By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – On one hand, his name fits perfectly, because a crane is designed to lift anything. Bedford North Lawrence senior Gibson Crane is built for that, with his massive biceps on display. He’s definitely no dumbbell, not with a smart 3.56 GPA, but he can throw them around in the weight room with pure power.
On the other hand, there’s something askew about a guy that big playing for the Little Giants, which is an oxymoronic nickname, like jumbo shrimp or deafening silence. That’s been Wabash College’s signature title since 1904, and it’s certainly unique.
Crane, BNL’s All-State defensive lineman, stands out in his own way. He made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. That’s a great characteristic for a kid who grew up loving to hit someone in pads.
Fulfilling a long-time goal, Crane officially signed with Wabash on Tuesday afternoon. He will join a strong program under coach Jake Gilbert, who guided the Little Giants to a big season (9-2 with a bowl win) in 2025. After committing to Wabash in January, he added his signature to the page and started his journey into Div. III football.
“It puts an exclamation mark on it, all the hard work,” Crane said. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”
At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, Crane was a force for the Stars last season, totaling 11.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss and 95 total tackles as BNL went 8-4 (the most wins for the program since 2018). He earned All-Hoosier Hills Conference honors for the second time. His impact was bigger than that.
“Just leadership,” BNL coach Brayden Tidd said. “You could get that any way you wanted, whether it was vocally, in the classroom with his GPA, or in the weight room. He led by example. On the field, he led verbally and by example.
“It’s huge for our program, for our younger guys, to show them what hard work does. It does pay off.”
His success on the field can be directly traced to his dedication and discipline in the weight room. His X (formally Twitter) account includes multiple posts for incredible prowess with the weights. Try dead lifting 635 pounds three times in succession, or benching 385, or squatting 565. It’s no wonder he could toss offensive linemen aside.
“Getting in the weight room, getting on the field, working hard, it’s a big part of it,” he said. “And I just love hitting people as hard as I can. It’s been pretty fun.”
After receiving recruiting offers and taking visits to almost every level of college football, Crane settled on Wabash. He plans to major in exercise science.
“I really liked all the coaches,” he said. “Once I got on campus, I learned how good of a school it was academically. All the facilities are super nice.”
His BNL career taught him to handle the highs and lows. He was a big part of the turnaround from 2-9 (as a junior) to the success as a senior.
”There will be rough times,” Crane said. “But whatever happens you have to keep working. You will eventually make it some day.”
