Host Ada could not contain the big-play rushing attack of traditional local rival Bluffton, and lost a 34-14 Northwest Conference clash on a warm Friday night, September 17, at War Memorial Stadium.
The Pirates tallied touchdowns on two 64-yard runs and a 39-yarder, and added a 74-yard non-scoring rush as well.
The Bulldogs fell to 1-4 and 0-2 in the NWC with the defeat.
Bluffton improved to 4-1 and 1-1 in league play with the win.
"Give Bluffton credit, they played hard and are a good team," said first-year Ada head coach Toby Smith. "We made too many mistakes in the first half.
"We challenged the kids at halftime and they responded," he continued. "We won the second half 14-13. We are not satisfied with the outcome, but we competed. We did not take the option to quit."
Ada drove 37 yards to the Pirate 28 on the opening possession. But on fourth and four a pass into the end zone fell incomplete to turn it over on downs.
Bluffton took over and drove 72 yards to paydirt on five runs. A 22-yard scamper around left end by sophmore Braeden Jordan sparked the drive.
Pirate senior quarterback Nate Schaadt then ran right, made a nice cutback and bolted 39 yards to the end zone for the game's first score.
Gabe Meza's point after kick made it 7-0 with 6:24 left in the opening period.
Ada went three and out, but Grant Preston's punt rolled dead after 45 yards to the Pirate 11. Schaadt then broke a few tackles and sprinted 74 yards up the right sideline to the Ada seven.
"We were not getting off their blocks on the big plays," said Smith. "We didn't wrap up a few times on tackles. Our room for error is small."
On second and goal, Schaadt kept the ball on an option play and scurried seven yards to score at the 2:17 mark. The drive covered 89 yards on four plays in 96 seconds.
Meza's second PAT kick extended the lead to 14-0.
Ada senior quarterback Kadin Phipps ran for 13 yards to start the next Bulldog possession. But a sack by Kameron Coughlan and Aaron Tabler stopped the march.
The Pirates took over at their own 38 and Landon Shutler sped 17 yards. On the next play, Shutler out-sprinted the Ada defense 45 yards to paydirt with 11:10 left in the half.
Meza's point after boot advanced the margin to 21-0.
Sacks by Coughlan and Jackson Wilson stymied the next Bulldog possession.
The Ada defense stopped Bluffton's ensuing drive. Neither team threatened the rest of half and it stayed 21-0 to intermission.
The Bulldogs stuffed the Pirates on the first drive of the third period. Ada's Gage Hoffer then broke through the line, blocked the punt and recovered the loose pigskin at the Bluffton 21.
On fourth and nine at the 20, Phipps connected with frehman Levi Green, who held onto the ball for a nice 19-yard catch despite a big hit from the Pirate secondary at the one.
On the next play, Jalee Bolden scored on a one-yard TD run off left tackle. Max Puerto's highkick was good to pull Ada within 21-7 with 8:33 remaining in the third period.
The Pirates answered right back with a two-play, 69-yard drive over just 43 seconds. Two plays later Shutler burst untouched off left tackle and outran the defense for a 64-yard TD jaunt.
The extra point kick missed to keep the margin at 27-7.
A big hit by Levi Sousley caused a Pirate fumble on punt coverage, but Shutler recovered at the Bluffton 20. On third and five, Shutler moved the chains with an eight-yard run.
Two plays later, Schaadt ran up the middle, veered to the right and out-sprinted Ada 64 yards to the end zone with 4:28 to go in the third quarter.
Meza's PAT kick was good to make the margin 34-7. The five-play march covered 80 yards in 93 seconds.
Ada took possession at the Pirate 46 on the following possession. On third and five, Phipps converted with an 11-yard run.
A screen to Kaine Fisher netted six yards. On third and four, Phipps again moved the chains with a clutch six-yard run.
Then on fourth and nine, Phipps found Sousley just inside the goal line, and he made a nice reaching grab above his head for a 17-yard scoring aerial.
Puerto's PAT kick was good to cut the deficit to 34-14 with four seconds left in the quarter. The scoring drive covered 46 yards in 10 plays.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as both starting QBs went out with injuries. Green replaced Phipps, who hurt his left shoulder. Schaadt later followed him to the sidelines with an apparent leg cramp or muscle strain.
"I am excited about how we played in the second half," said Smith. "We blocked a punt and made two fourth down conversions (on scoring drives). We had great catches by a couple different kids.
"But we are not in it for moral victories, we want to win," he added.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 0 0 14 0 14
Bluf 14 7 13 0 34
Notes and stats
Bluffton out-gained Ada 480 to 149 yards in total offense. The Bulldogs averaged 3.2 yards per play on 47 snaps. The big-play Pirates averaged 9.6 yards on 50 plays.
The Bulldogs ran the ball 33 times for 89 yards (2.7 average). The Pirates netted a whopping 471 yards rushing on 46 carries for a 10.2 average gain against the Ada defense.
Ada compiled 11 first downs, while Bluffton racked up 18 chain-movers.
Phipps ran the ball 16 times for 44 yards. He also completed six of 14 passes for 60 yards and one score.
Casen Jones netted 27 yards on seven runs, and Bolden added a short TD plunge.
Sousley caught three passes for 26 yards and a TD. Green added one for 19 yards, while Fisher snared two receptions for 15 yards.
Schaadt rushed 18 times for 221 yards and three TDs. He completed one of four passes for nine yards.
Shutler racked up 179 yards on 19 carries with two scores. Jordan added 38 yards on three runs.
Wilson and Coughlan each recorded two sacks. Wilson also made two tackles for loss among his 7.5 stops.
Neither team committed a single turnover. Ada lost 25 yards on four penalties, and Bluffton was flagged six times for 40 yards.
Ada converted three of 13 third down tries and were two of three on fourth down. Bluffton succeeded on five of nine third down attempts, and converted one of three tries on fourth down.
The Bulldogs won the time of possession battle, 28:01 to 21:59 minutes.
