[Tomcat68]

Ashland played a very good, but very sloppy game at the same time.

The offense marched up and down the field with ease most of the game, but was constantly trying to overcome penalties which will kill them against a good team. There was one point in the game that Ashland committed 4 holding penalties over a course of 5 plays which negated a first half touchdown.

Defensively, Ashland swarmed to the ball very well but allowed some TDs that could have been prevented if not for some bad breaks. The first Montgomery TD was off of a deflected pass that bounced off players about 10 yards upfield into the hands of an unintended Indians player who took it the rest of the way for a TD. The 2nd Montgomery TD was the result of a 91 yard rush on the first play of their offensive series after Ashland turned the ball over at the Montgomery 9 after committing 3 holding penalties inside the 10 yard line. The 3rd Montgomery County TD came after the opening kickoff that Ashland fumbled giving Montgomery a very short field to work with when they went for a 4th and 6 inside the 20 and completed a pass to the flats that went for the TD. The last Montgomery County TD came after the game had been decided and was a tossup into the endzone where a Montgomery County player came down with the ball surrounded by numerous Ashland players.

It was a sloppy game, but Ashland also played well. They will have to eliminate penalties and not allow the big play to really be able to contend against the powers of the district.

Montgomery County doesn't have a great team, but they were very sound fundamentally. They were easily the best tackling and hardest hitting team Ashland has faced all season.