Damascus Football Player: Brian Lucas
Since his arrival to Damascus, Brian Lucas has been a leader with a positive attitude on the field.
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As a four year varsity starter, Brian Lucas was the 2008 Player of the Year/All County, last year's Damascus MVP and a member of the 2008 All-Gazette Team.
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Brian's best attribute is " the way he picks the team up when things aren't looking up and keeping a positive attitude," says Coach Wallich.
Photo By: Raj Modak / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Written By: Drew Smith
DAMASCUS, MD - Damascus High School's, Brian Lucas, loves the game of football. But, he loves winning even more than football. Bridging the two together has proven to be more elusive than the senior running back on his best night.
Brian was at Sherwood High School, who just happens to be the Hornets' rival, in 2006 when Damascus won the state championship. He transferred over to Damascus last year for a variety of reasons, and wouldn't you know - Sherwood turns around and wins the coveted trophy.
Midway through the season and with two early losses already under their belt, winning a state championship seems like a shot in the dark, but Brian Lucas is up for the challenge.
Lucas missed the first two contests with an injury, but his fresh legs have sparked some much-needed life into the Hornets as they come up on this week's contest against their aforementioned foe, Sherwood. "If we lose one more, we're basically down," said Lucas.
There is a possibility of still making it to the playoffs with three losses, but that's not a bet Brian is willing to take. "I can't wait for this game," Lucas so eloquently put it. He's not the only one as fans near and far will ascend upon Sherwood High's stadium to witness what could be one of the biggest matchups of the year. If not, at least one heck of a game.
Brian isn't ready to hang the cleats up after he completes his senior year. With strong looks from Monmouth and Army, he could get the opportunity to play at the collegiate level, which is something he desperately wants to do.
Former Hornet backs Matt Reidy (Virginia Tech) and Evan Debbler (Gardner-Webb) are players Lucas hopes to emulate one day. He'll also get the chance to impress the likes of Villanova and UMass, two schools that have shown moderate interest in him, when he plays in the Crab Bowl at Towson University on December 19th.
The all-star game pits the areas best players against each other and with a great showing, Lucas could all but guarantee a free ride somewhere. Based upon his aspirations to become an FBI agent, it's likely that that somewhere could very well be Army.
Brian isn't a one dimensional person. Coach Eric Wallich spoke extensively about how Lucas' addition to the team has given the offense instant credibility and the team an almost brand-new identity. Brian's effect could be felt all over the field this week as Wallich might have to scrap his plans to ease him into two way action.
Wallich also mentioned how much of a leader Brian is, and how that leadership is manifested in his positive attitude in the wake of adversity. "His best attribute is the way he picks the team up when things aren't looking up and keeping a positive attitude," said Wallich.
Positivity, along with a splendid performance on all fronts will likely be needed come Friday night. Sherwood is an impressive 6-0, with their closest scare coming by way of Magruder High School, who kept it close; 10-0.
Wallich believes Brian is "right there with the other guys" in terms of being one of the best running backs to hold the torch at Damascus High. "He's an incredible player on the field and has battled through his injuries to help the team when we need him most."
Yeah, he was the 2008 Player of the Year/All County, last year's Damascus MVP, a member of the 2008 All-Gazette Team, and a four year varsity player.
Yep, he's going to get it on with the big boys in the Crab Bowl, but if he can't deliver on an unspoken promise Damascus leaders make of winning a state championship, he'll likely fall just short of the stamp his predecessors left on their way out.
An uphill climb through adversity or not, he doesn't plan on letting that happen.
