Balanced Perkins handles Clyde, 31-7

CLYDE — With an offense that features a stout rushing attack featuring Isaac Bunts running behind a big, physical offensive line, plus a quarterback in Logan Lesch who can sling the ball around to athletes like Weston Sturzinger and Braylon Collier, it's hard to know what to key in on when facing Perkins. On top of that, the Pirates have a defense that has pitched two shutouts and held Clyde in check on Friday night, grounding the Fliers' offensive attack. Clyde (4-2, 0-1 SBC Lake) found out just how good Perkins is, falling, 31-7, to the Pirates, who are ranked No. 5 in Division IV. It was the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division opener for both teams at Bob Bishop Stadium. Coming into the game, Perkins (5-0, 1-0) was first in the Division IV Region 14 playoff standings with 10.86 points. Needless to say, this will help provide the Pirates with some valuable computer points. Perkins coach Jalen Santoro credited his players for playing with a great deal of intensity during the week in practice. "We bring it in practice," he said. "Sometimes we have to dial it back, but I'd rather do that than (the opposite). It translates to the field on Friday nights." Santoro talked about keeping it simple on offense. "We've got some talented playmakers, and we're big and physical up front," he said. "You take what the defense gives you, and call the right play. It's nice when you can attack the defense on different levels." Holding a 21-7 lead at halftime, and after nearly scoring on the final play of the first half, Perkins left no doubt early in the second half, driving 64 yards in nine plays and scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Bunts. Noah Normington-Slay kicked his fourth PAT of the game to make it a 21-point game. Bunts (20 carries, 100 yards, TD) carried the ball five times for 36 yards on the drive and Lesch (13-of-19, 242 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) was 3-of-3 passing for 34 yards. After Clyde had a turnover on downs, Perkins took over at the Flier 38-yard line and drove 33 yards before being stopped at the 5. Normington-Slay kicked a 22-yard field goal to close out the scoring. The unsung heroes of the night were the Pirate defenders, who allowed just seven points on a touchdown that came off a turnover. "We've got some guys in the secondary that can make plays," Santoro said. "We made some adjustments at halftime and our defensive line did a nice job in the second half." Perkins forced Clyde to punt on the game's opening possession, and the Pirates proceeded to drive 51 yards in seven plays, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Lesch to Collier (5 catches, 87 yards, 2 TD) on third down. Three plays later, Brady Legando intercepted a pass and gave Perkins the ball at their own 34 with 3:11 to play in the first quarter. The Pirates scored in less than three minutes, finishing off the drive with a touchdown on a 5-yard run via a direct snap to Sturzinger (4 catches, 93 yards) with 31 seconds to play in the first quarter. The PAT pushed the lead to 14 points. Sturzinger intercepted a pass on defense on the ensuing drive, and Lesch completed a 41-yard play on a screen pass to Sturzinger on the first play of the Pirates' drive. On the play, there were four Perkins receivers stacked to the right, three of which did an excellent job blocking. Two plays later, Lesch connected with Collier again, this time on an 11-yard touchdown pass that saw Collier barely get his feet inbounds on the left sideline, pushing the lead to 21-0. The Fliers drove 35 yards in 11 plays, but turned it over on downs at their 47. But Curtis Dick intercepted a pass on the next play, and Clyde took over at its 39 before driving 61 yards and scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run by Chancy Miracle. Perkins 14 710 0 — 31Clyde 0 7 0 0 — 7 P — Logan Lesch 2 pass to Braylon Collier (Noah Normington-Slay kick) P — Weston Sturzinger 5 run (Normington-Slay kick) P — Lesch 11 pass to Collier (Normington-Slay kick) C — Chancy Miracle 3 run (Tyler Soper kick) P — Isaac Bunts 1 run (Normington-Slay kick) P — Normington-Slay 22 field goal