Giesige, Pirates dismantle Rockets

BLUFFTON– For the second week in a row, Pandora-Gilboa found itself down early against an offensive powerhouse. This time, however, the Rockets couldn't get off the ground. Bluffton picked up a 48-14 victory over the Rockets, in a contest that was over almost as soon as it began. The Pirates scored on just the second play of the game, a 22-yard completion from junior quarterback Tayte Giesige to junior running back Parker Lovell up the right side, where Lovell broke a seemingly endless number of tackles. That was the theme for the evening, as missed tackles and big plays turned a 7-0 early lead into a 42-7 halftime lead, and ultimately the 48-14 victory. "I know we can score fast, that's something we were pretty confident in," Bluffton coach Jeff Richards said.At the break, Giesige already had his name thrown into the best stat lines of the week basket. The six-foot-two signal caller put up six touchdowns, 215 passing yards, and 69 rushing yards in the first half alone, getting it done in every facet of the Pirates' offense. "Our passing game, we were able to give them time," Richards continued. "If Tayte gets time, we can do some really good things."Giesige finished the game with seven total touchdowns and 292 passing yards, adding another TD pass (his sixth) on a 63-yard completion to Kain Wright as the fourth quarter began. Part of Giesige's big game was his offensive line. The Rockets were not able to penetrate the pocket nearly at all, giving Giesige a seemingly infinite amount of time to make his reads, and it led to a whopping six TD throws."We were worried about his athleticism, we didn't want our guys getting completely out of their lanes and whatnot," Rockets coach Matt Hershey said. "We tried to keep him in front, the problem is we didn't get any movement keeping him in front. We weren't able to push their line backwards at all. He ended up having a clean pocket all night to throw. Couple times we did get close, missed tackles doomed us."Every time it seemed that the Rockets might start to lift off, the Pirates came crashing down to put a stop to any momentum P-G had built. On the Rockets' first drive, they converted a fourth and 1 situation, just to follow it with three incomplete passes and a 4-yard run for a turnover on downs. P-G's following drive saw them go three-and-out, set up to punt, false start, and punt from five yards further. The Pirates drove the field, before being faced with a fourth and inches from the opposing 7-yard line. Lovell got the handoff, and converted the fourth-down run. One play later, Giesige found junior Lleyton Miller wide open in the back of the end zone for another Pirates TD. "Tackling was a big problem all night long," Hershey said. "They got a ton of speed out there."P-G's next drive started with a nine-yard run from senior Ben Burkholder, giving the Rockets just one more yard needed for a first. The following play saw a QB keeper from senior Cory Gerten for a loss of one, followed by a one-yard dash from Burkholder, with the Rockets unable to convert following their excellent first-down play. Burkholder got stopped at the line of scrimmage on fourth and 1, resulting in yet another turnover on downs.Just seven plays later, Giesige helped the Pirates find the end zone once more, spotting Miller down the right side for a 35-yard completion. The Rockets started their next drive with some force, with Gerten finding senior Chase Meyer on back-to-back completions of 14 yards and 36 yards. Just two plays later, though, Gerten threw his first interception of the evening, as it was Miller once again making a big play for Bluffton. That Pirates interception eventually led to a Bluffton punt, setting the Rockets up on the opposite 29-yard line after a late hit on Gerten on a quarterback keeper resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Gerten took the hit and moved on, tossing a 29-yard dime to senior Landen Moore on the very next play to put P-G on the board before halftime. On the very next snap, Giesige found the end zone once more, connecting with junior Blayne Hill on a 70-yard pass down the left side with no defender in sight. Pandora-Gilboa's other touchdown would come with just under five minutes to go in the third quarter, as Burkholder ran it in from one yard out following a lengthy 12-play, 77-yard drive. After trading drives that ended in punts, the Pirates weren't done. Giesige threw his aforementioned 63-yarder to Wright straight down the middle, regaining the running clock for the Pirates. "I knew from the get-go, they (P-G) weren't gonna stop playing," Richards said. "Their kids got too much pride, their coaching staff has coached them to fight until the very end, and that's what they did. Our touchdown at the end, they had their starters in there and were trying to keep competing. We wanted to get the running clock back, so we decided to get the running clock back."Wright finished Friday's game with five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. Lovell rumbled for 84 yards on 15 carries, and one reception for 22 yards and a score. Miller ended with 46 receiving yards on just three receptions, all touchdown grabs. Hill had just one reception for 70 yards and a score, and senior athlete Robby Taylor added 38 yards on two carries. "They continued to find holes in our defense tonight. Credit to them, they looked very polished coming off a three-point win last week."Gerten recorded 129 yards throwing the ball, completing 10 of his 19 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. Burkholder wrapped up his evening with 59 yards on the ground, scoring one touchdown on 12 carries. Meyer caught four receptions for 71 yards. Moore had one catch for 29 yards and a TD, and rushed for 78 yards on 10 second-half carries. Junior Jace Fenbert snagged two passes for 14 yards, and sophomore Zahnder Boggs caught one for 10 yards, and rushed for 17 yards on two carries. The Pirates, now standing at 2-0, look ahead to a road game at Toledo Bowsher next week. The 1-1 Rockets move on to host BVC opponent Van Buren on Friday. P-Gilboa 0 7 7 0–14Bluffton 14 28 0 7–48SCORING PLAYSFirst QuarterBLUF - Lovell 22 Pass from Giesige (Blount Kick)BLUF - Giesige 11 Run (Blount Kick)Second QuarterBLUF - Miller 5 Pass from Giesige (Blount Kick)BLUF - Miller 35 Pass from Giesige (Kick Failed)P-G - Moore 29 Pass from Gerten (Cannode Kick)BLUF - Hill 70 Pass from Giesige (Lovell 2-pt Run)BLUF - Miller 6 Pass from Giesige (Blount Kick)Third QuarterP-G - Burkholder 1 Run (Cannode Kick)Fourth QuarterBLUF - Wright 63 Pass from Giesige (Kick Failed)