Andrean blanks Angola on its way to semistate for the third straight year
Class 3A No. 2 Andrean 35, Angola 0
By Paul Honeycutt
MERRILLVILLE – It was cold, rainy and sometimes snowy on Friday night in the Region, but it didn’t affect Andrean in the slightest.
Class 3A No. 2 Andrean rolled to a 35-0 win over Angola in a Class 3A Regional title game after a monstrous first-half performance from senior running back and Purdue recruit Ethan Reyna.
Reyna scored three touchdowns on his first three carries, running for TDs of 49, 2, and yards, respectively, on Andrean’s first three possessions on his way to 104 yards on just six carries.
His first TD run came on the first play from scrimmage for the 59ers (12-1), who have now won three straight regional titles and 14 overall, which is good for a tie of 16th in IHSAA history.
Winners of 12 straight games, the Niners will travel to Hamilton Heights (10-3), who beat No. 7 and previously unbeaten Bluffton in a wild 48-47 matchup to set up the Northern Semistate.
“It was key for us to take advantage where we could because the field was wet and sloppy, so after the first stop and then first score, that was ideal and then we just kind of kept pushing it,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner said.
Reyna’s second score came on Andrean’s second drive after freshman MJ Kull ran one for 36 yards on the previous play.
Reyna took his third carry of the game for 38 yards, which was also his third rushing score of the game.
After a fourth straight three-and-out for Angola (9-4), Reyna added his fourth TD on a four-yard run.
“He’s a heck of a football player and is going to Purdue for a reason,” said Skinner. “This is a product of how he has worked over four years in the classroom and in the weight room.”
Kull capped the first-half scoring with a 16-yard rushing score of his own, which was his third score of the season, as he finished with 93 rushing yards on 14 carries.
“This program is built on earning your reps and I don’t care if you’re a freshman or a senior and MJ himself has just been a model of consistency in hard work and preparation, the film he watches, the questions he asks,” said Skinner. “Obviously the talent is there, too, but the more opportunities he takes advantage of, the more responsibility he gets and that’s a credit to how hard he has worked.”
Andrean held Angola to 34 yards of offense and the Hornets didn’t get a first down until there were just over 11 minutes left in the game.
Skinner said they were ready for this type of game with the weather and field conditions being what they were.
“We looked at the weather report after the Twin Lakes game and saw on the radar that there might be a lot of rain in the later part of the week,” he said. “We had three different call menus, one for this type, so props to our offensive staff for putting in the extra work and to our players for helping run as smooth an operation as possible under the circumstances.”
Andrean 35, Angola 0
Angola; 0 0 0 0 – 0
Andrean; 21 14 0 0 – 35
AND – Ethan Reyna 49 run (Jax Alvarez kick), 10:31 1st
AND – Reyna 2 run (Alvarez kick), 8:07 1st
AND – Reyna 38 run (Alvarez kick), 3:39 1st
AND – Reyna 4 run (Alvarez kick), 10:31 2nd
AND – MJ Kull 16 run (Alvarez kick), 5:21 2nd
Angola;Andrean
First Downs;2;9
Total Yards;34;235
Rushes-Yards;22-38;34-235
Passing;(-4);0
Comp.-Att.-Int.;5-13-2;0-3-1
Penalties-Yards;5-60;4-75
Fumbles-Lost;2-0;3-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – ANGOLA, Landen Bussard 12-28, Cooper Weisenauer 5-22, Garrett Sorgen 5-(-12). ANDREAN, Ethan Reyna 6-104, MJ Kull 14-83, Jorge Rios 5-20, Brady Stovall 6-14, Javier McCoy 1-14, Quaid Murphy 1-2, Sol Belloso 1-(-2).
PASSING – ANGOLA, Garrett Sorgen 5-13-(-4)-0-1. ANDREAN, Dylan Gore 0-3-0-0-1.
RECEIVING – ANGOLA, Landen Bussard 2-0, Cooper Weisenauer 1-(-1), Cody Ruple 2-(-3).
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