By Sam Brauen
Bluffton dismantled Paulding 34-10 Friday evening to move to 4-0 for the first time since 2005. The Pirates followed a game plan that has worked this season; stick to the run game in the second half and pull away.
Two big plays in the first half allowed the Pirates to take a 13-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. Bret Rumer, starting at quarterback for the dinged up Mitchell Ault, threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to Sam Crisp for the game’s first score. On the play, Rumer scrambled for over ten seconds before throwing a dart to the right corner of the end zone for classmate Crisp to haul in.
The other BHS score in the half came from junior Dustin Falk who exploded up the middle for a 28 yard touchdown run. The scoring dash capped a 99 yard, six play drive for Bluffton. Four of the six plays went for double digit yardage. Brady Basinger ran for 11 yards, Kaleb Jefferson ran for 24, Rumer passed to Falk for 21 before Falk ended the drive with the rushing score.
Paulding’s Corbin Edwards impressively kicked a 44 yard field goal to end half to put the Panthers on the board.
The Pirates possessed the ball just three times in the first half as both teams stuck to the ground game. This was partly by design due to fresh faces at quarterback and partly due to the rain that came down heavily at times in the first 24 minutes.
Bluffton’s defense continued to thrive, allowing just 55 rushing yards and 82 passing yards in the first half, with 55 of those passing yards coming on a nifty halfback pass play. Paulding did not complete a pass in the second half.
Brady Basinger set the tone for the second half with a 57 yard run on the first play of the third quarter. The junior burst up the middle out of the wishbone formation, broke a tackle from a Paulding linebacker and got tracked down at the Panther 11.
Two plays later Jefferson rumbled in from 11 yards out to make the score 20-3. Paulding, and specifically Corbin Edwards, was not finished. Edwards returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a Panther touchdown.
The next Pirate score came courtesy of Brady Basinger. The Pirate ‘D’ sacked Panther quarterback James Mourey who fumbled the ball. Basinger scooped up the loose ball at the 46 and sprinted into the end zone, giving BHS a 27-10 lead and sending the Pirate faithful into a frenzy.
Cutnaw said, “Brady made a great heads up play there. That’s our second scoop and score of the year and the defense just keeps making plays when they can.”
Following another Paulding drive of just three plays and a punt, Jefferson officially put the game out of reach. The big sophomore back bruised his way into the end zone from twelve yards out to make it 34-10 with 2:24 left in the third quarter.
Cole Wilson recovered another Panther fumble on the next possession and Dakota Bricker intercepted a Maurey pass on the following PHS possession. In all, Paulding turned the ball over five times compared to zero for Bluffton.
Brady Basinger led the rushing attack with 93 yards on just 7 attempts (13.3 average). The junior also led the defensive effort with 5.5 tackles and the fumble recovery and touchdown.
Dakota Bricker carried the ball 10 times for 92 yards and added the interception on defense. Dustin Falk had 63 yards and Kaleb Jefferson 62 as the Pirates continued to be balanced and dangerous on the ground.
“We want to keep doing our thing in the second half. Our offensive line is opening holes and the guys in the backfield are taking advantage,” Cutnaw relayed.
Bret Rumer, in his first ever start at quarterback, completed a respectable 5 of 9 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he kept the offense moving and together.
“I was proud of Bret tonight. He stepped in and for the most part had guys in the right spot and made the right plays,” Cutnaw said. Blake Sampson had another big game defensively with 2.5 tackles for loss. As a whole, Bluffton limited Paulding to just 192 total yards on the night. The only score allowed was on a kickoff return.
Friday, the Pirates travel to Allen East. The Mustangs are 3-1 on the year and lost their first game to Delphos Jefferson in Week 4 action. Bluffton will be seeking revenge for a last minute 39-35 defeat in the 2014 season. Kickoff is set for 7:00 at Allen East High School.
