NORTH LEWISBURG — While improvement from last year is apparent, victory continues to elude Bucyrus.

After dropping a 13-6 decision to Riverdale at home in Week 1, the Redmen traveled Triad fell in eerily similar fashion, 19-12, to the Cardinals.

While Bucyrus (0-2) has been within striking distance in both games, the Redmen haven’t gotten over the hump.

“Winning is a process, learning how to win is a process, and everything matters,” Bucyrus coach Jon Butchko said. “We’ve been so far away for the last couple of years that I don’t even think we know what putting together a win looks like — from the time you arrive at the ballpark to the time you walk off the field with zeros on the clock and having more points than the other guy’s got.”

One bright spot was the coming out party of running back Demaris Munn-Page. The junior rushed for 161 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 82 yards for the other Bucyrus score. All this despite his being hobbled by leg cramps brought on by the heat.

“It would be great to have him every snap and hopefully as the weather cools down that will happen,” Butchko said. “We have a thin roster to begin with. It’s kind of a shuffle when he goes out of the game. We know there is a tiger in there. We have to get him to believe it every snap.

“We talk about it privately — believe there is a great athlete in there, because I don’t think he’s even scratched the surface yet,” Butchko added.

The Redmen still line up in their familiar spread offense. But, with a young offensive line and inexperience at the skill positions, they will have to lean more heavily on the running game than at any time in the recent past. Munn-Page fits the bill.

Victories have been scarce for Triad as well. The Cardinals went 1-9 last year, playing in the rugged Ohio Heritage Conference, and lost their opener this year at Mount Gilead, 46-19.

Triad (1-1) wasted no time in getting on the board. After receiving the opening kickoff, it took the hosts eight plays to drive 51 yards. Colton Thomas grabbed a two-yard touchdown pass from Blayk Thomas for an early 6-0 lead.

The Cardinals were driving for another score late in the second quarter, moving as close as the Bucyrus 12. But a six-yard loss and a penalty moved the ball back to the 23.

On third down, Christian Neal intercepted a pass in the end zone for the Redmen.

After Neal caught an 11-yard pass on the ensuing drive, Munn-Page broke contain and outran the Triad defense 69 yards for a touchdown, allowing Bucyrus to tie the score 6-6 going to halftime.

Following a brief respite in the locker room at intermission, the Cardinals got another dose of Munn-Page, who gathered in the second half kickoff at the Bucyrus 18 and raced 82 yards for a touchdown.

In less than three minutes of playing time, the Redmen had scored twice and taken a 12-6 lead.

But Triad responded quickly. The Cardinals drove 55 yards in nine plays. The march was capped by a 5-yard pass from Cayden Everhart to De’Von Minor. The extra point kick gave Triad a 13-12 advantage.

“Triad played hard. They came out with a little different attack in the second half,” Butchko said. “They changed quarterbacks. They just played a little bit more in tune with the game plan than we did.”

Even though the first two scores by the Cardinals were passes, the offense was fueled by running back Brody Hess. The junior rushed for 191 yards on 22 carries.

A turnover to start the fourth quarter thwarted a promising drive for Bucyrus. Triad used the opportunity to put the last touchdown on the board.

The Cardinals needed just four plays to go 56 yards. Everhart took it the final seven yards. But the conversion run failed, so the Redmen still had a chance to tie or win the game, trailing 19-12.

The Redmen went from their 34 to the Cardinals’ six, where they had it first-and-goal. But a penalty and a loss took the ball back to the 19 and three incomplete passes stalled the drive.

The Redmen has one last opportunity to score. Triad fumbled at Bucyrus’ 37, and Neal recovered. But two plays later, the Redmen coughed it up and the Cardinals ran out the clock.

“The kids are playing hard. The scheme’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to,” Butchko said. “We tried to run it down and run them out of time. My thinking was pretty clear to everyone who was watching the game — try to score with as little time left on the clock as possible.”

In addition to Munn-Page, Neal helped the Bucyrus offense with six catches for 50 yards. Quarterback Dylan Coppler passed for 65 yards, completing eight of 15 passes.

“The odds tell you if you recover an onside kick and you get a score on a return, you’re something like 90 percent to win the game,” Butchko said.

For Triad, Everhart and Thomas combined to go nine of 21 for 81 yards passing to supplement Hess’ 191 yards on the ground.

For Bucyrus, it’s back to the drawing board with a trip to Cardington coming up on Friday.

“We’ve got stuff to fix all over the place,” Butchko said. “But again, with how things looked in the offseason, and the uncertainty surrounding the program, how could I complain about things that other people take for granted?”

The veteran coach knows his team is close to getting that elusive win.

“We have to absolutely coach thought right now,” Butchko said. “We make critical mistake after critical mistake, and still, with our effort, we’re right there.”

Box score

Score by quarters

Bucyrus     0          6         6         0 — 12

Triad          6          0         7         6 — 19

Scoring summary

First quarter

T — Colton Thomas 2 pass from Blayk Thomas (kick failed), 8:39.

Second quarter

B — Demaris Munn-Page 69 run (pass failed), 2:38.

Third quarter

B — Munn-Page 82 kickoff return (pass failed), 11:44.

T — De’Von Minor 5 pass from Cayden Everhart (Waylin Holtsberry kick), 6:47.

Fourth quarter

T — Everhart 7 run (run failed), 9:56.

Individual statistics

Passing

Bucyrus: Dylan Coppler 8-15-0 65; Triad: Blayk Thomas 5-14-1 47, Cayden Everhart 4-7-0 34.

Rushing

Bucyrus: Demaris Munn-Page 21-161, Jake Green 5-14, Dylan Coppler 11-12, DeShawn Cosey 1-3; Triad: Brody Hess 22-191, Cayden Everhart 7-36, Blayk Thomas 7-26.

Receiving

Bucyrus: Christian Neal 6-50, Demaris Munn-Page 1-10, 1-5, DeShawn Cosey 1-5; Triad: Wyatt Smith 3-40, Logan Harper 2-24, Brody Hess 1-5, De’Von Minor 1-5, Blayk Thomas 1-5, Colton Thomas 1-2 .

Team statistics

B                 T

First downs                   12                17

Rushing                      38-190        36-253

Passes                          8-15-0        9-21-1

Yards passing               65               81

Total yards                   255             334

Fumbles-lost                4-2              3-2

Punts-Avg                  2-33.0         1-37.0

Penalties                      7-50           8-85