Perkins too much for Rams

PERKINS TWP. – Upper Sandusky was able to move the ball early. The Rams picked up two first downs on their first drive, but it stalled just after Upper Sandusky crossed midfield. That allowed top-seeded Perkins to get going. The Pirates exploded for six touchdowns in the first half and topped the 16th-seeded Rams, 49-10, in Division IV, Region 14 playoff action Friday. "They're a fantastic team," Upper Sandusky coach Russell Hall said. "When they were on offense running the ball, unfortunately we were a half-step away from getting them. The running back saw that and was able to hit that with his speed and make a big plays." Upper Sandusky finished the season with a record of 5-6. The highlight for the Rams came when they defeated Northern 10 Athletic Conference league champion, Mohawk. "Coming into the season, a lot of preseason picks had us winning two games," Hall said. "Proud of this team for saying they weren't going to do that. They kept getting better each and every week. Starting Week 4, we did. Watch our film, you'll see that." Perkins (10-1) methodically answered on its first drive of the game. Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth picked up a pair of first downs through the air before hitting Tim Boals for a six-yard TD score. The first of seven extra points by Danny Buga put the Pirates up 7-0 near the midway point of the first quarter. From there, it was turbo speed for Perkins. After forcing a three-and-out, Schweinfurth connected with Joey Diederich for a 17-yard touchdown pass. Buga made it 14-0 with 3:24 left in the opening quarter. A short punt by the Rams following another three-and-out gave Perkins good field position. Isaac Bunts took care of the rest, rumbling 42 yards on the first play to make it 21-0. "It comes down to execution and being one block away," Hall said. "We were one block away on a lot of those plays." Known for its big-play defense as well, the Perkins' squad added to the onslaught. Diederich intercepted Upper Sandusky quarterback Justin Heilman and returned it 41 yards for the TD. That gave the Pirates a 28-0 lead just nine seconds into the second quarter. "We were chaotic," said Perkins coach Jalen Santoro of his defense. "We did a good job mixing up some different things. We tackled well for the most part. There's some things we need to shore up still, but at the end of the day, we got off the ball well up front." Bunts added a 57-yard touchdown run after Perkins' defense got the ball back to the offense. Schweinfurth added a 69-yard touchdown strike to Braylon Collier, extending the lead to 42-0. "It's the fact they have more speed," said Hall of the Pirates. "You're used to playing against a team that has one or two guys that are fast. They have a handful. That's definitely what makes them good on offense." Of Perkins' six touchdowns in the first half, three came on the first play of a drive. "Right now, that's why our offense is the way it is," Santoro said. "We can hit you from different areas. That's something we want to continuously grow on. It's about playing efficient and smart football." With most of the first-teamers done for the night, Levi Jackson added a 54-yard touchdown run for the Pirates early in the third quarter. That made it 49-0 with 7:43 to go in the third quarter. Upper Sandusky was able to find a little bit of offense later. Kaleb Francis hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Heilman with 2:41 left in the third quarter. Kobe Beidelschies added the extra point and later nailed a 43-yard field goal for the Rams. "Proud of these guys," Hall said. "They never quit. We kept going until the end." Heilman finished 13-of-23 for 135 yards while Lewis ran 24 times for 73 yards. Upper Sandusky sees a successful senior class graduate after making the playoffs twice in their careers. "A lot of these guys have been key contributors for several years now," Hall said. "You look and we will have to find somebody to fill shoes that are big shoes to fill."