Craig's Crandall makes the field his home on Friday nights
THE CRANDALL FILE
Person I admire most: My father (Adam).
Best sports memory: Running at state in track.
TV show I never miss: “ESPN SportsCenter.”
Favorite food: Pizza.
Favorite movie: “Old School.”
In 10 years, I’ll be: Hopefully, working as a successful businessman and starting a family.
Best invention in the last 100 years: Cell phone.
Dream job: Professional athlete.
Favorite all-time player (sports hero): Brett Favre.
My favorite saying: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”—Steve Prefontaine.
If I could have dinner with one famous person, it would be: Brett Favre.
CD currently getting the most play: A country mix.
Photo
Craig's Alex Crandall is a 3-sport athlete and is currently playing cornerback and kick returner for The Cougars.
JANESVILLE — His coach calls him a “throwback.”
Teammates don’t ever remember him coming off the field.
And by the end of the game, opponents have seen enough of No. 27.
That’s the impression Janesville Craig’s Alex Crandall has made in the 2009 football season.
And although the Cougars are struggling at 0-5 heading into Friday night’s crosstown clash with Janesville Parker at Monterey Stadium, Crandall’s play has been stellar.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior starts at safety, returns punts and kickoffs, is the second-string tailback and wide receiver, and sells programs before the game.
OK, Crandall doesn’t have time for that last one, but he does everything else for first-year coach Ben McCormick.
“We ask Alex to do a lot of stuff, but he has the mental capabilities to do that,” McCormick said. “Some guys tend to get overwhelmed, but Alex seems to thrive and feed off of it.
“And we need Alex on the field 99 percent of the time because he brings so much to our team. He’s our defensive quarterback, and the kind of player that I guess you would call a throwback to the old days.”
Crandall’s obviously not the biggest kid on the field, but he can hit like a sledgehammer or run down the opposing team’s fastest player. He ran at the WIAA state track and field meet last spring and also is an accomplished pole vaulter.
Even though his team has been officially eliminated from postseason play, Crandall knows that a victory over Parker would ease a lot of frustration and pain the team has felt during a winless season. The Cougars have lost four of five games by a touchdown or less, but could put a damper on Parker’s postseason hopes with a win Friday.
“We’re still looking for that first game where we play four good quarters of football, and hopefully that happens against Parker,” Crandall said. “We have to approach this game like we’re 0-0 and eliminate all the mental mistakes that have plagued us.
“It’s about playing with pride and everybody working together. Beating Parker would certainly give us the confidence to maybe win a couple more games before the season ends.”
With the Cougars’ biggest game of the season Friday night, is Crandall worried about the team packing it in for the remaining three games?
He answers with an emphatic no. Crandall believes the countless hours in the weight room, being labeled a quitter and seeing things through to the end are too important for the team and the coaching staff.
McCormick is confident his young team will give Parker all it can handle and finish the season on a high note. Especially Alex Crandall.
“He’s a kid that just gets football,” McCormick said of Crandall. “I can tell he watches and studies football. He understands certain situations and anticipates what’s coming next. Not every high school football player does that.”
Alex Crandall, however, certainly has made a lasting impression on Big Eight football.
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