By Dusty Donley
Stormy weather and wet field conditions did nothing to slow the Bulldog offense last Friday as they jumped ahead early and cruised to a 30-6 Northwest Conference victory over the visiting Paulding Panthers on Homecoming night. The win lifts Ada's record to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference, keeping them tied with Delphos Jefferson for first place in the league.
The game began with a bang, as the Bulldogs dug into their bag of tricks on the first play from scrimmage. Taking a pitch from senior quarterback Matthew Wilcox, senior Austin Dumbaugh launched a 37 yard bomb to freshman Owen Conley down to the Panther 24 yard line. Less than two minutes later, junior Luke Long-Green rumbled into the end zone for his first touchdown of the game. The ensuing two-point conversion gave the Bulldogs a quick 8-0 lead.
On the next Bulldog drive, Wilcox found senior Spencer Archer on a pretty 25 yard touchdown toss. The two-point try was unsuccessful, leaving Ada with a 14-0 lead with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter.
An Ada turnover to begin the second quarter gave the Panthers an opportunity, but a Paulding fumble gave the ball right back to the Bulldogs. After two long Wilcox runs, Ada struck again as Wilcox tossed his second touchdown of the day, an easy 8 yard pitch and catch to Grant McBride. The two point conversion was again unsuccessful, giving the Bulldogs a 20-0 lead with just under four minutes left in the first half.
The Bulldog defense forced a second Paulding turnover, giving Ada the ball with close to a minute and a half to work. The Dogs advanced to the Paulding nine yard line, but a Wilcox interception ended the half.
Special teams came up big to begin the second half, as senior Saed Al-Olimat recovered a Paulding fumble on the opening kickoff and returned the ball to the Panther 15 yard line. The Paulding defense stiffened, forcing Ada to kick a 31 yard, Austin Dumbaugh field goal, giving the Bulldogs a 23-0 lead after barely two minutes of play.
Paulding got on the board late in the third, when quarterback Julian Salinas connected with Quinton Vance on a 54 yard touchdown lob with just over two and a half minutes left in the quarter. The Panthers missed the extra point, leaving Ada with a 20-6 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ada's special teams stepped up once again, as Long-Green took the kick 87 yards to the house. An Ada block in the back penalty returned the ball to the Panther 19, but Long-Green got his second touchdown of the game two plays later, as he slipped into the end zone for a three yard score. Dumbaugh's extra point gave the Bulldogs a comfortable 30-6 lead and that would be the final score.
• Ada had 344 yards of total offense compared to Paulding's 141.
• Matthew Wilcox finished the game 17 of 20 for 147 yards passing, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
• Wilcox also led the Bulldogs on the ground with 86 yards on 14 carries.
• Owen Conley led the way with 5 receptions for 86 yards.
• Kelsey Zimmerly and Kolton Hall were named Homecoming queen and king, respectively.
• The Bulldogs head to Crestview Friday night to take on the 4-2 Knights in a huge Northwest Conference battle. Kick-off is slated for 7:30.
