Lucas selected to play on Shrine Bowl team

Three generations of the Lucas family have served the Hartsville High varsity football team in the position of tight end. This year, Will Lucas will also play that role at the 73rd Annual Shrine Bowl on Dec. 19 in Gibbs Stadium at Wofford College in Spartanburg.

“We were a little shocked but excited. He’s a hard worker, but I don’t think we expected it,” Rep. Jay Lucas said. Will is the son of Jay and Tracy Lucas of Hartsville.

“I think it’s a tremendous honor,” Head Coach Jeff Calabrese said. “He’s the 34th Shrine Bowl player from Hartsville High since 1948.”

“We’ve been very fortunate in the five-year span that I’ve been coaching to have three players selected for the Shrine Bowl,” Calabrese said.

Those three Hartsville players are Jake Johnson in 2005, Jordan Lyles in 2007 and now Will in 2009.

The Shrine Bowl consists of the top 44 players in the state. High school coaches from around the state are allowed four nominations and send in film of those select players. Shrine Bowl coaches evaluate that film and choose the team based on those nominations.

Will’s strength and tenacity to stay with the block got him noticed by the Shrine Bowl coaches.

“He’s really a team guy. He understands his main job is to block for the other kids,” Jay Lucas said.

Will holds the school record for the number of knockdown blocks with 67, has played All Region VI 4A in football and baseball and was a finalist in 2008 for county player of the year among other athletic honors. He also holds two school records in weightlifting with a 395-lb. bench and a 300-lb. clean.

Will played football his freshman year and decided to take the next year off to focus on baseball. Calabrese called and asked him to come back to be a linebacker the summer before his junior year, and Will accepted. The coaches ended up moving him from linebacker to tight end, which makes the Shrine Bowl selection a little sweeter.

This season Will has made six receptions for a total of 94 yards, including two touchdowns.

According to his father, he plans to play in college but not professionally.

“He’s just happy to have a chance to play in college and contribute to a team,” Jay Lucas said.

Wofford College and Coastal Carolina University are the two in-state schools at the Division 1 AA level that Will is considering. He also has offers at Wingate University, Newberry College, Holy Cross College, Sacred Heart University and Davidson College, according to Jay.

“He’s number one in his class, which makes his mom and I very proud,” Jay Lucas said.

Will is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club and Societe Honoraire de Francais. He was recognized with the James Lide Coker Outstanding Leadership Award, was a Student Ambassador, Junior Graduation Marshall and A Team member in his sophomore and junior years and participated in Palmetto Boys State.

“He’s torn between math and history,” Jay Lucas said. “He wants to come back and teach at Hartsville High and coach with Coach Calabrese.”

You can see Will’s highlight film on YouTube. For information on the Shrine Bowl or for tickets, call (800) 648-2695 or go online to www.shrine-bowl.com.