Crandol’s ordeal inspires 59ers

MERRILLVILLE — Friday night was Andrean’s first home football game, and yet, something other than football pulled at the crowd’s heartstrings. It was Katie Crandol.

The Andrean junior athlete is battling brain cancer and was on hand to make the ceremonial coin toss. At halftime it was announced that, through the “Barbecue for Katie” and cheerleader car wash on Aug. 6 and a donation from the AAA, the Crandols received a check for $4,000 to help with the costs.

Rick Johnston, who scored the first touchdown in a 56-0 rout over West Side, said that winning for his peer was motivating.

“We’re just trying to support her and her family,” he said. “We’ve got the chance to play football — we’ve got to support her somehow, the best way is to play football and get a ‘’W’ for her.”

Added coach Phil Mason: “She’s a fighter, going through what’s she’s going through. She’s a great role model for our program.”

Seeking a second dimension: It could be a tough road in the Duneland Athletic Conference for LaPorte if it can’t throw the ball successfully just a little. Ian Price finished 3-of-13 with two interceptions and 28 yards passing the Slicers’ 47-14 loss to Valparaiso Friday.

They were able to run for 276 yards, but the majority of those yards came in the fourth quarter when the Vikings pulled their starters. Valparaiso clearly ganged up on the run against LaPorte and the strategy worked.

LaPorte coach Bob Schellinger admitted that his team isn’t very good at passing the ball. Price threw an interception on the first possession and the Vikings converted it into a touchdown. That started the rout.

“It was disappointing,” Schellinger said. “We didn’t do anything very well. We’ll have to pick ourselves up for next week.”

The play that wasn’t: North Newton senior Brad Halliar intercepted a pass in the end zone and reversed course twice on the field before he finally found some running room and jolted to the end zone for a record-setting 108-yard touchdown return Friday night against Calumet in the fourth quarter.

But a block-in-the-back call brought the ball all the way back deep into the Spartans’ territory and the record-setting return was erased just like that.

North Newton coach Pat Brown took notice of the feat — if for at least 15 seconds anyway — until it was called back.

“Brady is a senior for us,” the first-year head coach said. “We subbed him in there in that instance. He’s not the fastest kid but he’s got the biggest heart and that makes it more disappointing to see it called back because that would have been a school record if it counted.”

Still, the defense was up to task for the Spartans.

North Newton allowed just 118 yards total in the 37-6 win over Calumet and beat the Warriors for the first time in Greater South Shore Conference action.

“We’re riding high right now,” Brown said. “We’ve never been 1-0 in the new conference. The kids are pretty confident right now but the test will be Wheeler next week.

“We know Wheeler — like Rensselaer — reloads every year and they have a ton of talented athletes that can hurt you in the run or pass. Until someone knocks them off the hill, they are the king of the hill.”

— Josh Lichtenfeld, Mike Hutton
and Ryan Haskell contributed

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