Unbeaten Perkins handles Vermilion, 8-1

PERKINS TWP. — From one football kicker to another. Ahead by four goals, Perkins goaltender Danny Buga had a free kick from midfield. The rocket found the top of Grant Hickman's head and he knocked it in. It was that kind of night for the Pirates. Titus Normington-Slay scored three times and Kaden Camp added two goals and two assists as Perkins rolled to an important 8-1 Sandusky Bay Conference win over the Sailors on Wednesday. "That's nothing less than what we expect," Perkins coach Paul Lea said. "This year, it looks like Kaden is trying to get his teammates involved a little bit more than last year. He's going to get his numbers as far as goals are concerned, but he's looking to really get the other boys involved. "Titus has taken a leap from last year." Normington-Slay had a big first half for the Pirates (6-0-1, 5-0 SBC). Up 1-0, Normington-Slay got ahead of the defense with the ball and scooted his shot into the back of the net. That gave Perkins a 2-0 lead with 10:43 left in the first half. The good news for the Pirates was that it wasn't Normington-Slay's last goal of the half. Already in control, Perkins was still pushing as the final seconds of the half ticked away. Normington-Slay was able to get some space and scored with five seconds remaining. "That third goal was a huge moment in the game because if you go in up two goals, the other team still knows they have a chance," Lea said. "They say a 2-nil lead is the most dangerous lead in the game because if that team gets the next goal, the momentum can completely change the game. That third goal was really big for us." That gave Perkins a 3-0 lead at the break. "That was a backbreaker," Vermilion coach Kurt Innes said. "Two-nothing at half is a totally different game than 3-0. Giving up a goal with under 10 seconds hurts. At the end of the day, when you're playing a team the quality of Perkins that returns, I think every starter from a really good team last year, you can't make mistakes." Vermilion (5-3, 3-2) showed a little bit of life when Noah Penton drew a penalty kick in the box just over three minutes into the second half. He was able to convert past Buga, drawing the Sailors within 3-1. "I'm not going to lie, I was confused," said Innes of the whistle. "I'll take the call, but it is what it is. Props to Noah to step up and put that away. It was 3-1 and felt like we had a little bit of life. I wish the outcome would have been a little different." Perkins dominated the rest of the half. It was an avalanche of quick goals for the Pirates to balloon the lead. First, Normington-Slay finished off his hat trick with a score off an assist from Camp with 32:07 to go. "When we were able to get that goal, we were able to shut them down," Perkins senior Mateusz Dixon said. "That came immediately after they scored. We wanted to score a goal first, but we didn't. I think since we got that goal immediately back, that shut them down even more." Just over three minutes later, Camp scored his second goal to put the Pirates up 5-1. Buga then connected with Hickman for a 6-1 edge. "That's what the boys do best," Lea said. "We're strong, fast and physical. We counter-attack teams with ruthless efficiency at times." Dixon scored twice in the final nine minutes, putting the game in running clock mode. With a second league loss and Perkins playing so well, Vermilion is likely out of the conference race. That doesn't mean the Sailors can't improve and make another deep tournament run after playing for a district title last season. "The chances of winning conference now are slim to none, but we still have a lot to play for in terms of wanting to make a tournament run within our district," Innes said. "You take a lesson from a game like this that if you get far into the tournament, which is our hope, you're going to play quality teams and you can't have costly mistakes." Perkins faces Willard, Fremont Ross, Tiffin Columbian and Toledo Central Catholic over its next four games before a massive league game against Edison (7-0, 4-0) on Sept. 29. "The next couple weeks are not ideal because some of the competition is not as strong as we'd like," Lea said. "We want tough matchups so we make sure we're ready for the postseason. The thing we really have to fight is complacency. We have to come to practice and make sure we're working hard every day. "We have to make sure we have a killer mindset."