BEAVER — The bus ride from Eastern High School to Lucas takes almost two-and-a-half hours — and the Lucas Cubs enjoyed every minute of it late Friday night.

Using a tried-and-true postseason recipe — equal parts punishing ground game and bend-but-don’t-break defense — the 10th-seeded Cubs upset the No. 7 Eagles 14-0 in a Division VII, Region 27 opening-round game.

“That’s the blueprint we’ve used for a long time,” coach Jim Sweat said. “Hard-nosed offense and light’s out defense.

“We’re going to enjoy this all the way back to Richland County.”

Ground and Pound

Operating out of their traditional double-tight, double-wing offense, the Cubs (6-5) methodically marched the length of Eastern’s natural grass field. 

Brady Guegold, a 6-foot, 200-pound hammer, scored on a 3-yard run with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter and on a 4-yarder with 10:20 to play in the second for the game’s only points.

Guegold thundered for 127 yards on 14 carries, giving him 1,102 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.

“We always expect to be able to run the ball on anybody we play,” said Guegold, who also was in on several stops from his linebacker spot.

“It doesn’t matter who our opponent is. We have to do what we do.”

The Cubs had a pair of lengthy second-half drives that didn’t result in points, but ate valuable time off the clock. 

“I think we had an eight-minute drive in the second half,” Sweat said. “Unfortunately it didn’t result in points, but that’s our recipe — run the ball and limit (the opponent’s) possessions.”

Second-half Stands

Eastern (7-4) took the second-half kickoff and marched inside the Lucas 5-yard line. The Cubs stiffened, however, stopping running back Justin Fowler for no gain to force the turnover on downs.

On their next possession, the Eagles again marched deep into Lucas territory. The Cubs forced another turnover on downs as Eastern quarterback Brydn Davis was flushed out of the pocket and his pass fell incomplete in the end zone.

“We had two goal-line stands and that is the difference in the football game,” Sweat said. “These kids were really motivated and I couldn’t be any prouder of them.”

Up Next

Lucas will travel to No. 2 seed Danville (10-0) for a regional quarterfinal matchup next week. 

The Blue Devils won an outright Knox Morrow Athletic Conference championship and outscored opponents 474-58.

“They’ve got athletes all over the place and they are solid up front,” Sweat said of the Blue Devils. “We have our work cut out for us.

“We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, then get back to work tomorrow.”