LUCAS — When opportunity knocked, Plymouth kicked down the door. The Big Red’s ball-hawking defense forced four Lucas turnovers and Plymouth’s prolific offense scored a touchdown after each miscue in a 40-22 win Friday at Bob Wine Field.
“We knew we had to force mistakes on these guys because they are such an outstanding ball-control team,” Plymouth coach Mark Genders said. “We practiced going after the football. Every time you play a team like that with ball carriers who are always giving that extra effort and trying to pick up an extra yard, there are going to be chances to pry the ball loose.”
Plymouth’s two first-quarter touchdowns came after fumble recoveries. Running back Chance Butcher scored on a 4 yard run and quarterback Hunter Bailey hooked up with wideout Tyrell Edmiston for a 67 yard scoring strike.
Lucas trailed 21-7 at halftime but cut Plymouth’s advantage to 21-14 midway through the third quarter on Mason Galco’s second scoring run of the evening.
Plymouth responded with three unanswered touchdowns — two more coming off turnovers — in the final five minutes of the third quarter.
“They really focus on putting together eight-minute drives and wearing us out,” said Bailey, who completed 7 of 10 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. “When we get a turnover and capitalize on it, it’s really important.”
The Cubs piled up 304 yards on the ground and picked up 21 first downs, but couldn’t overcome their own mistakes.
“We’ve got to protect the football,” Lucas coach Scott Spitler said. “A couple of those fumbles came when guys were fighting for extra yards. I liked the effort, but we have to get better ball security.”
Hard to handle: At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Edmiston has the size Division I college football coaches covet. He is deceptively fast, can out-jump just about any defensive back he encounters and has sure hands.
“He is a match-up nightmare,” Spitler said. “He’s big and strong and athletic and he can really run. You don’t see a lot of kids like that around.”
Edmiston caught five passes for 159 yards and two scores. He added a 27 yard catch and run for a TD in the third quarter.
“He’s a freak,” Bailey said of his favorite target. “The first touchdown was what we call a go get ’em ball. I just laid it out there and he was able to go get it.”
A college basketball scout came to see Edmiston play Friday. The senior said he is leaning toward playing football in college, but hasn’t made any decisions yet.
“I’d say it’s 60-40 in favor of football,” Edmiston said.
Jaw-dropper: Butcher ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. His 62 yard scoring run late in the third quarter came on the first play after a Lucas fumble and gave the Big Red a 33-14 advantage.
“That was one of the best runs I’ve seen in a long time,” Genders said. “He wouldn’t go down.”
Butcher was hit several times, but spun off one would-be tackler after another like a top. He eventually broke into the clear down the far sideline and raced to the end zone.
“It all starts up front with our linemen,” Butcher said. “I saw an opening and just hit it.”
Butcher was walking with a noticeable limp after the game.
“It’s just an ankle sprain,” he said. “I’ll be all right.”
Short-handed: The Big Red piled up 264 yards on the ground and did it without the services of seniors Tyson Beebe and Devin Ramey.
“We had two starting running backs out with injuries,” Genders said. “They are both senior starters, but we had some other guys step in and they got the job done.”
Ready to challenge: Plymouth has never qualified for the playoffs and hasn’t won a Firelands Conference championship since 1983. Bailey said the Big Red are ready to take the next step.
“It’s always our goal to win a conference championship,” Bailey said. “If we make some adjustments here and there, we can play with anybody.
“We’re missing a couple key guys right now, but we have better depth this year.”
