LUCAS, Ohio — It was a night for firsts and lasts at Lucas High School on Friday.
It was the first home playoff game ever at Bob Wine Field. It was also the last game at their home stadium for the Lucas seniors, who carried the day in a resounding 51-6 beating of West Unity Hilltop in a Division VII, Region 24 quarterfinal game.
“Some of the seniors talked about it today, being our last game here,” senior quarterback Rueben Luna said. “It’s kind of sad in a way, but that’s the best way to go out, winning a playoff game.
“It’s not over for us yet. I’m definitely not ready for it to be over yet.”
Piloting the Offense: Luna orchestrated an efficient offense that scored on its first eight possessions. In fact, the only time the third-seeded Cubs (10-1) didn’t score was on their final possession, with reserves on the field.
“It was nice for us to turn Rueben Luna loose,” Cubs’ coach Scott Spitler said. “Everyone knows about Mason Galco, and keys on Mason. This gives them something else to think about. They need to prepare for Rueben Luna, too.”
The Lucas signal-caller ran 10 times for 92 yards, scored on TD plunges of 5 and 3 yards, and booted a 32-yard field goal.
Galco got his, too. The 5-foot-10, 184-pound workhorse ripped off 239 yards on 24 carries and scored a whopping five touchdowns from 22, 49, 2, 4 and 2 yards.
His best run of the night was the 49-yard TD dash. The galloping Galco followed his beefy line to the right side, reversed field, got caught in a scrum, emerged from it, nearly lost his balance while dancing through the secondary, regained his feet and sped away for a stunning score.
“They’re up front is just tremendous,” Hilltop coach Andy Bentley said. “Their guy was hopping over us.”
Quick Start: Lucas won the toss, took the opening kickoff, scored on Galco’s 22-yard jaunt to cap the first drive, and never looked back. The sixth-seeded Cadets (6-5), moved the ball, but could not convert in the red zone, Also, with just 19 players dressed, they were simply no match for the bigger Cubs.
“We just had to be us. That’s who we are,” Spitler said. “I thought we had an advantage up front. We had to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and we did that.”
Lucas led 21-0 after the first quarter, 38-0 at the half, and played the final two periods with a running clock. A 45-0 lead in the third period turned into a 51-0 advantage in the fourth.
Hilltop’s lone score came on its final possession against the Lucas reserves. A pair of 15-yard penalties fueled a drive and the Cadets scored on the final play of the game, an 11-yard sweep by Tyler Suboski, to avert the shutout.
Civic Pride: After the game, nearly half the stands emptied onto the field as the Lucas players posed for photos under the scoreboard. The final score remained lit and fireworks exploded overhead. It was truly an event for the entire village.
“I’m extremely proud of our community,” Spitler said. “Look how many people were here tonight, and it makes a difference to our kids.
“You watch, next week we’ll have just as many people there, no matter where we go.”
Next weekend’s site will be determined on Sunday by the Ohio High School Athletics Association. The Cubs will battle seventh-seeded Tiffin Calvert. The Senecas (6-5) upset second-seeded Hicksville (8-3) in a 42-35 double-overtime thriller.
