MADISON TOWNSHIP — The Ashland football team has found its stride, and on Friday night the Arrows stepped over Madison 49-14 in an Ohio Cardinal Conference clash at Ram Field.
“We feel like we have a special team and a special defense,” coach Sean Seder said. “I’m happy with where we’re at.
“If we execute and don’t turn it over, we’re going to give ourselves a chance.”
That recipe was in a full boil against the Rams.
The Arrows scored touchdowns on all but one first-half possession, and returned a blocked punt for another score to open a 35-7 halftime bulge.
Junior quarterback Luke Bryant finished 19-of-26 passing for 283 yards and four touchdowns. His receivers put up big numbers, too. Senior Jonathan Metzger caught four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Landon McFrederick had six catches for 78 yards.
“(Bryant) had a good night tonight,” Seder said. “He was executing at a high level.”
Ashland (4-2 overall, 2-1 in the OCC) broke on top 7-0 when Bryant engineered an 80-yard march on his team’s first possession. He completed it by tossing a 25-yard touchdown pass that was deflected and caught by Metzger along the back line.
Moments later, Ashland broke through to block a punt and freshman Gunner Lacey scooped it up and returned it 45 yards for a TD to give the Arrows a 14-0 bulge.
At that point, Madison (0-6, 0-3) countered by turning to senior Hunter Hutcheson.
The state wrestling standout played quarterback last year, and was re-inserted at the position to try and give his team a spark. He did exactly that by carrying seven straight times and eventually scoring from 3 yards out on a 54-yard drive. That made it 14-7 with 9:59 to play in the second period.
“Hunter really runs our defense and he was the quarterback last year,” said Rams’ coach Scott Valentine, formerly the longtime boss at Ashland. “He’s a champion wrestler, and a great leader. We’re at the halfway point of the season and the kids look up to him.”
But the rest of the half belonged to Ashland.
Cayden Spots capped an 8-play 72-yard march with a 2-yard TD plunge to push the margin to 20-7.
Bryant and Metzger hooked up again, this time on a 59-yard touchdown pass, and the two-point conversion made it 28-7 with 1:31 remaining in the second quarter.
Then, after the Arrows’ defense forced a quick three-and-out, Ashland finished the barrage when Spotts scooted in from a yard away with 1 second showing before intermission to push the gap to 35-7 at intermission.
Ashland triggered a running clock on its second drive of the second half. Bryant fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to Grayson Steury to make it 42-7 with 6:56 showing in the third quarter. An 8-yard scoring pass to Gabe Baith was the final blow for the Arrows.
Madison struck back for its lone score of the second half when Grayson Sasis picked off a pass and went 40 yards for a touchdown in the final period.
“I told the kids as long as they keep working hard, and they have been, (the coaching staff) is going to keep working hard and figuring out how to get it done,” Valentine said.
Hutcheson finished with 70 yards on 15 carries, providing a bright spot for the Rams.
Meanwhile, Spotts had 14 carries for 69 yards to pace the Arrows’ ground game.
Both teams continue OCC play next week. Mansfield Senior travels to Ashland on Friday night, while Madison plays host to New Philadelphia.
