Last week they won a big game.
On Friday, the Blue Streaks won a tight one, and with a 15-12 win over Marion Harding, Sandusky remained in first place in the Greater Buckeye Conference.
In the 50th game between the schools, Zak Esposito threw an 8-yard touchdown to Cordney Strickland and Rayshawn Daniels came up with another big defensive play from a unit that has been stingy the past 12 quarters.
“It’s showing what the kids are all about,” Sandusky coach Mike Franklin said. “You keep practicing that week after week after week, and you find out where that stuff works.”
A program fighting for a winning season and to restore its proud tradition has taken the steps with three straight wins.
“I think we’re getting close to that, and I think next week will determine whether we’re there,” Franklin said.
The quest continues when Sandusky (4-4, 3-0) plays Friday at Napoleon for first place in the conference. The Wildcats (3-0 GBC) beat Fremont Ross 28-14 Friday night.
The Streaks took 6:10 off the clock on their 12-play, 63-yard opening drive before Esposito, who threw for 89 yards of 6-of-15 passing, hit Strickland for the opening score.
The President’s came up with an interception by Michael Van Meter at their own 5, then used more than 10 minutes to drive 95 yards for the tying score. Marion’s Asher Rumple found Gene Rucker for a 1-yard scoring pass.
Brock Cremean hit a 22-yard field goal with just more than 3 minutes left before halftime, giving the lead back to the Streaks 9-6 after a 65-yard drive.
“Brock’s come in... he’s done a great job,” Franklin said.
While Marion Harding controlled the clock and the ball for the majority of the third quarter — the Blue Streaks ran just three plays and punted in the third — Sandusky’s defense held on fourth down to start the fourth quarter.
The Presidents moved into Sandusky territory before the game swung in favor of the Streaks when they ripped the ball away from a Marion player.
Daniels picked up the loose ball and ran down the right sideline. Sixty-seven yards later, it looked like Daniels was tackled at the 3-yard line, and Marion set up its defense while the Streaks sent out the kicking team.
One official thought Daniels fumbled the ball forward intentionally, but another ruled it was a true fumble and the Streaks recovered in the endzone for the deciding score, Franklin said, though he wasn’t sure after the game who fell on the ball.
In the end, the PAT missed, sailing right over the goal post, Franklin said.
The Blue Streaks forced another turnover as Phillip Parker picked off Rumple and returned it to the Marion 25-yard line.
The Presidents scored on a 55-yard pass from Rumple to Eric Gilmore to open a 12-9 lead in the third quarter for their first and only lead of the game.
“Marion hurt us on third and long,” Franklin said. “It’s not as though we played our best football tonight.
“We did have some breakdowns on defense, but when we needed it, boy did they come up big.”
Marion had fourth-and-15 late in the game before Chris Graham came through with pressure and the rest of the Streaks met him at the quarterback to end the threat.
“There was a lot of good hitting out there today,” Franklin said. “We’re going to keep coaching, and the kids are going to keep playing.”
Comments
Congrats Streaks! Keep playing with heart! You're making the city proud!
From a Fremont Ross fan....WAY TO GO BLUE STREAKS! It is good to see Sandusky football making some noise once again. Sandusky CAN beat Napoleon next week. See you in week 10.
Congratulations Blue Streaks!!! Lthe last few weeks the team has really come together and played "Blue Streak Football" As a former blue streak i am so very proud! The win is also a little sweeter this morning finding out the Perkins Pirates finally got beat! Way to go Fliers! Keep on playing Big Blue and we may finally bring home a conference championship, where it should be!!!! Go Blue Streaks!!!!
Sandusky is first in their conference, but they'd probably only be fourth in the SBC (got drilled by Perkins, would lose to Clyde and Edison at least and probably Huron as well). Shows you how weak the GBC is.
Hmmm... You must not understand football or sports in general?
If you think this is the same Sandusky team that got beat in week 2, you're crazy... Plain and simple.
I just don't understand people making statements like that? Is it jealousy? What?
RE: huckleberry
You can say that, but Sandusky is a fair football team and if they played perkins now, it would be a different ball game, but Napoleon could beat any SBC team and even a weak Findlay or Fremont could probabloy beat an Edison or CLydem but I do agree that the GBC is a weak conference, but the SBC is nothing to brag about. (Port Clinton, Marg, St. Mary's are horrible.) THe conference worse team, which is lima sr could beat them.
Perkins would still beat sandusky with there jv team,lol,lol.....
I think Sandusky's JV team beat Perkins this year, so your statement is false.
Thats because your own jv team is better than your varsity,lol
all you guys talkin trash on sandusky are wrong because we DEMOLISHED Findlay and they would kill everybody in the sbc so i dont want to hear that. you guys are just mad because we're winning! 3-0 in the conference!!!!!
hey huckleberry finn The SBC is a much weaker conference than the GBC just to let you know
"all you guys talkin trash on sandusky are wrong because we DEMOLISHED Findlay and they would kill everybody in the sbc so i dont want to hear that." If Sandusky DEMOLISHED Findlay and Perkins DEMOLISHED Sandusky, I highly doubt Findlay would DEMOLISH Perkins, or Clyde who just beat Perkins (who, let's not forget, DEMOLISHED Sandusky).
Good win guys! Keep the ball rollin and keep the haters silent! Get a win next week and you are conference champs! You make the city, school, and alumni proud.
Ok whoever made that comment about GBC being weak come on man perkins is in the SBC now talk about weak...No disrespect at all to edison or clyde but the gbc is stronger than the sbc...anyways great job streaks keep up the good work u are making alot of people proud right now go get napolean friday night u can do it!!!!
And perkins homey u sound like a little kid upset that ur mommy told u no u cant have a sucker lol
The GBC is much stronger than the SBC. Dont get me wrong though perkins isn't a bad team. Our coach was makin it seem like they were the worst team in world history but they weren't. if it wasn't for our mistakes we could've won. But in just about any other sport, perkins wouldn't have a chance. Track, Basketball you name it. SANDUSKY HAS BETTER ATHLETES THAN PERKINS, we just didnt start to perform until week 3. and Huckleberry COME ON MAN! Findlay would KILL!!! perkins, they're one of the top 10 biggest schools in ohio. SBC has NOBODY. and perkins needs a stronger schedule think about it huron, bellevue, st. marys our jv team would beat st marys. Trust me
I will give you that basketball and track are much stronger in the GBC, but not baseball. Perkins has been one of the best teams in the state the past few years, regardless of what division they are in.
Perkins track team is KNOWN STATE WIDE! No way does SHS have better track teams. C'mon.
Didn't Perkins BEAT you guys in a track meet too?
I believe they particpated in the Perkins relays and I know the Sandusky boys won the met and the girls finished 2nd, but I believe the perkins girls finished 3rd and the boys 2nd. I am not 100%, but I am about 80% of the results.
We beat perkins in the pirate relays we finished 1st
There was a lot of criticism when they were losing, and there should be just as much positive remarks now. Congratulations on Friday. the team won a tough game against a decent team. they didn't play a team that turned it over 7-8 times. they didn't lead the whole game. it was a tough game and they came from behind in the second half to win. they haven't beat anyone like napolean yet so this next game is huge. If this team wins out it will be a huge accomplishment. They are peaking at the right time.
losing to perkins and then never recovering would have made the season a failure, but they are two weeks away from making the first two games insignficant. the coach and players should be commended for their effort. that being said, they have to win one of these two games. if they lose these two the joy would only be short lived and we will start talking about the loses and forget this nice run. good luck, as long as the team that played last friday shows up this team will be competitve and have a better chance than anyone thought of going undefeated in conference play.
I have to tell ya...after reading the commentaries over the last hour...I have several comments myself.
Which conference is stronger?? C'mon....Clyde is gonna hang with Findley, or Marion, Napoleon or AK?? reality...its a stupid argument and has absolutely no bearing on the current woes of the Blue Streak football program...
Like some of us...I remember being part of the proud...hard hittin days of the old buckeye conference. Power I ball and 5-2 defense. My father played for for Coach Bruce and as long as Ive been alive...football in San-town has been in my blood...Classic games against Princeton...Massilon...playing Fremont Ross...and again in the playoffs a week later...........Cook....he inherited one hell of a program from Coach C and his predesessors and in my opinion after using up the talent in the pipeline, took it south...just my opinion...We need that program back!
Someone mentioned earlier this year about passing on the Def coordinator from St. Ignatious instead choosing an alum for the job....BAD decision.
As for the the current direction....Anyone can armchair coach but there have been some valid comments made. The coaching staff is not dealing with quite the same pool of kids and talent they they did back in the 80's when I played.....but...there are still enough motivated and quality athletes to produce a competetive team. Its my opinion that a program which can't produce a winning season in 4 years with the same coaching staff and thier offensive/defensive system should be out the door. period.
As for this year....Go Streaks....Its GREAT to see some wins this year and my props for not falling apart. You kids keep your heads up....work hard and play smart. Remember....anyone can be beaten on any day...two games left...Make'm count!!...........ps.....BEAT FREMONT &#$&*##%^$**#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
man huckleberry your a crazy man if u really think any SBC team can hang with Napolean or Findlay and when i say any i mean ANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And as for Lima they are in a rebuilding stage as well Marion i say GBC is tougher hands down to state known teams for a couple years not even including Fremont who has had a couple D1 college athletes on theyre squad like big ten at that too!!! if theyre was an allstar game GBC vs SBC GBC would deff win