Lucas trips McDonald in OT playoff thriller

LUCAS — Logan Niswander found himself in perfect position on Saturday night, at just the right time, twice.

The Lucas senior had man-to-man coverage responsibility on McDonald tight end Riley Lewis for the make-or-break two-point conversion pass in overtime.

It was the Cubs’ quarterback that got his team to this point in the first place, scoring on a fourth-and-one sneak with 3:45 remaining in the game to force the extra session. That marked his first chance in the right place at the right time.

Now here he was, as a safety on defense, with an opportunity to clinch the game.

Niswander did precisely that. As the Blue Devils’ pass floated in the air toward Lewis, Niswander smartly broke on the ball and knocked it down to give Lucas a thrilling, 21-20 overtime victory in the Division VII playoff opener.

“It was man coverage and we were in an all-out blitz,” Niswander explained. “They ran a little slant across. The only way (Lewis) was going to catch it was to go through me.

“Then I heard the crowd. It was just unbelievable.”

Lucas coach Scott Spitler said there’s a reason Niswander is a captain.

“Big-time players make big-time plays, and he really stepped up for us,” Spitler said. “This is playoff football, two heavyweights going at each other for 15 rounds.

“It’s not like the regular season, you get up by 40 points on somebody and coast. They earned the right to be here, too.”

Indeed. McDonald (6-5) was the 7th seed in Region 25, and considered a decided underdog to the second-seeded Cubs (9-2). It seemed to play out that way in the first half, at least on the field, but Lucas could not pull away on the scoreboard.

“They’re tough to stop, but our defense rose to the occasion,” Blue Devils coach Dan Williams said. “They just made one more play than we did.

“This one’s going to sting, to lose in overtime in the playoffs, we played well enough to win. This one hurts.”

Lucas dominated the first two quarters, and took a 7-0 first-period lead on Tommy Zirzow’s 1-yard plunge. McDonald helped that 57-yard march by committing a pair of 15-yard penalties on third-down situations.

But the Blue Devils answered on quarterback Dominic Schadl’s 37-yard TD bolt at the 11:41 mark of the half. That drive also got a boost when Lucas was flagged for a 15-yard penalty.

Despite a 2-1 yardage advantage, and a huge edge in plays and time of possession, the Cubs were stuck in a struggle.

“We just had to stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Spitler said.

It got worse in second half.

The Cubs were tagged for 100 yards on seven penalties, and couldn’t get out of their own way. McDonald took advantage, too, and moved on top with just 8:10 remaining in the game on Schadl’s 2-yard plunge to make it 14-7.

Yet another penalty wiped out Carson Hauger’s 60-yard kickoff return on the ensuing boot. That infraction could’ve sealed the Cubs’ fate. It pinned Lucas at its own 10, with a seven-point deficit and just eight minutes remaining in the game.

Yet that’s when the Cubs showed their mettle.

Niswander’s 43-yard tight-end screen to Riley Mounts was the key play. Ethan Sauder rumbled 22 yards on the next snap, and Niswander finished the incredibly clutch, 10-play, 90-yard march. Jaden Walter’s PAT tied it.

“That’s the result of the schedule we play,” Spitler said of his team’s iron will.

Lucas got the ball first in OT, and took just three plays to score. Sauder did the honors on a nine-yard blast, and again Walter’s placement was true to make it 21-14.

The Blue Devils needed only three plays on their turn as well, set up by senior Cameron Tucker’s spectacular 18-yard, tackle-busting run to reach the 1. Schadl scored his third TD on the next play.

At that point, Williams called timeout and decided to go for two and the victory.

“We just couldn’t stop them and the kids wanted to go for the win,” Williams said. “We ran a crossing route and wanted to bring the tight end underneath.

“Their safety made a heckuva play.”

The result sends Lucas into the regional semifinals against sixth-seeded Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas, a 35-0 winner at No. 3-seed Toronto on Saturday night. The location of the Sweet 16 game will be announced by the Ohio High School Athletics Association on Sunday afternoon.

“I imagined a night like this in my final game here,” Niswander said.

STAT STUFF: Lucas enjoyed a statistical advantage over the Blue Devils in nearly every category.

The Cubs had 18 first downs to 10 for McDonald, and outgained the visitors rushing (293-223), passing (59 to -3) and in total offense (352 to 220).

Unfortunately, Lucas also had 100 yards in penalties, to just 55 for the Blue Devils. Neither team suffered a turnover, although each fumbled four times.

Sauder led the Cubs’ offense with 142 yards rushing on 22 carries, while Zirzow added 128 yards on 27 attempts.

“They are like our thunder and lightning,” Spitler said.

Schadl ran for 114 yards on 29 carries for McDonald. Tucker chipped in 108 yards on eight attempts.

“They had some War Daddies on that team,” Spitler said. “They’ll be back.”