INDIANAPOLIS – Warming the hearts of 59ers fans near and far, the Andrean High School football team secured its fourth state championship indoors while a historic snow blanketed parts of the Midwest on Nov. 29.
In the inviting 70-degree air of Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, the 59ers stopped the stampede of the state’s most prolific scoring high school squad, preventing the Brownstown Central Braves from getting on the board. A late fourth-quarter 10-play, 42-yard drive led by Andrean senior quarterback Brady Elish and sophomore running back Brady Stovall resulted in a touchdown.
That’s all the Red & Gold needed to notch their second state title in five years, and, in turn, bump themselves up to Class 3A for future football scheduling.
“One thing specific to this team is that I think the seniors – the way they have developed in leadership – goes back to the offseason. We started lifting two weeks after we lost to Adams Central last year,” said 10th-year Andrean head coach Chris Skinner. “It’s a grind … our juniors from then had to learn to be leaders. You saw continual growth.”
The 13-1 season improved on their 9-5 2024 campaign, and was characterized by a prevailing positive mental attitude and knack for adjusting. Moreover, a culture of faith, mentorship and responsibility has helped to boost the athletic program’s profile in the Region and has solidified a family.
“From the time I came to Andrean during the open house, and when I shadowed, I liked the culture, how everyone was close,” said Elish, who rushed for 126 yards in the final. “I liked how serious and focused on school they were. Obviously, seeing the football team – they’re just like a family.”
Another of Andrean’s quarterbacks, sophomore Dylan Gore, said the team has been transparent about its goals.
“It’s a great team. The intensity is high. This is kind of what we expected – we wanted to go out here and win and we did just that,” he said.
Gore looks to maintain the strategy in the years to come. “Let’s work hard and get some more hardware,” he added.
Andrean football’s “hope springs eternal” outlook was put to an early test when they lost the season opener at Class 5A Merrillville High School, 41-14. The 59ers quickly turned things around, hosting Bishop Luers High School of Fort Wayne a week later. They defeated the eventual Class 3A state runner-up squad, 13-0.
Regular season wins over Kankakee Valley, Munster, Hobart, Highland, Angola, Hanover Central and Lowell showed the engine of Andrean football firing on all cylinders. Sectional victories over Wheeler and Rensselaer Central steered them into position for a 52-32 regional triumph over Southmont at Father Eckert Stadium.
According to Skinner, opponents’ defensive and offensive formations varied greatly in the playoffs. The 59ers’ multiple spread run-pass option offense provided many possibilities on the ground or in the air. Their defensive slanting 3-4 would be amenable to the wing-T offenses they sought to stop.
On Nov. 21 in cold and wet conditions in Merrillville, the 59ers punched their ticket to their third state finals game in five years by edging out Adams Central 24-19.
Season stats leaders include Elish with 1,093 yards passing, Stovall with 617 yards rushing, and sophomore Tyler Vo with 1,064 receiving yards. Senior Christian Gavin led the team with 97 tackles.
Skinner, an AHS alumni who played under then-coach Brett St. Germain and was a part of the 2004 state championship team, knew this year’s squad should not rest on their laurels as the challenge of winning another state trophy loomed. To help get back to title contention, he redeveloped a scout team with a certain leader.
“Coach (Skinner) trusted me, knowing that I could perform what the (other teams’ quarterbacks) perform,” said sophomore JJ Gildein of Valparaiso. “They saw the way I could cut and since they had so many running plays, so many QB sneaks, he put me there.”
Gildein is listed as a tight end and linebacker, but believes his early gridiron experiences on youth travel ball as a quarterback helped qualify him to lead the scout offense. He viewed hours of film of upcoming opponents learning the other quarterbacks’ audibles, cadence and footwork.
“A large part of the credit goes to our scout team. They were almost learning a completely new offense to give our defense the best possible look that we could,” Skinner explained. “They were fantastic and JJ really embraced that role.”
Just like he hits the books to ensure his academic success, a study of opponents is often just what his fellow student-athletes need to make adjustments and to be confident on game day.
“This season everybody stepped it up,” Gildein said. “The scout team stepped it up. I love how everybody, whether you play (in the game) or not, you contribute in some way.”
Players said no amount of training and game preparation is complete without taking their concerns to God. Prayer is an integral part of the Catholic school experience, and the Andean family provides structure in that regard – Mass precedes games and, when at home, the team gathers for an invocation at the campus Marian grotto.
“My coaches were there since I was a freshman on day one; they helped develop me. My parents push me to be the best person I can be every day,” said Elish. “My teammates go through everything I do involving football.”
Skinner said he is also thankful for the great support of parents, alumni, administrators and faculty members who foster a culture of support. It makes his job, well, admittedly, “fun.”
The strong presence of the Andrean cheer squad, administrators like Principal Jaycob Knazur, and hundreds of fans at Lucas Oil Stadium brought a smile to the faces of 59ers players (though Elish said that during the game, he only really hears the sounds of the offense and defense). A younger player, grateful for the support of his senior teammates, savored the moments on the field as Indiana High School Athletic Association officials presented trophies and medallions to the winners.
“All the hard work we’ve put in, all the coaches really helped to push us to this point,” said sophomore Nolan Zamojski of Munster. “I feel amazing.”
The positive press garnered from a championship does not hurt their recruiting cause. Yet some teens have been preparing for their student-athlete experience at Andrean for years. Future 59er Hudson Marsh, an eighth-grader at Taft Middle School in Winfield, volunteered to be a ball boy at the state championships.
Running around the sidelines to help game officials, he thought about the future, which he said looks bright.
“I like how nice everyone is at Andrean,” Marsh said, noting two siblings have attended the school. “The sports programs are elite, too … Everything about it is something I would want to do.”
Caption: Andrean High School juniors Bruce Moorhouse (third from left), Brady Quinn (second from right) and Mitchell Myers (right) wave to fans at the conclusion of the Class 2A state football championship game where the 59ers defeated the Braves 7-0 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Nov. 29. Local fans traversed snowy conditions to see the 59ers earn their fourth state championship and first since 2021, thereby getting bumped up from Class 2A to Class 3A for future football scheduling by the Indiana High School Athletic Association. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
