By Dusty Donley
And the train rolls on.
Behind the play of an overpowering, stingy defense, the seventh seeded Ada High School football Bulldogs rolled into Wapakoneta last Friday night and defeated the sixth seeded Crestview Knights 35-0 in Division VI, region 20 playoff action. The Bulldog victory avenges a humiliating, 63-12 week 7 loss at the hands of the Knights.
With the win, Ada advances to 9-3 on the season and moves on to face the fifth seeded Wayne Trace Raiders (11-1), for the region 20 crown and a spot in the Division VI state semifinals. The game is scheduled for Friday, November 22nd at Lima Stadium.
The Bulldog defense set the tone out of the gate as senior Austin Dumbaugh forced a Knight fumble, giving Ada the ball on the Crestview 44 early in the first quarter. Less than two minutes later, the Dogs found pay dirt as senior quarterback Matthew Wilcox hit senior Hunter Waller on a 4 yard touchdown toss. Waller's extra point gave Ada a 7-0 lead with 5:46 left in the first quarter.
After the Bulldog defense forced a Crestview punt, the offense took over and immediately got to work. A couple nice Spencer Archer grabs and a Blake Ansley run got the Bulldogs close enough for Wilcox to seal the deal with his second touchdown pass to Waller. The 22 yard touchdown toss and Waller's extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter.
On its next drive, the Crestview offense finally got into gear, marching all the way down to the Ada nine, but as it did all game long, the Bulldog defense rose to the occasion. On third and two, senior Saed Al-Olimat stuffed a fullback dive, then on fourth down, Dumbaugh drug down Knight quarterback Preston Zalewski, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.
The Bulldog offense sputtered on its next drive, giving the ball back to the Knights on their own 45. A couple big Zalewski completions got Crestview deep into Ada territory, but once again, the Knights found themselves in a fourth and short situation. After a timeout, Zalewski's quarterback keeper was squashed by Ansley, giving the Bulldogs the ball on their own eight yard line.
The stagnant Ada offense was forced to punt, but on its next drive, the Bulldog defense forced another costly Knight turnover as Archer picked off Zalewski's pass and returned to the ball to the Ada 21. The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize, ending the half with a 14-0 lead.
Coming out of the locker room, the Bulldog offense took the ball and marched deep into Crestview territory, but Zalewski picked off a Wilcox pass in the end zone and returned it out to the Knight 32. The Bulldog defense forced a Crestview punt and the Knights returned the favor on the next Ada drive.
Crestview took over on their own 25, but on third down, Dumbaugh forced and recovered his second fumble of the game, giving the Dogs the ball at the Knight 28. Three plays later, sophomore Blake Ansley scored on a one yard touchdown run. Waller's extra point pushed the Bulldog lead to 21-0 with 2:38 left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Crestview drive, the Knights once again found themselves deep in Ada territory, but on third down, Wilcox picked off a Zalewski pass and returned the ball out to the Bulldog 26. Ten plays later, Ansley found the end zone for the second time, as the sophomore plunged in for a two yard score. Waller's extra point gave the Bulldogs a comfortable 28-0 lead with just over eight minutes left in the game.
Ansley would go on to add a third rushing touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 35-0 victory and their second shut-out of the 2013 season.
The Bulldogs amassed 374 yards to Crestview's 170. The Bulldogs also racked up 20 first downs to Crestview's 7.
Matthew Wilcox was 22 of 31 for 261 yards, two scores and an interception. Wilcox also led the way on the ground with 57 yards on 19 carries.
Spencer Archer led the receivers with 5 receptions for 82 yards.
