By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Andrew VanErp always assumed he'd pursue some type of degree in medicine.

But it was his family dentist – Dr. Ruth Peterka – who helped get the Johnnies' senior wide receiver thinking about pursuing a career in that particular field.

"I'd done some internships before my senior year in high school at hospitals and other places, but none of them really felt like the right fit," said the Battle Lake native who played high school football for Ottertail Central.

"I was telling my dentist that at my yearly check-up and she said I could shadow her if I wanted to. So I did and I kept going back. It just seemed like the right choice for me."

VanErp, a two-year starter who earned All-MIAC honorable mention honors a year ago, is currently applying to dental schools like the University of Minnesota, Creighton and Marquette.

But he already received valuable hands-on training during an eight-day medical mission trip to Nicaragua during his spring break in 2018.

There, he was part of a team that traveled to remote villages and provided dental care to residents who don't often have the chance to receive it.

"You really felt fortunate when you saw some of the conditions there," he said. "But it also solidified to me that I wanted to be a dentist. It showed it's a way that I can really help people."

But that trip is far from the only way VanErp has found to help others.

For the past two years, the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder has volunteered once a week at Anna Marie's Alliance in St. Cloud, an organization that provides a safe space for victims of domestic abuse.

He also serves on the board of Central Minnesota Together Encountering Christ (TEC), an organization that sponsors three-day retreats near Little Falls.

And he's taken part in his team's fundraising efforts for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and in the athletic department's annual Kids Fighting Hunger food-packing event.

"He's like a lot of our guys in that giving back off the field is very important to him," Saint John's head coach Gary Fasching said. "He's involved in a lot of things."

VanErp has been pretty involved in his team's offense as well. He ranked second on the team with 41 catches for 675 yards and six touchdowns a year ago, and is the only one of the Johnnies' top six receivers in 2018 to return his season.

That means the guy who once looked up to older mentors like Evan Clark '17, Dan Harrington '17 and Will Gillach '19 is now the leader of a young and talented receiver group that includes sophomores like Ravi Alston and T.J. Hodge.

"He's the veteran guy now and a lot of those guys are looking to him for leadership," Fasching said. "He's done a good job with that so far. He's helped bring some of the younger guys along."

VanErp said that just comes with the territory.

"It is a little crazy to think I'm the only senior wide receiver on the team," he said. "And in fall camp it felt like I was doing more teaching than I really have before.

"But that's how this program has always been set up. If you ask the quarterbacks or the offensive line or the linebackers, they'll all say they had mentors who were a couple years older than they were. And now they're mentoring the younger guys at their positions."

But one area he concedes still needs work is the receiving corps' touchdown celebrations, which can perhaps charitably be referred to as a work in progress.

"We haven't exactly meshed there yet," he said with a smile. "We tried one (in a 56-10 win at Carleton) last week. It was supposed to be kind of a handshake and we messed it up. That looked a little awkward watching it back on film."

There's also another younger player on this season's roster with whom VanErp shares a special connection. That would be his younger brother Nick, a freshman quarterback.

His older brother Evan is a 2017 SJU graduate, while another younger brother Brady is a junior in high school and younger sister Grace is a sophomore.

"My older brother was a quarterback too, so I've been surrounded by quarterbacks growing up," VanErp said.

Of course, it is senior Jackson Erdmann who has been getting him the ball in Collegeville, and the pair have connected again plenty through the first three games this season. 

VanErp leads the team with 16 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns, and he's hoping that success continues.

"For the guys who were here for that loss at Mary Hardin-Baylor (in the national quarterfinals) last year, it's been a driving force for us over the offseason," VanErp said. "We have to focus on one game at a time. The next game up is the only one that matters.

"But we know what we have the talent to achieve if we play the way we're capable of playing."