Robichaud quarterback Jarius Grissom completed 14 of 34 passes for 373 yards and five touchdowns.
Dearborn Heights Robichaud wide receiver Traivon Clayton spent a good portion of the first quarter on the bench.
It had nothing to do with discipline.
“I was feeling kind of nauseated earlier,” he said. “My stomach was hurting.”
Is there any chance his stomach can keep hurting until Thanksgiving weekend?
Clayton caught seven passes Friday night for 171 yards and three touchdowns to lead Robichaud to a 49-21 victory over Redford Thurston in a Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue Division game at Robichaud.
Robichaud junior quarterback Jairus Grissom, who received a scholarship offer from Minnesota this week, completed 14 of 34 passes for 373 yards and five touchdowns. But, truth be told, he doesn’t have to throw the ball a long ways.
His best plays are short passes, and then watch Clayton do his thing.
“I love watching him in practice,” said Grissom. “He’s a hard-working guy. We all love to compete.”
The game looked like a see-saw in the early going, with Grissom throwing a 31-yard TD pass to Devin Ashley. Thurston (2-2, 1-1) answered immediately with its Mr. Excitement — Alonzo McCoy — scoring on a 7-yard run before Ashley caught a 6-yard TD pass for a 14-7 Robichaud lead.
Clayton took over the game in the second quarter, catching a pass in the backfield and scoring on a 25-yard run.
On the final play of the first half, Grissom dropped back to pass and began to run before spotting Clayton.
“I was surprised,” Grissom said. “He saved me.”
Instead of running, Grissom shoveled the ball to Clayton, who eluded would-be tacklers and scooted to a 44-yard touchdown and a 28-7 halftime lead.
“It was planned,” Clayton said. “We wanted the DBs to bail off, and then we were going to throw the slant. They were bailing off on third down.”
Clayton had one more highlight-film play left when he caught a slant pass early in the fourth quarter. It was as if the Red Sea parted when Clayton caught the ball and turned it into a 70-yard score.
“They were trying to stack me,” said Clayton. “They were stacking the safety over the DB checking me, and when I saw the open lane I just slanted it in.”
Thurston is a young team and started six sophomores. The Eagles did not have the speed to match Robichaud (4-0, 2-0).
“That’s what the fear is,” said Thurston coach Bob Snell. “They get in open space, and we’ve got decent speed. We’re not a slow team, and they made us miss tackles. They made great plays in the open field.”
Robichaud is ranked No. 5 in Division 5, and it has enough speed and talent to make a run in the state playoffs — as long as Clayton’s stomach is still bothering him.
“We do have a lot of weapons,” said Robichaud coach Al Demps. “Guys were trying to focus on Traivon and they still can’t stop him. Nobody can stop him one-on-one. He’s a dynamic player. … He’s our leader and he came up big tonight.”
Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.