DANVILLE — The position of Danville and Lucas has reversed in the past season, as the Cubs are now a perennial playoff team while the Blue Devils missed for the first time since 2010. And although Danville came within one score of Lucas twice in the teams’ season-opener Friday, the Cubs scored two fourth-quarter TDs to win, 32-12.
Lucas (1-0) had 12 first downs to Danville’s (0-1) 11, and only outgained the Blue Devils 291-200. Most of that was via the run, as the Cubs ran 34 times for 194 yards. The Blue Devils harassed Lucas QB Logan Niswander in going only 5 of 12, but for 97 yards two touchdowns.
The Cubs scored one touchdown in each of the first two quarters, starting with Ethan Sauder’s 10-yard run with 8:53 to play in the first quarter. Lucas’s kicking failed on each of its first three extra-point attempts, leaving the score 6-0.
Sauder struck again in the second quarter, taking it in from 21 yards out with 5:26 to play in the first half, and the Cubs took a 12-0 into the locker room.
The Blue Devils’ defense kept the lead at 12 for most of the first half, and finally broke through with Holt’s 3-yard TD run with 1:22 to play in the third quarter for a 12-6 score. But Carson Hauger left Danville fans stunned on the ensuing kickoff, taking it from his own 20 to paydirt to put Lucas up by 12 again, 18-6.
Danville once again brought the lead to six with 8:08 to play in the game, as Cook threw an 11-yard TD pass to Langdon Johnson for an 18-12 score. But the Cubs quickly put some distance on the hosts with a 26-yard Niswander pass to Hauger with 6:38 remaining. Tommy Zirzow capped Lucas’s scoring with a three-yard run at the 2:35 mark.
Sauder ran 10 times for 103 yards for the Cubs, and Zirzow added 14 carries for 71 yards. Johnson topped Danville receivers with eight catches for 53 yards, and Holt added 42 yards on three receptions.
Danville will play at its old MBC rival Loudonville next Friday at 7 p.m.
