.jpg)
The Luxemburg-Casco Spartans came up short in their bid for a Division 4 State championship in Madison Thursday night, losing to the Lodi Blue Devils 38-14.
Blue Devil quarterback Mason Lane led a potent offense that put up 448 yards in total offense and scored touchdowns on their first four possessions.
The Spartans came back twice to narrow the lead to seven points in the first half but could not slow down the Blue Devils in the second half.
The Blue Devils scored on the first offensive play of the game on a 67-yard pass from Lane to Aiden Groskopf to put Lodi up 7-0.
After an interception, Lodi drove down and scored on a four-yard run by Lane to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Spartans fought back cutting the lead to 14-7 with 7:43 left in the second quarter on a two-yard run by Andrew Klass after L-C drove 65 yards in 14 plays.
Lodi would extend their lead to 21-7 with 5:15 left in the half on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Lane to Gavin Sargeant, but the Spartans responded quickly when Klass scored on a 58-yard wildcat run to make it 21-14 only seconds later.
A 59-yard touchdown by Brady Puhs on a screen pass from Lane gave the Blue Devils a 28-14 lead with 2:27 left in the half and a missed field goal at the end of the half by Lodi kept the Spartans within two scores.
The second half saw Lodi strike fast after another interception on a 74-yard touchdown run by Kyler Clemens, who finished the game with 147 yards on 18 carries.
A 23-yard field goal by Lodi closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter as the Blue Devils claimed the championship with a decisive 38-14 victory.
The Spartans were led by Klass on the ground with 81 yards on ten carries. Senior Max Ronsman was held to just 31 yards on eight runs and was 13 for 26 passing for 163 yards with two interceptions, as the Blue Devil defense controlled the Spartan attack most of the night. Trace Schoenebeck caught eight passes for 76 yards to lead the receiving crew.
The Spartans finish the season with an outstanding 12-2 overall record, a state runner-up trophy, and winners of the North Eastern Conference.
The program will miss the 15 seniors who played their last game for Luxemburg-Casco but can take pride in knowing they led a team to a historic state final in Madison.
