By Cort Reynolds
The visiting Bluffton High School football team raced to a 54-point halftime lead and cruised to a 67-7 win over local rival Cory-Rawson at Spike Berry Field Friday night to open the 2022 season.
The non-league victory upped the Bluffton record to 1-0, while C-R starts out 0-1.
Junior quarterback Garret Bogart threw for three touchdowns and 169 yards to pace the offense in the blowout win.
Pirate backs Landon Shutler and Landon Worcester each ran for two touchdowns.
The stingy Pirate defense limited Cory to just 52 yards in total offense.
Senior Shutler rushed for a five-yard TD to open the scoring. Sophomore Griffin Stackhouse then hauled in a 43-yard scoring strike from Bogart to make it 14-0.
A Pirate safety extended the lead to 16-0. Bogart then connected on a 34-yard TD toss with junior Hayden Dearth.
Junior Kyle Basil's third extra point kick put Bluffton in front 23-0 after the first period.
Sophomore Worcester found paydirt on an 11-yard scamper to open the second stanza. Dearth snared his second scoring pass via Bogart, this time from 57 yards out, to stretch the margin to 37-0.
Junior Gavin Bogart then scored on a 15-yard TD run to provide a 44-point bulge. Shutler tallied his second ground TD with a 15-yard scoring scamper of his own.
Basil then drilled a 22-yard field goal to end the first half with Bluffton on top by a 54-0 count. Basil scored 10 points on kicks in the opening half.
Worcester scored on a two-yard run for the only points of the third period.
Sophomore Carson Kruse found the end zone on a 10-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, and Basil added his eighth PAT kick to finish the Pirate scoring.
C-R tallied its only score on a 16-yard pass in the fourth stanza.
1 2 3 4 F
Blu 23 31 6 7 67
C-R 0 0 0 7 7
Notes and stats
Bluffton rolled up 307 yards on just 32 plays for an impressive 9.6 yard average per play. The Pirates amassed 12 first downs and allowed just five by C-R.
The tough Pirate defense held the hapless Hornets to just 1.0 yards per play on 51 snaps from scrimmage.
The Pirates rushed for 138 yards, while the Hornets were limited to just 33 rushing yards. Bluffton ran for six TDs.
Shutler ran for 46 yards on six attempts with two TDs to pace the balanced Bluffton ground game.
Worcester netted 44 yards on seven rushes with two scores.
Bogart completed five of six passes for 169 yards and yards three TDs with no interceptions.
Dearth snared three aerials for 92 yards and a pair of TDs. Stackhouse added two grabs for 77 yards and one score.
Shutler led the defense with five tackles, one of which went for a loss. The Pirates recorded seven tackles for loss and one sack. Gavin Bogart and sophomore Quinn Eachus each picked off a pass. Sophomore Gabe Meza and freshman Evan Grothause recovered one fumble apiece. Junior lineman Ian Rieman recorded a sack.
Bluffton committed one turnover on a fumble, while Cory made four miscues. The Pirates were penalized twice for 12 yards, while C-R was flagged three times for 40 yards.
C-R converted just one of 11 third down attempts, and went 2-4 on fourth down. The Pirates were 2-5 on third down, and 0-0 on fourth down tries.
Bluffton visits non-league local rival Pandora-Gilboa (0-1) in week two. The Rockets lost 34-23 to Columbus Grove Thursday in the early P-G opener.
