To understand Brady Elish’s role for the Andrean football team this season, consider his statistics.
The 6-foot, 180-pound senior has made more interceptions as a defensive back than he has thrown in his second season as the 59ers’ starting quarterback.
“It’s been really cool,” Elish said. “Just getting on the defensive side of the ball, I’m able to be with my guys more. I’m having a lot of fun doing it right now too.
“I’ve been trying to keep the intensity up. I’ve been trying to make sure every player in my position group, whether it’s quarterback or DB, they know what they’re doing and know their job for the week and their assignments.”
Among the teammates with whom Elish has been sharing his knowledge is sophomore Dylan Gore. They’re splitting time at quarterback.
“Our program consistently gives younger players opportunities to compete,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner said. “After all, they’re the future. We’ll often have deep rotations in some position groups. It’s easier to rotate at linebacker, where we have four linebackers on the field at one time, or at H/Y, where the personnel changes depending on the scheme. But there’s only one quarterback on the field at a time.
“Brady and Dylan have a good relationship. They sit together at study tables. They’ll message each other questions about the opposing team or about the week’s call menu outside of practice. Brady has taken Dylan under his wing, and I couldn’t be prouder of him for that. He’s living out what it means to be a leader in the Andrean football family.”
As the quarterback, Elish has completed 65 of 93 passes for 777 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for 347 yards and three touchdowns on 58 carries for the 59ers (7-1, 5-0), who are ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A state coaches poll after seven straight wins. They will play Lowell (7-1, 5-0), which is ranked No. 10 in 4A, for the Northwest Crossroads Conference title in the regular-season finale Friday night.
“He’s more comfortable in the offense this season,” Skinner said. “He’s been productive in the air and on the ground, giving us a legit dual threat.”
Last season, Elish completed 151 of 254 passes for 1,740 yards and 16 TDs with 10 interceptions and rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns on 98 carries.
“I feel more confident this year,” Elish said. “I have a whole season under my belt from last year, and I’ve gotten bigger and learned more about the position in the offseason. So my confidence is higher, and I just know what I’m doing more.”
On defense, Elish has a team-high three interceptions and leads the team in passes defended too.
“We’ve asked him to play defense a lot this season, and he’s done very well,” Skinner said.
Playing more defense has only enhanced Elish’s standing in the program.
“Everybody follows him,” Andrean senior defensive end/tight end Rocco Allegretti said. “He’s a leader. He’s been a leader for the past couple of years, so we trust him.”
Elish’s sisters Miranda and Madi starred at Crown Point as pitchers for the softball team. But he said he and his family liked the “fit” at Andrean.
“He’s come a long way as a person and as an athlete,” Skinner said. “But the fact that him and his family, after all of the success his sisters had at Crown Point, to take a chance on us, he’s bought in from day one. He’s earned all the success he’s had, but a big part of that is he trusts us, he trusts the staff, he’s bought in to what we’re doing here.
“I don’t know how easy or difficult that was with his sisters being at Crown Point, but good things have happened, and that’s a credit to him. Trusting and buying into the process and working hard every day, that counts for something.”
Elish is also an outfielder on the Andrean baseball team that won the Class 3A state title in June.
“Winning state was a really cool experience,” he said. “It showed me what it takes, how much it takes, to get to that stage. Now that I know, I don’t want to go any less than that.”