'He has a want to win and a drive to succeed no matter what'

KANSAS – Lucas McEwan was well on his way to setting school records at Lakota for hurdles when a season ending injury shattered that dream last season.He ran at the Hopewell-Loudon quad meet and went over the third to last hurdle in the 300 meter hurdles. He clipped his lead leg on the hurdle itself, and he landed weirdly on his right leg. While trying to recover from the fall, he took one more step and fell back down hard on the track.McEwan snapped both his ACL and meniscus in his right knee."It hurt really bad when I tried to bear weight on it," McEwan admitted. "I didn't think it was that bad. But when I got up to try and finish out the race, my knee caved again."The injury itself took from April 2024 until February of 2025 to heal from, and left many questions about whether or not the track star would make a comeback.Defying all odds, McEwan is back this season for the Raiders and hasn't shown signs of slowing down. Between his grit, determination, and fire, Lakota has a champion in its midst this season."He has a fire inside of him that can't be taught nor coached into someone," Raiders hurdles coach Laura Biddle said. "Once you find that in an athlete, you know that you need to mold it and shape it. He has a want to win and a drive to succeed no matter what."How did the aspiring track star of Lakota get his start?Initially, McEwan joined track to help improve his endurance and stamina for the football team where he plays a variety of positions.Then he realized there was one specific set of events that he absolutely loved more than any other: hurdles. His all-time favorite event to run is the 110 meter hurdles."There is also something crazy happening in the 110 meter hurdles," McEwan said. "There are 10 hurdles in the 110 meters and the racing is up close, which I enjoy more."Biddle started coaching at Lakota four years ago, and has been his hurdles coach since. She recognized his talent and natural athletic ability in the event, as she used to do hurdles when she was in school, and wanted to nurture the talent that he has.When he was in eighth grade and the first year of Biddle being his coach, he went to the Sandusky Bay Conference championships and placed first in the 200 meter hurdles with a personal record of 27.68 seconds. He ran the 200 meter dash and set a personal record of 25.57 and a second place finish. He qualified for the OHSAA Middle School Track and Field State Championship in the 100 meter hurdles. McEwan placed 19th with a time of 16.86.At the start of his high school track and field career, he placed first in the SBC Championships with a time of 41.16 in the 300 meter hurdles, and finished third place for the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 16.48. Those times qualified him for a trip to Division III districts that were held in Gibsonburg. He took first place with a time of 42.46 in the 300 meter hurdles, and fourth place in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 16.74. He moved on to regionals that season that was in Fostoria in both the 300 with a personal best of 40.10 and a fourth place finish, but fell in the 110 meter hurdles to 11th place in prelims with a time of 16.58. McEwan competed in the state championships in the 300 meter hurdles and finished ninth place with a time of 41.37."When he hurt his knee, he was well on the way to setting school records," Biddle said.He was in his sophomore year when his injury occurred, and according to MileSplit OH, he came in second place at the Gibsonburg Invitational on April 19th, 2024 in both 300 meter hurdles with a time of 40.73 and the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 15.56. The Hopewell-Loudon meet was after that date and there were no records.The journey back to the track hasn't been easy; it did require him to have surgery in order to repair his ACL and meniscus."It was very difficult at the beginning," McEwan said. "I was on crutches for two months, and it was hard for me mentally because I was watching everyone else run, and watching my teammates go to state was hard because I wasn't there. I was happy for them to go, but I really wanted to be a part of that."When it comes to hurdling, the knee has to be bent in just the right position to get over the hurdle, known as the lead leg, with the trail leg behind. If the knee is out of proper position, or the leg gets clipped or stuck on the hurdle, as was in McEwan's case, it can cause the ligament to snap.With the average healing time for an injury like what McEwan suffered of nine to 12 months, he was out of football this past season and was cleared just a month before official track practice started at Lakota."I was lucky that I had a chance to train a little bit before the season started," McEwan said "and that I can run again."He started training indoors at Tiffin University in the offseason to get ready for the season. When he could, he ran four or five miles at the track at Lakota, and he felt confident that he was ready. Once the season kicked off though, he wasn't so sure.During the offseason training, he took the initiative and not only let his coaches know how physical therapy was going, but also where he was at in terms of his strengthening."Instead of doing the regular lifts like I would when I hit leg day," McEwan said. "I would do the same stuff but just focusing on my right leg. Sometimes I rode my mobile bike with my right leg to strengthen it as well. I focused a lot on my right leg since that was the one that was injured."When he came back for the season, he knew that had to modify his workouts to strengthen his leg, but also do preventive care to make sure he doesn't re-injure it. "It's harder I think for me now," said McEwan of his training. "Not only do I have to do the workouts for track in order to get faster and be able to go over the hurdles, and have the endurance to do that, but I also have to make sure my knee stays where it is supposed to. I'm still trying to strengthen my right leg to match my left."Biddle admitted she was a little afraid of his return this season due to the severity of his injury and was afraid to push him too far to the point of re-injury.This season, McEwan has taken first place a total of 17 times in various hurdle events, including at the SBC Championships that was held in Gibsonburg on Friday. He had a time of 16:41 in the 110 meter hurdles, and had a time of 40.51 in the 300 meter hurdles."He has gotten better at being a better communicator," Biddle said. "It's been really impressive to see how hard he worked to get back to where he is able to compete by the next season. When he got hurt, he was crushed that his season was over, and I was hopeful that he would be able to run again, but there was no guarantee that he would. He worked very hard to come back and I'm proud of him."There was one moment this season that frightened Biddle and the rest of the Raiders at the H-L meet. Biddle held her breath as McEwan ran the 300 meter hurdles; she didn't breath a sigh of relief until the event was done.In that meet, McEwan took first place in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16:10. He also placed first in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 40.96, and took fifth place in the high jump with a height of 5-2, a personal record."I didn't know I was doing high jump until they came up and told me," laughed McEwan of doing high jump. "I actually like doing it, so I'm hoping I can gain some more experience doing that event next year."The struggle this season has come mostly behind the scenes, when his leg starts to hurt and the right knee is still weak."I think the biggest thing we have struggled with so far this season has been his right leg being weaker than his left," said Biddle on the challenges this season. "He has had some pain, and we have worked through it. All of us coaches depend upon him to tell us what's going on and what he can handle. We have had to make adjustments, but we go with it, but he is one that works hard, even when he is hurting."The theme of family and a golden rule of the hurdle team whether it's during practice or at an event has been a mainstay expectation for the Raiders: no making fun of each other, and it became more emphasized after McEwan's injury."Yes, they will fall down in hurdles, it's a given," Biddle said. "And they have to get back up to do it again. When one falls down, we will pick them up, and dust them off because everyone falls. It helps to build that support. If you laugh, you are done. You make fun of another hurdler, you are done. I think that sets a standard for the kids to respect each other and I think it works out well that way."They have a saying as well: when one falls, they all fall. When one wins, they all win.That standard bleeds down to the younger Raider athletes and that makes them want to be exactly like McEwan and the other upperclassmen on the hurdle team. "Track is all about family," said Biddle of the track program. "Everyone gathers before practice and because everyone finishes at different times, we needed something. Ashley (Allen) started that. She started that to catch everyone before they train for their different events. We are going to go over what we need from everybody and what we end with is family. 1-2-3 family."For McEwan, his message to younger Raiders who are either facing injury or need some words of encouragement is this:"I know I am a part of something bigger than myself," McEwan said. "Our boys team has won almost every single meet and I know we are going to go far. I'm proud to be a part of that and I want to say, never give up."As far as setting the school records, it isn't out of the realm of possibilities according to Biddle."Obviously he has faced setbacks and I hope he gets them before he graduates," Biddle said, "but I don't know when that will be. If I know Lucas, he will get them. He will beat those records."