Top-seeded Perkins rolls into second round

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins gave up a 23-yard run to Ethan Lewis on the first play of the game. That was about the extent of the issues the Pirates had against the Upper Sandusky offense in the first half. Oh yeah, the Perkins offense was pretty dang good too. The top-seeded Pirates racked up 250 yards of offense in the half and scored six times en route to pounding the 16th-seeded Rams, 49-10, in a Division IV, Region 14 playoff game Friday. Perkins improved to 10-1 and will face eighth-seeded Vermilion (9-2) next week at home. "I liked that we came out and executed," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "We got to running the ball efficiently and the way we should. We made some big plays." Upper Sandusky (5-6) picked up two first downs on its first drive, but ultimately turned the ball over on downs. Perkins methodically answered on its first drive of the game. Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth picked up a pair of first downs through the air before hitting Tim Boals for a six-yard TD score. The first of seven extra points by Danny Buga put the Pirates up 7-0 near the midway point of the first quarter. From there, it was turbo speed for Perkins. After forcing a three-and-out, Schweinfurth connected with Joey Diederich for a 17-yard touchdown pass. Buga made it 14-0 with 3:24 left in the opening quarter. A short punt by the Rams following another three-and-out gave Perkins good field position. Isaac Bunts took care of the rest, rumbling 42 yards on the first play to make it 21-0. Known for its big-play defense as well, the Perkins' squad added to the onslaught. Diederich intercepted Upper Sandusky quarterback Justin Heilman and returned it 41 yards for the TD. That gave the Pirates a 28-0 lead just nine seconds into the second quarter. "We were chaotic," said Santoro of the defense. "We did a good job mixing up some different things. We tackled well for the most part. There's some things we need to shore up still, but at the end of the day, we got off the ball well up front." Bunts added a 57-yard touchdown run after Perkins' defense got the ball back to the offense. Schweinfurth added a 69-yard touchdown strike to Braylon Collier, extending the lead to 42-0. Of Perkins' six touchdowns in the first half, three came on the first play of a drive. "Right now, that's why our offense is the way it is," Santoro said. "We can hit you from different areas. That's something we want to continuously grow on. It's about playing efficient and smart football." Despite the commanding opening 24 minutes, there was a bit of concern as Schweinfurth was sacked and limped off the field late in the half. There was no need for him to return to the game with Perkins up 42-0, but he'll be evaluated Saturday for his status next week. "No idea yet," Santoro said. "He got rolled up on. Not 100 percent sure what's going on with that, but we'll see." With most of the first-teamers done for the night, Levi Jackson added a 54-yard touchdown run for the Pirates early in the third quarter. That made it 49-0 with 7:43 to go in the third quarter. Bunts finished with eight carries for 132 yards. Schweinfurth was 6-of-8 passing for 130 yards. Vermilion defeated River Valley, 37-21 in another first round game Friday. The Sailors have had a turnaround season, but expect Perkins to be up to the challenge. "You want to put your best foot forward," Santoro said. "It's do or die now. You have to put every single thing into every single day so you're ready to go on Friday night." Upper Sandusky 0 0 7 3 — 10Perkins 21 21 7 0 — 49 P — Tim Boals 6 pass from Sam Schweinfurth (Danny Buga kick)P — Joey Diederich 17 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick)P — Isaac Bunts 42 run (Buga kick)P — Diederich 41 interception return (Buga kick)P — Bunts 57 run (Buga kick)P — Braylon Collier 69 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick)P — Levi Jackson 54 run (Buga kick)US — Kaleb Francis 75 pass from Justin Heilman (Kobe Beidelschies kick)US — Beidelschies 43 field goal