LUCAS, Ohio — The McComb scouts in the stands at last week’s Division VII, Region 24 semifinal must have thought they took a wrong turn on their way to Bellevue’s National Bank Field.
The team wearing the metallic orange helmets couldn’t possibly be from Lucas.
The Cubs they heard about ran the ball 90 percent of the time out of a double wing formation that harkened back to the early days of the game.
The Lucas squad lined up opposite Tiffin Calvert operated out of a shotgun set and deployed four receivers at a time. The quarterback stood tall in the pocket and confidently orchestrated the passing attack, not at all what would be expected from a team whose calling card is turning the line of scrimmage into a rugby scrum and inching its way down the field four or five yards at a time.
When those same scouts filed out of the stadium after Lucas’ 44-35 win, they must have been scratching their heads. The third-seeded Cubs (11-1) had given No. 1 seed McComb (11-1) plenty to think about in advance of Friday’s regional championship game at Tiffin’s Frost-Kalnow Stadium.
“We’re a run-first team. That’s our philosophy and we’re not going to apologize for it. That’s why we’re here, because we run the football,” Lucas coach Scott Spitler said after Friday’s win. “But we spend an inordinate amount of time in practice on our passing game so that when we need it, we can go to it — and it showed tonight.”
Lucas quarterback Rueben Luna completed 19 of 30 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown. Two incompletions came at the end of the first half, when he intentionally spiked the ball to stop the clock. He completed passes to no fewer than five receivers.
“We prepare all week in practice. I do extra by myself just to prepare for this kind of stuff,” Luna said. “All our wide receivers did a great job. Our O-line did a fantastic job blocking as far as I’m concerned.”
McComb won the 12-team Blanchard Valley Conference title in overwhelming fashion. The Panthers surrendered eight or fewer points eight straight weeks from Week 2 to Week 9 and had five shutouts during the stretch. McComb’s only loss came in Week 1 against four-time defending state champ Marion Local.
The Panthers, who were ranked fourth in Division VII in the final Associated Press state poll, have had their hands full this postseason. McComb scored the game-winning touchdown in the final 1:30 to avoid a monumental upset against No. 8 seed Convoy Crestview in a 27-26 win in the opening round, then rallied from a 12-7 halftime deficit in last week’s regional semifinal against No. 4 Leipsic for a 35-12 win. Running back Jake Crouse rushed for 113 of his 170 yards after halftime and scored three touchdowns, while quarterback Malachi Abbott was 10-of-14 for 108 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 75 yards.
Spitler is looking forward to the challenge.
“We’re going to let it all hang out,” Spitler said. “The pressure is on them, they’re the number one seed. We’re going to approach it like we do every week.”
