'This means everything'

FINDLAY – Nine years ago, Jeff Richards made a commitment to Bluffton High School football.At Donnell Stadium on a wet and windy Friday night, Richards and the Pirates made a huge investment on that vow. "I wanted to bring Bluffton football to that realm of being in the discussion for state titles," Richards said after the Pirates knocked off Patrick Henry 24-7 in a Division VI, Region 22 regional final."Being in the state Final Four, that sure feels good."Sparked by a defense that turned two interceptions into 14 points and limited a strong Patrick Henry team to 175 yards total offense, Bluffton won its first regional football championship since 1991. The Pirates, 13-1, will face 13-1 Coldwater – possibly at Lima Senior Spartan Stadium – on Friday in the Division VI state semifinals.Coldwater, a perennial power out of the Midwest Athletic Conference, advanced to that game by beating Anna 45-21 in the Region 24 championship game at Sidney.Patrick Henry, making its 23rd playoff appearance and looking to return to the state semifinals for the second straight, finished its season at 11-3."When you score seven points, you're not going to win a lot of games," said Bill Inselmann, who quarterbacked Patrick Henry to its first playoff appearance in 1977 and coached the Patriots to 22 more, including a state championship in 2005."It starts with the line of scrimmage. I've been coaching 32 years and it's fun calling plays when you're winning the line of scrimmage battle."We did not win the line of scrimmage battle tonight."It was a game of momentum as well, and a pivotal swing in that area may have been the turning point in the game.Bluffton led 10-0 thanks to an impressive 13-play, 63-yard drive on its opening possession that resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Jackson Brauen, and a 37-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Tayte Giesige to senior wide out Griffin Stackhouse two minutes into the second quarter.Patrick Henry answered right back behind senior quarterback Lincoln Creager.Creager hit Cal Schroeder with 14- and 18-yard passes on an ensuing 80-yard drive, and carried the ball six times for another 34 yards himself. His last run was an 11-yard burst where he bounced off one tackler and powered right over another to reach the end zone.Creager's TD with 1:53 on the clock trimmed Bluffton's lead to 10-7 at the half. And with the Patriots receiving the second half kickoff, anything was possible."We told the kids at the half this was not going to be a two-quarter game," Richards said."They (PH) are a great team that played a tough schedule and had a great season. We told the kids they are not a team that is going to buckle. They're going to keep fighting back all the way to the end."Even with a minute-and-a-half left, I was stressing."Bluffton's defense quickly put the brakes on Patrick Henry's plans of grabbing the momentum, though, with Landen Worcester's sack on third-and-5 forcing the Patriots into a quick three-and-out.Bluffton did not score on that possession, but its defense stepped up once again when Quinn Eachus picked off a pass and brought it back to the Patriots 42 with under five minutes left in the third quarter. Giesige scrambled for one first down on a third-and-1 keeper, then another on a fourth-and-1 after connecting with Eachus for a 20-yard gain. Worcester covered the final 14 yards on two totes, the second putting Bluffton up 17-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter.PH answered with one of its best drives of the night, but ran out of downs when a halfback option pass was broken up on fourth-and-7 from the Bluffton 12.The Patriots had one last chance, but Bluffton put the capper on its first regional title in 33 years with a highlight-reel of a play. Worcester started it when he tipped a Creager pass. Stackhouse picked it out of the air and slithered, slipped and slogged his way 80 zig-zagging yards for a game-breaking TD with 3:39 left in the game.Giesige was a 9-of-11 passing for 121 yards and added 64 yards rushing. Defensively, Carson Kruse led the Pirates with 10 total tackles, with Worcester and Stackhouse getting five each."This means everything. This has been the goal since Day 1," said Worcester, a two-time defensive player of the year in the Northwest Conference."The fact that we could do this, the fact that we could advance and possibly do more is the best feeling ever."Bluffton graduated a number of award-winning players from a 12-2 team that fell 17-10 to Columbus Grove in last year's Region 22 regional final. Richards wasn't surprised, though, that the Pirates could make a return visit to the same spot in the playoffs and this time come away with a win."These guy have been a close knit group, all the way through elementary, middle and high school," he said."They've earned it. They deserve every single thing they have accomplished." Patrick Henry 0 7 0 0—7Bluffton 3 7 0 14—24 First QuarterBLU– Brauen 24 field dgoal Second QuarterBLU– Stackhouse 37 pass from Giesige (Brauen kick)PH – L. Creager 10 run (Creager kick) Fourth QuarterBLU – Worcester 7 run (Brauen kick)BLU – Stackhouse 80 yard interception return (Brauen kick)BLU PHFirst Downs 11 11Rushes-yards 35-97 30-112Passing Yards 121 63Comp-Att-Int 9-11-0 7-14-2Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0Penalties-Yards 2-15 1-7INDIVIDUAL STATISTICSRUSHING — Patrick Henry, L. Creager 22-76, Schroeder 6-30, Woods 2-6. Bluffton, Worcetsre 13-37, Giesige 16-64, Stackhouse 4-(-11), Lovell 2-7.PASSING — Patrick Henry, L. Creager 6-12-2, 50 yards; Schroeder 1-2-0, 13 yards. Bluffton, Giesige 9-11-0, 121 yards.RECEIVING — Patrick Henry, Schroeder 3-27, R. Creiger 1-5, Holloway 1-13, Johnson 1-14, Jackson 1-4. Bluffton, Eachus 2-25, Worcester 2-20, Stackhouse 2-48, Anderson 1-17.Stats thanks to Jim Welch