ABOVE) Home turf excitement at War Memorial Stadium
By Cort Reynolds
ADA __ Playing at home, the Ada High School football team posted one of its best wins in years with a 35-20 triumph over solid Blanchard Valley Conference foe McComb on a warm Friday night, September 20.
Ada held the Panthers scoreless in the second half and scored 14 points after intermission to pull away from a nip-and-tuck battle.
The Bulldogs improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the BVC after the big win. The Panthers fell to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the BVC with the defeat.
“We are very proud of our kids and happy for them,” said Ada head coach Toby Smith. “This is a great program win.”
Elusive Ada senior quarterback Levi Green rushed for a career-high 246 yards and one touchdown. He also completed an efficient 10 of 15 passes for 148 yards and two scores.
“Levi has been playing very well, and our offense is playing well,” Smith noted. “Our whole team had an impact in the outcome of this game.”
Ada scored quickly on its first possession and never trailed. On second down Green faked a handoff, kept the ball and made a nice cut to the left. The speedster then out-ran the Panther defense 57 yards to paydirt with 9:06 left in the opening stanza.
The extra point kick by Andrew Allen made it 7-0.
McComb answered with a 69-yard scoring drive. Grant Schroeder found Gracin Romero wide open in the end zone for a 22-yard scoring aerial at the 4:57 mark.
However, Ada blocked the extra point kick to stay in front, 7-6.
A 27-yard bubble screen from Green to Fisher sparked the next Ada drive. But a holding penalty helped thwart the march, and Allen punted.
The Panthers drove 50 yards to the Bulldog 36. On fourth and four, Schroeder was stopped short on his keeper run by Zack Zimmerman and Dalton Amos to turn it over to Ada on downs.
A Green screen to Kayleb Hickman quickly gained 18 yards. On the next play, Fisher veered right through a big hole, then out-sprinted the defense down the right sideline 47 yards to the end zone.
Allen’s second PAT kick extended the lead to 14-6 with 6:56 remaining in the half. The big fourth down stop and quick two-play TD drive changed the momentum in Ada’s favor.
The Panthers came right back to score on a two-play drive that covered 70 yards. Schroeder connected with Octavian Gonzales on a slant pass, and he scampered 53 yards to the end zone untouched.
A two-point pass to Trace Bryan in the left corner of the end zone tied it 14-14 with 6:22 still left in the opening half.
Ada then regained the lead for good on a time-consuming 58-yard, 12-play scoring drive. A clutch third and 12 slant to Hickman from Green kept the chains moving early.
Fisher converted third and three with a five-yard run to the McComb 29. Green then scurried 20 yards to the nine. A third down pass interference call gave Ada first and goal at the four. Fisher then barreled in from the four to give the Bulldogs the lead with 1:04 remaining in the second period.
Allen’s third PAT kick gave Ada a 21-14 advantage.
But the Panthers responded by marching 62 yards in seven plays over just 42 seconds to pay dirt. Right-side runs of 16 and 19 yards by Schroeder earned first and goal with 26 seconds left in the half. Schroeder then kept it on a six-yard run to his right again to hit paydirt with 22 ticks left.
But the extra point kick was pushed wide right to keep Ada narrowly in front 21-20 at halftime.
Neither team moved the ball on their first possession of half two. Ada then drove 75 yards to score and seize control.
A 27-yard pass to Zimmerman sparked the drive. Green converted third and six with a 10-yard run to the Panther 34. On third and eight, a sideline infraction penalty gave Ada a key first down.
On the next play, Green’s aerial was pulled in nicely by Hickman in the back left side of the end zone to cap the eight-play march. Allen’s PAT made it 28-20 with 5:45 left in the third stanza.
McComb then drove 61 yards to almost score, but a huge turnover near the goal line kept the Bulldogs in charge. Braydon Shoop was striving for extra yardage inside the Ada five when he fumbled, and the ubiquitous Green recovered the pigskin on the four at the 1:33 mark.
Ada appeared pinned deep in its own territory on third and 10. But Green burst up the right sideline, cut back and reversed field for an 85-yard gain that flipped the field and the momentum.
The Bulldog drive stalled at the McComb eight, and they went for a 25-yard field goal. But a bad snap resulted in Green having to scramble and throw a desperation heave into the end zone intended for Gavin Oldfield that was broken up.
The Ada defense came up with a big stop to force a punt, and the hosts took over on their own 40 with 7:29 remaining to play. Green ran for 21 yards and slid down before going out of bounds to keep the clock running.
Two plays later, he connected with Fisher on a short pass, and the senior scampered down the left sideline to paydirt and a 36-yard TD. Allen’s fifth PAT kick extended the margin to 15 points with 5:35 left.
McComb took possession at its own 26, and Schroeder passed to Donavin Hepperly for a 21-yard gain. Hickman made a nice pass breakup, and then a dropped pass - initially ruled a catch and fumble before the call was reversed - brought up a key fourth and one at the Ada 44.
Instead of running the ball, however, McComb threw an ill-advised pass that was well off target to turn it over on downs, effectively ending the game with 3:50 left.
Green fittingly converted a third and one run that, when coupled with a Panther personal foul in the penalty-plagued game, sealed the verdict. Ada ran the clock out and celebrated arguably its most important win over a quality opponent since they last made the playoffs in 2017.
When asked if it was the biggest win of his four-year Ada tenure, Smith downplayed that aspect. “Every win is a big win, and we are just trying to get better each week,” he said.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 7 14 7 7 35
McC 6 14 0 0 20
Notes, quotes and stats
The big-play Ada offense rolled up 469 yards on 46 plays, an average gain of 10.1 yards per snap. McComb amassed 363 yards on 51 plays (7.1 avg.).
The Bulldogs netted a very healthy 317 rushing yards on 30 carries (10.6 avg.), and added 152 yards through the air. The Panthers threw for 158 yards, and totaled 205 yards on the ground via 34 rushes (6.0 avg.).
The determined Green accounted for 394 total yards in total offense. Pound for pound and inch for inch, the 5-8 senior QB/DB continues to show why he is one of the best players in the area.
Senior back Fisher ran the ball 12 times for 71 yards and two scores. He also caught five passes for 68 yards and a TD. All told, he netted 139 yards from scrimmage as half of the backfield duo that forms a potent one-two punch.
Hickman hauled in five receptions for 58 yards and one TD. Zack Zimmerman added one catch for 27 yards.
Schroeder led the Panthers with 108 yards rushing on 17 carries. He also completed 10 of 16 passes for 158 yards and two TDs.
Shoop rushed 16 times for 92 yards. Hepperly caught four aerials for 56 yards. Romero had one reception for a 22-yard TD. Gonzales snagged two aerials for 57 yards and one score.
Zimerman led the defense with six solo stops and six assists. Blake Zoladz contributed four solo tackles and three assists. Liam Vieira made four solo tackles, and Amos added three. Landon Simon was in on six stops.
Ada committed no turnovers, while McComb committed one costly miscue.
With the win, the Bulldogs are solidly in playoff position at the midway point of the season, and they also remain in BVC title contention. Liberty-Benton and Pandora-Gilboa are tied for first in the league at 3-0, followed by Ada in a three-way for third with Leipsic and Van Buren at 2-1.
“We will celebrate this win tonight and start our focus on Arcadia and this short week,” said Smith.
Bulldogs visit Redskins in week 6
Ada visits winless Arcadia in a Blanchard Valley Conference contest Thursday, Sept. 26.
The Redskins fell to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in BVC play after a 34-6 home loss to Leipsic last Friday.
Ada has produced an impressive 178-92 scoring margin through five games. They score 35.6 ppg and give up 18.4 ppg through five games, with one shutout.
Arcadia has been outscored 167-35 (33.4 to 7.0 ppg) this season.
The Bulldogs are 2-0 away from home, and 2-1 at War Memorial.
The week six contest at Arcadia takes place on a rare Thursday night at 7 p.m. Week seven is at Riverdale (2-3, 1-2 BVC).
The next Ada home game will be in week eight on Homecoming Friday, October 11 vs. Van Buren (3-2, 2-1 BVC). VB stomped Riverdale 48-0 Friday, and knocked off visiting Arlington 21-14 last week.
The Black Knights have played four home games in a row, and visit McComb next Friday to start a three-game road stretch. Ada visits P-G (3-2, 3-0 BVC) in a key week nine battle.
The Bulldogs also avoid playing defending BVC champion L-B this year.
