By Levi Klingler
The Ada Bulldogs extend their streak of shutout quarters this season to eight after an astonishing 35-0 conference win over Spencerville Friday night at Charles Moeller Memorial Field. Ada's record now stands at 2-0 (1-0 in the NWC) with the Bearcats loss putting them at 1-1 (0-1, NWC).
Check out the photos at the bottom of this story. Click here for game stats.
Ada started the game off on offense with what appeared to be a shaky start, as senior quarterback Mason Acheson threw an interception only 4 plays into the drive. However, the Bulldog defense refused to let this put a damper in their spirits, stopping Spencerville soon after on 4th-and-2 with a defensive effort the likes of which the Bearcats had not foreseen. The tone was set for what would be an exciting game, with Ada exerting defensive dominance over Spencerville's ground-and-pound style of play.
After the turnover on downs, the Bulldogs got down to business on offense. On the third play of Ada's 2nd possession, junior receiver Matt Wilcox caught a short pass from Acheson that he took 44 yards to the end zone. Hunter Waller kicked the extra point making it 7-0, Ada, with 6:29 to go in the first.
Following a 3-and-out stop on defense, Acheson threw his second pick of the night in the red zone. This did nothing to lower enthusiasm or slow Ada's momentum on defense, however, as the Bulldogs pulled off yet another 3-and-out stop. This time, Ada was able to score -- once again in only 3 plays -- on a screen pass to senior running back Kellen Decker, which he busted outside and took down the sideline 59 yards to the end zone. After Waller's successful PAT, the Bulldogs led 14-0 with 35 seconds left in the first quarter.
The rest of the half remained scoreless, with highlights including a would-be score by Acheson on a carry into the end zone that got called back for holding, followed by Spencerville intercepting Acheson's pass on the next play and taking it 60-yards to Ada's own 40-yard line (where the Bulldog defense prevented a score on 4th-and-10).
Spencerville came out in the second half on offense, only to be stopped 3-and-out once again by an impressive Ada defense. 5 plays later, Ada would score on a 28-yard pass to senior receiver Jacob Ansley. Waller's conversion made it 21-0 with 8:09 left in the third.
After yet another 3-and-out stop on defense, Ada started with the ball on their own 43 after a well executed punt return by Decker was called back for clipping. Following an 11-play drive by the Bulldogs, Decker would punch it in for another score on 2nd-and-goal. Following Waller's extra point, the score became 28-0 with 2:04 to go in the third.
Ansley scored the last touchdown of the night within the first minutes of the fourth quarter on a 9-yard pass from Acheson. Waller booted it through the uprights, making it 35-0, where the score would remain for the rest of the game.
Spencerville would nearly score within the last few minutes of play, coming within 5 yards of a touchdown on a 16-play series, only to be stopped on 4th-and-4 by the Bulldogs. This sealed Ada's shutout in stone. With only 4 minutes left on the clock, Fell opted to end the game with class by running the ball to run down the clock and then taking a knee.
Acheson completed 18 of 26 passes for 347 yards and threw for 4 touchdowns. Ansley had 7 catches for 106 yards and scored twice. Decker caught 3 passes for 77 yards, and racked up 91 yards on the ground on 19 carries, also scoring twice. Wilcox had 100 yards on 5 catches with a score.
Defensively, Ada held Spencerville to only 102 yards, which is quite an accomplishment when considering Spencerville's 63-7 victory last week against Perry, during which the Bearcats carried the ball for over 500 yards. Ansley led the Bulldogs defensively with 12 solo tackles and 6 assists, bringing up a total of 18 tackles.
Ada takes on Columbus Grove next Friday, Sept. 7, at home. Both teams are 2-0. Columbus Grove defeated Allen East last Friday 48-26.
ALL GAME PHOTOS BY TODD KLINGLER
