Perkins looking for sixth straight win vs. Sandusky

Perkins and Sandusky are trending in opposite directions heading into Friday's rivalry game at Strobel Field. The Pirates have won two straight games to improve to 3-3. Sandusky has lost three straight and is scuffling at 1-5. Perkins has won five straight in the crosstown series, including a 37-0 decision last year. That winning streak coincides with Jalen Santoro's time as the Pirates' head coach. "There's a handful of local rivalries you don't want to lose," said Santoro, who is in his sixth season at Perkins. "We've won the last five and want to keep that going." Perkins has scored a total of 104 points in its last two games — running clock routs of Bellevue and Clyde. Those blowouts have coincided with healthier big guys up front for the Pirates. "We're getting healthy at the right time; this will be the third week in a row we've had the offensive line all together, and we have everyone back on the defensive line," Santoro said. Perkins senior quarterback Sam Schweinfurth is putting up huge numbers this season. He has thrown for 1,339 yards, 15 touchdowns and just one interception. Perkins eclipsed 100 rushing yards in a game for the first time this season last week. Senior Braxden Martin leads the ground game with 220 yards. Defensively, Martin is tied with Landon Flores for the team lead with 55 tackles. Terrance Randleman leads Sandusky with 42 tackles. The Blue Streaks have allowed 44 or more points in four of six games. "We gotta eliminate their big plays," Sandusky coach Jamaris Brown said. "They feed off those. You gotta make them play four quarters. If you let them go up and down the field you're not gonna keep up with them." Sandusky has relied on big plays and the big arm of senior quarterback Dale Johnson, due in part to the lack of a running game. Johnson has thrown for 783 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 39 percent of his passes. Talented sophomore receiver Dante Shipp Jr. is sure to draw the focus of Perkins' defense. Shipp has caught 15 passes for 371 yards, an average of 24.7 per catch. Shipp has caught five touchdown passes. He also has four interceptions and two pick-6s on defense and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown. "He's at a different level," Brown said. "He's trying to do a lot of things at a young age, but whatever we ask him to do, he does it." Sandusky hung tough last week in a 28-20 loss to Columbian, pulling to within a point in the third quarter. "I thought we played well out of the gate," Brown said. Perkins has limited three of its six opponents to fewer than 85 passing yards. Sandusky has not been able to run the ball effectively, but Brown isn't giving up on the ground game. "We want to be efficient all the way around," he said. "We've seen some sparks. Daviyon (Jackson) and Omar (Alejo) are running hard. You never want to abandon the running game." Perkins will be favored to run the table and earn a home playoff game in Division IV. The Pirates close at home against Norwalk and Huron before a Week 10 trip to Tiffin Columbian. The Blue Streaks will close out the regular season at Clyde, at Norwalk and home against Port Clinton. A good showing against Perkins would provide some late-season momentum for the Blue Streaks. "They've got a great team and got their mojo going," Brown said. "We've gotta match their intensity."