By John Raffel
Beal City quarterback Tucker Gross didn’t like the fact that his team didn’t make it to the state final at Ford Field last year, and he’s determined to help Beal City remedy that situation.
Gross is in his senior season and is also playing middle linebacker with the perennial Division 8 power.
After appearances at Ford Field in 2012 and 2013, the Aggies came one game shy of three straight state final appearances. “Last season was not a disappointment, but it was disappointing not getting to the finals as we had in the past,” Gross said. “We didn’t reach our goal.”
It’s no secret that the Aggies plan on setting their goals high again. “Probably every team’s goal in the state is to get to the state finals,” Gross said. “We won’t be happy with anything less than that.”
Gross’s debut season as a varsity quarterback came in 2014.
“I’ll be expected to know the game more than I did last year,” he said. “As far as a leader, I need to step up and be the one and help out my teammates the best I can.”
Gross, as a passer, bids to hit his open receivers quickly.
“As a runner, I think I’m kind of elusive and hard to bring down,” he said. “It takes a couple of guys. I’m not terribly fast, but I see the field well.”
The new Beal City coach is his cousin, Brad Gross.
“I played for him my freshman year because he was the JV coach,” Gross said. “I know what to expect going into it. I work for him during the summer. He’s an electrician. I know him very well and what to expect. It’s nothing new for me and a lot of guys on the team. They’re familiar with him. He’s a Beal City guy and fits in really well.”
The new coach is putting in some “new things here and there, but nothing drastic,” Tucker said. “We have a lot of seniors that will step up in big roles this year. We have underclassmen that will help. They’ve been working hard in the weight room. We won’t miss a beat.”’
The nonleague schedule is tough, with the likes of Clare, Elkton-Pigeon Bayport, and Sacred Heart.Acadedmy. But the Aggies will have only eight games.
“It will be different having a bye week,” Gross said. “Other than that, our schedule is pretty much the same. Every time we step on the field, we expect to win.