Prep football capsules: Unbeaten Lucas relying on stout defense

LUCAS — Scott Spitler was the first to admit Lucas dodged a bullet last week.

The Cubs turned the ball over three times and managed just 130 rushing yards on 36 carries, but escaped Hillsdale with a 14-12 win, thanks largely to a stout defense.

“I’d rather be 2-0 and have things to fix than the other side of it,” a relieved Spitler said afterward. “When you play good programs like Hillsdale, you find out what you’ve got to get better at and we found a lot of things we’ve got to get better at.”

While the offense never got untracked, the Lucas defense was as miserly as ever. The Cubs limited Hillsdale to 98 yards rushing and came up with a huge defensive stop on a two-point conversion attempt after the Falcons cut the Lucas lead to 14-12 with a minute to play in the game.

“We could have wilted there, but we didn’t,” Spitler said. “Our guys hung strong and stepped up and got it done.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our defense. We should win when we only give up 12 points.”

The Cubs will have their hands full Friday when perennial Crawford County powerhouse Wynford comes calling. The Royals picked up their first win of the young season last week with a 23-6 victory over Marion Pleasant.

Here is a capsule look at some of the games involving Richland County teams in week three:

Wynford (1-1) at Lucas (2-0): Wynford’s defense forced three turnovers, scored when defensive lineman Blake Beckley fell on a fumbled punt snap in the end zone and was credited with a safety after another errant punt snap sailed over the Marion Pleasant punter’s head and through the end zone. The Royals, who beat the Spartans, 23-6, last Friday, also got a special teams score when James Schiefer returned the second half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker Brian Crabtree leads the Northern 10 Athletic Conference with 24 tackles, while defensive lineman Kalen Skidmore is tied for the N10 lead with three sacks. Quarterback Cobey Allen has completed 21 of 34 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cubs did themselves no favors in a 14-12 win at Hillsdale, turning the ball over three times. Lucas managed just 130 yards rushing on 36 carries, averaging 3.6 yards a carry. Quarterback Corbin Toms completed 6 of 9 passes for 83 yards, including a 10 yards touchdown pass to Aidan Culler. Grant Barrett rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Mansfield Senior (2-0) at North Canton Hoover (1-1): The Tygers could do no wrong during the second quarter of last week’s 37-6 win over Marion Harding. Senior High scored 34 points in the period. Ricky Mills ran for a pair of touchdowns while rushed for one score and threw touchdown passes of 44 yards to Amarr Davis and 29 yards to Myles Bradley. For the season Hill is 29-for-43 for 366 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The senior has rushed for a team-high 84 yards and two TDs on 28 carries. Senior High’s miserly defense has allowed just 312 yards of total offense in two games while forcing five turnovers. Defensive lineman Mekhi Bradley leads the way with 19 tackles.

The Vikings evened their record with a 49-14 win over Columbus Beechcroft last week. Hoover led 35-0 at halftime. Luke Roach carried the ball six times for 147 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Carson Dyrlund completed 5 of 8 passes for 62 yards. Zander Bugara returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown.

Clear Fork (1-1) at Lexington (1-1): Not much went right for the Colts during the second half of last week’s 28-7 loss to Granville. The score was tied 7-7- at the half before the Blue Aces scored 21 unanswered points. Quarterback Victor Skoog has completed 18 of 47 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 146 yards on 22 carries. Deven Freeman has six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown while Larry Firmi has five receptions for 31 yards. Linebacker Kaleb Hollar ranks among Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference leaders with 17 tackles.

The Minutemen trailed Shelby 45-7 late in the third quarter last week, but scored 21 unanswered points in the final quarter-plus in the 45-28 loss. Running back Karson Berry rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Quarterback Cole Pauley completed 4 of 14 passes for 84 yards. Lexington’s defense gave up more than 400 yards through the air last week.

Shelby (2-0) at Bellevue (1-1): Shelby quarterback Marshall Shepherd has been all but unstoppable through the first two weeks of the season. The senior has completed 39 of 55 passes for 750 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception. Senior receiver Andre Hill leads the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 15 catches for 316 yards and three touchdowns while fellow senior wideout Blaine Bowman has nine receptions for 140 yards and two TDs. Defensive end Caleb Baker leads the MOAC with four sacks, while Hill has a conference-high two interceptions. Senior defensive back Josh Sickmiller has recovered a pair of fumbles while linebacker David Ray has a team-high 14 tackles.

Bellevue picked up its first win last week, knocking off Edison 21-14. Bellevue features a run-heavy offense with Will Hager leading the Sandusky Bay Conference’s Lake Division with 250 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Deegan Horn and Jax Lapata has shared snaps at quarterback. Horn has rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns while completing 4 of 9 passes for 97 yards, while Lapata has rushed for 163 yards and four touchdowns and completed 4 of 16 passes for 68 yards. The defense is led by linebacker Justin Smythe, who has a team-high 15 tackles and returned an interception for touchdown in a season-opening loss to Port Clinton.

East Knox (2-0) at Crestview (2-0): The Bulldogs and Cougars met in the Region 22 quarterfinals in 2019 with East Knox holding on for a 21-20 win en route to the regional championship. East Knox improved to 2-0 with a 37-6 win over Utica last week. Quarterback Peyton Lester leads the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference with 451 yards and six touchdowns on 26 of 36 passing and has scored six touchdowns. Carson Steinmetz has eight catches for 111 yards, while Shane Knepp has seven receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs have picked off five passes through the first two weeks. Knepp has a pair of interceptions and leads the team with 14.5 tackles.

The Cougars encountered little resistance in last week’s 54-7 win over Bucyrus. Quarterback Hayden Kuhn completed 5 of 8 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns and is 11-19 for 332 yards and five TDs on the season. Running back Connor Morse rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries against Bucyrus. Wide receiver Adison Reymer has four catches for 150 yards and three TDs. Defensive end Owen Barker leads the way with 20 tackles, including four sacks. Defensive lineman Mason Ringler has 19 stops and three sacks.