By Cort Reynolds
The Ada High School football team got back on the winning track by shutting out host Delphos Jefferson 28-0 in a Northwest Conference blowout Friday night, September 29.
The Bulldogs raced to a 21-0 halftime lead and cruised to the convincing road victory as the defense recorded its first shutout in six seasons.
Ada improved to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the NWC with their initial league win.
Struggling DJ dropped to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the NWC after the defeat.
“It was a good team win,” said Ada head coach Toby Smith. “The kids rallied and played well. I am proud of the effort and progress we have seen.”
With Bulldog junior quarterback Levi Green sidelined by a sprained right ankle suffered vs. Bluffton, freshman Blake Zoladz stepped in capably and threw a pair of touchdown strikes.
Zoladz connected with sophomore wideout Kayleb Hickman on a 28-yard TD toss in the first period, a throw that put Ada ahead 7-0 after Logan Jolliff’s extra point kick.
Senior back Jalee Bolden helped extend the lead to 14-0 with a one-yard TD run in the second stanza.
Zoladz and Hickman hooked up again on a 53-yard scoring aerial later in the second quarter. The third Jolliff PAT kick gave the Bulldogs a 21-0 cushion at intermission.
Neither team scored in the third stanza.
Hickman hauled in his third TD reception on a pass from junior receiver Kaine Fisher, a 25-yard score in the fourth period.
Jolliff’s fourth PAT kick provided the final margin.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 7 14 0 7 28
DJ 0 0 0 0 0
Notes and stats
The win was Ada’s first shutout since a 41-0 blanking of rival Allen East in the 2017 regular season finale.
The Bulldogs compiled 11 first downs compared to seven Wildcat chain-movers.
The stingy Ada defense limited DJ to just 43 yards rushing on 40 carries. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs netted 94 yards on 29 runs.
The Wildcats passed for 61 yards to total just 104 yards in offense on 51 snaps. Delphos completed just four of 11 passes against a strong Ada rush that came up with four sacks.
The Bulldogs amassed 150 yards passing to total 244 yards of offense on 40 plays.
DJ averaged just 2.0 yards per play, while the Bulldogs averaged a solid 6.1 yards per snap.
Zoladz completed an efficient six of 10 passes for 125 yards and two scores with no interceptions.
Bolden rushed for 68 yards on 19 carries (3.6 avg.).
Hickman snagged four receptions for 122 yards and three TDs on his career night. He also snagged an interception and returned it 35 yards.
Versatile Fisher added two catches for 19 yards, 16 yards rushing and a TD pass of 25 yards. He also made six tackles.
Dalton Amos was credited with six tackles. Zack Zimmerman added an interception. Kolton Dysert contributed two of the four Ada sacks.
The Bulldogs committed five penalties for 42 yards, while the Wildcats were flagged seven times for 55 yards.
Ada converted seven of 13 third down tries, while the Wildcats were successful on just one of 14 third-down attempts. Delphos was also just 2-13 on fourth down, while the Bulldogs did not attempt a fourth down try.
The Bulldogs trailed in time of possession, 26:54 to 18:14. Ada committed a pair of turnovers on two fumbles, while the Wildcats were guilty of three miscues.
Bulldogs have been outscored by their foes this season, 238-153.
Ada visits Bearcats in week 8
Seeking a second straight road victory, the Bulldogs visit slumping league foe Spencerville next Friday.
The Bearcats fell to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the NWC after losing 49-7 at Allen East in week seven. Spencerville has dropped five games in a row after a 2-0 start.
Ada is 1-2 at home this season and 2-2 on the road after the 28-0 win at Delphos. The Bearcats are 0-3 at home and 0-4 on the road.
The Bearcats have tallied just 23 total points during their five-game skid. They beat Ridgemont in their opener and defeated Paulding in week two before the five-game slide.
“We need to clean up the turnovers if we expect to compete going forward,” said Smith.
Ada could even their mark at 4-4 with a win, which would be their best week eight record since 2017. The Bulldogs went 7-4 that year and made their most recent playoff appearance.
Spencerville is 16th in the unofficial early Div. V, Region 18 computer rankings. The Bulldogs remained 18th in the loaded Div. VII, Region 26. Fifteen of the 17 teams ahead of them in the rankings have at least five wins, and seven have six or more.
