Andrean’s semistate game against Adams Central on Friday has additional meaning for sophomore Vinny Zsuppon.
The 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker missed the 59ers’ semistate loss to Adams Central last season after suffering a fractured left femur in the waning minutes of the regional against Lafayette Central Catholic.
“I had to watch the semistate game on crutches,” Zsuppon said. “Watching my teammates lose was bad, terrible. Losing last year was heartbreaking.”
With a trip to the Class 2A state championship game on the line once again, Zsuppon hopes he can make a difference in the rematch. He has one word in mind.
“Revenge,” he said.
Zsuppon has shown he can be a significant factor. He has 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, a sack and a team-high two forced fumbles for Andrean (11-1), which is ranked No. 4 in the state coaches poll and will seek its third semistate title in five seasons against No. 1 Adams Central (13-0), the defending state champion. Zsuppon also has three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s physical,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner said. “He’s a good-size kid. But the thing I’ve come to really appreciate from Vinny, he’s smart. He really understands football. He watches it, understands it. Some guys just play. They just go off of pure instinct. But he’s able to diagnose.
“He’s the guy at the linebacker position that often is the one initially recognizing and reading and calling out tendencies. That’s impressive as a sophomore.”
Zsuppon also impressed as a freshman last season. He had 70 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks before the injury, which sidelined him for three months.
“I came in clueless,” he said. “I didn’t know I was going to start last year. I was coming in thinking I was going to play JV, and then all of a sudden, I was starting the first week.”
It didn’t take long for Zsuppon to make a name for himself.
“We’ve made it clear over the years: We’re not shy about playing freshmen,” Skinner said. “If you’re good enough to play, you’re going to play.
“It’s are you going to learn the playbook, are you going to know your assignments? The big thing for freshmen is can you physically handle our schedule, the opponents on our schedule? That was something we saw in the summer last year and then right out of the gate against Merrillville.”
On the first drive of Andrean’s season opener against Merrillville, Zsuppon blitzed into the backfield and made a tackle for a loss.
“He timed it perfectly, and we were like, ‘Oh, this kid can play,’” Skinner said. “That was just in support of everything we saw in the summer, but obviously in the summer you’re not tackling people.”
Andrean junior inside linebacker Ethan Reyna has watched Zsuppon make those kinds of plays for a long time. They grew up playing together in Munster.
“Vinny and I go way back to our Pop Warner days, and I think that’s a big reason why our chemistry at linebacker is so strong,” Reyna said. “He’s a naturally gifted linebacker and one of the hardest workers on the team. It doesn’t surprise any of us that he’s been a starter since freshman year.
“He’s a great teammate and someone I’m proud to call a friend.”
Senior outside linebacker/defensive end Christian Gavin expressed similar sentiments.
“Vinny is a good person you’d always want to be around,” Gavin said. “Besides his talent, he’s just like a brother, someone you can always trust and rely on.”
Zsuppon, who is also a first baseman in baseball, has continued his upward trajectory.
“He’s continued to refine his technique and get better,” Skinner said. “Sometimes I think the coaching staff forgets he’s only a sophomore because he just keeps getting better. He’s already played in so many games for us.”
Except for one in particular.