Perkins routs Sandusky for 4th running clock win of the season

SANDUSKY — Perkins knows how to handle running clocks. The Pirates dominated crosstown rival Sandusky 44-6 on Friday at Strobel Field to improve to 4-3 on the season. All four wins have come under the running clock, a rule the OHSAA instituted in 2014 that keeps things moving when one team leads by 30 points in the second half. Perkins led 37-0 at halftime. "It's kind of tough. You really only get two series on both sides of the ball with how fast the clock runs," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "You try to get guys in, stay healthy and move on to the next week. A lot of people got some reps tonight. It's a good thing when guys who don't usually get Friday night reps get them." Perkins did whatever it wanted in a 30-point second quarter while improving to 2-0 in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division. "We executed well," Santoro said. "I thought the O-line played well. Ran the ball effectively, which is big. We've been trending in the right direction running the football." It was the Pirates' sixth straight win in the series, and Perkins looks poised to run the table the last three weeks of the regular season, which likely will guarantee a home playoff game. The Pirates will be favored in their final three regular-season games: at home against Norwalk and Huron and at Tiffin Columbian. Sandusky burned nearly half the first quarter clock on its first possession, gaining yardage on keepers by quarterback Dale Johnson. The senior QB had runs of 8, 8, 10 and 8 yards in the first quarter. The Blue Streaks, which lost their fourth straight on homecoming to drop to 1-5, drove to the Perkins 38-yard line before a high snap killed their initial drive. "Mental errors. One thing you don't want to do as a football team in a game like this is turn the ball over," Sandusky coach Jamaris Brown said. "And we had some miscues with some snaps. We came out and moved the ball pretty well, ran some clock. I thought we had something clicking there, but it went downhill when we had some miscues." Johnson ended up with 46 net yards rushing on 12 attempts and threw for 97 yards. The Pirates drove 68 yards on 10 plays on their first drive, scoring on Sam Schweinfurth's eight-yard pass to Bryce Davie. Grant Hickman's extra point made it 7-0 and the rout was on. Perkins' Jojo Moore intercepted a pass on Sandusky's next possession and returned it 61 yards to the Streaks' 2. Logan Wadsworth took the snap and scored on the next play. The Streaks went three and out and a low punt snap rolled through the end zone for a safety. Davie returned the free kick 40 yards and Braxden Martin went untouched into the end zone two plays later for a 19-yard touchdown. "The hole was open," Miller said. "Our line got great blocks all over the field on the first level and I got to the second level and let my receiver, Kaden Legando, block that defensive back and I took it outside for a touchdown. "It's a great feeling knowing I'm undefeated against them, but there's always room for improvement." Martin led the Pirates with 55 yards on eight carries. Perkins ran for 154 yards and threw for 159. Eight different Pirates carried the football and eight got caught passes. Davie caught four passes for 39 yards and a score and added 93 kick return yards. After Martin found the end zone, Levi Jackson broke loose for a 19-yard score, running over a defensive back inside the five-yard line on his way to the end zone. Perkins capped a dominant first half with a seven-play, 61-yard drive. Schweinfurth threw a wide receiver screen to Kaden Legando, who scampered 14 yards for a touchdown 31 seconds before halftime. Schweinfurth was 11 for 12 passing for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He sat out the entire second half. Sandusky scored on the final play of the game — a 58-yard run by freshman Louis Johnson. The Blue Streaks visit Clyde and Norwalk the next two weeks before finishing at home against Port Clinton. "We wanna be 3-0," Brown said. "Can't control the rest of the season. Let's be the strongest team we can be down the stretch." Perkins 7 30 7 0 — 44 Sandusky 0 0 0 6 — 6 P — Bryce Davie 8 pass from Sam Schweinfurth (Grant Hickman kick( P — Logan Wadsworth 2 run (Hickman kick) P — Safety P — Braxden Martin 19 run (Hickman kick) P — Levi Jackson 19 run (Hickman kick) P — Kaden Legando 14 pass from Schweinfurth (Hickman kick)P — Paul Keys 7 pass from Law Davlin (Danny Buga kick)S — Louis Johnson 58 run