By Cort Reynolds
The Bluffton High School football team blanked speedy Leipsic 34-0 (SCOREBOARD) in a surprisingly lopsided Northwest Conference showdown Friday night, October 6, at Harmon Field. The Pirates remain undefeated and atop the league.
The Pirate defense has now recorded six consecutive shutouts. The potent Vikings came into the fray averaging 30 points a game, but were unable to puncture the Pirate defense.
Gavin Bogart scored four touchdowns to pace the Pirate offensive onslaught.
Bluffton improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the NWC with the shutout win. The Pirates remain tied for the conference lead with Columbus Grove (6-2, 5-0 NWC), which beat Crestview 37-0 in week eight.
Leipsic fell to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in NWC play with their second straight defeat.
Garret Bogart tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Bogart to open the scoring. Kyle Basil’s extra point kick made it 7-0 in the first period.
Gavin Bogart scored again on a 52-yard scamper, followed by a Basil PAT to give Bluffton a 14-0 lead after the first period.
Junior back Landen Worcester found the end zone on a two-yard run to extend the Pirate lead to 21-0 at intermission.
The Bogart brothers combined on a seven-yard TD aerial to make the lead 27-0 after three periods of play.
Gavin Bogart tallied his fourth TD on a four-yard run in the final stanza. Basil’s fourth PAT boot made the final score 34-0.
October 6 Pirate Scoreboard
1 2 3 4 F
Leipsic 0 0 0 0 0
Bluffton 14 7 6 7 34
Notes and stats
Both teams ran 51 plays from scrimmage, but Bluffton netted 293 total yards compared to 182 yards by Leipsic.
The Pirates netted 176 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.0 avg), while speedy Leipsic netted 152 yards on 35 runs (4.3 per carry).
The Pirates passed for 117 yards to compile while the Vikings added just 30 yards passing.
Bluffton averaged 5.7 yards per play, while the Vikings averaged 3.6 yards per snap. The Pirates compiled 13 first downs, compared to nine times Leipsic moved the chains.
Garret Bogart completed an efficient eight of 10 aerials for 117 yards and two TDs. He added nine yards rushing on two runs.
Gavin Bogart led the Pirates with 78 yards rushing on 10 carries, with two TDs and a long of 52. He also caught four passes for 61 yards and a pair of scores.
Worcester rushed for 70 yards on 22 carries with one score and a long run of 14.
Griffin Stackhouse ran for 19 yards on one run.
Braeden Jordan snared two aerials for 31 yards. Hayden Dearth caught two passes for 25 yards.
Carson Kruse had two solo tackles and eight assists. Worcester contributed 10 assists. Quinn Eachus intercepted a pass. Tayte Giesige had one tackle for loss, and a 32-yard kickoff return.
The Vikings committed two penalties for 10 yards, while the Pirates were flagged seven times for 54 yards.
Leipsic converted three of 12 third down tries, while the Pirates were successful on four of nine third-down attempts. Bluffton was 3-3 on fourth down, while the Vikings went 0-2 on fourth.
The Pirates have outscored their opponents by a commanding margin of 334-28 this season (41.8 ppg to 3.5 ppg).
The Vikes committed one turnover on one interception, while the Pirates were guilty of no miscues.
In the Div. VI, Region 22 computer rankings, Bluffton remained in first place after the win. Grove is third.
The Pirates visit rival defending NWC champion Allen East (2-5, 1-3 NWC) next Friday. The Mustangs visit Delphos Jefferson Saturday for their second win in a row.
Bluffton travels to Grove in the regular season finale October 20 for what looms as a potential championship game showdown between league unbeatens.
