Lucas season ends the way it began — with the roar of its crowd

CANTON — Seconds after the Division VII state title game ended in a 28-6 loss Saturday, a roar rose up from the home stands at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

“LUCAS!! LUCAS!! LUCAS!!” was the battle cry that erupted as a loyal and loving fan base saluted its record-setting Cubs one final time in 2019.

No one should be surprised.

It was a deep-throated and thunderous reminder of the tight-knit bond that has grown between the orange-and-black football team and the fans that followed them faithfully during a postseason run that put the Cubs into the state finals for the first time in school history.

That love included the creation of a YouTube video of well-wishes from a myriad of Ohio sports star, including former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, and NFL linebacker A.J. Hawk.

No, the Cubs (12-3) didn’t defeat Marion Local (13-2), a perennial powerhouse from Mercer County, which claimed its 11th state football title since 2000, tying the state record set by Cleveland St. Ignatius.

The Flyers, who have been to the playoffs 22 times, have won 88 percent of their postseason games under coach Tim Goodwin, now 81-11 in those contests.

But the Cubs battled throughout the game, just as their coaches and fans knew they would. Goodwin admitted afterward the Cubs and their ground-and-pound attack was an offense the likes of which the Flyers have never seen.

— Senior running back Tommy Zirzow rammed the ball against the middle of the Flyers’ defense all day, finishing with 66 yards on 20 carries.

— Senior QB Logan Niswander was forced to throw the ball more than coach Scott Spitler ever would have liked. But he completed 10 of 17 passes for 121 yards.

— Senior Carson Hauger electrified the home crowd with a 96-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

— Niswander and Hauger both picked off passes on or near the goal line to stop Marion Local drives.

— The Cubs defense, led by nine tackles from Ethan Sauder and seven from Riley Mounts, held in check much of the day a Flyers’ offense that hammered Patrick Henry in the semifinals, 40-6.

Much like Mansfield Senior’s loss in the title game on Friday night, it didn’t end the way any of the Cubs, their coaches and fans would have liked.

But just like the Tygers, the Cubs represented Richland County with class and determination, battling to the end against opponents who have made state title games a habit.

Richland County, which never before had a team in the state football finals, this season had two. Neither came home with a win. But they both left Canton with some things no single loss can ever erase.

A lifetime of memories. And the roars of a crowd that will never forget them.