By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The injury-plagued Ada football team attempts to halt a two-game losing skid when it visits Crestview in week eight.
Last weekend, Crestview was outscored 34-12 in the final 20 minutes to lose 48-25 at home to league-leading Spencerville. The defeat dropped the Knights to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Northwest Conference.
Having lost three of its last four games, Ada is 2-5 and 1-3 in NWC action, placing them in a tie for sixth in the eight-team league standings with Bluffton. The Knights are knotted with Paulding in fourth.
Two-time defending champion Spencerville is alone atop the NWC standings at 4-0, followed by Allen East and Columbus Grove at 3-1 each in a second-place tie.
Despite being a game under under .500, Crestview still has hopes of making the playoffs for a fourth straight season since they rate 10th in the Div. VII, Region 26 computer rankings. Meanwhile Ada sits 22nd in Div. VI, Region 23, just behind Bluffton and one spot ahead of Delphos Jefferson.
Ada is 2-2 on the road heading into its final away game this season. The Knights (1-2 home) have lost two in a row after posting a three-game win streak.
Crestview has had a rollercoaster type of season. The Knights lost their first two games to non-league foes Parkway (33-20) and Hicksville (32-13).
The Knights beat local rival Wayne Trace (35-20) in their final non-conference tuneup in week three, then won their first two league games over Delphos Jefferson (48-6) and Bluffton (41-21).
But Columbus Grove handed Crestview its first league loss 24-20 in week six, followed by last weekend's lopsided loss to the league-leading Bearcats.
Knight head coach Jared Owens boasts a 64-35 record in his eighth season at the helm. His team runs a multiple formation option offense, and passes rarely. On defense, they employ a 4-2-5 hybrid format.
Junior back Brody Brecht led the ground-oriented Knight offense with 76 yards rushing on 11 carries vs. Spencerville. Senior Caylib Pruett netted 62 yards on eight tries.
Crestview senior quarterback Kaden Short rushed for 44 yards and returned a kickoff 92 yards to paydirt vs. the Bearcats. He completed only one of four passes for an 83-yard score to junior Logan Gerardot.
During the 41-21 Knight win over Bluffton in week six, Brecht ran for 250 yards with four touchdowns. The Knights rolled up 368 rushing yards vs. the Pirates, who beat Ada 70-50 in week four when the Bulldogs were much healthier.
Last year the Knights manhandled the Bulldogs 53-14 in Ada. Crestview went on to finish 11-2 and they advanced to the state quarterfinals, where they lost 48-20 to Ft. Loramie. But only four two-way starters return from that team, along with one other defensive starter.
The Bulldogs also lost 49-21 at Crestview in 2017. Ada's last win in the series came three years ago at home by a 27-26 count.
The 2019 Bulldogs allow 50.6 points per game and score 32.9 ppg.
The Knights average 28.9 ppg and give up 26.3 ppg. In league play, Ada scores 38 ppg and allows 65.8 ppg. In NWC action, Crestview averages 33.5 ppg and permits 24.8 ppg.
The short-handed Bulldogs have been held to 28 points in their last two losses after piling up 124 points in the first two league games vs. Jefferson and Bluffton.
Three Bulldog receivers, their punter, two senior linemen and multiple other starting defenders are sidelined by injury.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday night in Convoy.
"I don't even know who we have (healthy) to play next week, but whoever is able to go will show up and play hard," said second-year Ada head coach Shawn Christopher.
