Perkins defense comes up big in 10-3 win at Bellevue

BELLEVUE — Perkins entered Friday's game averaging over 44 points a game. The Pirates scored 52 points just last week in a win over Harvest Prep. That wasn't going to be the case against Bellevue. Division IV No. 4 Perkins had to grind it out defensively, defeating the Redmen 10-3 in Northern Ohio Conference crossover action. "Hats off to them. They played well," said Perkins coach Jalen Santoro of Bellevue. "We have a lot of stuff we need to clean up still. It's a lot of inconsistency in what we're doing right now. We'll never be mad with a win, but at the end of the day, our goals are our goals. "We're not shying away from them and we have to make sure we're doing the right things to get there." The Pirates (5-0) got big stop after big stop in the second half. After a missed field goal with 1:55 to go, Perkins forced quarterback Ike Brown into three incomplete passes, leading to a turnover on downs. That allowed the Pirates to take a sigh of relief and kneel out the final minute-plus. "You want to take the ball away from them when it comes to running," Santoro said. "We did that at the end of the game, forcing them into passing situations. That was big for us. Ike is a great player. He had some moments against us tonight." Earlier, Bellevue (3-2) got past midfield on the first play of the fourth quarter. But Perkins stuffed a couple runs and denied Brown on a pass to force a punt. The biggest stop for Perkins came on the Redmen's first drive of the second half. Bellevue picked up five first downs, guzzling clock away. The Redmen had 1st-and-goal at the Perkins 9, but Perkins stood tall. Even though Bellevue took 7:45 off the clock, the Pirates' defense had the final say. "That was a big stop," Santoro said. "They milked us down there, running the clock and running the ball. We had some guys come off the field. We have to be a little better with our substitutions. We held out. We had a bend, don't break mentality." Perkins got on the board first, but missed an opportunity to go bigger. Taking over at the 50, the Pirates got a pair of first downs. But, the drive fizzled and Danny Buga came on to make a 29-yard field goal. That was the only score of the first quarter. The teams exchanged defensive stops until Perkins came up with a big play in the second quarter. Facing 4th-and-inches at the Bellevue 38, JoJo Moore bounced off a tackler and was off to the races for a 38-yard touchdown. Buga's extra point put Perkins up 10-0 with 6:56 left in the first half. Bellevue got points on the board on its next drive. Brown guided the Redmen down the field, but the Pirates' defense came up big. Perkins forced Bellevue into a field goal, which Zach Moses made. That brought the Redmen within 10-3 with 4:30 to go in the second quarter. "Our offense wasn't great, so it was a lot of missed opportunities," Santoro said. "When you're not hitting those plays and we're not doing what we want to do, you have to rely on our defense. Thankfully it's been good all year." Perkins outgained Bellevue 218-179. The Redmen are back in action next week at home against Edison (2-3). The Pirates hit the road for the second straight week when they travel to Clyde (1-4). "At the end of the day, we're where we want to be," Santoro said. "We have to fix some things. We'll get in the film room, check some things out and get better." Perkins 3 7 0 0 — 10 Bellevue 0 3 0 0 — 3 P — Danny Buga 29 field goal P — JoJo Moore 38 run (Buga kick) B — Zach Moses 31 field goal