Bluffton University freshman Montez Archer Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) has been named the HCAC Player of the Week for the third straight time on March 23.

Archer earned Special Teams Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after two straight Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Archer returned six kickoffs for 190 yards on Saturday, including a 78-yarder at the end of the first quarter that set up Bluffton's first touchdown.

He also chipped in with seven tackles from his cornerback position. Archer added a 35-yard punt return for good measure as Bluffton lost a thriller 51-44 at Hanover, the pre-season favorite to defend its 2018-19 Heartland Conference championships.

Hanover wins a close one
The Bluffton University football team battled HCAC pre-season favorite Hanover College for 60 minutes on Saturday, March 20, coming up just short as the Panthers scored with 15 ticks remaining for a 51-44 victory over the Beavers. Bluffton dropped it first game of the year (3-1, 2-1 HCAC), while Hanover improved to 2-0 (2-0 HCAC).

A pair of first quarter touchdowns for the home team had Hanover up 14-0 before Zachary Nobis (Bryan) connected with tight end Drew Mace on the first play of quarter two to make it 14-7. Down 21-7 late in the first half, workhorse Darian Greeley (Belleville, Mich./Chippewa Valley) punched it in from one yard out, but the extra point attempt went awry and Hanover took it the other way for two points, making it 23-13 with 52 seconds on the clock.

A Hanover fumble with 21 seconds left gave Bluffton the ball at the visitor 36-yard line. Nobis hit Jeremy Locklear (Lincoln Park, Mich./Harry S. Truman) for a pair of first downs before finding Deonta Hall (Cincinnati/Mount Healthy) with a 39-yard scoring strike as Bluffton pulled within 23-20 at the break.

Freshman Daniel Blanford (Delphos/Clearwater) drilled a 35-yard field goal and Laurenz Johnson (Huber Heights/Wayne) hauled in a 30-yard touchdown reception from Nobis in the third stanza, but Hanover hit paydirt three times in the quarter as the home team opened a 44-30 lead heading to the final 15 minutes.

Bluffton cut the deficit in half with seven minutes to play when Maalik Tucker (Fostoria) found the end zone from six yards out. A 29-yard Nobis run had the Beavers all square with 4:44 to play as Bluffton fought back to make it a new game. A three and out deep in Hanover territory gave the Beavers great field possession at the home 40 with 3:29 on the clock. 

Hanover's defense returned the favor and forced a quick punt that gave the Panthers possession at their own 9-yard line. They marched down the field and went up 51-44 when quarterback Matthew Weimer capped off the 12-play, 91-yard drive with a 1-yard run.

Nobis completed 21-of-43 passes for 357 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. He also churned out 89 yards on the ground. Greeley went for 59 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Plummie Gardner (Lima/Perry) caught three balls for 90 yards, while Johnson's four catches netted 66 yards and a score. Hall finished with 61 yards receiving with the 39-yard touchdown.

Brady Hauenstein (Findlay/Columbus Grove) led the defense with 14 stops on Saturday. Senior Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) paced the secondary with nine solo stops and he forced a fumble to go along with his TFL. Freshmen Montez Archer Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) and sophomore Martez Nabors (Redford, Mich./Thurston) chipped in with seven tackles apiece. Archer returned six kickoffs for 190 yards, including a 78-yarder at the end of the first quarter that set up Bluffton's first touchdown.

Hanover (549) and Bluffton (511) combined for 1,060 yards of total offense. The Panthers put up 393 on the ground, while the Beavers went for 357 through the air. The home team was 7-of-14 on third down opportunities, compared to 5-of-14 for the Beavers. Hanover converted touchdowns on all five of its red zone chances.

Bluffton will welcome Franklin College to Alumni Field on Saturday, March 27. Kickoff in Salzman Stadium is slated for 1:30 p.m.

Men's soccer
The Bluffton University men's soccer team made the long trip to Franklin College on Wednesday, March 24, to play the Grizzlies under the lights. The Heartland Conference rivals that normally square off on Saturday afternoons battled to a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes of physical action. Bluffton moved to 1-4-2 on the season, while Franklin stands at 1-5-1.

The five points in HCAC action marks the most for Bluffton's men since 2014 when the Beavers finished 2-7 in the league. It is also just the second time since 2010 that the men have notched more than three points in conference contests.

It took over 75 minutes for Franklin to break the ice, but then Bluffton needed less than six minutes to net the equalizer as sophomore Hunter Coffey (Wapakoneta) hit paydirt in minute 84. The action was intense in spite of the lack of scoring as the handing out of cards resembled a blackjack table in Las Vegas. When the dust settled after 110 minutes on the pitch, the score was still deadlocked at 1-1, while 10 cards had been doled out by the folks with whistles.

The Grizzlies fired five more shots than the Bluffton (21-16) thanks to a 10-4 advantage in the second 45 minutes. Both teams finished with six corner kicks, while Bluffton was called for one more foul (8-7).

Standout sophomore Tanner Newport (Hamilton, Va./Loudoun Valley) racked up six saves on Wednesday night. Freshman Elijah Zimmerman (Archbold) fired four shots to lead the Beavers, while Jacob Kiger (Groveport/St. Charles Prep) finished with three before being dealt a second-half red card in minute 73. Coffey, Elijah Grieser (Wauseon/Pettisville) and Justin Combs (Union/Northmont) all chipped in with two shots for the visitors.

Bluffton will hit the road again on Sunday, March 28, when the men travel to Hanover College. The Beavers kick off at 3:30 p.m. following the women's matchup with the Panthers.

Baseball
The Bluffton University baseball team dropped its fifth straight decision, 11-8, at Manchester University on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. Bluffton fell to 1-9 on the season, while the Spartans improved to 4-7 overall and in the conference.

Jacob Latkofsky (Temperance, MI/Ida) singled home fellow senior Reid Ruhl (Hamilton) for a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. But as has been the script too many times already this season, the Beavers gave up five runs in the bottom half of the frame when Manchester cashed in thanks to six hits in the inning.

A two-out solo shot by Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) in the fourth made it 5-2 before the team struck with two more tallies in the bottom of the inning for a 7-2 spread. O'Reilly and Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) laced RBI singles in the sixth and Parker Reynolds (Avon) picked up Ruhl with a sacrifice fly to left an inning later as Bluffton pulled within three runs (8-5) heading into the seventh-inning stretch.

Manchester added three crucial insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to consecutive doubles by Henschel and Pelt, opening an 11-5 lead that held up when the Bluffton's three-run response in the eighth fell short. O'Reilly and Duncan crossed the dish before freshman Kenny Schneider (Sunbury/Big Walnut) lifted a sacrifice fly to center that picked up Jeff Strayer (Columbus/Thomas Worthington), ending the Bluffton scoring in the eighth inning.

A two-out single by Lenny Winiarski (Cincinnati/LaSalle) was all Bluffton could muster in the ninth as Manchester held on for the 11-8 victory.

O'Reilly and Duncan both sprayed it around with three knocks. Ruhl and O'Reilly, who drove in two runs, each scored twice. Freshman Sean Brock (Wauseon) took the loss after surrendering five runs on six hits while recording just one out in the third inning. Junior Jacob Boelkens (Millbury/Lake) tossed two innings of shutout ball, allowing one hit with two strikeouts.

Bluffton will get back on the horse Saturday with a trip to Hanover College. Game one of the HCAC doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. The Beavers will return to Memorial Field for a pair of games against Franklin College on Sunday, March 28.

Women's soccer
Franklin College downed Bluffton University on a windy Wednesday, March 24. The Beavers fell to 0-6-1 overall and 0-5-1 in the Heartland Conference, while the Grizzlies improved to 3-2. 

Trailing 1-0 after the first 45 minutes, it was tough sledding for the home team in the second half as the wind put the Beavers at a decided disadvantage in period two. Franklin cashed in less than two minutes into the second half before a free kick from Dianna Rollag in minute 67 sealed the outcome as the Grizzlies moved over .500 with the 3-0 shutout.

Bluffton fired four more shots than the visitors, 10-6, with a 6-2 advantage in the opening stanza. The Beavers finished with two more fouls, 6-4, while Franklin forced one more corner kick (4-3).

Freshman Ashton Curnutte (Urbana) recorded a pair of saves between the pipes. Senior Maddie Huffman (Maineville/Little Miami) paced the offense with five shots, including three on frame. 

The Bluffton women will travel to Hanover College on Sunday, March 28, to do battle with a Panther squad that leads the Heartland Conference with a perfect 6-0 mark after defeating RHIT 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.