Knee brace doesn't hurt Schweinfurth as Pirates rout Sailors

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins quarterback Sam Schweinfurth left last week's first-round playoff game with a knee injury. He looked 100 percent Friday night. Schweinfurth, playing with a brace on his left knee, completed 13 of 15 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first half — to lead Perkins to a 48-7 Division IV Region 14 quarterfinal victory over Vermilion. Schweinfurth threw three touchdown passes before leaving last week's playoff opener in the first half. "I tweaked something in my MCL so I have to wear a brace," Schweinfurth said. "I really don't know what it does, but the doctors told me to wear it and I listened to the doctors." Schweinfurth said the brace didn't affect him, and the junior was a huge part of the Pirates' barrage of explosive plays. Perkins, the No. 1 seed in Region 14, had eight plays that covered 23 or more yards in a dominant first half. The Pirates also blocked a punt, had two interceptions and used Bryce Davie's 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to score of all their points in the first two quarters. "Any playoff game you want to jump on the opponent quick," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "That's what we did. I thought we were sound across the board. Our defense was flying around. (Vermilion) added some things running the ball and we responded pretty well and got off the field when we needed to." Schweinfurth's mindset was much more upbeat one week after leaving the Pirates' win against Upper Sandusky. "I wasn't thinking I was done," he said. "I didn't feel a pop or anything, but it hurt a lot initially. After I got to the trainer's room the pain started going down and the next day I didn't really feel much and the swelling wasn't there. I got it checked out Monday and it turns out it was just a strain." Santoro, who has lost All-Ohio performer Weston Sturzinger and standout lineman Joey Ziegler to knee injuries, was happy to see his QB looking good this week. "I don't think he batted an eye," Santoro said. "He was feeling pretty good this week in practice. He came back Saturday morning and was walking fine. Monday, we held him out. Tuesday he went back at it. We told him, 'Don't think about it, just play.' That's exactly what he did. "You never want to see anyone go down, especially the way he's playing. Obviously you have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, but we're just happy he's all right and was able to get back out here this week." Schweinfurth showed he was ready on the Pirates' first play from scrimmage when he found Blake Parker for a 48-yard gain. "We run that play a lot," Schweinfurth said. "This time it actually worked. Sometimes I overthrow it." Parker, a junior, finished with five receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown — all in the first half as Perkins rested its starters during the running clock second half. "He was playing off. I just ran my post, ran right past him," Parker said of his big gain. "We made a play. He got it there, that's all that matters. "I felt great out there running my routes and Sam made some great passes all night." Parker gave Schweinfurth a pep talk after he limped off the field last week. "I saw him get right up and thought we had a shot," Parker said. "When he came over to the sideline I told him he was fine. I knew he was gonna be all right." Braylon Collier added five catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns and running back Isaac Bunts finished with 13 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Collier started the scoring by catching a 4-yard touchdown pass on a fade route in the end zone with 10:25 left in the first quarter. He ended it with a 23-yard TD catch with 17 seconds left in the first half after a Davie interception. "You can't dig a hole," Vermilion coach Bill DiFucci said. "You play a team like this that is complete, you can't afford to make it easy. They were able to lace the ball where they wanted and their running back was explosive." The Sailors, who won the first playoff game in program history last week, finished the season with a 9-3 record. "I'm extremely proud of them, especially the senior class," DiFucci said. "They were sophomores when we took over and they've done everything we've asked of them. We hope the future is bright." Perkins, which knocked off Vermilion 44-7 in the first round last year, outgained the Sailors 380-89 in the first half. The Sailors scored on Logan Peterson's 84-yard kickoff return to cut Perkins' lead to 14-7 midway through the first quarter. Davie answered with his kickoff return TD and the Pirates ran away to improve to 11-1. They will play 13th-seeded Napoleon (7-5) in a regional semifinal at a neutral site next week. "We're feeling pretty good," Schweinfurth said. "Two big wins going into Week 3 of the playoffs. We're feeling confident." Vermilion 7 0 0 0 — 7Perkins 20 28 0 0 — 48 P — Braylon Collier 4 pass from Sam Schweinfurth (Danny Buga kick)P — Isaac Bunts 39 run (Buga kick)V — Logan Peterson 84 kickoff return (Zeke Dunn kick)P — Bryce Davie 89 kickoff return (kick failed)P — Blake Parker 11 pass from Schweinfurth (Grant Hickman kick)P — Bunts 48 run (Hickman kick)P — Bunts 1 run (Hickman kick)P — Collier 23 pass from Schweinfurth (Hickman kick)