Grose, Tygers stop Sandusky

MANSFIELD — Angelo Grose put on a show Friday night at Arlin Field.

The Michigan State-bound Grose caught 10 passes for a career-high 177 yards and two touchdowns and the Tygers knocked off Sandusky 21-14 at Arlin Field.

“The kid is half man, half amazing and he showed it tonight,” Mansfield Senior coach Chioke Bradley said. “The kid is a Power 5 (Conference) kid for a reason. There’s a reason why he’s going to Michigan State. There’s a reason why he had offers from a lot of Big Ten schools.

“I’ve been around that kid since he was in middle school. Every time he touches the ball he has been doing phenomenal things since he was a seventh grader. What he did out here tonight, he’s been doing that for a long time.”

The Tygers (5-0) trailed 7-0 late in the first half when Grose and quarterback Cam Todd went to work. The pair hooked up on a 31-yard scoring strike with 2:10 remaining in the second quarter to tie the score, then combined on a 3-yard TD pass just 10 seconds before the half to give Senior High a 14-7 lead.

The last-second touchdown was set up by a sensational 47-yard Todd-to-Grose pass down to the Sandusky 3 yard line. Grose went up between a pair of Sandusky defenders and high-pointed the ball.

“It was a seam route and I saw it go up. I tracked it and went up and just grabbed it,” Grose said. “I just tried to make every play I could. I always feel confident going up in traffic like that.”

Todd connected with Grose on a 42-yard completion late in the third quarter which led to Senior High’s final score. Maj Robertson bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 21-7 lead.

The Blue Streaks (4-1) scored on a 5-yard scoring strike from Michael Franklin to Ja’Vontre’ Roldan with 30 seconds remaining to make it 21-14. The Tygers recovered the ensuing onside kick and killed the clock to preserve the win.

Todd completed 17-of-22 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Terrance Flickinger rushed for a team-high 61 yards on 13 carries, while Robertson added 36 yards on three carries. Grose carried the ball twice for 28 yards.

Sandusky running back and Bowling Green recruit Terion Steward rushed for 123 yards on 16 carries, including a 68-yard touchdown run on the third play of the game. Franklin was 7-for-10 passing for 70 yards, while J.J. Henry completed all five of his passing attempts for 65 yards.

Mansfield Senior’s suffocating defense limited Sandusky to 230 yards of total offense, more than 150 yards below its season average.

“We knew after that long run we had to pick it up,” said defensive tackle Anthony Hawkins, who returned after sitting out the past three weeks with a knee injury. “We can’t let plays like that get us down. We knew we had to play the next down.

“After we got those first couple of stops, we got the juice going and got the momentum and took off from there.”

Like everyone else at Arlin Field, Hawkins was impressed by Grose’s performance Friday night.

“He does a lot for us. He’s kind of like our Superman,” Hawkins said. “He’s a great player and an even better person.”