Lucas uses 4-man rushing attack to overpower Danville

DANVILLE — The Lucas Cubs passed the ball one time in their season opener at Danville on Friday night.

And it turned out to be the play that solidified the game’s outcome.

Up three touchdowns with 90 seconds left until halftime, the Cubs found themselves near midfield. One more score would give Lucas a four-touchdown lead heading into the locker room – likely insurmountable for the Blue Devils, who had struggled to stop Lucas’ rushing attack and had managed just one first down offensively through two quarters.

But they’d have to go 56 yards to do it. And Lucas, for all its firepower, is a program dedicated to the run. The Cubs use four tailbacks and a physical offensive line to wear their opponents down, marching methodically down the field as the clock works in their favor.

Their drives typically last four or five minutes, and they end with something resembling a rugby scrum at the goal line – two or three Cubs eventually emerging from the pile, their hands hoisted high, another 6 on the board for the men in orange and black.

They’ve won many games this way. Lucas has reached the regional championship game three straight seasons (and the Div. VII state title game in 2019) and has qualified for the playoffs every year since 2014.

But this particular situation – 56 yards until paydirt, 90 seconds on the clock, game hanging in the balance – required something different. So, Scott Spitler called a timeout.

He drew up a pass play – junior quarterback Corbin Toms would rear back and launch a missile down the sideline to junior tailback Andrew Fanello, who would catch it in-stride near the 10-yard-line and take it to the house. It’d take speed, and timing, and a perfect throw from a quarterback who hadn’t let it fly all night.

Moments later, however, the Cubs executed the play to perfection. It went down just like Spitler drew it up.

“It’s exactly what we wanted to do,” Spitler, beginning his 13th season as the Cubs’ head coach, said after the game. “We kept getting their safeties to roll up with our run-game success, and we were hoping to get a two-for-one there – score right before the half, get the opening kickoff – and we were able to do that.”

The 56-yard bomb from Toms to Fanello doused any remaining embers of hope on the Danville sideline, as the visiting crowd erupted and the home stands fell silent. The Cubs took a 28-0 lead into the halftime locker room and never looked back, defeating the Blue Devils 34-20 on opening night.

“That really hurt us, especially since, situationally, it was so late in the half and what not,” Danville head coach Cam Smith said. “We were in good shape (with) 10 out of our 11 guys it seemed like, and then just one missed a read, and again, they found a way to make the play and we just didn’t find that until later.”

Lucas has now won seven straight season openers, while Danville has lost four straight. The Cubs recorded 378 yards of total offense Friday (including 322 on the ground), compared to Danville’s 150.

The Cubs controlled the line of scrimmage early, and their four-pronged backfield reaped the benefits.

Senior Grant Barrett plunged into the end zone from one yard out on Lucas’ first offensive possession of the season, making it 7-0 with 6:16 left in the first quarter. The Cubs would score again on their next possession, as sophomore Logan Toms capped off a nine-play, 89-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown scamper up the gut.

Fanello got into the scoring column on the Cubs’ third offensive possession, bursting into the end zone from 9 yards out to give the Cubs a 21-0 lead with 4:03 left until halftime. Another three-and-out from Danville led to the Cubs’ final offensive possession of the half, which ended in the missile from Corbin Toms to Fanello.

The Cubs came out of the locker room and didn’t miss a beat. They marched down the field once again – nine consecutive run plays over the course of 4:21 – and capped off their fifth straight scoring drive with a touchdown plunge from senior Zane Finley.

Spitler said he was proud of his starters for setting the tone early and often Friday night.

“I thought the key was us coming out the way we did and controlling the first half,” he said. “We’re rotating four backs in our main position right now at the varsity level and two fullbacks. So we got what we expected out of them. That’s why we rotate them, because they’re all playing on the other side of the ball, too.”

Smith, in his second year as Danville’s head coach, said he threw the book at Lucas defensively. And still, nothing seemed to stick.

“I don’t have a good answer,” said Smith, when asked what went wrong. “I thought we were generally physical, we just weren’t finishing plays and just weren’t tackling the way we knew how. I mean, I blitzed into it, I blitzed behind it, I ran our base, we ran our five-man front with a base coverage – we tried it all, and really, it all seemed to almost work.

“They had a couple guys that just found a way to make plays and we didn’t find that way until late – too late – in the game.”

Danville didn’t give in, however. The Blue Devils scored three touchdowns in the final five minutes of the game – two resulting from turnovers deep in Lucas territory, and one from a blocked punt which Danville’s Dustin Beckett carried to the house – to narrow the final margin to 14.

Sophomore Walker Weckesser scored twice late, filling in for starting quarterback Max Payne, who had to leave the game in the second quarter and did not return (Smith was unable to comment on his status after the game). Weckesser ran the ball in from 9 yards out, then hurled a 41-yard touchdown strike to junior wideout Kaiden Colopy with 1:04 remaining.

Smith seemed confident that Weckesser could step into the starting quarterback role moving forward, if need be.

“He’s one of our toughest athletes and best overall athletes. He was an all-state safety last year and if he had played more offensively, he probably would’ve been very highly regarded on that side of the ball as well. He’s one of our best athletes, so we’re gonna use him,” Smith said of Weckesser.

“He really answered the call, too, with just his toughness and mentality as well, stepping up in that sense – the leadership and just willing to fight through. He was pretty banged up as well. They’re a tough team, they got us pretty banged up, but again, we fought through and I’m proud of the boys for that.”

In the end, it was too little, too late for Danville. But Smith said he was proud of the way his team fought. He’s hoping to use Friday’s fourth quarter as motivation moving forward.

“Could not be more proud of the way they fought. There’s not really much else to say about that. I love the boys and they love each other and love us, and that’s what’s gonna get us through,” said Smith, whose Blue Devils return nearly everyone from last year’s 6-3 team.

“We’ll improve from that, and if they give that kind of heart and effort like that every time, it’s a lot easier to fix from there, if they’re willing to give that much effort.”

The Blue Devils were led in rushing Friday by Weckesser, who recorded 33 yards on eight carries. Payne completed 2-of-4 passes for 26 yards, while Weckesser hit 5-of-9 for 72 yards.

The Cubs were led in rushing by Fanello, who tallied 95 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. Barrett carried 11 times for 84 yards and one touchdown, while Logan Toms had 61 yards and a TD on five rushes. Finley rounded out the rushing quartet with 36 yards and one score on six carries.

Lucas lost several key seniors to graduation this offseason, Spitler said, but the Cubs are also returning quite a bit of experience. There are 17 seniors and 20 returning lettermen on this year’s roster.

The program’s internal expectations haven’t changed.

“We’re not real big this year,” Spitler said, “but our kids are strong and get off the ball and block through the whistle, and that’s what we’ve gotta do.”

The Cubs will aim for their eighth straight playoff berth this year, and their fourth straight regional championship appearance. In order to get there, however, Spitler said his team will need to remain focused on the task at-hand. Friday night was simply the first step in a week-by-week process.

“Right now, we went 1-0 tonight. And then after that, it’s about being a better team each Friday. That’s what we focus on,” Spitler said. “I mean, I know it sounds cliché, but (it’s true). We don’t focus on trophies and stuff like that.”

Lucas (1-0) will face Hillsdale (0-1) on the road next Friday night. Danville (0-1) travels northeast to take on Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (0-1).