Pirates rout Columbian 42-7

SANDUSKY – Columbian was hit with a cannon before it could even blink.The Tornadoes found themselves down just 38 seconds into the game, trailing by two touchdowns less than three minutes in, and down three touchdowns just over halfway through the first quarter.Columbian never got on track Friday as Division IV, No. 2 Perkins blitzed the Tornadoes, 42-7, in Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division play."They scored and we didn't tackle them," TC coach Judd Lutz said. "First play, they have a really good player and he broke a bunch of tackles, but we're right there. We tried to simulate their speed in practice giving our wide receivers five- and 10-yard head starts into that speed. It's hard to simulate."Columbian finished the regular season 4-6 (1-3 SBC Lake), but will likely make an appearance in the Division III, Region 10 playoffs on the road."Sounds like we're in or really, really good likelihood of being in there," Lutz said. "Obviously, we'll have a better idea later tonight or early Saturday. It's a bunch of teams we're pretty unfamiliar with it sounds like. It's a whole new season. I told the kids on Monday that if we shock the world and win on Friday, we have to flush it real quick. If we lose, we have to flush it and turn around and be ready to play a playoff game."It didn't take long for Perkins (9-1, 4-0) to jump on Columbian. Isaac Bunts exploded for 48 yards on the first play of the game and covered 17 yards on the next play for the touchdown. The extra point by Danny Buga put the Pirates up 7-0 just 38 seconds in.Perkins forced a three-and-out on Columbian's first drive and quickly cashed in again. This time,quarterback Sam Schweinfurth tossed a screen pass out to Braylon Collier, who matriculated his way through the defense for a 56-yard score. Buga's point after pushed it to 14-0 at the 9:08 mark of the first quarter."We went out and executed," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "That's the main thing. We got that fast start and we were hitting on all cylinders. We were communicating up front."Columbian was able to pick up a first down on its next drive, but turned the ball over on downs at midfield.This time, it took Perkins just two plays to score. First, Schweinfurth connected with Blake Parker for 32 yards. Then, he found Bunts, who rumbled through traffic and into the end zone for an 18-yard TD. Buga made it 21-0 with 5:24 left in the first quarter.All told in their first three drives, Perkins ran five plays that resulted in five first downs, 171 yards, and three touchdowns.Columbian was able to fire back one time on the Tornadoes' next drive. Perkins bit on a tough play fake and TC quarterback Zach Shawberry hit Johnny Bremyer in stride for a 65-yard score. The extra point by Liam Kerr cut the Pirates' lead to 21-7.But, that just gave Schweinfurth, Collier, and the rest of the Perkins offense the ball.The Pirates didn't waste the opportunity as Perkins went 65 yards over seven plays. Schweinfurth and Collier - a Michigan State commit - did most of the damage with passes of nine and 38 yards before a 15-yard touchdown. Buga's extra point put Perkins up 28-7 with 1:35 remaining in the first quarter."They have special players at running back and perimeter," Lutz said. "The quarterback is playing at a really high level. Again, it's really hard to simulate a Division I kid at wide receiver and that speed. He's smooth in and out of his routes."Neither team scored in the second quarter as both defenses settled in."After the first couple series, I felt like our defense settled in," Lutz said. "We knew it would be tough sledding on offense. We felt like we had to stick with the run even when it wasn't getting a lot. It was feast or famine. If you break through that first layer, there's not a lot on the other side."The Schweinfurth to Collier connection continued late in the third quarter. After a Bryce Davie interception gave Perkins good field position, the two hooked up three times including the 39-yard TD strike.Davie picked up a second interception on the next Columbian drive and returned it inside the red zone. That allowed the Schweinfurth and Collier onslaught to continue as the two connected for a 16-yard TD pass. Buga made it 42-7, enforcing a running clock.Perkins gave deep focus to Tornadoes running back Masen Seitz. One week after going for 264 yards and six touchdowns on 28 rushes, the Pirates limited him to 30 carries for 157 yards."He's a good running back and they have a good offensive line," Santoro said. "That's what we knew they were going to try to do. They had some success doing it, so that's something we need to look at on film and fix it."Schweinfurth finished 17-of-24 for 337 yards for the Pirates at quarterback. Collier had 10 receptions for 216 yards and four TDs.Shawberry completed just 5-of-18 passes for 96 yards for Columbian."Pleased with the effort," Lutz said. "We did some things schematically different. We had nothing to lose. I think the kids really executed that a really high level. Some times they have better players to make the play and you don't."