Zurek, defense lead Andrean over Kankakee Valley

Updated: October 1, 2011 4:34PM

MERRILLVILLE — Andrean’s Mason Zurek showed once again why he’s the top rusher in the region, powering the 59ers to an insurmountable early lead as they defeated visiting Kankakee Valley 46-0 on Friday night.

On a cold and windy homecoming night, Andrean scored on its first possession and never looked back, improving to 7-0 and 4-0 in the Northwest Crossroads Conference. Kankakee Valley fell to 2-5 and 1-3 in the conference.

Zurek showed burst and power as he rushed for an even 100 yards and touchdowns of 13 and 23 yards, all in the first half. Quarterback Matt DeSomer ran for a 21-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game for Andrean.

The Class 2A 59ers’ defense keyed the rout, holding the Class 4A Kougars to 80 yards of total offense and four first downs.

“It was outstanding,” Andrean coach Phil Mason said of his team’s defensive effort. “Anytime you can hold a team in check like that, it’s something special.”

Zurek played a key role on that side of the ball as well, recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass.

Shamir Johnson garnered most of the second-half highlights for Andrean, which led 33-0 at intermission. Johnson ran for touchdowns of 53 and 29 yards, gaining 103 on the ground on just eight attempts.

The only 59ers negatives were an early turnover on a fumble and a few penalties, most of which came with reserves on the field.

“We made a couple of mental errors early, but this is a hard mental week,” Mason said, referring to the distractions of homecoming.

Tyler Birky gained 49 yards on the ground to lead Kankakee Valley.

Up next for Andrean is Griffith at home, followed by a trip to Lowell.

“We’ve got to just keep playing our game,” Mason said.

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