By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The injury-plagued Ada football team hosts Paulding this Friday in week nine.
The Panthers lost at home to a solid 7-1 Allen East squad 42-21 in week eight. The Bulldogs (2-6, 1-4 NWC), who dressed just 20 players last weekend, lost 63-12 at Crestview.
Paulding (3-5, 2-3 NWC) has won three of its last six games after starting the season with non-league losses to Wayne Trace (28-27) and Fairview (32-0).
"Paulding has a good running game," said Ada head coach Shawn Christopher. "They are going to line it up and try to tee off on you, and just grind it out. They only run about five different plays out of a lot of formations. We will have to give them different looks defensively.
"Jacob Deisler runs hard and has some speed; he is as good a running back as there is in the league," noted the coach. The senior back netted 131 yards rushing with three touchdowns last year vs. Ada.
"The game of football is won up front, and we have to give ourselves a chance to win up front," summed up Christopher. "We should also have some linebackers back."
Paulding averages 23.6 points a game and allows 31.5 ppg. In NWC play, the Panthers score 23 ppg and permit 22.5 ppg.
"Defensively, Paulding will mix up their fronts and pick their spots to blitz," said Christopher. "They are not real exotic on either side of the ball, but they stick to their rules and are solid up front on defense.
"As long as we get some protection for Brandon (Hull) for him to be able to stay in the pocket, we have the ability to hit some big plays with our receivers," he added.
Overall, Ada scores 30.3 points per game and gives up 52.1 ppg. In league action, the Bulldogs score 32.8 ppg and allow 65.2 ppg.
"I think we can put some points on the board, but we need to get a handful of stops (to win)," he continued. "It could be like the Delphos Jefferson game (a 74-70 Ada victory) in terms of scoring."
Ada is 0-3 home this season, while Paulding is 2-1 on the road. The Panthers have defeated Antwerp (47-12), Bluffton (21-9) and Delphos Jefferson (44-38).
The Bulldogs are 22nd in the latest Div. VI Region 23 computer rankings. Paulding is 21st in Div. V, Region 18.
Christopher reported that junior quarterback Brandon Hull is about 200 yards away from 1,000 yards rushing this season. He is also approximately 200 yards from surpassing the 2,0000-yard barrier in passing.
The Panthers shut out visiting Ada 35-0 last year. The Bulldogs rallied to knock off the upset-minded Panthers 22-16 in 2017 at War Memorial Stadium.
Injured Ada senior Holden Purdy is expected back on defense, and classmate punter/lineman Ty Miller might also be able to play as he recovers from a broken hand.
"We have to shore up some holes defensively, and I hope the seniors can finish their careers on a strong note," said Christopher.
