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, August 29, 2025
- Community Dog Park officially opens as memorial to Katrina Riepenhoff
- Obituary for Ian Christopher Shriner
- 2025 Blaze of Lights theme is "Home for the Holidays"
- Pirate volleyball win vs. Defiance Ayersville
- Highway Patrol focused on removing impaired drivers from the road
- Beaverdam Bunch 4-H results at 2025 Allen County Fair
- Porchfest brings live music to Bluffton neighborhoods
Thursday, August 28, 2025
- Pirate girls golf close 2nd at tri; Bauman 1st
- Pirate boys golf 2nd in NWC quad-match
- Pirate girls tennis loss at Wapak
- "You Made It" Forum welcomes Class of 2029
- 2nd annual Bluffton Porchfest celebrates live music
- Learn to play bridge at the Senior Center
- Blanchard Valley Health System enhances “Find-a-Doc”
- Taste of Bluffton serves as mixer for students and residents
- Heart to Heart: New Blood Pressure Guidelines
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
- Mayberry Rd. closure Aug. 27-28
- Janet M. Leonard was a teacher
- Pirates boys golf wins NWC tri
- Inside Innovations brings established design studio to Bluffton
- Walking thru Autumn hikes include Motter Park
- Colloquium Presentation: Emotional Education in 18th Century Germany
- Student to Share Lessons from Study Abroad Experience in Mexico