Redmen use stingy defense to top Perkins

PERKINS TWP. — One second Noah Henry was running an isolation play towards a first down on fourth-and-4.But before the Perkins' tailback could get past a yard, he ran into a brick wall in the form of Bellevue sophomore linebacker Jack Howey, who stopped the senior dead in his tracks to get his team the ball back early in the fourth quarter."I saw him coming into the hole and I just knew I had to make the tackle," said Howey, who came into Friday with a team-high 59 tackles, despite missing last week's game with Norwalk. "That was pretty exciting to get a hit in like that at a big moment."Howey was one of many Redmen flying to the ball in the second half where they gave up just 35 total yards to the Pirates. Bellevue scored touchdowns on three of four first-half drives, which was all it really needed in a 28-6 Sandusky Bay Conference Lake division win at Firelands Regional Medical Center Stadium.The victory moved the Redmen to 5-2 and 2-0 in the new division, while Perkins fell to 0-7, 0-2, respectively."We were just kind of seeing how they play early, trying to figure things out," Howey said. "We just had to keep our heads up after that opening drive. We knew (the Pirates) would get tired and we had to play excited, which is what we did that second half."While it was the Redmen who entered Friday known for their physical play at the line of scrimmage, it was the Pirates controlling the game up front in the opening quarter.Bellevue opened the game with a pair of 10-plus yard plays, before stalling at the Perkins' 25 after a turnover on downs. On fourth-and-9, Riley Renwand's screen to Colton Ray was stopped two yards short of the marker.Getting a big stop on the defensive side to start, the Pirates used the momentum to go 75 yards in an astounding 20 plays."We had to make some adjustments. They're 0-6 coming into the game, so they opened up their playbook a little bit and ran a couple different formations and ran a couple counters on us," Bellevue coach Ed Nasonti said. "I think (Perkins') coaches are doing a good job over here. It says something when you're winless coming into Week 7 and your kids are still playing hard."At the end of the day, they're big up front," he added. "They got good size on both sides of the ball and they got good speed."That drive saw them convert four third downs and a pair of fourth downs. J'Andre Jackson's 2-yard scoring run on third-and-1 from the 2 made it 6-0 Perkins with 1:28 to go in the opening quarter. The snap was botched on the extra-point attempt."We came out saying we had to win the line of scrimmage and execute. I think the first series we did that," Pirates coach Jason Ziegler said. "I'm proud of the way the kids played. It's the same story, though, where we turned the ball over. We can't have these turnovers and expect to beat good teams like Bellevue.Perkins would only have one more drive over seven plays, But a nine-play, 45-yard drive with three minutes left in the second quarter ended with a Bryce McMurray interception in the end zone.Bellevue quickly turned it around, going 80 yards in seven plays to take a 21-6 halftime lead. Renwand found Dakota McPeak on 39-yard pass play to set up a 5-yard scoring catch by Treston Francis with 20 seconds left on the clock. Hunter Notke made then made the third of four good extra point tries on the night.The Redmen scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter after Perkins controlled the ball a majority of the opening 12 minutes with its opening possession."It just opened our eyes more than anything," said Hunter Singleton of the defensive struggles to get the Pirates off the field on the opening drive. "We know from the past, even if (Perkins) isn't playing well, they come out and play us top notch. So we were expecting a tough, physical game."Singleton is second on the Redmen defense in tackles with 46 entering Friday. Like Howey, he was another linebacker making a ton of stops against the Pirates."I think we all just work together well. We hang out so much we know each other inside and out," Singleton said. "When something goes south, we just pick each other up."Singleton is a senior who is solely a defensive player."Me and Hunter don't play much offense, so when we get out there, we can really pump up the guys around us," Howey said. "We work on our defense a lot during the week. And there's still plenty of stuff I think we can improve on."Colton Ray, another Bellevue contributor on defense, caught a 3-yard scoring pass on fourth-and-2 in the second quarter to put Bellevue up 14-6. Renwand had 2 TDs passes for the Redmen, finishing 12-of-18 for 162 yards. He was picked off once by Perkins' Derick Campbell in the second half.The Redmen were held to 93 second-half yards as both offenses struggled during the final 24 minutes."Second half, they played phenomenal," said Ziegler of his defense. "They were on their keys, did what they're coached to do and it was just a couple missed assignments that allowed them to score at the end."Added Nasonti: "We struggled getting some rhythm in the second half and I thought we got a little conservative in our play-calling."Francis ran for two scores, adding an 11-yard run out of the Wildcat formation to put Bellevue ahead for good with 10:19 left in the second quarter. He led all Redmen runners with 55 yards on 12 carries. Ray added 53 yards on 16 touches.On the receiving end, McPeak had three catches for 69 yards and Francis had four for 50 yards.For Perkins, Henry had 50 yards rushing on 13 carries.Up nextBellevue: The Redmen will stay on the road Friday when they visit old Northern Ohio League rival Tiffin Columbian (0-7, 0-2)."We're happy to get out of here 28-6 win, but there's plenty of stuff that we need to work on and continue to get better at," Nasonti said. "I don't think that we've played our best football yet. But we're like everyone else getting closer to Week 10, we're beat up, but we're battle-tested. The kids have been through physical games."Perkins: The Pirates will play their final home game of the season Friday when they host Norwalk (2-5, 0-2) in a Lake division battle."We just got to keep fighting," Ziegler said. "We got to get one next week at home for our seniors."[gallery]Bellevue's Bryce McMurray goes up for a pass as Perkins' Trent Ross attempts to keep him from the end zone early in the first quarter. Oct. 6, 2017.Perkins' Simeon Hunter takes a handoff from Trent Ross as he attempts to gain enough yardage for a first down on Friday night.Perkins' Noah Henry pushes off a Redmen defender as he keeps the ball away from him during Friday night's game on Oct. 6, 2017.Bellevue's Riley Renwand gets ready to launch a pass deep in the Pirates' side of the field in the second quarter of Friday night's game.Perkins' Skyler Nemitz tries to lead block for Derick Campbell after an interception late in the third quarter in Perkins. Oct. 6, 2017.Bellevue's Treston Francis cuts away from Perkins' J'Andre Jackson as he attempts to keep the ball during Friday's game.