Schweinfurth throws for 5 TDs in Perkins' big first half

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins picked up where it left off. After thumping Bellevue last week on homecoming, the Pirates scored four touchdowns in the first quarter Friday against Clyde. Perkins racked up 376 yards of offense in the first half, rolling to a 63-14 Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division victory. "We are playing better," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "I wouldn't necessarily say we're hitting our stride, but we're definitely playing better. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot of stuff we can clean up. Ultimately, we're trending in the right direction and that's where you want to be at this point of the year." Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth had touchdown passes of 7, 9, 37, 39 and 17 yards in the first half. He completed the first eight passes he threw and finished 14 of 17 for 234 yards in the first two quarters. "He's a really good football player," said Santoro of the senior. "He's a kid that can play in college if he wants to. The way he processes things on a football field on a high school team is next level. "He has the arm to get through it, but the way he gets from one read to another and take off and run when he needs to do, he's just a very smart football player." It didn't take long for Perkins (3-3, 1-0 SBC Lake) to get going. After drawing a pass interference penalty on the first play of the game, the Pirates marched down the field. Perkins had four first downs, including an 11-yard pickup by Schweinfurth on the ground on fourth down, to get inside the red zone. Schweinfurth then hit Blake Parker for a seven-yard score. Grant Hickman added the first of his eight extra points to put the Pirates up 7-0 with 7:44 left in the first quarter. Perkins then caught Clyde (1-5, 0-1) off-guard, recovering an onside kick on the next possession. It took the Pirates just four plays to cash in. Braxden Martin ran for 10 yards, Schweinfurth connected with Levi Jackson for 10 yards, Jackson exploded for 10 yards and Connor Smith hauled in a nine-yard touchdown pass from Schweinfurth. The extra point pushed the lead to 14-0 with 6:17 to go in the first quarter. "It was something we planned," said Santoro of the onside kick. "We wanted to get the ball back and get the juices going early. In games like this, you want to get the energy and momentum on your side quick and that's what we did." The Fliers went three-and-out and Perkins kept coming. This time, Smith was on the receiving end of a 37-yard strike from Schweinfurth. The point after extended the advantage to 21-0 with 4:16 remaining in the first quarter. After Clyde turned the ball over on downs, Perkins again scored. A couple penalties forced the Pirates to work a little harder, but Martin rumbled through for a two-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Parker caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Schweinfurth on a one-play drive. "It was tough from the beginning," Clyde coach Ryan Carter said. "We didn't play well from the beginning and they did. Give them a lot of credit. They were good on both sides of the ball. They handled what they needed to handle." Clyde scored its lone touchdown of the first half after an interception by Joel Greenslade. Facing fourth-and-goal at the 1, Hector Garza scored on a carry. The extra point by Mitch Newsome cut the Fliers' deficit to 35-7 with 5:38 to go in the first half. Later, Jojo Moore added a five-yard rushing touchdown and Schweinfurth tossed his fifth touchdown pass of the half. This time, he connected with Kaden Legando on a 17-yard pass. That gave Perkins a 49-7 edge with 11 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Clyde had just four first downs and 83 yards of offense in the first half. "When we line up correctly and get in the right positions and play fast, we're good," said Santoro of his defense. "We don't want them thinking. We just want them to be playing. A lot of that comes down to the pre-snap and being in the right spot." The lone score of the second half for the Fliers came on a one-yard run by Jonathan Lantz, who completed just 10 of 22 passes for 83 yards. Clyde hosts Edison (5-1) next week in SBC crossover action. "You have to keep going," Carter said. "That's all you can do. We have to show up tomorrow and try to figure it out. You have to keep going forward. That's all you can do." Perkins responded with a six-yard score by Rajon Randleman and 23-yard touchdown scamper by Law Davlin in the fourth quarter. The Pirates travel across town to face Sandusky (1-5, 0-1) in SBC Lake action next week. "Every one at this point is a big week," Santoro said. "For us, it's fighting for a fourth straight league title in a row, fighting for playoff points and fighting for playing position. There's no rest for us. You enjoy it tonight and get back to work tomorrow." Clyde 0 7 7 0 — 14Perkins 28 21 0 14 — 63 P — Blake Parker 7 pass from Sam Schweinfurth (Grant Hickman kick)P — Connor Smith 9 pass from Schweinfurth (Hickman kick)P — Smith 37 pass from Schweinfurth (Hickman kick)P — Braxden Martin 2 run (Hickman kick)P — Parker 39 pass from Schweinfurth (Hickman kick)C — Hector Garza 1 run (Mitch Newsome kick)P — Jojo Moore 5 run (Hickman kick)P — Kaden Legando 17 pass from Schweinfurth (Hickman kick)C — Jonathan Lantz 1 run (Newsome kick)P — Rajon Randleman 6 run (Danny Buga kick)P — Law Davlin 23 run (Hickman kick)