By Cort Reynolds
Host Bluffton scored in the final seconds of regulation to tie, and then went on to win in overtime 34-28 over non-league rival Pandora-Gilboa in a Friday night thriller at Harmon Field.
The comeback victory upped the Bluffton record to 2-0, while P-G fell to 0-2 with the defeat.
Bluffton senior quarterback Nate Schaadt rushed for all five Pirate touchdowns and accounted for 407 yards in total offense to lead the red and white to victory.
The Pirates trailed 28-20 in the fourth period after two second- half Rocket TDs. But Schaadt hit paydirt on a one-yard plunge with just 18 seconds left in regulation to pull the Pirates within 28-26.
Landon Shutler then converted a clutch two-point conversion run to tie it 28-28 and send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Schaadt tallied on a nine-yard run to put the hosts on top by six. The extra point try missed to give P-G a chance to potentially win with a TD and point after kick.
Schaadt then intercepted a pass in overtime to stymie the Rockets and preserve the seesaw win.
Rocket Ethan Luginbill scored on a one-yard run at the 5:10 mark of the first period to give the Rockets an early 7-0 lead.
Schaadt scampered 56 yards to paydirt with 3:30 left in the opening stanza, and Gabe Meza booted the extra point to tie 7-7.
P-G regained the lead 14-7 just 30 seconds into the second period on a 29-yard scoring strike from Dylan Krohn to Tanner Liechty. Elam Suter's second PAT boot made it 14-7.
Schaadt scored again on an eight-yard TD jaunt with 4:30 left before halftime. Meza's extra point knotted it 14-all.
Schaadt gave Bluffton its first lead with a two-yard TD run with 6:23 left in the third period. A two-point run failed and the Pirates led, 20-14.
Luginbill scored just 73 seconds later on a 48-yard rush. Suter's extra point put P-G back in front 21-20 at the 5:10 mark.
Krohn then connected with Colin Harris on a 50-yard TD strike with 11:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. Suter's extra point gave the Rockets their biggest lead of the night at eight points.
But Bluffton rallied late to force OT on Schaadt's last-minute TD run and Shutler's two-point conversion.
1 2 3 4 OT F
Blu 7 7 6 8 6 34
P-G 7 7 7 7 0 28
Notes and stats
Bluffton rolled up 471 yards in total offense on a whopping 82 plays for a 5.7 yard average per play. The Pirates amassed 27 first downs.
The Pirate defense held the Rockets to 257 yards on just 45 plays, for an identical average of 5.7 yards per play. P-G compiled a dozen first downs.
The Pirates rushed 53 times for 312 yards (5.9 avg.), while P-G carried the pigskin 28 times for 98 yards (3.5).
Schaadt rushed 35 times for 248 yards and five TDs. Schaadt also completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 159 yards with three interceptions.
Braeden Jordan caught six aerials for 73 yards. Shutler snagged two passes for 46 yards. Ethan Bogart hauled in two passes for 16 yards.
Hayden Dearth snared three aerials for 12 yards, and Jackson Wilson caught one pass for 12 yards.
Shutler netted 41 yards rushing on nine carries with one key two-point conversion.
Luginbill netted 109 yards rushing on 17 carries with two TDs. Krohn completed seven of 15 passes for 163 yards with two TDs and the one interception in OT.
Aiden Morris, Thomas Bauman and Liechty intercepted one pass apiece for P-G.
Bluffton committed three turnovers, while P-G made just one miscues on a fumble. The Pirates were penalized 16 times for 150 yards, and the Rockets were flagged four times for 40 yards.
Bluffton had the ball for 31:12, while the Rockets possessed it for 16:48 of play. P-G converted five of 11 third down attempts, and went 0-3 on fourth down. The Pirates were 10-16 on third down tries, and 1-2 on fourth down.
Beau Stever led the Pirate defense with seven solo tackles, while Landen Worcester added six stops.
Bluffton visits Defiance Ayersville (2-0) Friday, September 3 in their first away game. The Pilots beat Delta 27-12 in their opener and edged Delphos Jefferson 33-26 in week two. Both Ayersville wins came on the road.
