LOUDONVILLE, Ohio — It’s a play Jackson Hauger and Jeb Grover have rehearsed hundreds of times, but the stakes were never higher than they were Friday.
Hauger hauled in a 5 yard touchdown pass from Grover with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Lucas survived Loudonville’s upset bid with a 33-27 win in the Mid-Buckeye Conference opener in Loudonville.
“I’ve known Jeb all my life. We grew up together and we probably have thrown that ball to each other a hundred times in the backyard,” Hauger said. “Jeb told me to get to the pylon and that’s what I did. It was executed really well.”
Frantic Finish: The last-second Lucas touchdown capped a wild fourth quarter that saw Loudonville (0-6, 0-1) take a 27-26 lead on sophomore quarterback Dylan Polen’s 5 yard touchdown run and Alec Bender’s PAT with 3:13 to play.
Lucas (5-1, 1-0) returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 31 and a 15 yard Loudonville penalty pushed it out to the 46. With time winding down, the Cubs methodically marched inside the Loudonville 10.
“We had plenty of chances to crumble,” Lucas coach Scott Spitler said. “I thought we could move the ball. I was a little concerned about the clock, but I felt good about being able to move the ball.”
A 2 yard Grover’ run on third and one from the Loudonville seven yard line game the Cubs a first down at the five with 20 seconds to go. On first down, the Cubs were flagged for illegal procedure but the penalty was waived off.
“It was our motion man. He was going in motion. Actually he was going to get the ball,” Spitler said. “We changed the play after that. The thinking there was if it’s incomplete, it’s stops the clock and we kick the field goal. We’re at the six yard line and that’s no different than an extra point even though that had been an adventure all night.”
Grover took the snap and rolled to his left before throwing back across his body to Hauger, who was all alone in the front corner of the end zone.
“They probably weren’t expecting that because we never really pass,” Hauger said. “We could have given up after we lost the lead, but we had enough heart to find a way to win.”
Offensive Stars: Grover had first-half touchdown runs of 32 and 83 yards and added a 22-yarder in the second half. Hauger had a 70 yard touchdown run in the first half.
“It’s kind of what we expect from them. They’re gamers,” Spitler said. “They want the ball in their hands. That’s why we call their number.
“I’ve got Grover going to Jackson (on the game-winner). That’s a good duo.”
Not to be outdone, Polen rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more.
No Quit: The youthful Redbirds — 23 of the 35 players on the roster are freshmen and sophomores — overcame deficits of 20-7 and 26-14.
“This group has really battled,” Loudonville coach Rick Rios said. “The hardest thing right now is personnel. We’re starting 17 or 18 underclassmen right now and most of them are freshmen or sophomores.
“The fact that they can battle and play with schedule and compete speaks volumes about them and how hard they’ve worked, but we’ve got to find a way to get over the top and finish.
