Andrean wide receiver Stetson Sullivan isn’t the most imposing target.
But the 5-foot-7, 155-pound sophomore more than makes up for that in other ways.
“He is one of the smoothest route runners I’ve ever seen,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner said. “Obviously, he puts a lot of time into what he does. He’s quick. He’s shifty. He’s not the biggest kid. But, man, he can run crisp routes, and at the high school level, that matters a lot.”
Sullivan mattered a lot during the visiting 59ers’ 28-10 Northwest Crossroads Conference victory over previously unbeaten Hobart on Friday, making six catches for 79 yards and three touchdowns.
“When the ball’s in his hands, he can make plays when he’s in space,” Skinner said. “Huge plays from him.”
Sullivan entered the game with 16 catches for 174 yards and a team-high four TDs for the 59ers (4-1, 3-0), who are ranked No. 3 in the Class 3A state coaches poll.
“My coaches, our quarterback, just everybody in this organization, they all just help me better myself,” he said. “That made me get better from last year.”
Sullivan had 25 catches for 229 yards as a freshman last season, when Andrean won the Class 2A state title. He has elevated his game.
“I feel like I got faster,” he said. “Speed is a big thing in this game, and I wasn’t the fastest last year. I feel like I got faster. I tried to work on my route running. I played 7-on-7 to work on that.
“I’m a smaller guy, so I have to be shifty, good route running. I have to beat bigger DBs.”
Sullivan showed that type of versatility against the Brickies (4-1, 2-1), who are ranked No. 5 in the Class 4A state coaches poll. His first TD came on an 8-yard fade from junior quarterback Dylan Gore. Sullivan’s second TD went over the top for 40 yards off a nifty play-action fake, and his final one came on a screen as he caught a pass in the right flat, benefited from some sound blocking, eluded a defender and sprinted the distance for a 25-yard score.
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“He’s grown a lot,” Gore said. “In the weight room all offseason, he’s been working hard, putting in a lot of work. He knows the plays and everything. He’s dialed in. In practice, we just stay dialed in, and we work on things. If he’s open, I throw him the ball, and he does his thing.
“We saw it tonight. He juked out a couple people, I’d say. He uses his size to his advantage. He’s really shifty. He uses that, and he goes unseen a little bit sometimes because he’s not the tallest, and he makes the play.”
Andrean senior running back Brady Stovall, who had 17 carries for 121 yards and a TD, capped the scoring with a 9-yard scamper. Junior wide receiver Tyler Vo added five catches for 32 yards.
Hobart’s lone TD came on senior quarterback Aleks Tatum’s 83-yard slant to senior wide receiver Bryce Tolliver, a Northern Illinois recruit.
Otherwise, the 59ers largely limited the Brickies’ prolific offense. Hobart had averaged 55.0 points entering the game.
“Tatum’s a great quarterback, and he’s obviously a true dual-threat quarterback,” Skinner said. “So we knew we couldn’t let him loose in the run game because he’s dangerous enough as it is in the pass game. We wanted to make sure we were containing him as best we could.
“He’s a great athlete, a great quarterback, and I thought our defense did a good job.”
Andrean’s special teams also played a key role. Junior punter Michael Klaich Jr. dropped two punts at the 1-yard line and another at the 3-yard line, helping the cause for the 59ers, who took a significant step toward another conference title.
“Credit goes to the players because they really played with physicality,” Skinner said. “They played tough. We embraced the challenge. We knew what we were walking into. That’s a very good football team. So I’m proud of the way the kids executed.”