Perkins rolls past Columbian

PERKINS TWP. — Get the party started early. Perkins not only celebrated Senior Night on Friday against Tiffin Columbian, but the Pirates were in pursuit of an outright Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division title. Behind 28 first-quarter points and four huge touchdown catches by Braylon Collier, Division IV No. 2 Perkins took care of business, defeating the Tornadoes, 42-7, clinching a third straight league championship. "It was definitely a great feeling in front of the home crowd and with my brothers I've played so many years with," said Collier, who finished with 10 catches for 227 yards. "We went out and played well on stuff we work on all week in practice." The Pirates improved to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in league play. Perkins will host a playoff game next Friday with the opponent to be officially determined Sunday. "We went out and executed," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "That's the main thing. We got that fast start and we were hitting on all cylinders. We were communicating up front." It didn't take long for Perkins to jump on Columbian (4-6, 1-3). Isaac Bunts exploded for 48 yards on the first play of the game and covered 17 yards on the next play for the touchdown. The extra point by Danny Buga put the Pirates up 7-0 just 38 seconds in. Perkins forced a three-and-out on Columbian's first drive and quickly cashed in again. This time, quarterback Sam Schweinfurth tossed a screen pass out to Collier, who matriculated his way through the defense for a 56-yard score. Buga's point after pushed it to 14-0 at the 9:08 mark of the first quarter. Columbian was able to pick up a first down on its next drive, but turned the ball over on downs at midfield. This time, it took Perkins just two plays to score. First, Schweinfurth connected with Blake Parker for 32 yards. Then, he found Bunts, who rumbled through traffic and into the end zone for an 18-yard TD. Buga made it 21-0 with 5:24 left in the first quarter. All told in their first three drives, Perkins ran five plays that resulted in five first downs, 171 yards, and three touchdowns. Columbian was able to fire back one time on the Tornadoes' next drive. Perkins bit on a tough play fake and TC quarterback Zach Shawberry hit Johnny Bremyer in stride for a 65-yard score. The extra point by Liam Kerr cut the Pirates' lead to 21-7. But, that just gave Schweinfurth, Collier, and the rest of the Perkins offense the ball. The Pirates didn't waste the opportunity as Perkins went 65 yards over seven plays. Schweinfurth and Collier did most of the damage with passes of nine and 38 yards before a 15-yard touchdown. Buga's extra point put Perkins up 28-7 with 1:35 remaining in the first quarter. The four touchdown receptions now give Collier 46 for his career, good for eighth-most in OHSAA history. "That's why he's a Big 10 football player," said Santoro of the Michigan State commit. "He's a special player. You feel confident throwing him the ball and seeing him making plays. That's what he is and what he's grown to be." Neither team scored in the second quarter as both defenses settled in. The Schweinfurth to Collier connection continued late in the third quarter. After a Bryce Davie interception gave Perkins good field position, the two hooked up three times including the 39-yard TD strike. Davie picked up a second interception on the next Columbian drive and returned it inside the red zone. That allowed the Schweinfurth and Collier onslaught to continue as the two connected for a 16-yard TD pass. Buga made it 42-7, enforcing a running clock. "At the end of the day, it was complimentary football," Santoro said. "I thought we did a good job of when the offense was down, the defense picked us up with some big plays. I thought we made the connection when we needed to." Perkins gave deep focus to Tornadoes running back Masen Seitz. One week after going for 264 yards and six touchdowns on 28 rushes, the Pirates limited him to 30 carries for 157 yards. Something Perkins will want to clean up before making a playoff run is penalties. The Pirates were whistled for eight penalties for 87 yards, something that has been an unfortunate trend for Perkins lately. "That's some stuff we have to fix," Santoro said. "Overall, there's some things where calls are calls and you have to live with them even if you disagree with them. We have to do the best to fix them." Schweinfurth finished 17-of-24 for 337 yards for the Pirates at quarterback. "Not healthy, but trying to get there," said Santoro of where Perkins sits ahead of the playoffs. "Hopefully get some guys back next week. Lost some guys some season, but I think everybody at this point in the season is losing guys. We'll get some people back when we can." Columbian 7 0 0 0 — 7Perkins 28 0 14 0 — 42 P — Isaac Bunts 17 run (Danny Buga kick)P — Braylon Collier 56 pass from Sam Schweinfurth (Buga kick)P — Bunts 18 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick)TC — Johnny Bremyer 65 pass from Zach Shawberry (Liam Kerr kick)P — Collier 15 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick)P — Collier 39 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick)P — Collier 16 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick)