NEW PHILADELPHIA – The Ashland High School offense continued to sputter Friday night in the Arrows’ Ohio Cardinal Conference opener at New Philadelphia, a 28-0 loss.
Ashland (2-2, 0-1 OCC) forced four turnovers in the game, gathering a pair of fumbles and also receiving two interceptions from Tyler Sauder.
But a week after scoring just three second-half points in a 27-23 loss at Buckeye Valley, the Arrows could not get any momentum offensively.
It was the first time Ashland (2-2, 0-1) has been shut out in an OCC game since a 21-0 loss to Orrville in 2008, and it came against a Quaker squad (3-1, 1-0) that could threaten for the OCC crown.
The Arrows managed just 161 yards of offense, with a good chunk of that coming on an early 20-yard reception from Cayden Spotts (66 yards of offense) and a 21-yard catch from Austin Downing.
Ashland sophomore quarterback Nathan Bernhard was 15-of-25 through the air for 105 yards, throwing an interception in the fourth quarter.
It was the first game this season for the Arrows that wasn’t decided by one possession, as the Quakers notched a pair of touchdowns in both the first and fourth quarters.
New Philly quarterback Keaton Fausel was 16-of-20 for 130 yards and a touchdown passing while running back Etnie Richardson was the game’s offensive MVP, carrying the ball 29 times for 222 yards and three scores. His last carry was a 78-yard touchdown late in the fourth period.
The Quakers are now riding a six-game win streak at home, while Ashland fell to 0-2 on the road.
The Arrows are one of five OCC teams with a 2-2 record through Week 4 while New Philly carries the league’s best overall mark at 3-1.
Ashland will complete a three-week stretch of games on the road next week when they travel to Mount Vernon (1-3, 0-1), which lost Friday to Lexington, 31-17.
