By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__The Bluffton High School football team shrugged off a slow start to defeat visiting Ben Logan 33-30 in a seesaw 2025 season kickoff thriller on Friday, August 22 at Harmon Field.

The Pirates improved to 1-0 with the non-league victory, while BL starts 0-1 with the defeat.

Bluffton junior quarterback Tayte Giesige passed for four touchdowns and ran for another to pace the victorious offense. In all, he accounted for 327 yards in offense and five TDs.

“We made some mistakes early in the first half and had to fight back,” said veteran Pirate head coach Jeff Richards. “I was proud of how our players responded in the second half and maintained composure throughout the game.”

Bluffton trailed 14-7 at halftime. The Pirates took the lead with a 14-point third period, 21-14. BL won a wild final stanza 16-12, but came up short by three points.

With 2:43 left in the first quarter, Ben Logan scored on a 33-yard pass to go in front 7-0.

Exactly four minutes later in the second stanza, Bluffton tied it on a nine-yard scoring strike from Tayte Giesige to Blayne Hill, followed by Ethan Blount’s extra point kick.

BL went back on top with a rushing TD with 8:36 left in the second quarter to lead by seven at halftime.

On the first play of the third quarter Giesige hooked up with speedy Kain Wright for an 80-yard catch and carry TD. Blount’s second point after boot tied it, 14-14.

At the 6:20 mark, Bluffton went ahead for good on Giesige’s 45-yard scoring aerial to Wright. The Blount PAT made it 21-14 heading to the final period.

The Pirates extended the lead with 9:19 left in the fourth period on a six-yard TD run by Giesige. The extra point missed, but Bluffton had its biggest lead of the night at 27-14.

With 5:30 remaining, Ben Logan pulled within 27-21 on a five-yard run to paydirt.

Then with 3:19 to go in the fourth quarter, Giesige found Lleyton Miller for a 48-yard TD toss. The PAT was blocked so Bluffton led 33-21.

The Raiders cut the deficit to 33-28 with just 1:45 left to play on a three-yard TD run.

The Pirates then purposely took a safety as time expired to ensure the 33-30 win.

Stats and notes

• Bluffton ran 58 plays and rolled up 392 yards, 318 through the air.
• Giesige completed 14 of 22 passes for four TDs with one interception.
• The Pirates averaged 6.8 yards per play.
• The Raiders amassed 327 yards on 68 plays, an average of 4.8 yards per snap.
• Bluffton compiled 19 first downs to 17 chain-movers by BL. Both teams had one turnover via interception.
• The Pirates converted four of nine on third down, while BL was 3-12.
• Bluffton committed five penalties for 30 yards. The Raiders were flagged five times for 27 yards.
• Pirate back Parker Lovell rushed 21 times for 60 yards. He also caught four passes for 56 yards.
• Kain Wright hauled in two passes, both going for TDs and amassing 125 yards.
• Lleyton Miller added two receptions for 61 yards and a 48-yard score.
• Blayne Hill hauled in two passes for 18 yards, including a nine-yard scoring strike.
• BL completed 21 of 30 aerials for 234 yards and one TD. The Pirate defense held the Raiders to 93 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.9 avg.).
• Hill made six solo tackles and six assisted stops. He also had one tackle for loss. Jayven Crawfis also made six solo stops and had two TFL.
• Miller and Jackson Bowlus were each in on eight assisted tackles.

Week 2 vs. P-G
Bluffton hosts non-league local rival Pandora-Gilboa in week two on Friday, August 29. P-G (1-0) rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to upset Columbus Grove 22-21 Thursday, Aug. 21 in their early opener. Rocket QB Cory Gerten completed 19 of 33 passes for 163 yards with one TD and two pick-offs. Ben Burkholder rushed 27 times for 122 yards and two scores. Chase Meyer made nine catches for 89 yards and a score.