Hard work & perseverance pay off for Bulldog senior LB

CHS senior linebacker Lucas Ragusa makes a tackle in a game against Scituate earlier this season.

There will be plenty to be thankful for when the 9-1 Bulldogs take the field tomorrow morning for their annual rivalry game against the 8-2 Stoughton Black Knights, and it won’t just be the fans who will be counting their blessings.

For many of the players, and especially the seniors, Thursday’s finale will be the culmination of years of hard work as they look to punctuate one of the most successful two-year runs in recent program history. For linebacker Lucas Ragusa, just being out there with his teammates, healthy and able to contribute, means more than he could ever imagine.

“I am glad for my senior year I was able to put it all together,” Ragusa said of his breakout 2019 season. “This has been the best time of my life, and I can’t wait to get out there for Thursday.”

When head coach Dave Bohane first met the youngest of the three Ragusa boys as a kindergartener — back when Bohane taught physical education at the Hansen School — he remembers that he was in a wheelchair, resulting from a medical condition that required several surgeries and a grueling course of rehabilitation to address. Now, more than 12 years later, Lucas is a key cog in Bohane’s league-leading Bulldog defense — a unit that has allowed fewer than eight points per game while combining for five shutouts in 10 games this season.

This past week, Ragusa celebrated a significant personal achievement as he was named an All-Hockomock honorable mention, joining fellow linebackers James Murphy and Robbie Gallery as all-league selections.

So far this year, Ragusa has made 52 tackles to go along with two sacks and a forced fumble. He also leads the Davenport Division in tackles for losses.

A young Lucas Ragusa is upbeat as he prepares for his third surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Following in the footsteps of his older brothers Jake and Alec and his father, Doug — all former CHS football stars — Lucas is now living out his dream as a senior as he continues to make key play after key play as part of one of the top linebacking corps on the south shore. In their previous meeting with Stoughton this season — a 10-0 Canton win — Lucas was named Boston Herald’s Player of the Week after finishing with nine tackles, including four for a loss. He also had an outstanding game against Foxboro with seven tackles and two for a loss.

Doug said Lucas was determined not to let his medical setbacks prevent him from reaching his ultimate goal, which was to play football at CHS like his brothers. According to Doug, at 7 years old, Lucas was diagnosed with a hole in his femur caused by a bone cyst. Doug described it as a hollowness of the bone near the hip, causing the femur to eventually snap in half.

Lucas spent 18 months in a wheelchair and needed four invasive surgeries to repair the injury. He has permanent plates and rods in his leg along with a scar from his hip to his knee. At one point doctors were concerned that he may not be able to walk again because of the location of the injury near the hip. It took years of rehabilitation and physical therapy, but finally he recovered to the point where could start playing Pop Warner football as well as youth baseball and basketball.

He managed to become an impact player over time and developed into an all-star in baseball, earning an invite to Canton Little League’s Williamsport and Junior League travel teams.

However, he did play with a noticeable limp; even referees would sometimes ask if he was okay. But Doug said Lucas’ inner drive, knowledge and grit allowed him to persevere, and through continued conditioning and physical therapy he became more mobile over time.

Last year as a junior, Lucas suffered a broken arm and surgery set him back at the beginning of the football season. He eventually returned but subsequently fell ill with mononucleosis and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.

But he worked hard during the offseason and came into his senior year feeling great and determined to hit the ground running. He earned the starting nod at linebacker and has played in all 10 games this season with one more to go tomorrow at Memorial Field.

Lucas Ragusa with his mom, Deb

Doug said their family is very grateful for the support that Lucas has received from many in the Canton community over the years. “Many families are in much worse situations than this,” he said. “After spending weeks at Children’s Hospital, you realize how fortunate we have been.”

Bohane said Lucas has an incredible feel for the game, combining physical toughness and smarts to excel at inside linebacker. “He has earned all of his accolades on the skill level,” he said. “He is a gifted athlete who has an uncanny knack for making a big play in big games.”

Lucas said he is hopeful that tomorrow’s game caps off what has been an important season for the CHS football program. He said the seniors especially would like to end their high school careers on a high note against a very tough Stoughton team.

What has kept him going through all of the surgeries and rehab is his love of playing football. He realized he couldn’t play at a young age but closely watched his brothers and waited for his opportunity. “My brothers taught me how to be tough and get the most of my opportunities,” he said.

Lucas is grateful for the support of his family and appreciates the amount of work put in by his parents, including mom Deb, and his brothers, who have both gone on to play football for Merrimack College. He also appreciates all of the doctors, nurses and physical therapists who worked with him through the years.

He is very happy for the CHS football program, which has embraced a culture of toughness, resiliency, and winning. “What we have done in the last two years is set up the program in place for the future,” he said.

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