The United States Marine Corps sponsored Rivalry Series celebration began with a great opportunity for the Marines; attendance to the Sandusky High School bon fire the night before the game. Marines in attendance were given a microphone and were able to address the crowd while throwing out footballs and shirts. They also showed off the Marine sponsored Great American Rivalry Series Trophy. Fans of both Sandusky High School and Fremont Ross High School were very receptive to the Marines and while at the bonfire they were invited to be a guest on the live pre-game show on fandy.com. To start off the actual game festivities the Marines presented the Scholar Athlete and Hall of Fame Awards to four very deserving recipients. Due to the game schedule both of presentations took place right before kick-off.

MVP

Cordney Strickland
Sandusky

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Nicholas Sherwood

Sandusky

Nicholas Sherwood is a senior offensive/defensive linebacker for Sandusky and carries at 3.68 GPA. He is a member of the National Honor Society, band, and Academic Challenge team. He has also been a member of the political club and the chess club. Nick plans to attend college in Ohio to major in engineering or math. He is the son of Paul and Mary Sherwood.
Christopher McCallister

Fremont

Christopher McAllister is son of Allen and Sharlene McAllister. He has a 4.039 GPA and ranks 5th out of 280 in his class. Christopher plays defensive back and wide receiver for Fremont Ross.

HALL OF FAME

Eddie Williams

Sandusky

Eddie L. Williams is a 1968 graduate from Sandusky, playing in the rivalry game his sophomore, junior, and senior years. During one game, he led the Blue Streaks’ 544-yard rushing spree with 15 carries, 217 yards, and two touchdowns. Sandusky won that game by an incredible score of 74-0 over the Little Giants in front of 7000 stunned fans.
Rob Lytle

Fremont

Rob Lytle played in the Sandusky-Fremont rivalry for three years, 1969-1972. During those three years he won seven letters with Fremont. In football, Rob was an exceptional running back, scoring 242 points while rushing for 2539 yards. He was named to the Buckeye Conference First Team in 1971 as a running back, also earning First Team AP District honors and honorable mention All-Ohio. He later played for the University of Michigan where he was All-American, Big Ten MVP, and third in Heisman Trophy voting. Rob was drafted by the Denver Broncos and played seven seasons in the NFL.

GAME SUMMARY

As the Marines and the Award Recipients exited the field, the teams spent a few minutes before the game, piled up at the 50-yard line, jumping, yelling and trash talking. All involved could tell this would be an exciting game from start to finish. Once the game got started, it was all Sandusky. The Blue Streaks were firing on all cylinders. After a scoreless first quarter for both teams, Sandusky got on the board with a Brock Cremean 29-yard field goal. Fremont tried their hand on offense and after being stopped, the Blue Streaks put together a drive that was capped off by a 1-yard Cordney Strickland run. Cordney would be heard from again, in fact "Pewee" Strickland was heard from 23 times, carrying the ball for 158 yards on his way to an MVP performance. At the half, the score was 10-0 Sandusky. In the second half the story was no different, as Sandusky continued to pound the Little Giants. Devin Jenkins ran in a pair of 3-yard touchdowns, extending the lead to 24-0. Between the third and fourth quarters the chin-up challenge trophy was given out to the Sandusky cheerleaders. Before the trophy was handed over though, the Marines joined the girls in a "Rockettes" style dance, to the joy of the crowd as they cheered appreciatively. In the fourth quarter, the route continued and at the end of the night Sandusky had pitched a shut-out. One more touchdown was scored on a 21-yard pass from Zak Esposito to Jaron Green, giving the Blue Streaks a 30-0 victory over their rival. After the game was over the MVP awards were given out to a much deserving Cordney "Pewee" Strickland. It was then time for the Great American Rivalry Series Trophy. As the Marines in attendance handed out the Championship Hats and handed over the trophy with a few encouraging words, the young men at Sandusky had tears in their eyes. One young man remarked, genuinely, that he felt like he had just won the Super Bowl. It was a very successful evening for everyone involved.

GAME GALLERY