Ada lights Madill up for 63 points in road win
Oct. 10—The Ada High football team scored just about every way imaginable en route to a remarkable 63-14 road win over Madill Friday night at Blake Smiley Field.
The fifth-ranked Cougars stayed unbeaten at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in District 4A-4 play. Madill is heading in the opposite direction as the Wildcats dropped to 0-6 and 0-3. The Cougars now travel to Stilwell Thursday night for a Week 7 fall break matchup with the Indians.
Those 63 points were a sight for sore eyes for both the Ada coaching staff and Cougar fans alike. Ada had scored just seven total points in each of its previous two victories over Sallisaw and Hilldale.
"It feels a lot better. Putting 63 points on the board after going 7 and 7 the last two weeks — that was a good statement for us offensively. And we're fixing to start getting healthier, so that's exciting to be getting some guys back," Ada head coach Brad O'Steen told The Ada News following the game.
The Cougars piled up 424 yards of total offense in the contest — 172 on the ground and 252 through the air.
"We're very multiple but at the same time, it's kind of simplistic because we have a lot of flavors of the same play," O'Steen said.
The big negative from the blowout pointed out by Ada's veteran coach was penalties. The Cougars were flagged 13 times for 125 yards. O'Steen hinted that all those infractions were not his players' fault.
"We have to clean up some penalties. That's the biggest thing I'm concerned about right now," he said. "Some of it I questioned the calls the officials were making, but at the same time, it's like we tell the kids. You're on the road and you have to be able to handle things like that. You're not always going to get calls that go your way you just have to keep battling and line up and play the next down."
The Wildcats scored two touchdowns but after reviewing the game film, they probably only deserved one. Madill standout Caden McHatton returned a punt down the left sideline 69 yards for a touchdown that electrified the home fans and got the Wildcats within 21-7 with just under seven minutes left in the second period.
However, it appeared that McHatten quickly used his right hand to signal for a fair catch just moments before the ball arrived but changed his mind after making the catch.
O'Steen said his players came off the field and also thought he had called for a fair catch, so they slowed down before getting to the Madill playmaker.
"Some of the coaches said it showed on video that he signaled to fair catch it. That's what the players were saying. That was kind of a cheap touchdown they got," O'Steen said.
Ada senior Xander Rhynes had a day that any fantasy football owner would be proud of. At tailback, he rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries and scored four touchdowns. As a bonus, he grabbed an interception on defense.
"Xander had a big night on both sides of the football. He ran the football really well and scored four times. I'm also proud of our blocking as a team," O'Steen said. "Xander made some big plays on defense and had a big interception on defense. I'm really proud of him."
Rhynes scored on touchdown runs of 13 and 20 yards to open the Ada scoring and when Deante Lindsay hauled in a 22-yard TD pass from quarterback Brock Boyles, the Cougars led 21-0 at the 11:53 mark of the second period.
Following the McHatton punt return, Case Stafford turned a short pass into a 48-yard touchdown after Madill defender Miguel Fajardo gambled and attempted an interception, setting the Ada receiver free for the long score.
That put Ada on top 28-7 at the 3:07 mark of the second quarter.
On Madill's next play, Ada sophomore Eli Justus recovered a fumble and Ada used the short field to score just before halftime. A 29-yard toss from Boyles to eight end Cord Coffee set up a 1-yard TD run by Rhynes and Ada led 35-7 at the break.
Ada kicker Caden Mitchell finished 9-for-9 on PAT kicks in the contest.
Madill strung together a nice 10-play, 70-yard scoring play to open the third quarter. That drive was finished off with a Fajardo 9-yard touchdown reception on a pass flung by MHS quarterback Eli Vinson. That trimmed the Ada lead to 35-14 at the 6:28 mark of the third period.
The Cougars responded with a long drive of their own, capped by Rhynes' fourth touchdown run of the night — this one from 8 yards out — and Ada led 42-14 with 1:46 remaining in the third period.
The Ada coaching staff reached into its bag of tricks early in the fourth when — while lining up in the Wildcat formation — Fisher Marr took a direct snap and dumped a 7-yard TD toss to Coffee. That score put Ada ahead 49-14 with 8:49 to play.
The offense wouldn't score again but Ada still tacked on two more touchdowns. The first came on a 43-yard fumble return for a TD by Camariee Richardson. Ada then closed out the scoring when Kolten Carlock blocked a punt and Justus scooped it up and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.
Boyles had a strong night for the Cougars. He completed 17-of-20 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His top receivers included Stafford with five catches for 73 yards, Lakievin Richardson with three catches for 62 yards, Coffee, who hauled in four receptions for 54 yards and Lindsay who had three grabs for 32 yards.
Linebacker George Maddox led the Ada defensive charge with 10 tackles and Marr followed with nine, including one for a three-yard loss. Carlock was next with six defensive stops.
