Homecoming celebrated at Harmon Field

By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON – The Bluffton High School football team out-gunned visiting Crestview and standout running back Braxton Leeth 49-34 in a Northwest Conference battle on Homecoming Friday, October 2.

The high-octane win lifted the Pirates into a third-place tie with the Knights in the league standings at 3-1. Bluffton also improved to 6-1 overall.

Crestview fell to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the NWC after the defeat.

Knight workhorse Leeth came in averaging 238 yards per game rushing. He did not disappoint as he scored all five Crestview touchdowns and rushed for a whopping 396 yards.

Tayte Giesige threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to pace the Pirates in the shootout.

Crestview’s Braxton Leeth scored all five of the Knight touchdowns, finishing with 396 yards on the ground. 

Bluffton scored two touchdowns early in the first period to take the lead, but the Knights rallied to briefly go in front.

Kizer Young started the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run. Ethan Blount’s extra point made it 7-0.

Giesige then threw a 67-yard scoring strike to Keatyn Shaffer. The two-point conversion failed, keeping the score at 13-0.

Leeth got the Knights on the board with a four-yard TD run. Then late in the first period, he rambled 70 yards to paydirt. The extra point gave Crestview a 14-13 lead heading to the second stanza.

Bluffton regained the lead for good in the second quarter. Giesige connected with Wright on a 79-yard TD reception. Javen Crawfis caught the two-point pass to put the hosts ahead, 21-14.  

Later in the stanza, Giesige found paydirt on a 17-yard TD run. Blount’s second PAT kick doubled up the Knights 28-14 heading to intermission.

Leeth scored on a 37-yard TD run in the third period to cut the Pirate lead to 28-21. 

Pirate back Parker Lovell answered with a seven-yard scoring scamper to rebuild the lead to 35-21.

Leeth responded by finding the end zone on a seven-yard run, but the extra point missed to keep Bluffton on top 35-27 after three quarters of play.

Lovell found paydirt on a 10-yard TD run early in the fourth period. Blount’s kick extended the lead back to 42-27.

Leeth grabbed a three-yard TD pass to pull the Knights within striking distance, down 42-34 in the final stanza.

But Lovell put the game out of reach with a one-yard TD plunge, and the Blount PAT provided the final margin of 15.

SCOREBOARD

         1 2 3 4 F

BLU 13 15 7 14 49

CVW 14 13 0 7 34

Stats and notes

Bluffton netted 499 total yards on 54 plays for a fine average of 9.2 yards per play. The Pirates threw for 259 yards and ran for 240 more yards.  

The Knights compiled 447 net yards on 70 plays, for 6.4 yards per snap. The visitors ran for 370 yards but only had 70 yards aerially.

The Pirates compiled 18 first downs compared to 20 chain-movers by the ground-oriented Knights.

Giesige completed nine of 13 passes for 233 yards and two TDs with a long completion of 79. He also rushed 12 times for 138 yards and one score. Giesige amassed 371 yards in total offense.

Lovell rushed for 89 yards and three key TDs on 18 carries.

Wright caught two aerials for 96 yards, highlighted by a 79-yard score.

Ethan Sprunger snagged four aerials for 48 yards. Keatyn Shaffer hauled in just one pass, but it was good for 67 yards and a score. Javen and Jaeger Crawfis added two receptions apiece for 22 yards.

Jaeger Crawfis also completed a 26-yard pass in his only aerial attempt.

Crestview completed 14 of 21 passes for 77 yards and one TD.

Leeth netted 396 yards rushing, ran for four TDs and added a scoring reception.

Giesige led the Pirate defense with eight solo tackles and seven assists. Zayden Morales made eight assisted stops and two solos, and recovered a Knight fumble. 

Parker Lovell made 11 assisted stops, while Kizer Young was in on seven tackles. Braxston Smallwood authored a sack.

Lleyton Miller made four solo stops and had five assists. Mason Shank added five assists. 

Bluffton converted four of seven third down tries while Crestview was successful on two of eight tries. The Pirates were 1-1 on fourth down, and the Knights went a strong 4-5 on fourth.

Crestview committed the game’s only turnover on a fumble.

The Knights were penalized three times for 19 yards. Bluffton committed 10 penalties for 42 yards.

Redskins at Pirates on Senior Night

Struggling Fort Loramie (1-6, 1-3 NWC) visits Bluffton in week eight on Senior Night Friday, October 10. 

The Redskins lost to Columbus Grove at home Friday, 34-0.

FL is 1-3 on the road, while the Pirates are 4-0 at home. Friday will mark the final regular season home game for Bluffton. 

Defending league champion Grove (4-3) is tied atop the NWC at 4-0 with LCC after week seven. The Pirates and Knights are tied for third at 3-1.

Bluffton has outscored its opposition 296-143 through seven games (42.3 ppg to 20.4 ppg).  

With the big win over the Knights, Bluffton remained fourth in the Div. VI, Region 22 computer rankings. Hopewell-Loudon (6-1) is first. Paulding, the only remaining unbeaten team in region 22, is ranked fifth.

The Redskins are 19th in the Div. VII, Region 28 computer rankings. Their lone win came at Spencerville in week six, 37-14. FL lost a 55-38 shootout to Crestview in week four.

FL averages 23.6 ppg and allows 35.3 ppg.