By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - Host Bluffton rallied late to outscore and outlast Delphos Jefferson 62-56 in a Northwest Conference thriller on Homecoming Friday night at Harmon Field.
The teams combined for over 1,100 yards in total offense and 118 points in the shootout.
Pirate quarterback Nate Schaadt accounted for 415 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. Jefferson's Colin Bailey rushed for over 300 yards and ran/threw for seven scores in the back and forth battle.
The Pirates improved to 2-3 overall with the wild win, while the winless Wildcats fell to 0-5 with the defeat.
Bluffton raced to a 27-8 lead after the opening quarter. But after Jefferson rallied to lead 56-46 with 24 unanswered points in half two, Schaadt and the Pirates tallied the last 16 points to win the seesaw battle.
Bluffton started the scoring with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Schaadt to Landyn Fleharty just 2:36 into the fray.
The quick, long touchdown set the tone for the offensive explosion to come. Schaadt's extra point kick made it 7-0 with 9:24 to go in the first stanza.
Fleharty then intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards to paydirt at the 6:47 juncture. Schaadt's PAT kick extended the Pirate advantage to 14-0.
Speedy senior Tyson Shutler advanced the lead on a 37-yard TD run with 3:18 still left in the first period. Schaadt's third PAT boot made it 21-0.
DJ finally got on the board with a seven-yard scoring run by Colin Bailey. Bailey's two-point conversion run made it 21-8 with 3:18 left in the first period.
Shutler closed the scoring in the opening period with a 12-yard TD jaunt six seconds before the end of the stanza. The extra point was no good to keep the margin at 27-8.
Bailey then connected with Andrew Miller on a 35-yard scoring aerial with 9:01 left in the first half. Bailey's two-point toss to Cody Bailey cut the deficit to 27-16.
Schaadt answered with a 44-yard TD keeper just 94 seconds later. His two-point pass to Shutler was incomplete to maintain the cushion at 33-16.
Schaadt then ran 75 yards to paydirt to advance the lead to 39-16 with 5:03 left in the half. The two-point run try by Shutler came up short.
Colin Bailey then scampered 31 yards to paydirt at the 1:58 mark. His two-point run was successful to pull within 39-24.
Then just before intermission, Bailey scored again on a 29-yard run with seven ticks left. The two-point run was good to inch the visitors within 39-32 at halftime.
Shutler opened the second half with a 64-yard scoring scamper on the first play from scrimmage. Just seven seconds into the third period, the Pirates led 46-32 after Schaadt's extra point kick was good.
Bailey answered with a 47-yard TD run just 20 seconds later. His two-point run cut the Bluffton lead to 46-40.
DJ then took its first lead on a 16-yard TD pass from Bailey to Tanner Voorhees. The two-point pass was good to give Jefferson a slim 48-46 edge with 5:44 left in the eventful third quarter.
Bailey and Voorhees hooked up again for a 43-yard TD strike with 48 ticks left in the period. Another two-point pass by Bailey to Miller extended the Jefferson lead to 56-46.
Schaadt completed a 40-yard TD aerial to Shutler just 29 seconds later to pull within four points. Schaadt's two-point run inched the Pirates within 56-54 at the end of the 39-point third quarter.
But then Bluffton was able to shut out Jefferson in the fourth quarter. With 7:14 left to play, Schaadt scored on a 36-yard run to put the hosts back in front for good.
A two-point run by Landon Shutler provided the final margin of victory in the wild shootout.
1 2 3 4 F
Blu 27 12 15 8 62
DJ 8 24 24 0 56
Notes and stats
Bluffton ran 58 plays and compiled a season-high 609 net yards for a whopping 10.5 yards average per play. The Pirates rolled up 20 first downs compared to 21 by Jefferson.
DJ ran 62 plays and amassed 505 yards in total offense for an average of 8.1 yards per play.
The Pirates rushed 40 times for a season-best 408 yards (10.2 avg.), while the Wildcats netted 383 yards on 45 carries (8.5 avg.).
Schaadt completed 11 of 18 aerials for 201 yards and two scores with no interceptions. Schaadt also rushed 18 times for 214 yards and three TDs. Schaadt scored 24 points.
Shutler ran 18 times for 208 yards and three TDs as well. He also caught four aerials for 68 yards and one TD. Fleharty grabbed two passes for 69 yards and a TD. Jackson Wilson added two receptions for 47 yards.
Colin Bailey rushed for a whopping 311 yards on 26 carries with four TDs. He also completed nine of 17 passes for 122 yards and three TDs with one costly pick six by Fleharty. Bailey scored 30 points.
Wildcat Cole Hoersten added 55 yards rushing on 15 attempts. Voorhees caught two passes for 59 yards and a pair of scores. Miller added three receptions for 46 yards and one TD.
Bluffton committed zero turnovers while Jefferson made just one turnover. Bluffton was penalized 10 times for 100 yards, and the Wildcats were flagged six times for 40 yards.
The Pirates had the ball for 21:54, while the hosts possessed it for 24:26. The Wildcats were 5-12 on third down conversions, and went 0-2 on fourth down. Bluffton was 6-11 on third down and 1-4 on fourth down tries.
Elsewhere in the NWC tournament, previously undefeated Spencerville (4-1) was upset 17-0 at home by Allen East (4-1) in one semifinal battle.
Visiting Columbus Grove (5-0) squeaked by upset-minded Crestview 38-31 in the other semifinal to set up a rematch in the first-ever league tournament title game between two NWC East foes.
CG beat AE 30-21 in their first meeting three weeks ago at Harrod.
Bluffton visits Paulding (1-4) next Friday. The Panthers lost at home to non-league foe Edgerton 49-0 Friday night. This is Paulding's last season as a member of the NWC.
