BELLVILLE — Lucas made the best of a bad situation.
Logan Toms rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown and the Cubs held on for a 14-13 win over Hillsdale at Clear Fork’s Colt Corral.
The game was to be played at Lucas on Saturday, but had to be moved after Bob Wine Field was vandalized overnight on Friday. The incident left the Cubs’ home field unplayable and its status for the remainder of the season is unknown. Lucas’ next scheduled home game is Sept. 16 against Mogadore.
“It definitely sucks,” said Toms, whose 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Cubs a 14-7 lead. “We’re thankful we had the opportunity to play tonight still. We don’t really care where we play. We’re just happy to be playing football.”
The neutral setting lent a playoff atmosphere to Saturday’s proceedings and both the Cubs and Falcons looked like strong postseason candidates. Hillsdale, which has qualified for the playoffs six straight years, dropped to Division VII from Division VI and joined Lucas, which has been to the postseason eight years in a row, in Region 25.
“They’re a good football program,” Lucas coach Scott Spitler said. “They’re a playoff team and they’re in our region now, so that’s a big win for us.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if we see them again.”
The game was scoreless for the first 22 minutes before the Cubs broke the ice on Graysen Jackson’s 11-yard touchdown run with 1:33 remaining in the first half. On Hillsdale’s ensuing possession, Cubs’ defensive back Zach Diehl intercepted a Jake Hoverstock pass intended for Jack Fickes at the Lucas 30-yard line with 1:06 to play and it looked as though Lucas would carry its 7-0 lead into halftime.
The Falcons had other ideas, however, and took possession at the Lucas 30 after a botched punt attempt by the Cubs with 37 seconds showing in the half.
Four plays later, Jake Hoverstock lofted a pass into a tight window in the left side of the end zone, where wide receiver David Parker out-jumped a Lucas defender for a 17-yard touchdown and a 7-7 halftime tie.
“I don’t know how he fit it in a couple times,” Spitler said of Hoverstock, who completed 15-of-29 passes for 243 yards. “I shook his hand and gave him a hug after the game and told him he was a (heck) of a football player.”
The Cubs reclaimed the lead on Toms’ 1-yard run with 8:03 to play in the third quarter for a 14-7 advantage. It would stay that way until late in the fourth quarter, when Hoverstock orchestrated another sensational scoring drive.
It started with a Hillsdale turnover on downs at the Lucas 17-yard line with 3:01 remaining. As it had done most of the night, the Falcons’ defense rose to the occasion and forced a Lucas punt.
Hillsdale took over at the Lucas 48 with 1:53 on the clock, and cashed in when Hoverstock hooked up with speedy running back and receiver Max Vesper on a 36-yard scoring strike with 49 seconds showing to make it 14-13. But the PAT was wide right, and Lucas recovered the ensuing onside kick to preserve the win.
“All we ask out of our guys is they battle to the very end and that’s exactly what they did,” Hillsdale coach Trevor Cline said. “They gave everything they had and put us in a position to tie the game at the end of the game.
“I’m extremely proud of our guys.”
