In the Spotlight: Coach Skinner
When he was a student at Andrean, Chris Skinner was a wide receiver and cornerback on the football. Now, he is head coach of the football team.
Skinner imagined being a football coach when he he started to major in education at Purdue University. After being assistant football coach for six years, Coach Skinner received a lot of support to take the position after Coach Mason resigned.
One of the things that Coach Skinner is focusing on is the sense of family amongst the players.
"Many teams say that they're 'like' a family, but we are a family,” player Joel Ordoñez said.
The coaching staff works to keep that bond strong. Skinner does that by constantly reminding the team that they are all putting in a lot of hard work.
"Football is unique in the amount of time and energy and physical demands of what the sport asks," Coach Skinner said.
There is mutual respect that exists among all of the players, whether they are on varsity, JV, or the freshman team. They are all working very hard with the goal of succeeding, and the respect exists because it is not easy to do.
They have also done team-bonding activities. One day when it was raining, Coach Skinner and the rest of the coaching staff took the senior players to the Ronald McDonald house in Illinois. Another day, the team had a pig roast following a scrimmage.
"[We do] lots of things to bring the sense of community that we talk about at Andrean as a whole and kind of focus that on the football team," Skinner said.
The coaching staff's efforts in that area have certainly been successful. Players are as close as siblings.
"We're a band of brothers," Ordoñez said.
Off the field, the team is strong. On the field, Coach Skinner expects to see improvement.
"I can't predict the future," Skinner said, "but every day we've approached it as, 'we have to get better,' and there's no reason that will change."
They plan to improve by focusing on players learning their assignments and responsibilities. They also have targeted practices. On Sunday nights, the coaching staff creates a game plan for the week.
According to Coach Skinner, the team's biggest strength is that they understand the traditions and expectations of Andrean football.
"That's what's allowed us to get better and better every day," he said. "The talent is there, the potential is there."
We'll be looking out for Coach Skinner and the football team this season and in upcoming ones, as the entire team gains valuable skills and experience.
The Bishop Bowl
All eyes were on Andrean High School on the night of August 26, the date of the Bishop Bowl. The Bishop Bowl was the football game of the two high schools in the diocese of Gary: Bishop Noll Institute and, of course, Andrean High School.
After the negative events occurring at last year’s basketball game against BNI, students, faculty, and media were all on their toes.
“We don’t want any negativity at this game,” football captain Danny Murray said as he addressed the student body at the pep rally that preceded the Bishop Bowl. The pep rally set the school up for a fun, positive game, and that is exactly what they got.
The student section for each school was truly a sight to see. Andrean did a red-out, and the student section was especially notable for their fathead of Coach Skinner. Bishop Noll students flooded through the gates as well, sporting grass skirts.
Spirits were high as the game started off, and they did not diminish. Even as the score rose in Andrean’s favor, BNI students could still be seen excitedly shaking the stands in their student section.
The student section even invited acting administrator Dr. Bonta up into the stands where he took a photo with Niner Nation.
“That right there, that’s what Andrean’s all about: having fun,” Dr. Bonta said.
The students all seemed to agree that this was one of the most fun games of the season, and there were no reports of bad behavior. Before the game, Dr. Bonta was confident that the students would do the right thing, and they did.
During the game, some Niners ran over to the Bishop Noll student section and took pictures with them to exemplify the unity between the two Catholic schools.
“We’re turning in the right direction,” Niner Nation leader Evan Hylek said. Niner Nation has really been focusing on returning to pride in Andrean and having a lot of fun at the same time, which they will continue to do in the upcoming school year.
“We do have some tricks up our sleeves,” Niner Nation Tessa Wojkovich said.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Evan Hylek said. According to the student body and administration, this year will definitely be a good one.
So, what exactly is going on at Andrean High School? “Great things,” Dr. Bonta said.