By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Struggling Ada will attempt to finish the 2018 season on a high note by continuing its dominance over backyard league rival Allen East this Friday.
But extending their 13-game win string over the traditional foe Mustangs will be a tough task on the road for the Bulldogs, who enter the fray having lost five in a row by an average of 41 points a game.
AE (4-5, 3-3 NWC) competed hard but fell at home to co-league leader Columbus Grove in week nine by a 28-14 score, but will be fired up to end their long losing skid to the rival Bulldogs. CG defeated Ada 56-7 in week six.
"Allen East is a good football team that has a very good balance of pass to run out of the spread system," said Ada first-year head coach Shawn Christopher.
"I think they are a team on the rise with their new coaching staff. They've done a great job of turning the attitudes of those kids around over there," he added.
Wes Schroeder is the new Mustang head coach, and recent Ada standout quarterback Mason Acheson is now an assistant at AE.
Ada junior quarterback Phillip Coulson and sophomore running back Brandon Hull made shown good progress in recent weeks, providing the Bulldog offense with much-needed punch.
Coulson has been a threat running and throwing the ball, and has been especially effective when scrambling. He rushed for a career-high 121 yards and one TD in the 43-14 Ada loss at Bluffton last week.
The Mustangs top the NWC in passing at nearly 250 yards per game, paced by sophomore quarterback Tyler Clum. Clum has thrown for over 2,200 yards with 23 touchdown passes this season.
His favorite target, junior wideout Cole Fletcher, leads the NWC in receiving yardage and TD receptions.
Ada (2-6, 1-5 NWC) has not lost to AE since 2004, when the blue and white won 21-7 at the former Mustang Corral in Lafayette.
The Bulldogs beat AE 23-20 on a last-second Zac Dysert field goal on October 28, 2005, and have won every meeting since, usually by lopsided margins.
The purple and gold shut out the Mustangs 41-0 last year, but their last two meetings at Harrod have been exciting.
Ada won a 49-34 road shootout in 2016. In 2014, the Bulldogs eked out a 28-22 victory at Harrod by stopping AE just shy of the goal line as the fourth quarter expired.
The Bulldogs also stymied the Mustangs 21-6 at Ada in 2015.
AE is rated 18th in the 28-team Div. VI, Region 22 rankings, while Ada is 24th. Both teams are officially out of playoff contention, and thus will be playing for pride and local bragging rights.
This fall marks only the second time since 2005 that the Bulldogs will miss the post-season.
AE has not made the playoffs since 2006. With a win, the Mustangs would finish .500 and post just their third non-losing season in the past 12 years since posting a 9-3 record in 2006. AE finished 6-4 in both 2015 and 2016, but slumped to 2-8 last year.
With three NWC wins, the Mustangs are assured of finishing ahead of Ada in the league standings for the first time since 2004. The rivals tied for second in 2006 at 6-2 in the NWC, a game behind champion LCC.
A victory would also clinch a fourth-place finish in the league standings for AE. At best, Ada could tie Bluffton for sixth place with a win and a Pirate loss to league tri-leader Columbus Grove.
"We are going to have to play a very solid football game Friday night to give ourselves a chance to go into the off-season with the win," warned Christopher.
Ada is 0-4 on the road this seaso, while AE is 3-1 at home.
Kickoff at Bill Goodwin Field is set for 7 p.m.
