Perkins rolls past Harvest Prep, 52-13

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins got the defensive start it needed. The Pirates blocked a punt, forced a turnover on downs and recovered a fumble. That led to three Perkins touchdowns. Things were dicey in the second quarter before the Pirates regained momentum. Perkins got things going again in the second half, defeating Harvest Prep 52-13 in non-league action Friday. "We have some guys, but we try to rotate them and keep them as healthy as we can," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "We got Paul Keys back tonight and he's a bit of a hidden gem. A lot of people don't know about him. He had a really good camp before having some injuries issues. He's just now getting healthy." Perkins (4-0) got things going early as Boden Bollinger, who was named Homecoming King, blocked a punt on the Warriors' first drive. After a short return by Levi Jackson, the Pirates started at the HP 1. Logan Wadsworth covered that distance on the next play and Danny Buga's kick made it 7-0 just over two minutes in. Perkins got another defensive stop on the next Harvest Prep (0-4) drive. The Warriors went for it on 4th-and-1 in their own territory, but the Pirates stuffed the attempt. It again took Perkins just one play to score as Grant Kuhnle hit Keys in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown. Buga made it 14-0 with 8:06 left in the first quarter. "We got that blocked punt and were able to get the ball on a short field," Santoro said. "This is a good team. I was talking to their coach before the game. Nobody in the state in Division VI is playing a schedule like them. They have Bishop Watterson and Ironton coming up, too." Harvest Prep picked up three first downs on its next drive, getting into Perkins' territory. But, Dante Shipp Jr. forced a fumble with a big hit that JoJo Moore recovered. Perkins cashed in once again, this time scoring on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Kuhnle to Connor Smith. Buga's point after pushed Perkins' lead to 21-0 with 1:49 remaining in the opening quarter. From there, the Warriors outplayed Perkins the rest of the half. First, Collin Boff connected with AJ West on a 35-yard touchdown pass. The extra point cut the Pirates' lead to 21-7. Perkins looked to respond, but Buga came up just short on a 51-yard field goal. Harvest Prep cashed in, taking advantage of two Perkins penalties. A defensive holding against the Pirates gave the Warriors a fresh set of downs, as did a personal foul face mask. A few plays later, Jeremiah King hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Boff. That got Harvest Prep within 21-13 with 6:17 to go in the first half. "We had some lapses in coverage," Santoro said. "If you mess up with a quarterback like that, he'll make you pay. We had some lapses in some stuff we were doing in the secondary and we let some people slip free. We'll go back and correct some things." Perkins did get some momentum back late in the half. The Pirates were the beneficiary of a pair of offsides calls facing 4th-and-7. That gave Perkins a first down and Moore scored from seven yards out on the next play. Buga's extra point put the Pirates up 28-13 at halftime. The Pirates carried that momentum into the second half. Kuhnle hit Kaden Legando for 17 yards before Moore exploded for an 18-yard pickup. After Kuhnle connected with Bryce Davie for 18 yards, Levi Jackson scored on a six-yard run. Buga extended the margin to 35-13 less than three minutes into the second half. "That was big," Santoro said. "We were able to double dip there at the end of the first half and right after half. Any chance we're able to do that is big for us." Perkins again forced a turnover on downs on the next Harvest Prep drive. This time, it took the Pirates just three plays to score. Jackson picked up seven and 15 yards. Then, Shipp Jr. went up over a defender and caught what became a 24-yard touchdown pass from Kuhnle. After Buga's extra point, Perkins led 42-13 with 5:40 left in the third quarter. Boden Ballinger added a 27-yard touchdown catch from Kuhnle late in the third quarter. Buga made a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Kuhnle completed 11 of 15 passes for 177 yards and the four touchdowns to four different receivers. "Our offense was clicking tonight," Santoro said. "That's what we've been waiting to see. We had some opportunities on the perimeter and ran the ball well. I thought our offensive line, for the first time, was assignment sharp all year. They were getting off the ball really well." Perkins is back in action next Friday at Bellevue (3-1). "It's always fun to play them," Santoro said. "A lot of coaches here, that's where we came from. We played there and grew up there. It's always fun playing at BAF. They're rocking and rolling, too. They've had a good start to their season and we have to be ready to rock." Harvest Prep 0 13 0 0 — 13 Perkins 21 7 21 3 — 52 P — Logan Wadsworth 1 run (Danny Buga kick) P — Paul Keys 30 pass from Grant Kuhnle (Buga kick) P — Connor Smith 29 pass from Kuhnle (Buga kick) HP — AJ West 35 pass from Collin Boff (Billy Horton kick) HP — Jeremiah King 15 pass from Boff (kick failed) P — JoJo Moore 7 run (Buga kick) P — Levi Jackson 6 run (Buga kick) P — Dante Shipp Jr. 24 pass from Kuhnle (Buga kick) P — Boden Ballinger 27 pass from Kuhnle (Buga kick) P — Buga 37 field goal