Ellis Ewing and his teammates were devastated by last year's 6-4 finish. Adrian athletics photo

Ellis Ewing turned in an impressive performance on Saturday night in Adrian’s 23-6 win over Benedictine.

The senior defensive back picked off a career-best three passes on a night when the Bulldogs forced seven turnovers, the most in a game since 1992.

Ewing, however, is quick to deflect credit. For a player who is one of the best in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the senior is humble.

“Honestly, the defensive line just did a great job of getting pressure on the quarterback and I happened to be at the right place at the right time to make plays,” Ewing said “We were prepared as a defense and we all did our jobs. My teammates deserve a lot of credit.”

Ewing was a first-team All-MIAA selection a year ago as he racked up 34 tackles. He has 14 tackles this season. Adrian coach Jim Deere isn’t surprised.

“We watch him every day in practice. We know he is a pretty special player,” Deere said. “He has tremendous ability and does a great job of making plays.”

Ewing hails from Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. Like most players, it took him time to make an impact at the college level.

He made only one tackle as a freshman but raised his total to 14 the next year as he started four of the 10 games he played in. The Bulldogs won an MIAA title that year and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs. They were bounced in the opening round by Franklin.

Adrian didn’t make it back last season as it finished 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA.

“It was devastating to have that kind of season,” Ewing said. “We felt like we had a great football team, but we didn’t get the job done. This year, we are much more hungry. We want to leave it all on the field every week.”

Still, for Ewing, last season was a big one in terms of his growth as a player. He credits his steady rise to his work ethic.

“A lot of hard work has gone into getting to where I am now,” Ewing said. “I’ve come a long way as a player. I’m glad I’ve gotten to a point where I am able to have an impact on a game.”

But he isn't satisfied.

“I feel like there is always something I can improve on,” Ewing said. “I’ve done a better job of play recognition and being a leader, but I continue to work hard at every part of my game. I want to be the best player I can be.”

Ewing has also learned to balance academics with athletics. He is an Exercise Science major with a minor in business.

“It’s tough sometimes, but you have to learn not to let football collide with school,” Ewing said. “Both require a lot of time and focus. You just have to learn to balance that time.”

Adrian is 3-0 through and has a bye this weekend. The Bulldogs average 393 yards and are led by quarterback Aaron Tenney, who has thrown for 661 yards and eight touchdowns.

Emmanuel Stewart has rushed for 259 yards and three scores while Nathan Hartline has been the top receiving threat, catching 16 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns.

In addition to Ewing, players such as Walker Davis (20 tackles), Jack Carter (18) and Damon Fuller (18) have helped pave the way for a defense that allows 184.3 yards per game.

“We’ve done what we are supposed to do up to this point, and we feel like we have a pretty good football team.,” Deere said. “The big thing for us is to continue to work at putting two good halves together. If we do that, I like our chances of being in contention for the title.”

Ewing is confident as well.

“We know what we are capable of if we stay focused and work hard,” Ewing said. “This is my last year. I want to make the most of every opportunity and enjoy it.”

Cardinals fly high

Otterbein nailed down its first win thanks to a strong air attack where 10 different receivers caught passes in a 20-0 Ohio Athletic Conference win over Marietta.

Brick Davis ran the show, completing 19 of his 27 passes for 177 yards. He threw one touchdown as the Cardinals won their first game.

Davis played in six games last year as a backup. This year he has completed 65.6 percent of his passes and has thrown for 328 yards. Davis has also rushed for a touchdown.

It helps that Davis has plenty of options. Eleven receivers have caught two or more passes for a passing attack that is averaging 164 yards per game.

Moore shines for Comets

Javon Moore stepped up big time for Olivet as it hammered Aurora 49-20 in a non-conference game. Moore racked up 13 tackles as Olivet held its second opponent to under 30 points and improved to 2-1.

Moore has tallied 32 tackles for an Olivet team that is allowing 385 yards per game. The Comets held Aurora to 269 yards.

Moore, a sophomore defensive back, is already ahead of where he was a year ago. He played in seven games last year and made two tackles. He is also a viable kickoff return threat this year, returning six kicks for 161 yards.

Gators end streak

It wasn’t easy, but Allegheny put an end to a long losing streak. The Gators overcame three deficits against Hiram  to earn a 24-21 win and snap an 11-game slide.

The Gators, who lost all 10 of their games last year and the opener this year, rolled up 449 yards and got a big lift from wide receiver Andrew Niklaus. The senior made nine catches for 163 yards, including a 63-yard grab on the game-winning drive, to highlight a career day.

His previous career highs were eight receptions and 113 yards.

Niklaus has come through with 15 catches on the year and has racked up 203 receiving yards. Niklaus is in his third season as a starter and is on his way to leading the Gators in receiving for the second consecutive season.

Wait is over

St. Vincent hasn’t had much luck lately, suffering through two consecutive winless seasons. But for the first time since the season finale against Bethany in 2011, the Bearcats won.

Morgan Porter’s three field goals helped lift St. Vincent to a 23-20 win over Case Western Reserve in its Presidents’ Athletic Conference opener at Chuck Noll Field. The win snapped a 23-game losing streak.

Shavonta Craft played a key role as well. He rushed for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and finished with 65 yards. Craft is only a sophomore and this is first season with the Bearcats. A year ago, he appeared in eight games with Division II West Liberty State and rushed for 111 yards.

In two games, Craft has rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns.

The win for the Bearcats is big after the season started out rough. St. Vincent was crushed 44-0 by nationally ranked John Carroll in its opener and lost 35-24 to Waynesburg last week.

Poll points

Third-ranked Mount Union opened OAC play in style with a 62-6 win over Muskingum. Roman Namdar had a big day, catching three passes for 76 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown reception….Hanging onto the football for more than 40 minutes and holding one of the nation’s best offenses to 259 yards, No. 8 John Carroll rocked No. 23 Heidelberg 43-16 in an OAC showdown. Mark Myers was 28-of-41 for 392 yards and four touchdowns in his first start of the year. Clay Staib returned an interception 100 yards for the Student Princes...Mason Zurek (112)  and Tyler Holmes (103) both rushed for over 100 yards and helped No. 12 Wabash roll to a 31-12 win over Denison in their North Coast Athletic Conference opener. Zurek scored two touchdowns in the win as well...Josh Bannick tallied 11 tackles and forced two fumbles as 18th-ranked Wittenberg topped DePauw 34-17 in its NCAC opener. Wittenberg forced seven turnovers….Down six at halftime, No. 20 Thomas More scored 45 unanswered points to blast Thiel 66-27 in its PAC opener. The win was the 61st career victory with the Saints for head coach Jim Hilvert, tying him for the most wins in program history.

CONTACT ME

Feel free to get in touch with me at anytime. You can email me or follow me on Twitter @BLester1993.