By Dusty Donley
The 2013 Ada High school football campaign came to a close last Friday night at Lima Stadium as the seventh seeded Bulldogs fell to the fifth seeded Wayne Trace Raiders, 68-14 in the Division VI, region 20 final.
Gun-slinging Raider quarterback Colby Speice threw for nine touchdowns and ran for another as Wayne Trace (12-1) ended the Bulldog's season at 9-4 and move on to play Mechanicsburg (11-2) in the state semi-finals.
Forcing an Ada punt on its first possession, the Raider offense wasted no time putting points on the board. Moving 80 yards in just seven plays, Speice capped the drive with a 25-yard quarterback keeper. Jake Gerber's two-point conversion gave Wayne Trace an 8-0 lead with 7:42 left in the first quarter.
The Bulldog offense continued to sputter as the Wayne Trace D forced a second Ada punt. A penalty on the return backed the Raiders to their own eight yard line, but Speice was unfazed, tossing a 92-yard touchdown on the first play of the ensuing drive. Another two-point conversion gave the Raiders a 16-0 lead with less than six minutes to play in the first quarter.
For a third time, the Ada offense was forced to punt, giving the ball back to Speice and the potent Raider offense on their own 39. After a Blake Ansley sack of Speice lost three, the golden-armed quarterback responded by finding speedy, Korbin Showalter, who took the ball 64-yards to the house. The two-point attempt was no good, leaving the Raiders ahead 22-0 with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter.
The Bulldog offense showed some life on its next possession, moving into Wayne Trace territory, but a Raider sack of Ada quarterback Matthew Wilcox brought up a tough fourth and 12. The Bulldogs elected to go for it, but a Wilcox pass to Ansley fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Raiders on their own 47.
Again, the Wayne Trace offense took the ball and carved its way through the Ada defense, moving all the way down to the Bulldog five, where Speice tossed his third touchdown of the game. Another two-point conversion ballooned the Raider lead to 30-0 with 10:25 left in the second quarter.
Wilcox was intercepted on the next Ada drive, but the Bulldogs returned the favor, as senior Hunter Waller intercepted Speice in the end zone on a Wayne Trace fourth and two. The Ada offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover, as Ansley was stopped short on a fourth and one, giving the ball back to the Raiders on the Bulldog 42.
Speice and the Raiders marched down to the Bulldog four, but a Lane Nitchie tackle for loss pushed them back to the Ada eight. On the next play, Speice found Jared Sherry, who made a pretty, sliding catch for the score. Senior Spencer Archer intercepted Speice's two-point pass, leaving the score 36-0 with just over four minutes left in the half.
A 55-yard Luke Long-Green kick return started the ensuing Ada drive at the Wayne Trace 45. After a 20-yard pass to Ansley, Wilcox found freshman Owen Conley on a 25-yard touchdown toss. The two-point conversion made the score 36-8 with 3:07 left in the second quarter.
After the ensuing Ada kick, the high-powered Raider offense struck again, scoring on a 70-yard Speice to Showalter touchdown pass on the first play of the drive. The two-point try failed, leaving the score 42-8 with just under three minutes to play in the half.
The tough Wayne Trace defense forced another Ada punt, giving the ball back to the Raider offense on their own 41. Speice moved the Raiders all the way down to the Ada seven before finding Jake Arend for his sixth touchdown toss of the first half. A two-point conversion gave Wayne Trace an extremely comfortable 50-8 halftime lead.
The Bulldog offense came out of the locker room with a new life, taking the kickoff and moving deep into Wayne Trace territory. After an Ansley catch got Ada to the Raider 36, Wilcox hit Waller, who broke several tackles as he muscled his way into the end zone. The two-point try was no good, leaving Wayne Trace ahead 50-14 with just under 11 minutes to go in the third.
Speice would go on to throw three more touchdown passes before being pulled late in the third quarter, giving us a 68-14 final score.
Speice finished the game with 534 yards passing, nine touchdowns and 1 pick.
Matthew Wilcox went 14 of 31 for 207 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Blake Ansley led the receivers with seven catches for 115 yards.
