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Dragons trounce Lancers in playoff opener

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons passed their first test of the Section 3A Football Playoffs Tuesday night in Adrian.Taking on No. 8 Canby in a quarterfinal-round clash, the top-seeded Dragons scored 33 first-half points and rolled to a 39-8 victory over the Lancers.The win allows the 9-0 Dragons to host another playoff game at 3 p.m. Saturday. Adrian plays fourth-seeded Fulda, which beat No. 5 Minneota 36-20 Tuesday in the semifinals.Adrian had little trouble in disposing of the Lancers by 31 points in the playoff opener.Senior quarterback Levi Bullerman threw for three touchdown passes and ran for another, and tailback Billy Anderson ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns to highlight the victory.With the offensive line leading the way, Adrian scored on five consecutive possessions in the first half to pave the way to a convincing win."We executed well," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "Our line gave us some time to pass, it opened some holes and the kids ran hard. Any time you score on five straight possessions is pretty good production."The Dragons lost a fumble during its first offensive possession before scoring touchdowns the next five times they controlled the ball.Adrian’s second possession of the game turned into an eight-play, 51-yard drive that ended with Bullerman scoring on a five-yard run at the 8:01 mark of the first quarter. Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 7-0 game.The Dragons marched 63 yards in six plays during its third possession. The drive ended with Bullerman tossing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Brett Block with 2:08 left in the opening period to make the difference 13-0.Adrian mounted a six-play, 90-yard drive early in the second quarter, with Bullerman throwing a 33-yard touchdown strike to Cody Reverts at the 8:22 mark of the stanza. A failed conversion pass left the Dragons sporting a 19-0 lead.Anderson capped Adrian’s fourth consecutive scoring drive with a 10-yard run with 2:56 remaining in the second quarter. After the eight-play, 52-yard drive, Bullerman added the extra point to make it a 26-0 game.Adrian got the ball back moments later and drove 69 yards with Bullerman throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Tony Sauer with 14 seconds left in the first half. Another extra point by Bullerman made it a 33-point difference.Adrian’s streak of scoring touchdowns with consecutive possessions ended during their first offensive series in the second half, but the Dragons found the end zone again with their second possession of the third quarter.Anderson picked up all 41 yards of a two-play possession that ended with him dashing 35 yards for a score to make it a 39-0 game.Canby capped the scoring at the 5:42 mark of the third quarter, when Josh Snortum scored on a 78-yard run before carrying in the two-point conversion.Team statisticsAdrian: 300 rushing yards, 132 passing yards, 432 total yards, 19 first downs, seven penalties for 55 yards, three turnovers.Canby: 130 rushing yards, 47 passing yards, 177 total yards, eight first downs, eight penalties for 55 yards, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 23-110, Bullerman 5-28, Jory Haken 2-29, Sauer 6-68, Brandon Diekmann 7-44, Glen Kruger 1-7, Reid Strand 1-1, Tyler Vaske 1-3.Passing: Bullerman 5-10 for 132 yards.Receiving: Block 2-76, Sauer 1-5, Anderson 1-10, Cody Reverts 2-41.Defense: Clint Metz eight tackles, Sauer eight tackles and one interception, Will Lutmer 11 tackles, Block one interception.

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