PASSING – HOBART, Aleks Tatum 7-23-62-1-2. ANDREAN, Brady Elish 18-22-185-1-0.
RECEIVING – HOBART, Stephen Miller 3-22, Nathan Sobczynski 2-24, Bryce Tolliver 2-16 ANDREAN, Tyler Vo 8-93, Gavin Jones 3-34, Brody Lane 1-26, Jeremiah Gonzales 1-16, Stetson Sullivan 3-15, Mark Grubbs Jr. 2-1.