As the opening possession of Friday’s game between South Adams and host Bluffton began, Blitz got a tip.
The Starfires were gonna roll with some trickery on their second play from scrimmage.
Looking to catch the Tigers unawares, South Adams brought a wide receiver to its sideline, making it look like he was leaving the field.
He wasn’t.
Instead, the wideout lined up a foot off the sideline, the goal being to throw a screen to a wide-open receiver for a big gain.
Maybe in years past, it would have worked. After all, Bluffton entered Friday losers of seven straight to the Starfires.
But the Tigers defense wasn’t fooled. Immediately, Tucker Jenkins called out to the defense what was going on. South Adams then audibled out of the play.
It was that sequence that showed Blitz this was not your typical South Adams v. Bluffton matchup. The advantage was firmly in the Tigers’ favor.
That was on display for a full four quarters in Bluffton’s 41-6 rout, ending the losing skid to South Adams and making a statement to the rest of the Allen County Athletic Conference in the process.
These Tigers are for real.
Blitz can count on one paw the amount of times over the past 7-8 years in which South Adams has looked like the slower team in an ACAC matchup. Even against Adams Central in a few games in which the Flying Jets dominated, the Starfires were still the more athletic and quick squad.
But that wasn’t the case Friday. From the jump, Bluffton showcased its speed, its physicality and its football IQ.
The 35-point margin of victory wasn’t as telling as the dominance on display. The Tigers (3-0) held South Adams, long the standard of offensive acumen in the ACAC, to just six first downs and zero net yards rushing. They scored on each of their first two drives to quickly take control and had a trio of players finish with 100-plus yards rushing – Jenkins (16 carries, 139 yards), Andrew Hunt (four carries, 103 yards, two TDs) and Cooper Craig (17 carries, 101 yards, two TDs).
Add it all together and it was a breakout game of sorts for the Bluffton Tigers. Sure, they captured a sectional championship last season for the first time in 34 years, but Friday night truly felt like a changing of the guard. For so long it has been the Adams County schools in the ACAC, then everyone else. But as Coach Brent Kunkel celebrated his team’s win, and his achievement of becoming the program’s all-time leader in wins with 42, it occurred to Blitz just what this means in a league that’s been owned by a pair of teams.
Sure, there’s a very good senior class at Bluffton with the likes of Jenkins, Hunt, quarterback Braxton Betancourt, lock-down DB Ben Ramseyer and others, but is also considerable youth with the freshman Craig, running back Khamel Moore (expected back from injury in a few weeks) and others in a loaded sophomore class.
We are getting ahead of ourselves if we say Friday was a definitive shift in the ACAC hierarchy, but the way Bluffton dominated, in all three facets, truly brightens the prospects of someone giving AC a run for its money this year – be it Bluffton or Heritage.
Based on what Blitz saw on Friday, the Tigers have what it takes.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
Be the first to comment