By John Rittenhouse
In a night when everything went right, the Adrian Dragon football team crushed Ortonville 76-6 in Adrian Wednesday, Oct. 16.
The Dragons had 11 offensive possessions on offense and scored 11 touchdowns in the contest.
After surrendering a touchdown to Ortonville during the Trojans’ second possession of the game, the AHS defense blanked the visitors over the final three quarters of the game.
When the game was complete, Adrian won its fourth consecutive game by a comfortable 70-point margin.
Revenge may have been on the minds of Adrian players Oct. 16, but no one could have predicted the way the game unfolded.
It was Ortonville that spoiled what was Adrian’s perfect regular season in 2001 by routing the Dragons 38-6 in the eighth week of the campaign.
An unbeaten season wasn’t on the line when Adrian played an Ortonville team that was ravaged by graduation last spring, but the Dragons did play with a sense of purpose.
"They ran one up on us last year," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "We did it this year, but they didn’t help their cause. They lost the ball on downs a couple of times, and our C team only had to drive 20 or 30 yards to score."
Adrian had the game well in hand before halftime.
A 14-point first quarter was followed by a 28-point eruption in the second period, leaving the Dragons with a 42-6 halftime cushion.
After stopping the Trojans on downs to start the game, Adrian drove 72 yards in nine plays with Levi Bullerman scoring on a 15-yard run at 6:54 of the first quarter. A pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete.
Ortonville bounced back to knot the score at six with its second possession. The Trojans moved the ball 60 yards in seven plays. Ross Randell tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ryley Sammon to cap the drive, but an unsuccessful run for a two-point conversion kept the game tied.
The Dragons scored 36 unanswered points to end the first half.
Brandon Wolf returned the kick following Ortonville’s touchdown 48 yards to the Trojan 32-yard line, setting up a 21-yard touchdown run by Dusty Henning two plays later. Henning carried in the conversion to make it a 14-6 game with 3:07 remaining in the first period.
Wolf then returned a punt 38 yards to the Ortonville 32 late in the first quarter. The return set up a 30-yard touchdown pass from Levi Bullerman to Brett Block eight seconds into the second quarter. Bullerman added the extra point for a 21-6 cushion.
Dragon Pete Hohn picked off a pass to end Ortonville’s next possession, and Adrian went on a 61-yard drive after the pick. Henning scored on a six-yard run at 9:49. Bullerman added the extra point.
Adrian put together a seven-play 55-yard drive with its next possession. Kruger capped the march with a five-yard touchdown run at 4:56. Bullerman’s kick made it a 35-6 difference.
After Adrian’s defense forced the Trojans to punt moments later, Henning returned the kick 65 yards for a score. Bullerman booted the extra point to make it a 42-6 game at the intermission.
The rout continued in the third quarter as Adrian scored 21 points to increase its lead to 63-6.
Adrian moved the ball 43 yards in three plays before fumbling in the end zone to start the second half. The fumble didn’t hurt AHS as Block recovered the loose ball for a touchdown at 10:36. Hohn carried in the two-point conversion for a 50-6 lead.
Dragon defender Casey Knips scooped up a Trojan fumble and returned to the Ortonville 10 moments later. Henning scored on a 10-yard run on the first play. Bullerman added the extra point.
Another Ortonville fumble was recovered by Adrian’s David Hoffer as the third period progressed, setting up a 13-play, 62-yard drive. Darren DeBeer scored on a one-yard plunge to cap the drive with nine seconds left in the third period.
Adrian stopped the Trojans on downs early in the fourth quarter before driving 40 yards in six plays. Nick Weidert scored on a five-yard run at 8:25 to make the difference 69-6.
Ortonville gave the ball up on downs at its own 29 moments later. Clint Metz scored from five yards out with 2:10 remaining, and Wolf added the extra point to cap the scoring.
"Ortonville was down a little bit this year, but we played well. Anytime you get the ball 11 times and score 11 times, you’re playing pretty well," Strand said.
Adrian ends the regular season with a 6-2 record.
Team statistics
Adrian: 384 rushing yards, 67 passing yards, 451 total yards, 21 first downs, one penalty for 15 yards, zero turnovers.
Ortonville: 100 rushing yards, 39 passing yards, 139 total yards, seven first downs, two penalties for 15 yards, three turnovers.
Individual statistics
Rushing: Henning 14-155, Kruger 5-22, L.Bullerman 4-35, Wolf 6-48, Trent Bullerman 4-36, Billy Anderson 6-37, Weidert 4-22, Hoffer 3-6, Hohn 1-3, Metz 3-5, Jory Harken 3-6, DeBeer 1-1.
Passing: L.Bullerman 2-2 for 67 yards.
Receiving: Block 1-30, Henning 1-37.
Defense: Kruger 15 tackles, Brady Hassebroek 10 tackles, Hohn one interception, Knips one fumble recovery, Hoffer one fumble recovery.