Margaretta, Huron renew football rivalry

It used to be a big deal when Margaretta and Huron clashed on the football field, but the two rivals took an eight-year break after the Sandusky Bay Conference expanded in 2018. Now with Margaretta in the new, smaller SBC and Huron in the new Northern Ohio Conference, the two similar-sized Erie County schools are renewing their football rivalry. The Polar Bears host the Tigers on Friday for the main event on a jam-packed lineup at the Duck Pond. "I'm not from here, but I got to experience a little bit of that rivalry in the spring in track & field," Margaretta coach Lucas Poggiali said. "All these kids know each other. Talking to people in the community who have been a part of this game, this is a big deal. It's two old SBC rivals and this game has value to it." The Bears and Tigers last played in 2017 — a 35-0 Huron win in Castalia. Margaretta brings a 2-1 record into Friday's game while Huron has stumbled to a 0-3 start. The Polar Bears won a 58-48 shootout at Brookside last Friday. "I've not played in a game like that," Poggiali said. "At halftime, it was like a basketball score and the first half took two hours. "We didn't tackle well. Brookside has an explosive offense and their quarterback was able to make all the throws. But offensively, we knew we were gonna be able to get going." Senior running back/wide receiver Carter Luzader really got it going. He rushed for 297 yards and finished the shootout with 363 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. "He's a dynamic weapon who is a huge matchup problem," Poggiali said. "He's electric when he gets his hands on the ball." Senior quarterback Robbie LaCourse completed 13 of 18 passes and threw for three touchdowns. Poggiali liked what he saw from the LaCourse, who came out for football this year after not playing since junior high. "He really kind of took the next step in how we need him to run the offense efficiently," Poggiali said. Huron has won six straight against Margaretta with the Polar Bears' last win in the series coming in 2010 (36-31 in Huron). "The old Bogart Road Bowl, we're excited to do it again," Huron coach Sam Hohler said. "We've had some great games with them." Huron, which is playing a challenging schedule this year, has been outscored by a total of 127-27 in its three losses. The 10 teams on Huron's schedule have a cumulative record of 22-8. The Tigers fell 48-20 at Genoa last Friday. Quarterback Robert Fisher had 200 total yards and ran for a touchdown. Chris Viviano added two rushing touchdowns. "We've had good improvement from day to day and week to week," Hohler said. "We're focused on 'let's do the little things now' and hope they'll pay off down the road. The kids' spirits are high and the coaches have done a great job." The football game is just one of the attractions Friday in Castalia. The 1996 Margaretta football team — which went 10-0 in the regular season and advanced to the state semifinals — will be inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame. That group of Polar Bears defeated Oak Harbor 15-0 in a Division IV regional championship game. It also will be biddy cheerleader night and the Margaretta and Huron bands will perform during a 9/11 remembrance. Margaretta and Huron won't meet in football next year because the Polar Bears had Week 7 open (they filled it with Monroeville) due to the SBC's scheduling format. Starting in 2028, the SBC and Blanchard Valley Conference will enter into an agreement to play crossover games, but Margaretta and Elmwood will not be part of that move. Instead, Margaretta will start a four-year deal with Huron. "Huron obviously is a big rival in other sports and we think it's an ideal setup to go into a long-term deal with them," Margaretta athletic director Drew Grahl said. "The size of the schools are the same and you can't beat the proximity on a Friday night."