Andrew Shrock attributes his high motor to his high school days playing running back for West Noble when he’d keep his legs churning to pick up extra yards.
Now, for the FireHawks, Shrock is using his energy to frustrate opposing quarterbacks as a defensive end.
Shrock leads Fort Wayne (5-4) with five sacks, tied for fifth in the Continental Indoor Football League, and his 9.5 tackles for a loss rank sixth in the league.
Even if he’s not racking up statistics, he’s still causing havoc.
“I like everything about Shrock’s game,” said FireHawks coach Willie Davis, whose team plays at winless Chicago (0-9) in the regular-season finale tonight. “He has a high energy level. He makes plays. If you watch him, he never takes a play off. He may not make the sack, but he causes pressure and constantly is flying after the ball.”
Shrock, who played at Manchester College for one year before giving up college football and transferring to IPFW, said he initially practiced at linebacker for the FireHawks in training camp. But late in camp, he was moved to defensive end. The transition wasn’t easy early, Shrock said.
“The first two, three games, yeah, I went hard every play, but I wasn’t getting anywhere,” Shrock said. “I made some tackles, but something wasn’t working right. Then we slowed stuff down in practice, and we want back to fundamentals, not necessarily going full speed, but more working on what you should do here and here, always remembering to do two, three moves. I learned that you’re not going to beat them the first time ever on a play. So not only going hard the entire play but constantly trying something different while you’re moving. I definitely picked that up.”
Shrock credits defensive coordinator Lamar Martin, a former defensive lineman with the early Freedom teams. Martin has worked on not just using the players’ speed but on countermoves to get to the quarterback.
Shrock also said he’s better because he’s playing with one of the league’s best lineman, Allen Craine III, and having two consistent speed rushers helps fuel both players’ success.
“He constantly gets better,” Davis said of Shrock. “He’s an unsung hero who always does something good for you.”
