Lisbon’s boys basketball team is chasing an elusive goal

February 12, 2016 at 12:10a.m.

A district title for Lisbon’s boys basketball team isn’t quite as elusive

as Bigfoot, but ...

Lisbon High School boys basketball coach Chris Huckshold says no one is certain if the Blue Devils have ever won a district title.

“There’s talk that maybe the 1953 team did it,” Huckshold said. “But ...”

Lisbon (19-1) has the top seed for the Division IV tournament at Struthers Fieldhouse. Should the Blue Devils hold serve and win, it would snap a 63-year (at least) streak.

“A lot will happen between now and then,” said Huckshold on Tuesday after Lisbon’s 61-54 victory over McDonald (18-3), the second seed at Struthers.

Two things have combined to enable the Blue Devils to dream of a regional trip. First, the school dropped to Division IV for this season, which means Lisbon won’t have to face St. Thomas Aquinas and Canton Central Catholic at the Division III tournament in Salem. Those Stark County teams have terrorized Mahoning Valley teams for several years.

Second, the Blue Devils have been building up for this moment for the past four seasons. Three of their seniors — Austin Rutecki, Josh Liberati and Avery Andric — started as freshmen. Josh Craig was the first player off the bench.

Last week, Rutecki scored 48 points against Columbiana to become Lisbon’s all-time leading scorer, passing Lucian Smith’s 1,439 points.

Liberati and Craig also have topped 1,000 points. Andric needs 27 more points to reach 1,000.

Before anyone starts cutting down nets, the Blue Devils are aware that a rematch with run-and-gun McDonald is extremely likely.

“We weren’t used to a press like that,” Rutecki said of McDonald. “If we had made better passes, we would have gotten easier shots, but we tried to force things.

“Some teams have tried to press us, but nothing like that,” Rutecki said. “They were running our guys all over the place.”

Next year, Rutecki and Craig plan to play basketball in college. Liberati said he’s still trying to decide between football and basketball.

As a freshman, Liberati became the starting quarterback in the fifth game. He started every game for the rest of his career. and helped lead the Blue Devils to their first playoff spot in 13 years.

“I’m leaning toward football but if the right offer came I’d play basketball,” Liberati said. “It’s been a blast — I wouldn’t trade this for the world.

“Everything we’ve worked for over the four years has been [worth it],” said Liberati, the point guard. “All the dedication in the weight room, the hard work outside of practice — it’s an awesome feeling seeing all the success we’re having this year.”

Rutecki and Craig also played on the football team.

“Coach Hucks said it’s been forever since we’ve had the No. 1 seed,” Craig said. “That was one of our goals.”

Craig said he hasn’t chosen a school for fall.

“I enjoy basketball a little more but I’m going to keep all of my options open,” Craig said.

Rutecki, who will major in criminal justice, said he has no Division I offers.

Not even Youngstown State?

“No,” Rutecki said. (Officials for Youngstown State, which has a 9-16 record, declined a request for a comment.)

Of Lisbon’s elusive district title, Rutecki said, “The window is wide open for us.”