OXFORD — A season ago, Talawanda football emerged as one of Southwest Ohio’s biggest turnaround stories.
The Brave finished 10-2 in 2025, reached the Division III playoffs and won a postseason game after entering the season on the heels of five consecutive losing campaigns. It was a breakthrough that altered expectations around the Oxford program.
For fourth-year coach Andy Stuckert, though, the progress is only part of the mission.
“There’s some stability here,” Stuckert said. “They’ve changed head coaching staff and staff multiple times over the last however many years. It’s neat to come back to the place and stay there for a couple of years. It also means we’re doing things the right way.”
That stability has become a defining element of Talawanda’s rise.
Stuckert said the senior class has grown up in the program, developing physically and learning the expectations attached to being a Talawanda football player.
“This senior class coming up has put in the work that we’ve asked them to do,” Stuckert said. “We’ve watched them not just change physically and mature, but now there are some really, really good football players in this class. They developed in our system, and we’re excited to see what they can do this year.”
Talawanda’s 2025 season provided the strongest evidence yet that the program is gaining traction.
The Brave opened with a 51-21 victory over Taylor and continued rolling through much of the regular season before responding with a playoff victory to finish 10-2.
The success arrived after Talawanda had gone 3-8 in 2024, which was Stuckert’s third season at the helm.
Still, Stuckert has made clear that the Brave are not interested in treating one productive season as the finish line.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have the program where I want it in my head,” Stuckert said. “Not that I’m never satisfied with anything, and I’m not proud of the progress we’ve made, but we haven’t ended our season with a win. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
“My goal is to go somewhere, build a program and win state championships. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Talawanda will enter the 2026 season with a different challenge after graduating running back Lance Cantrell — the explosive playmaker who drew widespread national attention during last year’s surge. Cantrell, now at Michigan Tech, sat in the top 5 nationally in rushing yards throughout last season before finishing his career with over 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Replacing the production of a player capable of changing games with one touch will not be simple. And Stuckert doesn’t expect a carbon copy of Cantrell to emerge.
“Everybody’s going to look at us and say, ‘Lance is gone. What does that entail now?’” Stuckert said. “Our offensive line was really good, and those guys are back. We had some kids fall into some other spots last year. We had some transition during the season, and a lot of those kids are back.
“I don’t know about the home-run plays that Lance used to make, but I think we can certainly be a good, efficient offense. We’re striving for a little bit more balance — not necessarily in play-calling, but the ability to strike.”
While the offense works to adjust, Talawanda’s defense could again be the backbone of the program.
Stuckert said the Brave made a significant leap on that side of the football in 2025, ultimately producing one of Ohio’s top defensive units in Division III.
“Defense is, I don’t want to say it was a surprise last year, but I think we made a huge jump,” Stuckert said. “We thought we had the makings of a pretty good defense. We needed a couple of things to happen in our favor, and we needed a couple of guys to step up. They did.
“A lot of those guys are back. We’re able to get a little bit more complex in what we’re doing — not complicated, but we’re allowed to put a little more on the guys. I think they’re responding pretty well.”
Senior Kemper McAfee will be among the leaders of that returning defense.
A four-year starter, McAfee said the consistency of the coaching staff has made a major impact on the program and the players who have developed inside it.
“Being able to have a whole high school career with the same coaches has been amazing,” McAfee said. “It makes the high school experience 10 times easier because you have that big brotherhood. The coaches love us. It’s like we’re their second kids away from home.
“I’ve got to rock that with pride on Friday nights and remember the role I play on this team as a captain. Being a four-year starter, everyone looks up to me, especially the young guys. I’ve got to make sure I’m not on some higher level than everybody. Everyone is equal, but I do have that little bit of a leadership role.”
The senior has individual goals, too.
McAfee hopes to play college football and is chasing Talawanda’s career interceptions record. He has spent much of the offseason studying film, preparing for opportunities that could come early in the season.
“I want that pick coming Week 1,” said McAfee, who is one interception shy of the school record. “It would be nice to break that and come home and have everybody hear about the new record holder for interceptions at Talawanda.
“Everyone’s bought in. The consistency in coaching has helped, but the consistency in kids hasn’t always been great over the years. Now everyone’s bought in. Everyone is going to be playing fast, violent and with lots of energy.”
Stuckert said Talawanda’s growth reaches beyond the varsity level.
The football program has worked to create alignment from youth football through the high school level, establishing shared language, expectations and values.
“Our programs are growing,” Stuckert said. “We’re vertically aligned from the Bantam program all the way up to the varsity program. Most of the stuff that we put in seems to be working.
“When people ask me what Talawanda football is, a lot of things go through my head. Ultimately, it comes down to this. We’ve got a group of kids right now that work their butts off, wear Talawanda gear around town and they’re proud of that.”
Photos by Jordan Phillips
