By Dusty Donley
Overcast, rainy weather played havoc for both teams last Friday night as the Bulldogs traveled to Ft. Loramie for a non-conference battle with the Redskins. Sloppy field conditions led to a combined nine turnovers in route an ugly, 14-8 Bulldog loss. The defeat is Ada's first, moving their season record to 3-1.
The poor field conditions plagued both teams, producing 10 sacks for the Bulldog offense and only one combined offensive touchdown.
Ft. Loramie got on the board first as running back Delonte Thornton scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, rumbling 58 yards for a touchdown after just over two and a half minutes of play. The extra point gave the Redskins a 7-0 lead.
Less than a minute later, senior quarterback Matt Wilcox had a pass tipped, leading to his first interception of the game. The Redskin defender slashed his way 34 yards for a pick six. The point after gave Ft. Loramie a 14-0 lead.
A sloppy field and solid defense by both teams continued to flummox the offenses as the first half closed with Ft. Loramie still leading 14-0.
The second half began, just as the first had ended, with defense dictating the flow of the game.
After the Bulldogs were thwarted on a fourth down quarterback keeper, Ft. Loramie had the ball deep in Ada territory. After two Redskin runs were stuffed, senior Spencer Archer picked off a third down pass and took it 93 yards to the house. Wilcox slid in for the two-point conversion, but Ada still trailed 14-8 with just under five minutes to go in the third quarter.
As the game continued, the field began to dissolve into a muddy mess, causing ball control issues for both teams. There were opportunities late, but turnovers and penalties combined with the sloppy field conditions stymied both teams, ending the game with a 14-8 Redskin victory.
Ft Loramie had 209 yards of total offense to Ada's 189.
Matt Wilcox finished the game 4 of 16 for 12 yards passing, 3 interceptions and no touchdowns. He led the Bulldogs with 94 yards rushing on 27 attempts.
Sophomore Blake Ansley had 84 yards rushing on 16 attempts.
Ada hosts league foe Bluffton (2-2) this Friday night at War Memorial Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 7:30.
