By Cort Reynolds
Bluffton hosts rebuilding local rival Ada in week two of the Northwest
Conference football schedule Friday night at Harmon Field.
The Pirates won big at home over Spencerville last Friday in their league opener, 54-35. The Bulldogs are 1-3 (0-1 NWC), while Bluffton enters the contest 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Bluffton racked up 492 yards in offense, but also allowed 425 yards to the Bearcats. The Pirates rushed for a season-best 301 yards on 37 carries.
Pirate quarterback Garret Bogart completed 10 of 14 passes for 191 yards, and also ran for 57 yards vs. the Bearcats. Gavin Bogart rushed for 114 yards and caught three aerials for 78 yards. Landen Worcester netted 107 yards on the ground.
"Their offense is explosive," second-year coach Toby Smith said of the Pirates. "We have been struggling to get stops, so we have to get things right and we don't have much time to do it. We need more recognition and more sense of urgency on defense if we expect to get stops against them."
The Pirates average 36.8 points per game and permit 28 ppg. They scored 67 in the opening win over Cory-Rawson, but tallied only a combined 26 points in their two losses to Ayersville and Pandora-Gilboa. Ada scores 22.8 ppg and allows 38.3 ppg.
"They run a spread offense with quick releases and bubble screens," Smith observed. "We will try to have some new wrinkles to create some confusion.
"Bluffton has three players very capable of taking it to the house on any play, so we have to play intelligent assignment football or they will exploit you," he noted.
The Pirates are 21st in the Div. V, Region 18 computer rankings. The Bulldogs dropped to 20th in the Div. VII, Region 26 ratings after losing to Leipsic.
"We have to show up defensively and if we do, we can absolutely be in this thing," said Smith. "Bluffton thrives on mistakes and missed open-field tackles. We have to get off blocks and make tackles.
"On offense, we have to be more consistent and not turn the ball over. You are not going to win games that way. We have to at least break even on the turnover battle," he warned.
The Pirates have captured the last four meetings with the Bulldogs. They won at Ada 34-14 last year. The Pirates also captured a wild 48-46 shootout at War Memorial in 2020. Bluffton outlasted Ada in a 70-50 week three point-fest in 2019. In 2018, Bluffton also won 43-14. Ada last beat the Pirates in 2017, 42-17.
The Bulldogs dominated the local rivalry series from 2007-17, winning 10 of 11 meetings. Their only loss in that span came in 2015 at home, 27-21.
Bluffton is 1-1 at home this season, while Ada is 0-1 on the road.
