By Cort Reynolds
Host Bluffton blew out local non-league rival Cory-Rawson 75-0 Friday night to open the 2021 season in impressive fashion at Harmon Field.
The convincing victory upped the Bluffton record to 1-0, while C-R fell to 0-1 with their second loss in as many games to the Pirates.
Bluffton beat winless C-R 50-14 in the 2020 season finale.
The Pirates stung C-R with a 24-0 lead after one period of play, and increased the margin to 54-0 by halftime with a 30-point outburst in the second stanza.
Bluffton outscored C-R 21-0 after intermission, and dominated the Hornets 421-69 in total yardage.
Bluffton signal-caller Nate Schaadt ran for three touchdownss and threw for two more scores, all in the first half. He rushed for 145 yards and threw for 69 more to account for 214 yards in total offense.
Schaadt began the scoring onslaught with an eight-yard scamper 100 seconds into the season. He also ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.
With 3:25 left in the first period, Preston Culver found the end zone on a seven-yard scamper. Schaadt's two-point run doubled the lead to 16-0.
Schaadt's 25-yard TD jaunt with 29 seconds left in the first stanza led to Landon Shutler's two-point conversion run and a 24-0 lead after one quarter of play.
Schaadt connected with Jackson Wilson on a 50-yard scoring strike early in the second period. The first of seven successful Gabe Meza extra point kicks extended the margin to 31-0.
Schaadt's 13-yard TD scamper with 7:03 left in the half and a Meza PAT advanced the margin to 38-0.
Culver scored his second rushing TD on a two-yard run at the 5:36 mark as the lead ballooned to 45-0.
Schaadt found Hayden Dearth on a 21-yard TD toss with 3:36 left in the second quarter. Another Meza boot made it 52-0.
A botched Hornet punt advanced the lead to 54-0 on a safety with 63 seconds to go before intermission.
Shutler scored from eight yards out on a run with 8:32 left in the third period.
Landen Worcester found paydirt from two yards out to make it 68-0 at the 2:21 juncture of the third stanza.
Carson Weaver scored on a 10-yard run with 8:49 left for the 10th and final TD. Meza's point after boot provided the last score.
1 2 3 4 F
Blu 24 30 14 7 75
C-R 0 0 0 0 0
Notes and stats
Bluffton racked up 421 on 43 plays for a 9.8 yard average per play. The Pirates amassed 25 first downs.
The stingy Pirate defense held the Hornets to a mere 69 net yards on 49 plays for a paltry average of 1.4 yards per play. C-R compiled just six first downs.
The Pirates rushed 38 times for 352 yards (9.3 avg.), while the Hornets carried the pigskin 13 times for negative 38 yards. Bluffton ran for eight TDs.
Schaadt completed three of five attempts for 69 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. Schaadt also rushed 12 times for 145 yards and three scores.
Jackson Wilson caught one TD pass for 50 yards, while Hayden Dearth snared two aerials for 19 yards and one score.
Garrett Bogart rushed three times for 48 yards. Landon Shutler netted 40 yards on three carries, and Preston Culver gained 29 yards on seven runs.
Marek Donaldson ran two times for 25 yards while Landyn Fleharty netted 23 yards on three tries. Landen Worcester added 19 yards on four runs.
Hornet QB Eric Davis completed 16 of 36 passes for 107 yards with four interceptions. C-R's Jared Thompson caught four passes for 46 yards, while Hunter Stauffer snared five aerials for 45 yards.
Bluffton committed one turnover on a fumble, while Cory made six costly miscues on four pickoffs and two lost fumbles. The Pirates were penalized three times for 25 yards, while C-R was flagged four times for 50 yards.
Bluffton had the ball for 17:03, while the Hornets possessed it for 30:50. C-R converted two of 12 third down attempts, and went 0-1 on fourth down. The Pirates were 4-6 on third down, and 1-1 on fourth down tries.
Bluffton hosts non-league rival Pandora-Gilboa (0-1) in week two. P-G lost to Columbus Grove 31-6 Friday in the Rocket opener.
