Pirates and families celebrate band, cheer and football seniors / CLICK to enlarge

By Cort Reynolds / Photos by James Crawfis

BLUFFTON__The Bluffton High School football team routed visiting Toledo Bowsher 56-12 in the Pirate home opener and Senior Night at Harmon Field on a warm Friday night, September 4.

The Pirates improved to 3-0 with the non-league blowout win. Winless Bowsher fell to 0-3 with the lopsided road loss.

Explosive Bluffton tallied 42 unanswered points to turn a 7-6 score into a 49-6 blowout by halftime.

Senior running back Parker Lovell rushed for five touchdowns and also caught a TD pass to set a career-high with six six-pointers in one game. He netted 204 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Lovell started the scoring parade with an 11-yard TD run. Andy Brodman booted the first of his seven straight extra points to make it 7-0.

TB came back and scored on an 18-yard pass, but the PAT kick was no good to keep Bluffton ahead, 7-6.

Lovell scored on runs of three and 41 yards to put the Pirates back in control 21-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Bluffton put the game away with a 28-0 second period.

Blayne Hill snagged a 10-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Tayte Giesige to open the second stanza.

Lovell hauled in a 48-yard scoring strike from Giesige as the hosts stretched the lead to 35-6.

Lovell then authored two 20-yard TD scampers to balloon the margin to 49-6 at intermission.

Bowsher stopped the run of 42 points by scoring on an eight-yard pass in the third period. The two-point try failed.

Lleyton Miller then returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards to paydirt. Jeht Kruse booted the PAT to make the final score 56-12.
 

STATS AND NOTES
Bluffton racked up 461 yards on just 38 plays (12.1 yards per play). Bowsher was limited to 201 yards on 48 snaps (4.2 per play).

The Pirates rolled up 191 yards passing and 270 rushing. TB passed for 120 yards and ran for 81.

Bluffton compiled 18 first downs to 11 by Bowsher.

The Pirates were 2-3 on third down, while TB was just 1-9. 

Bluffton fumbled the ball away once for their only turnover. TB threw two interceptions. The Pirates committed eight penalties for 46 yards. TB was flagged seven times for 66 yards.

Giesige completed eight of 10 passes for 181 yards and two TDs.

Ethan Sprunger caught three passes for 43 yards. Blayne Hill snared two passes for 70 yards and one TD. Hill also had a 32-yard punt return.

Keatyn Shaffer pulled in two receptions for 20 yards. Lovell added a 48-yard TD grab.

Kohen Anderson ran the ball twice for 43 yards, with a long run of 25.

Mason Shank led the defense with three solo tackles, four assists and one sack.

Braylon Simon and Brayden Warren each intercepted one pass for Bluffton.

UP NEXT
Bluffton hosts backyard rival Allen East (3-0) in a Northwest Conference opener featuring a battle of unbeatens on Friday, Sept. 11. AE beat Indian Lake on Friday, 32-14. The Mustangs rolled up 397 yards to drown the Lakers.

Mustang QB Keagan Jones threw for three TDs and ran for another to pace AE to victory. Jones rushed for 90 yards and passed for 285 yards.