Ada, P-G spread offenses battle in Division VI playoffs

ADA - After taking the head coaching job at Ada, Mike Fell went to Destin, Fla., to attend a workshop on a new spread offense. He knew the players coming up through the school would flourish in the system.

The novelty of the offense had to impress him. Not many small schools in Ohio average more than 30 pass attempts per game. And up through last week, the Bulldogs hadn't met a team like the one they see in practice every day.

That is, until Friday.

For the first time in a while, Ada will meet another potent spread offense in Pandora-Gilboa. The two hook up in a Division VI regional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bath Stadium.

After beating Hilltop 56-8 in a Division VI regional quarterfinal, Ada coach Mike Fell said it wasn't an exact match, but it was close enough.

"I think Pandora is real similar to us," Fell said. "They have excellent skill people. Their quarterback does a nice job; Maag has some wheels and he throws the ball well. They're a little different offense, but they have the skill guys and it's going to be a real challenge for us."

Both teams score points easily (Ada averages 42 to P-G's 33.1) with multifaceted quarterbacks (Mitchell Faine of Ada and Sam Maag of P-G) and underrated running games. Both teams can play defense; Ada gives up 10.7 points while P-G yields 14.8.

Faine has completed 237 of 332 passes for 3,329 yards and 33 touchdowns, with only four interceptions. Four receivers - Kyle Baker, Heath Jackson, Alex Weber and Colby Dysert - have caught 191 passes for 2,706 yards and 30 scores.

Faine also leads the Bulldogs with 559 rushing yards and 14 TDs.

According to P-G coach Carey Arthur, the biggest difference is philosophy. While Ada relies on the pass, the Rockets try to run the ball first.

During P-G's regular season, Maag was 122-for-233 with 23 TDs and 1,694 yards; he also had 306 rushing yards and another nine scores. Nathan Lee had 450 rushing yards and D.J. Geiger, who rushed for 77 yards last week, had 297.

Josh Lee, a 6-foot-5 junior receiver, has 49 grabs for 726 yards and nine TDs.

"The nice thing about Josh is he's our hardest hitter," Arthur said. "It's not just that he's fast, he's tall and he has good hands, but he can also play at a more physical level than a typical high school receiver."

Like Ada, the Rockets (10-1) started the playoffs with a bang, beating Mount Blanchard Riverdale, 49-0. While the offense churned out only 202 yards, it didn't need to do much. The defense came up with eight turnovers, including a 70-yard interception return for a score by Kyle Hall.

In 11 games, P-G has forced 32 turnovers, for a turnover margin of plus-21.

"What we tried to do from Day 1 is hang our hat on being very physical defensively," Arthur said.

The Bulldogs (11-0) won their first eight games by an average 35 points. The last two games of the regular season, Delphos Jefferson and Lima Central Catholic, were the tests.

The one blemish on P-G's record is a 46-0 loss to Liberty-Benton in Week 9. The Eagles are playing in a Division V regional semifinal Saturday.

"I would never say it's an experience I want to go through, but (the loss to L-B) was a wake-up call and probably something we needed to have happen," Arthur said.