By John RittenhouseTwo-plus weeks of practice paid off for the Adrian Dragons during the 2004 football opener in Wells Friday.Taking Class 2A United South Central on its home turf, Adrian made an early statement by strolling to a 29-6 victory."We just played Adrian football," said Dragon coach Randy Strand. "We thought we might be able to surprise them by the way we got ready in the first two weeks of practice, and we did."The Dragons made some early noise when defender David Hoffer picked off a pass three plays into the game, setting up a three-play series that covered 66 yards and ended with the visitors sporting a 7-0 lead.A 42-yard pass from Levi Bullerman to Brett Block pushed the ball deep into USC territory on Adrian’s first play from scrimmage, and Billy Anderson scored on a three-yard run two plays later. Bullerman added the extra point at the 9:55 mark of the opening period.The Dragons doubled their lead (14-0) with a 14-play, 74-yard march during their second offensive possession.After Bullerman hit Anderson for a 12-yard pass completion to give AHS a key first down during a third-and-seven situation, Bullerman capped the march with a one-yard plunge on the first play of the second quarter. Bullerman then kicked his second extra point.Two big plays from Bullerman helped the Dragons open a 21-0 advantage with their third possession of the game.Bullerman returned a punt 39 yards to the USC 49-yard line, setting up an eight-play drive that ended with the senior quarterback tossing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Block with 5:59 remaining in the first half. Bullerman kicked his third straight extra point after the touchdown.Adrian’s near-perfect first half was tainted when the Dragons lost the ball on a fumble as the second quarter progressed. USC took advantage of the turnover by marching 62 yards in eight plays, with quarterback Josh Kauffman tossing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Adam Schrader to end the drive. A failed extra-point attempt ended the scoring in the first half with 47 seconds left in the second period.Adrian ended the scoring in the game in the third quarter after Block recovered a fumbled punt on the USC 27. Bullerman scored on a three-yard run five plays later before connecting with Cody Reverts for a successful two-point conversion toss."We were very surprised our offense looked good," Strand admitted. "Casey Knips (offensive and defensive lineman) made a lot of things happen for us. He opened some holes on offense, and plugged things up on defense."The Dragons entertain Ortonville for their home opener Friday.Team statisticsAdrian: 309 rushing yards, 74 passing yards, 383 total yards, 16 first downs, four penalties for 30 yards, three turnovers.USC: 88 rushing yards, 107 passing yards, 195 total yards, eight first downs, four penalties for 25 yards, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 37-165, Bullerman 13-73, Tony Sauer 8-31, Reverts 1-1, Jordan Brake 1-6, Clint Metz 3-20, Jory Haken 2-10, Nick Weidert 2-3.Passing: Bullerman 4-7 for 74 yards.Receiving: Block 2-59, Anderson 1-12, Reverts 1-3.Defense: Metz 12 tackles, Haken 11 tackles, Anderson one fumble recovery, Block one fumble recovery, Hoffer one interception.