By RYAN WALKER
“That was a little crazy there to say the least,” Bluffton head coach Brent Kunkel said.
His Tigers (4-0, 2-0 ACAC) got the 36-7 homecoming victory on its brand-new turf Friday night over the Woodlan Warriors (1-3, 0-2 ACAC), and a batch of unexplainable plays was on display.
It included three Warriors fumbles in the second half, desperately trying to hold on to its five-point lead at the break. But the Tigers scored on all three of those drives, whether it was one way or another.
Zane Betz started the festivities at center, where he snapped the ball on one on a two-snap count. Quarterback Axton Beste took the surprise and ran with it, avoiding a Warrior defender and scrambling through two more in a zig-zag toward the right side of the field. He was able to buy a second to step into his throw and find a wide-open Elijah Bertsch for a 32-yard Houdini-act.
It was a play that high school quarterbacks don’t typically make, especially as a sophomore.
“This kid’s special,” Kunkel praised. “I keep saying it — it’s not like we’re coaching them on how to do those things. The kid is a special, special kid and makes a play, and finds Eli. Eli goes down and scores.”
The ensuing kickoff from Abram Gehrett was a mix between an onside kick and a squib that was perfectly placed on the 30-yard sideline, and Marshall Gerber did a dolphin dive on it to recover it.
According to Kunkel, that was not planned. It ended up working anyway in the long run on yet another play call that Kunkel did not ask for.
Beste took the snap after the recovered onside kick, rolled to his right and threw a 10-yard weak fly ball into triple coverage. Woodlan defenders tipped the pass many times that should have been a sure-thing interception but landed miraculously in the hands of Treyton Bustos, who then turned around and sprinted toward the endzone for six.
“And then we call a run play, and Axton decided to throw it,” Kunkel continued.
The Warriors would fumble for a third time in the second half, as the Tigers put the game away with two long drives ending in touchdowns for Cooper Craig, who filled in for the injured Khamel Moore. The first went for 13 yards and the second for one yard to cap off his 104-yard showing.
The turnovers aided Bluffton’s 24-point half, as both teams chewed up all 24 minutes of the first half in a 12-7 Tigers’ lead at halftime.
Again, it wasn’t Kunkel’s plan, but Bluffton and Woodlan shared just three possessions each in the first half. It was a ball carrier’s delight, running the show and running the clock down along with it.
The Tigers scored twice on those three drives, and the Warriors once. Its third drive practically didn’t count because Woodlan decided to take the ball to halftime with only a minute on the clock. Give credit to the Woodlan defense for the close match.
“It was one of those grind it out games, and we went in at the half, (and) felt fortunate to be up 12-7,” Kunkel said. “We didn’t really make any crazy adjustments, just talked to the guys about staying in the moment and coming out and executing.”
In the end, it was Bluffton’s defense with another terrific showing.
That defense has allowed 34 points (8.5 per game) on the season, led by returning all-ACAC linebacker Griffin Morgan. The bulky backer led the team with eight tackles (1.5 for loss) and recovered one of the fumbles. His right-hand man, Gabe Ball, started in place for Jake Boots Friday and debuted with six tackles (1.5 for loss).
As a team, the Tigers have produced 38 tackles for loss and three sacks. That’s a grand total of 148 yards in loss for opposing offenses. Six fumbles have also been recovered with five interceptions.
Bluffton’s biggest issue was that it left six points on the board.
First-year sophomore kicker Abram Gehrett had his first kick blocked. Going for two points on the second touchdown drive, Bustos was hit as the ball got to him on a two-point conversion. The Tigers went on to miss the next four kicks, each looking better than the last, but not through the uprights. Kunkel is not worried and has all the faith in the world in his sophomore.
“I talked to (Gehrett) there at the end there, and I said, ‘Hey, man, we’re not changing. You’re our guy. So just relax and have some confidence,” Kunkel said.
Beste’s 124 yards passing and 97 on the ground surpasses the 1,000 mark on the season combined. He has 1,005 total yards of offense in just his fourth start under center.
“I did say I’m very happy that No. 13 is on our team,” Kunkel said.
Bluffton will take its 4-0 and 2-0 ACAC record back home next week to face Jay County (2-2, 1-1 ACAC).
ryan@news-banner.com
BLUFFTON 36, WOODLAN 7
At Bluffton
Score By Quarters
Woodlan 0 7 0 0 — 7
Bluffton 6 6 12 12 — 36
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
B—Axton Beste 15-yard run (kick failed), 5:41.
Second Quarter
B—Beste 25-yard run (2-point failed), 8:27.
W—Drew Fleek 5-yard run (Evan Koch kick), 5:05.
Third Quarter
B—Beste 32-yard pass to Elijah Bertsch (kick failed), 8:03.
B—Beste 18-yard pass to Treyton Bustos (kick failed), 6:35.
Fourth Quarter
B—Cooper Craig 12-yard run (kick failed), 8:57.
B—Craig 1-yard run (kick failed), 5:52.
Team Statistics
BLU WL
First Downs 19 7
Rushes-Yards 42-212 29-69
Yards Passing 124 34
Passing (C-A-I) 10-11-0 1-3-0
Penalties-Yards 2-20 5-20
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-3
Punts-Average 1-27 1-46
Time of Possession 30:04 17:56
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Woodlan: Drew Fleek 11-38, Jake Ley 5-17, Shaiden Snyder 4-6, Ashtin Jacquay 2-5, Ty Louden 7-3. Bluffton: Cooper Craig 20-104, Axton Beste 15-97, Parker Barnes 4-22.
Passing: Woodlan: Ty Louden 1-3-0 34. Bluffton: Axton Beste 10-11-0 124.
Receiving: Woodlan: Carter Fleek 1-34. Bluffton: A.J. Streveler 5-59, Elijah Bertsch 2-37, Treyton Bustos 3-28.
