Bluffton University homecoming football ends with a win and a brawl
The last :90 of the game clock were run without play after a Manchester University player made a late hit and kicked a Bluffton player, resulting in a bench-clearing fight. RedditCFB posted a clip HERE on Twitter.
The Bluffton University football team delighted the Homecoming crowd with a 50-12 dismantling of Manchester University on a cold and rainy Saturday, Oct. 21. Sparty stayed winless at 0-7 and 0-4 in the Heartland Conference, while Bluffton picked up its first HCAC win and improved to 2-5 on the season.
Bluffton marched right down the field on its first touch before a fumble gave Manchester the ball at the visitor nine-yard line. The Spartans went 31 yards in nine plays but a punt sent the ball back to the home team midway through the first frame. A 31-yard scoring strike from Xavier Reyero (Corona, Cal.) to Niegel Payne (Detroit, Mich./River Rouge) capped an eight-play, 89-yard drive that used up just 3:03.
Back-to-back touchdown runs by Todd King (Springfield) made it 22-0 with 3:42 to play in the second quarter. Manchester sandwiched a couple late first-half touchdowns around a Reyero to Ethan Beringer (Findlay/Carey) connection, making it 29-12 at the break.
Reyero punched it in from one yard out for his first rushing touchdown as a Beaver late in quarter three and Salieu Koroma (Westerville/Central) tacked on a pair of exclamation points in the final stanza, scoring from 16 yards out and again from one yard out as the home team did not let the weather rain on its Homecoming parade.
King led Bluffton's stout rushing attack with 109 yards on 25 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Kainan Stoner (Belle Center/Benjamin Logan) needed just nine carries for 90 yards after piling up 295 a week ago. Koroma added 58 yards on 14 carries and he scored twice.
Reyero completed 18-of-31 for 232 yards and three total touchdowns. Payne was unstoppable, hauling in six catches for 124 yards and a TD. CJ Thompson (Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor) was instrumental in Bluffton moving the chains, catching seven balls for 74 yards. Beringer chipped in with three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Dominic Barry (Brooklyn), Nolan Whobrey (Louisville, Ky./Meade County) and Devin Hogan (Warren, Mich./Fitzgerald) paced the Bluffton defense with five tackles apiece. The Beavers used interceptions by Whobrey, Hogan, Davon Hedwood (Westland, Mich./Thurston) and Jaydon McBreen (Portland, Ore./Westview) to stunt the Manchester passing game.
Bluffton's 547 total yards of offense put the good guys over 500 for the second straight game. The Beavers finished with 280 yards on the ground, compared to just 52 for the visitors. Bluffton moved the chains 16 more times than the Spartans (26-10), while chalking up a 10-minute advantage in time of possession. Coach Nardo's crew had the ball for 19 minutes in the second half thanks to limiting Manchester to one third-down conversion for the game.
A trip to Anderson University is next up on the docket for Bluffton. The Beavers are set for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, October 2, 2026
- John "Jack" Palte, 88, was a farmer
- Nature walk at university Nature Preserve, Oct. 3
- ICYMI: September 2026 Bluffton Icon Highlights
- Walking through Autumn series brings hikers to Bluffton
- Pirate volleyball win vs. Spencerville
- Pirate boys soccer ties Ottawa-Glandorf
- Pirate girls soccer loss vs. Toledo St. Ursula
- October 2 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Can you bake a winning pie?
- Library seeks Holiday Gift Auction donations
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Pirate volleyball loss vs. Lincolnview
- Village of Bluffton meetings announced, Oct. 1-Nov. 2
- 100 years of being Beavers: 2026 Bluffton University Homecoming, Oct. 2-4
- Check out October 2026 BPL Update
- Final call for for Bluffton photos contest
- Pandora-Gilboa HS crowns Homecoming King and Queen
- Bluffton Council recap: Purchase of Marsh Run acres approved
- Senior Center's October membership dinner
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
- Pirate volleyball sweeps Wapakoneta
- Pirate boys golf 4th at NWC tourney; Meyer places 2nd
- Pirate girls soccer shuts out Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys soccer shuts out Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate girls tennis blanks Kenton
- Bluffton Fall Festival overflows with family fun
- Stauber exhibit at Massillon Museum through November 1
- Arlington invites generations of alumni to all-school Homecoming
Monday, September 28, 2026
- Beavers sports roundup, September 21-27
- Alan K. Yoder, O.D., 86, owned Family Eye Care Clinic of Bluffton
- I-75 lane restrictions in Hancock County, Sept. 28-Oct. 2
- Travis Michael Swank, 40, was a salesman
- NetVUE panel highlights chaplaincy, vocation and meaningful work
- Bluffton Presbyterian hosts community-wide Socktober drive