PHOTOS by Mark Andreasen / CLICK gallery to enlarge and view at your own pace

By Cort Reynolds

AHS plays at 2nd place Leipsic in week 10

ADA__The Ada High School football team fell behind big by halftime and lost 41-6 to visiting Pandora-Gilboa in a Blanchard Valley Conference game to conclude their home schedule on Friday, October 17.

For the Bulldog entrance and on Senior Night, Ada senior Avery Conner suited up as an honorary member of the team (#87), carried a flag, broke through the banner and was on the field before the first play of the game. 

The Rockets led just 7-0 after the first period, but a 24-point second period blew the game open and the visitors built a commanding 31-0 intermission lead.

Ada dropped to 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the BVC after the defeat. 

P-G improved to 6-3 and 5-2 in BVC play following the decisive win. The Rockets tallied touchdowns on five of their first six drives. 

Liberty-Benton is first at 7-0, while Leipsic is second (6-1). Pandora is tied for third with Van Buren in the BVC standings. 

“I am proud of the kids and their level of desire to keep competing,” said fifth-year Ada head coach Toby Smith.

P-G struck first on their initial drive. The Rockets marched 78 yards in nine plays to score on a 16-yard pass from Cory Gerten to Landon Moore. Layton Cannode’s extra point kick made it 7-0 with 6:45 left in the opening stanza.

After a muffed punt, P-G took over at the Ada 27 and scored in five plays on their next possession. Ben Burkholder found the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 on the first play of the second quarter.

Ada senior Kayleb Hickman snared a 12-yard pass on the ensuing Bulldog drive, but the hosts stalled and had to punt.

The Rockets then methodically marched 91 yards to paydirt on 12 plays.  Zahnder Boggs fashioned gains of 15 and 14 yards on the drive, and Burkholder contributed a 10-yard run.

Chase Meyer scampered 14 yards before being run out of bounds at the Ada one. Burkholder then scored again on a one-yard plunge to stretch the lead to 21-0 with 7:08 left in the second quarter.

After a quick stop, P-G covered 63 yards in five plays to tally their fourth TD in as many possessions. Meyer sparked the drive with a 31-yard gallop.

Burkholder completed an 11-yard scoring strike to Boggs to balloon the Rocket margin to 28-0 at the 2:47 mark.

P-G drove 58 yards to the Bulldog five as the half drew to a close. Burkholder connected with Jace Fenbert on a 37-yard aerial to key the drive.

Cannode ended the half by nailing a 22-yard field goal as time expired to stretch the lead to 31-0 at intermission.

P-G marched 65 yards in five plays to open the second half. Burkholder hit paydirt on an 11-yard run with 10:34 left in the third period to make it 38-0 after Cannode nailed his fifth straight PAT kick. 

Cannode booted a 36-yard field goal with 10:42 remaining to play to extend the lead to 41-0.

Ada then drove 75 yards in eight plays to score its TD and avoid the shutout. Quarterback Blake Zoladz authored runs of 12 and 14 yards to spark the march. Kolton Dysert contributed runs of 14 and 13 yards in the drive.

Zoladz capped the march with an 18-yard scoring scamper to cut the deficit to 41-6 with 9:11 remaining. The extra point kick missed, keeping the final margin at 35.

1 2 3 4 F

Ada 0 0 0 6 6

P-G 7 24 7 3 41

Notes and stats

Ada was limited to 118 yards in total offense on 37 plays. The Bulldogs averaged 3.2 yards per play. Ada ran for 79 yards and passed for 39 net yards. 

The Bulldogs earned nine first downs, six on the ground and three aerially. The Rockets moved the chains 25 times – 13 by rush and 11 through the air, plus one by penalty.

P-G netted 419 yards in offense on 49 snaps, an average gain of 8.6 yards per play. The Rockets netted 185 yards rushing, and added 234 yards passing.

Ada junior quarterback Blake Zoladz completed six of 12 passes for 43 yards with no scores or interceptions. He netted 49 yards rushing on 11 carries with one TD.

Kolton Dysert ran the ball 11 times for 55 yards. He added two receptions for seven yards.

Senior Kayleb Hickman snared three aerials for 17 yards. Senior Zack Zimmerman hauled in two receptions for 12 yards. 

Gerten completed eight of 10 passes for 104 yards and one TD. Burkholder completed six of seven aerials for 126 yards and one score.

Burkholder rushed 14 times for 109 yards and three TDs to compile 235 yards in total offense. 

Meyer netted 32 yards on two runs. Moore added 29 yards on four rushes.

Meyer snagged six catches for 109 yards. Boggs caught five balls for yards and a TD. Moore added a 16-yard TD grab. Fenbert made two receptions for 42 yards.

Zimmerman recorded five assisted tackles and four solo stops. Hickman made three solo tackles and had three assists. Layne Simon also made three solo stops and added three assists.  

The Rockets were penalized just once for two yards, while Ada was flagged   twice for 20 yards. 

The Bulldogs were four of 10 on third down, while P-G was four for five.  Neither team went for it on fourth down or made a turnover.

The Bulldogs compiled 18:00 of possession time, while the Rockets had the ball for 30 minutes. P-G scored on its first seven possessions, with five TDs and a pair of field goals.

The Bulldogs finished the campaign 4-1 at home after the defeat in their home finale. The blowout loss seriously damaged the Ada hopes for a playoff berth.

Ada at 2nd place Vikings on October 24

Ada finishes its regular season at second-place BVC foe Leipsic in week 10 next Friday.

The Vikings (8-1, 6-1 BVC) easily defeated visiting Arlington Friday, 37-6. Talented sophomore QB Marc Kirkendall completed 14 of 19 passes for 230 yards and a TD for the Vikings vs. the Red Devils. 

The Bulldogs are 1-3 on the road. Arlington is fifth in the BVC at 4-3, followed by Ada in sixth.

First-place Liberty-Benton is 9-0 overall and 7-0 in the BVC after thumping Arcadia 44-6 in week nine. The Eagles handed Leipsic their lone loss in week eight, 52-0.

Ada is 17th in the preliminary Div. VII, Region 26 rankings but has an outside chance to make the playoffs if they upset the 8-1 Vikings. 

Leipsic is ranked third in the Region 26 ratings. The Vikings average 31.6 ppg and allow 19.8 ppg.   

Columbus Grove (6-3) moved up eight spots to seventh in Region 26 after knocking off previously-undefeated LCC 33-25 on the road Friday.

Ada has outscored its opposition 229-221 this season. The Bulldogs average 25.4 ppg and give up 24.6 ppg. Ada has been outscored 83-9 in their last two games, both lopsided losses.