Bulldogs visit L-B in first round
By Cort Reynolds
It was a close call, but the Ada football team squeezed into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Div. VI, region 22 computer rankings by a 12.0 to 11.95 margin over ninth-place Ashland Crestview.
A late-season push earned the Bulldogs their 11th post-season trip over the last 12 years. Ada won their last three games of 2017 to finish 7-3, while Ashland Crestview also finished 7-3.
The Bulldogs had to wait on pins and needles to the last moment through two Saturday night games that could have knocked them out. But both teams they needed to win (Norwalk St. Paul and St. Joseph's) to get in did so.
Ada's reward now is to face the top seed in the region, Liberty-Benton (9-1) on Friday, November 3. The lone Eagle loss came at BVC foe Leipsic in week three, 21-17. The Vikings rallied from a 14-0 deficit to win that game.
The only common opponent Ada/L-B is Arlington; Ada beat the Red Devils on the road 34-20 in week two, while L-B blanked Arlington 40-0 in week eight at home.
The Bulldogs are 3-2 on the road this season while the Eagles are 5-0 at home. High-scoring L-B comes into the playoffs on a seven-game win streak.
"Liberty is a very very solid ballclub in all three phases of the game," said fifth-year Bulldog head coach Bob Olwin, who is 34-21 in five seasons at Ada, including 2-3 in the playoffs.
"They are similar in classification and athleticism to LCC," he continued. "They run the ball mostly and do it well. Their quarterback runs a lot and they have two or three different backs as well.
"They throw some, but mostly run a lot of counter-treys. Or they fake that and throw to the flat or deep. They will do a little jet sweep, or fake it and pull with the guard and tackle. They don't have a lot of plays, but they give you different looks."
He noted that the Eagles feature an aggressive defense. "They have a nice linebacker, their defensive line gets after you and their secondary is quick," Olwin noted. "They will blitz once in a while if you start to get some drives going. They are pretty aggressive up front.
"Our offense has to match their defensive quickness," he added.
He added that their plce-kicker is very good, having booted several field goals this season while getting consistently good distance on his kick-offs. The L-B punter is solid, averaging 36 yards per kick.
The explosive L-B offense averages 40.8 points per game, while giving up just 9.5 ppg. The Eagle defense has posted six shutouts.
The most points they permitted was 33 in a one-point win over Archbold (8-2) in week two. Their opponents compiled a combined record of 60-40, including 59-31 in games not against L-B.
The Eagles faced five playoff teams, going 4-1 aginst quality competition. They lost to Leipsic but beat Bucyrus Wynford (49-0), Archbold, Pandora-Gilboa (31-20) and McComb (26-0) last week.
Ada's opponents compiled a 52-48 record, including 49-41 in games not involving the Bulldogs. Ada's three losses came against its three playoff-bound opponents. They lost to LCC (41-21), Crestview (49-21) and Spencerville (21-17).
The Bulldogs average 31 points a game and allow 20.4 ppg.
After missing the playoffs in 2014, the Bulldogs (12-11 all-time in playoffs) have lost in the first round of the post-season in each of the last two seasons. They fell at Riverside 32-7 in 2015 and at home to Ft. Recovery last November, 58-21.
Ada advanced to the regional finals in 2013 as a seventh seed, Olwin's first season. They beat Delphos Jefferson 27-22 and Crestview 35-0 before falling to Wayne Trace 68-14.
The deepest Bulldog playoffs run came in 2007 when they made it to the state semifinals. The purple and gold have been to three regional finals, winning once.
The veteran Ada mentor noted several keys to beating the Eagles and stopping their three-game playoff losing streak.
"We will have to play well, keep our drives going, be consistent and not allow big chunk plays," said Olwin. "We will need to get some turnovers, not commit turnovers and penalties, tackle well, and get off their blocks.
"They are not unbeatable by any means," he continued. "They have gotten a lot of takeaways so we have to stay away from turnovers and not let them get on a roll. We have no pressure.
"You have to make plays to beat them."
The 2017 playoffs kick off Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Ada/L-B winner will face the Gibsonburg at Hicksville survivor Friday, Nov. 10 in the region 22 semifinals at a site TBA.
