SPORTS

News Journal Coach of the Year: Scott Spitler

Rob McCurdy
Reporter
Lucas head football coach Scott Spitler talks to his players during a Division VII playoff game against Tiffin Calvert. Spitler was named Coach of the Year by the News Journal.

Coach: Scott Spitler.

School: Lucas.

2015: 11-2.

Career record: 35-40

Accomplishments: Spitler finished his seventh season as the head coach at Lucas ... Out of the wing-t, the Cubs averaged 42 points and scored 40 or more eight times, racking up more than 3,500 yards on the ground ... His odd stack defense allowed just 13.5 points per game and seven times they held opponents to single digits or shutouts ... The defense had more interceptions (20) than TD passes allowed (15) through 12 games ... Lucas was a quick-striking team that outscored opponents 175-33 in the first quarter of the first 12 games of the season ... The Division VI regional runner-up finish was the best-ever in the playoff era for the Cubs ... Also was Mid-Buckeye Conference runners-up to top-ranked Danville.

Coachspeak: "They are a very special group with what they were able to do each year building and building and building. They took the tools from the guys who came before them. This has been a process. At a school our size, things don't happen over night. They took the torch and continued to move the program forward," Spitler said. "This year was a matter of their focus. They approached each week with tremendous focus and work ethic. They had goals that they set for themselves, and they weren't going to be deterred from reaching those goals. That makes your job as the coach really easy when they're that focused and motivated to reach their goals."

- Rob McCurdy