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| 11/14/2009 10:19:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Big plays by Jackson, turnovers and goal line stand help Ada hold off Carey
By Cort Reynolds
Ada Herald Writer
FINDLAY - Carey may have won the statistical battle but on the final scoreboard Ada led all the way, and ultimately that is all that mattered as the Bulldogs advanced to the regional finals for a third season in a row with a bruising 14-7 second round playoff win Saturday at Findlay.
The bend-but-don't-break Ada defense held the powerful Blue Devil running game out of the end zone time and time again to narrowly win the sun-splashed Div. VI contest at Donnell Stadium before a huge crowd.
The hard-fought victory on a rare afternoon game amid unusually warm and sunny Indian summer weather lifted the Bulldogs to 12-0 for the second straight season. The tough defeat ended Carey's campaign in the regional semifinals for a second consecutive year with a 10-2 mark.
The Bulldogs get a rematch with top-ranked defending state champion Delphos St. John's (12-0) Saturday night on the synthetic turf of Donnell Stadium again in a titanic battle of unbeatens. The Blue Jays walloped Leipsic 34-7 in their second round bout Saturday night at Lima Stadium.
The Blue Devils out-gained Ada by over 200 yards in offense, but came up short in large part by committing four costly turnovers. And just as significantly, they were stopped on the one-inch line with 30 seconds to go in the first half by a miraculous Bulldog goal line stand.
After leading from the very first minute on and holding the Blue Devils scoreless for 45 minutes the finish got a little too close for comfort for Ada. After intercepting a pass in the end zone, Carey finally scored with under three minutes left on an 80-yard play to halve their deficit to 14-7. After a big defensive stop, they got one last-ditch chance to tie it.
The Blue Devils drove near the Bulldog 40 in the final minute, but do-everything Ada senior Heath Jackson intercepted a wide receiver pass to preserve the triumph.
The game started out exceptionally well for Ada when senior linebacker Matt McBride recovered a fumble on the second play from scrimmage at the Carey 42. On the very next play, speedy Bulldog quarterback Jackson kept the ball and scampered 42 yards untouched around the left side to paydirt.
Austin Everhart's point after kick made it 7-0 Bulldogs just 53 seconds into the fray.
Carey then embarked on a massive 7:16 drive that moved the ball deep into Bulldog territory on 13 consecutive running plays, including two fourth and short conversions. However, they shot themselves in the foot with 20 yards of penalties via two infractions on the same play to force third and 25.
After a nine-yard pass Carey was out of field goal range and booted a short punt out of bounds at the 20. With 3:44 left in the first stanza, Ada ran just its second play from scrimmage.
The Bulldogs eventually drove into Carey territory on a 13-yard pass to Alex Weber, but the march died when Jackson's aerial into double coverage was intercepted by Devil defensive back Cy Strahm.
Carey took over on its own 22 and again tried to grind down the Ada defense with an old-fashioned, between the tackles smashmouth run game. But after they converted a third straight fourth and short run to end the first period, misfortune shone on the Devils again.
Workhorse running back Logan Norden fumbled on the second play of the second stanza, and Ada freshman Eli Roberson recovered at the Devil 36.
Moments later on fourth and eight, Jackson completed a clutch pass to sticky-fingered sophomore Konnor Baker for 11 yards to move the chains.
But the Devil defense stopped the 'Dogs and forced a 37-yard field goal attempt by Everhart, which sailed just wide left to keep the score 7-0 with 9:53 left before intermission.
The Ada defense forced a quick three-and-out series, and then Jackson came up with a huge special teams play. A long Carey punt rolled by Jackson and he picked it up on the run. With a head of steam gained after the boot outkicked the Devil punt coverage, Jackson made several Devils miss as he weaved his way 65 yards upfield all the way to the Carey 20.
After a well-spent timeout to let Jackson catch his breath, the refreshed QB scrambled to his right and tossed a perfect spiral to a sliding Baker in the back middle of the end zone to make it 13-0 with 8:03 left in the half. It was Ada's second one-play "drive" to score a touchdown. Everhart's second PAT boot made it 14-0.
Devil senior quarterback Tyler Brodman scurried 14 yards on a keeper to gain a first down, but then their drive stalled when Tanner Craig made a five-yard tackle for loss on Norden.
Jackson fielded the ensuing punt on a high bounce along the Carey sideline and almost broke another long return before being taken down near midfield following a 23-yard runback.
The Carey defense stopped Ada when D.J. Dyer broke up a third down pass at the line of scrimmage. A good Devil punt return was negated by an illegal block penalty, pinning Carey back at its own 10.
Norden kicked off what would be an 89-yard drive with a determined 14-yard rumble. A 10-yard pass to Strahm helped set up another fourth and one play from the Bulldog 44. Norden then burst through the stacked-up line and appeared to have the end zone in his sights, but Jackson chased him down at the 16 to prevent a touchdown after a 28-yard run.
Norden then ripped off a 10-yard run to give Carey first and goal at the six. On third down from the three, Norden appeared to get the nose of the ball right to the goal line, but was ruled centimeters short.
With time running out in the half, Carey did not use its last timeout and tried to run a quick play against the Bulldog defense. But instead of giving the ball to Norden, they tried to sneak it in behind 5-9, 165-pound Brodman, who never got any forward progress toward the end zone against the Ada defense, which stacked up the line to prevent a run up the gut.
Once again, the Bulldog defense had bent but not broken as they kept the Devils scoreless again with a miraculous goal line stand just 29 seconds before intermission.
Ada was stopped on its first possession of half two, but Ty Jolliff pinned them at the 10 again with a fine punt and another Devil penalty. Norden chewed up 39 yards rushing on six runs, and Brodman scooted 37 yards on a keeper that could have gone for six had Weber not made a fine tackle. On third and inches Norden converted with a four-yard run to the Ada 11.
Yet on the very next play Brodman was stood up fighting up for extra yardage near the seven, and Cody Mattson stripped the ball out of his hands with an opportunistic play. Weber grabbed the ball out of the air and returned it to the 15 to thwart Carey once again. After another nearly 90-yard drive that ate up close to five minutes, they had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.
The Ada offense continued to sputter and Carey took over at the Bulldog 29 after a good punt return by the shifty Strahm. However, Jackson came up with a big play when he knocked Brodman out of the game with a big hit on second down at the 22.
Sophomore Bryce Orians replaced Brodman at quarterback and the conservative Carey offense became tentative with a new signal-caller. After Norden was stopped for no gain, the third quarter ended with Ada still on top 14-0.
On fourth and six, Orians was sacked by Robert Guyton, Craig and Roberson for a 10-yard loss to turn the ball over on downs and keep Carey off the scoreboard once again.
A fine 21-yard pass from Jackson to Weber over the middle moved Ada to near midfield. But an 11-yard sack of a tiring Jackson by Orians stopped the drive. Strahm put together another good punt return to give Carey first down at the Bulldog 45. However, the Ada defense rose up again and stuffed three runs for just five yards. On fourth down and five, Norden was stopped well short to turn the ball back over to Ada at its own 39 with 7:04 left in the game.
Tyler Simmons then ripped off a 10-yard run, followed by a Jackson scamper of 10 yards as Ada began to run clock. But after a holding call, Jackson tried a pass into the end zone and was picked off by senior Justin Jacoby to keep the Devils alive.
On the very next play, Carey finally broke through. After several long drives that amounted to no points, they scored on an 80-yard lateral screen from Orians to Strahm. The senior split end followed his blockers up the right sideline and went untouched all the way to paydirt with 2:44 remaining. After the PAT kick was nearly blocked, Carey trailed just 14-7.
Ada linebacker Aaron Weyer came up with a huge play when the ensuing on-sides kickoff bounded well into the air, and the junior made a leaping grab to his right and held on at the Bulldog 44. But after two Jackson scrambles and an incomplete pass, Ada could run just 48 seconds off the clock following two Carey timeouts.
Jolliff's booming 55-yard punt went into the end zone for a touchback and Carey had its last chance at the 20 with 1:51 left and the momentum swaying in their direction. Orians ripped off a 15-yard run, then completed a 22-yard pass to Tyler Phoenix to reach the Ada 43.
The Bulldogs called timeout with 1:18 left to give their weary defense a rest, and the strategy appeared to work. Weber sacked Orians for a four-yard loss, forcing Carey to use its last timeout. The Devils then lined up with four receivers on the right side and again tossed a lateral to Strahm along the Bulldog sideline.
But this time instead of running the ball, the southpaw tossed a wobbly pass into double coverage along the Ada sideline. Jackson swooped over and made a leaping interception deep in Bulldog territory to clinch victory with 56.5 seconds remaining.
1 2 3 4 F
Ada 7 7 0 0 14
Carey 0 0 0 7 7
Notes and stats
Unofficially, Jackson rushed 17 times for 60 yards and completed eight of 19 passes for 81 yards with one TD and two interceptions. He also had two big punt returns for 88 more yards, picked off a pass and made one game-changing hit.
Weber caught four aerials for 42 yards while Baker hauled in a pair of passes for 31 yards and one score. McBride hauled in one pass for six yards and Jolliff added one catch for two yards. Tyler Simmons added 21 yards rushing on four carries.
Norden rushed for 166 yards on 32 carries but coughed up two key fumbles. Brodman ran 11 times for 81 yards before being knocked out by Jackson, but had a very costly fumbled inside the Ada 10. Strahm added 80 yards on one carry and snared one pass for 10 yards. Phoenix caught two of the three passes Carey completed for 31 yards.
The Devils ran the ball 55 times for 338 yards and added 41 yards through the air for 379 total yards on 68 plays, compared to 162 yards on just 43 plays for the Bulldogs. Ada had 81 yards rushing and passing but won the important special teams and turnover battles.
Carey also hurt itself by being assessed five times for 55 yards in penalties, costing them good field position three times.
At the half, the Devils had run 42 plays to just 18 by the Bulldogs and possessed the ball for 18:31 compared to just 5:29 by the second-seeded Adaites. In the second half things evened out more as third-seeded Carey ran 26 plays to 25 by the Bulldogs.
Thus the Devils out-gained Ada 186-108 in the first half, including 169-65 on the ground. But the big plays by Jackson: two fine punt returns, a long TD run and a classy scoring aerial keyed an opportunistic if sparse offense. Combined with two very costly Devil fumbles and penalties and the all-important goal line stand, Ada managed to stay in front 14-0 at the break.
The fourth down stop at the goal line was the only time in their four fourth down tries in the first half that Carey failed to convert.
The 14 points Ada tallied was the first time the Bulldogs were held under 31 points all season. They average 46.9 ppg and allow just 14.9, having outscored their opponents 563-179. The Devil defense came in allowing under seven points per outing and kept Ada scoreless in consecutive periods for the first time all year. Mike Dennis, a 6-7, 275-pound Carey two-way lineman, will attend Michigan State next year to play football.
The Devils had four scoreless drives averaging over four minutes which totaled close to 300 yards yet remained point-less. Both Ada TDs came on one-play possessions starting in Carey territory following a fumble and a long punt return.
Rematch with Blue Jays in state quarterfinals
For the second season in a row, the Bulldogs start out 12-0 and meet Delphos St. John's in the region 22 championship game Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Donnell Stadium. Ada has won 24 of its last 25 games and triumphed in seven of their last nine playoff games under coach Mike Fell over the last three seasons. The Bulldogs are 40-10 in his four-season tenure and are 7-4 all-time in post-season play.
DSJ raced to a 28-0 halftime lead over BVC champion Leipsic Saturday night and rolled over the Vikings 34-7 in Lima. Versatile Blue Jay QB Wes Ulm completed all eight of his passes for 127 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 69 yards on eight rushes. Jordan Leininger netted 106 yards rushing on 22 tries as DSJ rolled up 298 of its 425 total yards on the ground. The Jay defense held Leipsic to just 158 total yards.
The Blue Jays also eliminated Leipsic (10-2) in the second round of the 1994 playoffs in the Vikes' only other post-season appearance.
DSJ is making its 12th playoff showing with four state titles. Ada is in its fifth post-season with a semifinal appearance in 2007 as their deepest run. The 'Dogs fell 41-38 to eventual state runner-up Hopewell-Loudon that fall. The Jays beat the Bulldogs 38-28 last November in the regional finals at Findlay.
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