Blue Streaks for life: Michael Franklin cherishes QB role, and playing for his dad

Michael Franklin has been Sandusky's quarterback for large chunks of the last three seasons, but in reality he's been with the program for much longer. Michael is the son of Sandusky football coach Mike Franklin, so the Sandusky senior has been a Blue Streak insider for more than a decade. "Always around the guys, traveling," Mike Franklin said. "I got a video of him kicking an extra point at Michigan State. We went to Notre Dame (in 2014), he was always with us. I wanted to keep him around and he wanted to go. It was always special." The video of that kick at a Michigan State camp was narrated by former Blue Streaks star Terion Stewart. Tevin Stewart was the holder. Michael, then 10, drilled the football through the uprights and raised his arms in triumph. His football journey has taken him places. From ball boy to quarterback to talks with his dad/coach at home, he's experienced the highs and lows that come with playing arguably the most important position in sports. And now it's about over. Mike and Sarah Franklin walked their son across Strobel Field for Senior Night a couple weeks ago and the memories came roaring back. "I saw my brother (Tyler) and sister (Molly) do it and didn't think much of it," Michael said. "Once you're there, it's an unreal feeling. I didn't expect high school to go this fast. It's like we just came out of summer." Michael has passed for 2,506 yards in his career and is closing in on third place on Sandusky's all-time list. He's also the team's leading rusher this season with 350 yards and has kicked five field goals, including boots covering 44 and 42 yards. "You don't want it to end, that's for sure," Mike Franklin said before hesitating, looking for the words to describe how he feels about his son. "He's a lot better than I ever was. You're just proud ... You're just proud." Sandusky legacy Mike Franklin also was a quarterback at Sandusky. He called the signals on the 1990 team that went 12-1 and reached the Division I state semifinals. That squad holds the school record for most wins in a season. The coach knew what his son was getting into when he chose football over soccer in the sixth grade. "It's tough to play here, in any capacity," Mike Franklin said. "Tradition, a lot to live up to, especially playing that position. There's a tremendous amount of pressure. You need to enjoy that position or else you shouldn't be there. It's pretty much all people see." Michael was thrown into the fire during his sophomore year. Senior starter Shonsai Aaron Jr. injured his knee in Week 3 and Michael moved into the starting lineup in Week 5. Ready or not, he was calling the signals for a deep, talented team. "You don't expect that, at that age," Michael said. "Being that young, people didn't expect much. I was more nervous than scared." Coach Franklin gathered his staff before making the final call about making his son the starter. "You get your coaching staff involved," he said. "When a head coach makes a decision like that it can cause dissension. That was a whole staff agreement. I said OK and went home and told him. I thought he did a great job; he did what he needed to do for that team that year. I couldn't have been more proud of him for what he did — on and off the field." The Streaks went 5-3 with Michael starting and advanced to the Division III Region 10 championship game, where they lost to Mansfield Senior in overtime. A rough start and an early injury to running back Terion Stewart kept Sandusky from advancing to the state semifinals, and who knows how much further. "I might think about it a few times a week, where it just comes into my mind. We were so close," Michael said. "If we would've won that (regional final) anything could've happened." "There's a lot of what-ifs in that game," coach Franklin said. "Absolutely." Mike Franklin remains appreciative of the way that deep senior class embraced his son two seasons ago. "Those guys were tremendous," he said. "He led by hard work and those guys had his back. That was really cool." "They didn't want to make me nervous and pressure me to do everything right," Michael said. "Everything I did good, they wanted to motivate me. They didn't let me fall down when I did things wrong." Fighting through injuries Injuries are part of football and Michael Franklin has had his share. He was injured in the fifth game last season, suffering a fractured spine against Bellevue. Michael underwent several months of physical therapy, and there were questions whether he'd play again. "It was a huge concern," Mike Franklin said. Sidelined, Michael helped coach up his replacement, Tre Roldan, who moved to quarterback after never playing the position. Sandusky went 3-8 amid a pandemic, but the Streaks ended the season with a win over rival Fremont Ross. Michael bounced back and got healthy, and in the spring played tennis. His mother, Sarah, coaches the Blue Streaks. Michael, in his first season on the team, advanced to the district tournament and then looked ahead to his senior season of football. "He was really good at soccer, but he always wanted to play football," Mike Franklin said. "Obviously I backed that 100 percent. He started to grow, that was huge. He played basketball and now he loves tennis. Made districts. He is definitely a good athlete." Michael has dealt with injuries this season, too, but he's bigger and stronger and hasn't missed a game. The Blue Streaks are 3-4 and need another win to put themselves in playoff position. "All the seniors are motivated; they don't want just three more games," he said. "They want a fourth or fifth, even more." Capable leader Michael has proven to be a strong leader on and off the field. He's a vocal team captain who knows the offense inside and out. "I like playing quarterback because it's all in your hands," he said. "When I was playing soccer and I wasn't in the game, I couldn't do anything about what was going on. The football touches my hands on every play and I love managing the offense." Mike Franklin coaches his son the same way he coaches everyone else. Consistency is important. "I've always told my players I'm going to coach you like you're my kid," he said. "You're going to correct them just like you're own kid. I'm not going to talk to anyone differently than I would my own kids at home." Michael isn't afraid to counsel his teammates if they get an earful from their coaches. "He's awfully positive; he'll try to get everybody going," Mike Franklin said. "If I'm on somebody, I can see him go back and try to pick them up. He's probably like, 'This is the crap I get at home.' He does a great job behind the scenes trying to smooth things over." One thing Michael doesn't hear about at home are his dad's glory days. When asked if he talks about his old teams with his son, Mike Franklin does not hesitate: "They're over. What's there to talk about? Too many people do." Michael has seen a scrapbook that chronicles his dad's football history. "He tries to not talk about it, but I do know that he was pretty good," Michael said. "He's like 'You're better than me' and I look and I'm like, 'You're pretty good, though.' I know he was."