Grace’s Tinsley delivers performance of the week

With his team’s season on the line, Grace Academy’s Cade Tinsley took matters into his own hands.

After a scoreless first quarter in last week’s Division II-A first-round playoff game against Tipton-Rosemark, the senior quarterback kick-started the Golden Eagles’ offense with a 73-yard touchdown run early in the second, then added a bookend TD on a 6-yard scoring toss as part of a 20-point outburst.

That dominant second quarter helped Grace post the program’s first playoff win, 27-0, and Tinsley finished the night with 294 yards on 31 carries with two TDs while also throwing for 70 yards and aa score.

That earned Tinsley this week’s BMW Performance of the Week.

“Our offense is predicated off what he does,” Grace coach Bob Ateca said. “If we’re going to have a good game it’s because of him, and he hasn’t disappointed, regardless of who we play. He typically shows up biggest in our toughest games.

“Offensively we basically run the wildcat all the time, but with him having the ability to also throw the ball. It’s pretty simple, but that’s our offense and he makes it tough to stop.”

Grace Academy (7-3) will travel to top-ranked Davidson Academy (10-0) on Friday. The Bears, whose average margin this season is 54-21, are coming off a firstround bye and are led by a pair of Mr. Football semifinalists: quarterback Stone Norton and running back Da’joun Hewitt, a Purdue commitment.

Although Tinsley was snubbed from the Mr. Football list, his season stats — 2,445 total yards and 29 TDs — stand up against the top performers in his classification.

“We thought he would have to do his part to help us win the game, but he just really took over by himself,” Ateca added. “We have one particular play that we like to run, which they left open by trying to take away our outside option, and Cade ran the ball inside really well. He probably averaged about 15 yards or more on that one play. It’s pick your poison with him, because if you take away one aspect, he can still make big plays happen.

“Getting that first playoff win was really big for us as a program. It’s been a long time coming and certainly didn’t happen overnight. The difference in this year’s team compared with others we’ve had that were just as talented is that this group believes in themselves. I’m not sure exactly when it clicked, but at some point they cleared the mental hurdle and believed they can play with anybody. That’s what it takes.”