By Cort Reynolds

VAN BUREN __The visiting Ada High School football team fell behind early and lost to Van Buren 42-3 in a Blanchard Valley Conference game on Friday, October 10.

The Black Knights scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions to build a 21-3 halftime lead. They outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 after intermission by scoring TDs on their final three drives.

Ada dropped to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the BVC after the defeat. The Bulldogs tumbled three spots to sixth place in the league after Arlington beat McComb 21-14 in overtime Friday. 

VB improved to 5-3 and 4-2 in BVC play following the decisive win, which moved the Black Knights into a three-way tie for third place. Liberty-Benton is first at 6-0, while Leipsic is second (5-1).

“We are proud that the kids kept competing when they had chances to fold,” said fifth-year Ada head coach Toby Smith. “We will keep fighting to the end.”

Ada turned the ball over on downs on their first drive, which stalled at the VB 39. The Knights then drove 61 yards in eight plays to take the lead. Knight QB Brady Lance capped the march with a one-yard TD plunge, and the extra point kick was good to make it 7-0 at the 9:25 mark.

Lance scampered 61 yards to paydirt, and the PAT kick was good to extend the lead to 14-0 with 7:53 left in the opening stanza.

The Bulldogs took over at the 50 after the ensuing kickoff and gained 26 yards before facing fourth and seven.

Ada junior Andrew Allen then booted a 34-yard field goal to cut the VB lead to 14-3 with 20 seconds left in the first period.

Thad Smith intercepted a Lance pass to stop the next VB drive near midfield. Ada drove to the 25, but a 15-yard sack stymied the march. A 65-yard Knight punt return set the hosts up at the Ada 15.

Two plays later, VB back Brody Scoles scored on a 13-yard run with 7:30 left in the half as the hosts pulled ahead, 21-3.

Ada went three and out and punted again, and the Knights took over at their 22. An eight-yard sack by Jaden Ash helped force a VB punt. After another punt, Ada senior Kayleb Hickman intercepted a Lance aerial at the 22 to end the first half.

The Bulldogs were not able to generate a first down on the initial drive of the second half. 

On the ensuing possession, VB marched 83 yards on seven plays to score again and seize complete command. A 15-yard third-down pass kept the drive alive at the 35.

A 12-yard pass and a 13-yard run set up the next score. Scoles rambled 37 yards to the end zone with 7:39 left in the third period. Carson Stone’s fourth extra point kick made it 28-3.

A 16-yard run by Smith highlighted the next Bulldog possession. But the drive stalled near midfield, forcing another punt.

Lance authored runs of 14 and 28 yards to ignite the next Knight drive. Scoles then took a handoff and scurried 40 yards to paydirt late in the third stanza and started the running clock. The march took just three plays to cover 82 yards.

The Stone PAT made it 35-3 heading to the final quarter.

VB’s Jacob Harrington intercepted a Smith pass and returned it to the Knight 45. Three plays later, Scoles ran 45 yards to the end zone for the final TD. 

The PAT boot made it 42-3 with 10:25 left to play.

Smith completed passes of 11 and 20 yards to Zac Zimmerman to lead a good Ada drive on their last possession. The 52-yard march reached the VB eight. But a sack helped stymie the drive, and time ran out on the 13. 

1 2 3 4 F

Ada 3 0 0 0 3

VB 14 7 14 7 42

Notes and stats

Ada was held to 138 net yards in total offense on 47 plays. The Bulldogs averaged 2.9 yards per play. Ada ran for 57 yards and passed for 81 yards. 

The Bulldogs earned nine first downs, two on the ground and six aerially with one by penalty. The Knights moved the chains 15 times – 12 by rush and three via the air.

VB netted 351 yards in offense on 38 snaps, an average gain of 9.2 yards per play. The Knights netted a whopping 296 yards rushing, and added 55 yards passing.

Ada junior quarterback Blake Zoladz completed three of seven passes for 53 yards with no interceptions. 

Thad Smith completed six of 10 aerials for 46 yards with one interception. Kolton Dysert added one of three, passing for 12 yards.

Dysert netted 25 yards rushing on 12 carries. He added three catches for 28 yards. Smith netted 21 yards rushing on five tries.

Senior Gavin Oldfield caught four passes for 52 yards, with a long reception of 27. Senior Zimmerman pulled in two receptions for 31 yards. 

Scoles rushed 14 times for a game-high 216 yards and four TDs on runs of 13, 37, 40 and 45 yards.

Lance completed six of 10 passes for 63 yards and one pick. He rushed nine times for 57 yards and one TD.

Homan caught three passes for 34 yards.

Zimmerman recorded 10 assisted tackles and one solo stop. Hickman made three solo stops and had four assists with one pick. Eli Craig made three solo tackles and one tackle for loss.

The Knights were penalized eight times for 79 yards, while Ada was flagged just twice for five yards. 

The Bulldogs were 2-10 on third down, while VB was 4-6. Ada went 0-1 on fourth down, while the hosts were 1-1.

VB committed two turnovers, and Ada had one miscue. The Bulldogs compiled 29:35 of possession time, while the Knights had 18:14. 

The Bulldogs are now 1-3 in away games and 4-0 at home. VB is tied for third with Pandora-Gilboa and Arlington at 4-2 in the BVC standings.

Ada hosts P-G next Fri.

Ada is back at War Memorial for its last home game of the regular season in week nine vs. Pandora-Gilboa. 

P-G (5-3, 4-2 BVC) whipped Arcadia 38-0 on the road Friday.

The Bulldogs are 4-0 at home, where they have outscored their opposition 155-55. Meanwhile, P-G is 2-1 on the road, with a 48-14 week two loss at Bluffton. 

The Rockets beat Arlington 24-14 and whipped Van Buren 42-7, two teams that beat Ada by a combined score of 76-17.

On Friday, Leipsic lost their first-place showdown at Liberty-Benton 52-0 to break their tie atop the BVC. Both powerhouse squads were 7-0 entering Friday’s de facto showdown for the league title.

Ada visits Leipsic (7-1, 5-1 BVC) in week 10. 

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