Andrean’s Bruce Moorhouse has viewed the situation in a favorable light.
The 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore, like teammate Mitchell Myers, succeeded a standout three-year starter at safety after Jimmy Finley and Jayden Holmes graduated earlier this year. Finley is a freshman at Northern Illinois, and Holmes is a freshman at the College of DuPage after receiving Division I offers.
“It’s definitely a lot more motivational than pressure,” Moorhouse said. “At the beginning of the season, there might’ve been some nerves, like, ‘Hey, I have a big role to fill.’ Now it’s just rising to the occasion, using that as motivation to do the great things they did, to be that great player.
“We’re all our own players. We’re all individual players. I can strive to be like those guys, but I may not be exactly like them. But it’s who I can be to fill the role this team needs in that same position. It’s been a big motivator for me.”
Moorhouse has delivered in that role. He has 39 tackles and an interception for the 59ers (10-1), who are ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A state coaches poll and will play Southmont (10-1) in a regional championship game Friday night after winning their sixth sectional title in seven seasons.
Moorhouse had eight tackles as a freshman but has been a more central figure this season as Andrean won 10 straight games after a loss to Merrillville, which has advanced to a 5A regional final. He played linebacker, as well as running back, in middle school before he moved to safety.
“By the end of freshman year, I was pretty familiar with the position,” Moorhouse said. “This year, it’s just been fitting my way and playing the position how I want to play it, letting the position mold around me.
“Going through last year, there was a lot more learning and trying to figure out the system and how I could play a role. Now it’s working through that role and seeing how I can actually contribute. It’s been really fun.”
Moorhouse has enjoyed lining up alongside Myers, who has 65 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in his first season as a starter.
“Me and him are like brothers,” Moorhouse said. “We’re both back there, seeing how things are going, and we have that camaraderie. He’s pretty vocal. Me and him coming into this year knew we were going to have to step into that role, so we both led more into that role of helping the younger kids out like Jimmy and Jayden did. We wanted to do the same for the freshman and sophomore class.
“He’s also just a great guy, one of my good friends. He’s definitely one of the people I bonded with when I first went to Andrean.”
Myers, who started two games at outside linebacker as a freshman before he moved to safety last season, echoed Moorhouse.
“We clicked pretty easily as friends,” Myers said. “We also have good chemistry on the field. We definitely work well together. Me and Bruce worked hard all summer. We knew it was going to be hard shoes to fill, but we were up to the challenge.”
Adding to the challenge for Moorhouse, he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder while he was wrestling in a sectional match in February.
“This kid slammed me down on it, and I had surgery in the middle of February, took the offseason to recover and came back in May,” he said. “Luckily, it went good from there. It went good over the summer, and now we’re here.
“I’ve had shoulder issues growing up. Even in Pop Warner, I had a lot of shoulder issues with my growth plates. I had AC joint issues in seventh grade. So it’s always been an issue. Finally it gave out. Unfortunately, it had to be in a big moment. But the bounce-back from that was a lot of motivation, too, for me coming into the season.”
Moorhouse and Myers have impressed Andrean coach Chris Skinner this season.
“We ask a lot of our safeties,” Skinner said. “They need to be dual-purpose players. … They can be kind of a hybrid linebacker in run support or a true defensive back. It’s not an easy thing to do, and the last three seasons we’ve had two very talented players, Jimmy and Jayden, playing both of those roles.
“Jimmy’s position, now Mitchell’s, is more often run than pass. Jayden’s position, now Bruce’s, is more often pass than run. But either way, it’s dual-purpose positions. So we’re asking a lot of those two individuals, and they’re stepping into some very big shoes and doing very well. Both of them are highly intelligent individuals on the classroom side, and it translates to football as well.”
