Perkins rides big plays in double-OT win over Villa Angela-St. Joseph

PERKINS TWP. — It was an August season opener, but it felt like a late November playoff game. Perkins came from behind Friday at Firelands Health Stadium to defeat Villa Angela-St. Joseph 44-41 in its season opener. There were five lead changes in a game that lasted 3 1/2 hours. The game was halted several times as players fought off leg cramps. In the end, the game was decided by a Perkins field goal and a mistimed snap by VASJ, a Division II power from Cleveland. "That was one of the funnest football games I've played in my life," Perkins senior wide receiver Kaden Legando said. "Great environment," Dante Shipp Jr. said. "I loved how the fans showed out. We just never gave up. I love this team." Afterward, even Perkins head coach Jalen Santoro was in pain due to cramping. "Long game, but we made one more play than they did," Santoro said. "We knew we could play with them, but we had some guys up front getting their first start and they had a really good defensive front. "We had to weather the storm a little bit and, honestly, we made some big plays on defense and special teams to kick-start us. It was a crazy one." Senior kicker Danny Buga made three field goals — including a booming 47-yarder — and made a 36-yard kick to give the Pirates their final lead in the second overtime. "Three, four minutes leading up to that, I was like 'everybody leave me alone. I gotta get in my zone.' I go up to the kick and couldn't hear anything," Buga said. "I was blocking everything out so I was ready to go." VASJ took a 41-34 lead in the first overtime on Leon Jackson's 8-yard run. Perkins needed an answer and got it on third-and-8 from the VASJ 18-yard line. Quarterback Grant Kunhle connected with Legando on a quick slant for a touchdown. Buga's extra point sent the game to a second overtime. "We knew they were in man-to-man coverage — we saw it on the play before — so we ran a little rub right on the left and it got me open for a touchdown," Legando said. Added Kuhnle: "It was open all game, I'm not gonna lie. I wasn't looking for it. We made an adjustment and I hit him as early as I could. It happened to be perfect timing. He had a perfect seem down the middle. Just perfect." After Buga's final field goal gave Perkins a 44-41 lead, VASJ's center snapped the ball past quarterback Julian Harris, leading to a 20-yard loss on first down. A false start made it second-and-35. After a 17-yard pass play, two incompletions sealed the win for Perkins, setting off the type of celebration not often seen in Week 1. Perkins was outgained 393-239 and fell behind 14-0 against a team that has 26 seniors on its roster — including Louisville commit DeAngelo White — and a physical offensive line that averaged 267 pounds. The Pirates failed to convert a fake punt that led to the Vikings' first touchdown and went three-and-out on their first three possessions. On their fourth, Kuhnle threw an interception that led to VASJ's second touchdown. Perkins needed a spark and got it early in the second quarter. Bryce Davie, who in the first quarter made his 12th career interception to set a Perkins school record, bobbled a kickoff, picked it up and sprinted 83 yards for a touchdown to pull Perkins to within 14-7. Perkins did not get a first down until midway through the second quarter when the Pirates turned to Shipp, who gained 38 and 26 yards out of the wildcat formation. Shipp gained 57 of the Pirates' 86 rushing yards in the game. His two long runs led to a 31-yard Buga field goal to make it 14-10. Perkins forced a punt and took over on its own 29 with 1:36 to play in the first half. A roughing the passer penalty on VASJ gave the Pirates good field position. Kuhnle found Shipp down the right sideline for a 40-yard gain and two plays later, he connected with Shipp on a quick throw for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Shipp beat 1-on-1 coverage on the play and the Pirates took a 17-14 lead into halftime. Kuhnle was 9 for 30 for 153 yards, but threw three touchdown passes and looked more comfortable against a physical defense as the game wore on. "That's the best team I've ever played, coming from a smaller school," said Kuhnle, a transfer from St. Paul. "I had to keep my head. Obviously I didn't play as well as I wanted to, but anything to get the job done and get to 1-0. "We got a lot of playmakers. We can put guys in positions for 50-50 balls. We trust our guys that they're 75-25 balls. I don't even have to throw a perfect ball. I trust my guys that they'll go up and get it for me." Both teams totaled 125 yards in the first half. After VASJ controlled the game early, the Pirates defense limited the Vikings to 19 yards rushing on 10 carries in the second quarter. VASJ took a 27-20 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. Boden Ballinger, one of the stars on Perkins' defense, blocked the extra point. Legando tied the game when he went 51 yards untouched to score on a wide receiver screen. "That's just my guys blocking for me, Connor (Smith) and Logan (Wadsworth)," said Legando, who also grabbed an interception. "We work blocking every day in practice. We take pride in that as receivers." Seconds later, Shipp intercepted a Harris pass and sprinted 24 yards for a touchdown and a 34-27 Perkins lead. VASJ went 80 yards in eight plays to tie it on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Jamir Martemus with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter. A sack by Carter Koch stalled a late VASJ drive and Perkins went three-and-out with less than a minute to go in regulation. Ronnie Taylor Jr., whose three-yard touchdown run gave VASJ an early two-touchdown cushion, carried 24 times for 113 yards. Harris, a sophomore, threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Perkins erased VASJ's statistical edge with Davie's special teams touchdown and Shipp's defensive score. Perkins will play on the road next Thursday at Toledo Scott, which lost its season opener Thursday to Toledo St. John's, 44-6. The Pirates will need some recovery time after likely earning some huge playoff points against a quality opponent that plays two divisions higher than Division IV Perkins. "It's huge. It's a double-edge sword because it's a physical game," Santoro said. "You play these teams that are super physical. I don't know for sure, but at the end of the day that could be the best team we play all year no matter how far we play. It's a really good team with a lot of big-time players. "For us to do that after getting down 14-0 and play an overtime game, a 3 1/2-hour game, I'm proud of the way they battled through 4 1/2 quarters against a really quality opponent. You'd like to think you can build off this going forward, but we have guys dinged up from this type of game. You gotta keep them healthy, too." VASJ 6 8 7 13 7 0 — 41 Perkins 0 17 3 14 7 3 — 44 VASJ — Teon Brasmon 22 pass from Julian Harris (kick failed) VASJ — Ronnie Taylor Jr. 2 run (Dillon White pass from Harris) P — Bryce Davie 83 kickoff return (Danny Buga kick) P — Buga 31 field goal P — Dante Shipp Jr. 16 pass from Grant Kuhnle (Buga kick) P — Buga 47 field goal VASJ — Taylor Jr. 59 pass from Harris (Jack Sable kick) VASJ — Harris 1 run (kick blocked) P — Kaden Legando 51 pass from Kuhnle (Buga kick) P — Shipp 24 interception return (Buga kick) VASJ — Jamir Martemus 25 pass from Harris (Sable kick) VASJ — Leon Jackson 8 run (Sable kick) P — Legando 18 pass from Kuhnle (Buga kick) P — Buga 36 field goal