By Levi Klingler
The Ada Bulldogs traveled to Paulding last Friday to take on the 0-5 Panthers, coming away with a 54-14 victory in their fourth conference win of the season. The win streak continues, as this victory puts the Bulldogs at 6-0 on the season (4-0 NWC) and the Panthers at 0-6 (0-4 NWC).
LOTS OF GAME PHOTOS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY
Ada won the toss and elected to receive to start out the half. Chris James returned the opening kickoff to Ada's 37 yard line to give the Dogs fairly decent field position to start the game off. However, the tides would soon take an undesirable turn against the Bulldogs as senior quarterback Mason Acheson threw an interception on the very first play of their drive.
Ada's defense was resilient as ever, in spite of the offense's seemingly rough start. In typical Bulldog defense fashion, the Panthers were held three-and-out and forced to punt. Ada started with the ball again on their own 33. Following a pair of outstanding runs by senior running back Kellen Decker and an assortment of completed passes from Acheson to three receivers, Acheson would be the first to score on a scramble from the Panthers' 6 yard line on the 7th play of the drive. In lieu of a hamstring injury, junior kicker Hunter Waller was unable to kick last Friday night. So instead of kicking PATs, Ada elected to go for two points following every score. On a reverse from Acheson to senior receiver Micah Roberson, the 2-point conversion was good, making it 8-0, Ada, with 8:36 remaining in the first.
Since Waller was unable to kick, senior Jacob Ansley and junior Sa'ed Al-Olimat took turns kicking off for Ada throughout the rest of the match. Ansley's kick following Ada's first score made it to Paulding's 35, and the kick returner was brought down by a pack of Dogs following a 9 yard return at the Panthers' 44 yard line.
Much to the surprise of those who had seen Ada's first defensive possession, Paulding managed to score on this particular drive with considerable ease, and in a timely fashion, no less, scoring in only five plays on a fourth down pass in the red zone. Following the score, the Panthers also elected to go for two, but to no avail, making it 8-6, Ada, with 7:15 left in the first period of play.
The next kickoff would be returned 42 yards by Decker to Paulding's 41 yard line. Already in Panther territory to start off their drive, it seemed more than likely that the Bulldogs would score with little trouble. However, after a run by Decker garnered only a couple of yards and two passes fell incomplete, Acheson threw his second interception of the night on the fourth play of the drive.
Fielding the gridiron after another interception and having already given up a score are reasonable grounds to assume that the feeling encompassing Ada's defense was one of alarm. And for most defenses in the state of Ohio, this would probably be an accurate assumption. But it seems that nothing can shake Ada's defense this season, as they learned from the mistakes of their previous drive, buckled down, and forced the Panthers to punt after just three plays once again.
Following this turnover, Ada started with the ball on the Panther's 40 yard line. This time, they would score. Acheson threw a quick pass to junior receiver Matt Wilcox on a hot route from Paulding's 22 yard line on the fourth play of the possession, which he brought down in the end zone for another Bulldog touchdown. The 2-point conversion on a pitch to Decker was good, making it 16-6, Ada, 1:45 left in the first.
Decker was next to score again for the Bulldogs on a 69-yard run with 11:34 remaining in the half. The flea-flicker pitch-pass combo from Acheson to freshman Brayden Sautter to Wilcox was good for two, making it 24-6.
At the culmination of their next 11-play drive, Decker would score for Ada once more on a 38-yard run to paydirt. The two-point conversion that followed saw Acheson pitching to Roberson who then dumped it off to senior receiver Brenden Szippl on a reverse, which came up good for two. This made it 32-6 with 6:27 to go in the half.
Following a defensive series that ended with freshman linebacker Blake Ansley recovering a Paulding fumble, the Bulldogs scored again on the subsequent drive on a quick pass to Roberson from the 4 yard line. This time, however, the two-point conversion would be no good, putting the score at 38-6 with 3:55 left in the second quarter.
Alas, following this score, the Panthers were able to squeak another score in on the Bulldogs on a 42 yard play that saw three missed tackles from Ada defenders, which was a strange spectacle to see, concerning Ada's defense. They would make their 2-point conversion, advancing the score to 38-14 with 3:31 left in the half.
Decker scored yet again with less than a minute to go in the half on a 62 yard dash to paydirt. Acheson completed his pass to Ansley in the end zone for two points, making it 46-14 at the end of the half.
Paulding started the third quarter on offense, and, being held three-and-out, was forced to punt. Starting at their own 16 and ending on Paulding's 33, Acheson threw his third interception of the night on the eighth play of the drive. In response, Roberson picked off a pass intended for a Paulding receiver on the consequent drive. This set Ada up at their own 16 again for the last drive in which they would score.
This score came on a pass from Acheson to Roberson from their own 32, which went 68 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was good at the hands of sophomore running back Luke Long, making it 54-14, where the score would stay for the remainder of the match.
Acheson led with a 19-for-31 passing performance for 336 yards, throwing for 3 touchdowns and scoring once on a scramble. Decker had 325 yards on the night (230 rushing, 95 receiving) on 12 carries and 2 catches. Roberson had 8 catches for 115 yards and two scores. Wilcox caught 5 passes for 84 yards and a score.
Al-Olimat led the Bulldogs defensively with 9 tackles (including solos and assists). Senior defensive end Eli Roberson had 2 sacks. Roberson and Szippl each had an interception.
Ada plays Crestview for their homecoming game this Friday, Oct. 5, at home. The homecoming parade leaves the school at 6:30. Seniors Mason Acheson and Kellen Decker, junior Matt Wilcox, sophomore Lane Nitchie, and freshman Blake Ansley will be representing the football team on homecoming court. The Knights are 3-3 (1-3 NWC) after losing to Delphos Jefferson last Friday with a score of 32-27.
ALL PHOTOS BY TODD KLINGLER
