Schweinfurth, Parker post prolific numbers

PERKINS TWP. — Sam Schweinfurth and Blake Parker are very good at making each other look good. The Perkins seniors have helped the Pirates win eight straight football games and advance to the Division IV Region 14 semifinals Friday at Galion. Along the way, they have posted historic statistical seasons. Schweinfurth, a senior quarterback, has thrown for 2,543 yards, 27 touchdowns and one interception. Parker, a senior receiver, has caught 75 passes for 1,332 yards and 11 touchdowns. "Me and Blake have had that connection all through junior high and the JV years," Schweinfurth said. "We just picked up where we left off." Some simple math reveals that more than half of Schweinfurth's passing yards have gone to Parker. "I was in class talking to Blake and said, 'I think I've thrown more than half my passes to you.' We did the math and it was like 52 percent," Schweinfurth said. Parker added: "I don't mind it, though." Schweinfurth, an honorable mention All-Ohio selection last year, has completed 68 percent of his passes — 159 for 234. He threw for 3,002 yards last year, with 40 touchdowns and six interceptions. As a sophomore, he completed 17 of 20 passes. Schweinfurth has thrown only seven career interceptions in 534 attempts. He's put up big numbers while throwing more than 30 times in only one game. "Going back to Week 8 of last year, I think he's only thrown two interceptions," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "He's a staple, just a very sound player. Smart kid. We've had some really good quarterbacks here. Logan Lesch could throw the ball a country mile and was a very smart, player and a good athlete. "Sammy's deal is he's super smart. Understands the offense, doesn't make bad decisions, never gets flustered. Just has a good understanding of the offense." Schweinfurth has 5,758 career passing yards and 69 touchdowns, trailing only Lesch in both categories. Schweinfurth's lone pick this year came against Clyde, and it wasn't because of a bad throw. "We ran a bubble-and-go type play," Schweinfurth said. 'I pumped the bubble and I saw Kaden (Legando) going up. He tripped and fell and there was nobody but the Clyde dude and it was right to him. It was an unfortunate play." Schweinfurth has proven to be proficient in making quick, low-risk throws as well as deep, high-risk tosses. One of those came last week in the Pirates' 31-0 playoff win at Napoleon. Late in the first quarter, Schweinfurth fired a strike to Parker in the back of the end zone for an acrobatic 23-yard touchdown play. The ball was in the air for 40 yards, but the two close friends made the highlight look routine. "I ran a post and I was like, 'Is he gonna throw it? Is he gonna throw it?' " Parker said. "I saw the ball in the air — he threw it. For a second I thought it was gonna go a little high and out of the end zone." Parker reached for the pass and managed to keep his feet inbounds. "We watched it on film and I think it was good in the NFL, even," he said. "I promise you from what I saw on film I think I had two feet in. Sam put it in a place where I could make a play on the ball. He floated it over the safety's head and I was able to jump up and catch it." The touchdown gave Perkins a 14-0 lead and the Pirates won going away. "I threw it up to him in the back of the end zone and he just made a play on it," Schweinfurth said. "I thought he hit his head against the goal post. I stood back there and he had the ball. I was like, 'Wow, that was insane.' "Sometimes it won't be a perfect pass, but he has the ability to make a play. Sometimes he's not always open, but if I throw it to him I know he has a chance to get it. Or if it's a quick pass he has the speed and ability to make a defender miss." Parker, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 180 pounds, has good speed. He was timed in 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash during a visit to the University of Dayton. Some of the Pirates wear Titan GPS trackers during games. The sensors measure speed, steps and produce other analytics. Parker's top speed in the Napoleon game hit 20.7 miles per hour. Last year, Parker caught 36 passes for 636 yards and six touchdowns — two coming in the 37-36 loss to Indian Valley in the state championship game. With Braylon Collier moving on to Michigan State, there was a vacancy for the WR 1 position. Parker has filled it quite well. "Last year, I became more confident week by week," Parker said. "Coming into this year, I tried to build off that confidence. It was a help, the plays I was able to make, and also learning from Braylon helped me gain confidence." Parker, who has 118 career receptions for 2,074 yards and 17 TDs, has picked up several offers to play college football. He'll settle on his next destination after the season. There are still games to win and records to break. Parker needs 92 receiving yards to break Perkins' single-season record of 1,423 set last year by Collier. "We knew he'd be good, but he's turned it up another level and surpassed expectations that we had for him," Santoro said. "Just a different type of athlete — he's 6-foot-2 and can run a high 4.4 (40). Smart kid as well. "If Blake breaks that (record), obviously those guys are friends. You see Blake posting his offers and Braylon retweets them. It's cool to see. Braylon's a super selfless kid as well. He'd probably be the first one to text Blake and congratulate him." Schweinfurth is the common denominator in both receivers' huge seasons. "Over time, we've naturally had an idea of our play styles," Parker said. "He's aware in the pocket and always keeps his eyes downfield. He has the arm strength to deliver it anywhere." Both players could put up bigger numbers if the Pirates played closer games. Perkins has outscored its last eight opponents by a cumulative score of 362-50. Parker has caught 10 or more passes in three games this season, including 12 against Bellevue. His biggest yardage output was 190 on eight caches (one touchdown) in a loss at Harvest Prep. Schweinfurth, who threw for 370 yards and five touchdowns in the 2024 state championship game, has attempted only 17 passes in two playoff routes this season. His biggest game statistically in 2025 was against Bellevue — 17 for 20 for 340 yards and three touchdowns. "We've had some games where we've dominated with the run," Santoro said. "Sammy and Blake are not gonna care if we throw the ball 30 times or run the ball 30 times. They just want to win. Very nice to have guys who are selfless. "The sneaky thing about both of their years is you look at their numbers and it's been quiet. They just kind of go out and do their thing."