OXFORD — The Talawanda Brave football team went looking for respect.
Courtesy of a thrilling 35-34 overtime win over La Salle, the Brave proved they not only belonged, but can compete with, and beat, anyone.
Talawanda went toe-to-toe with the Greater Catholic League Lancers, stopping a 2-point try in overtime to earn a rematch with Harrison. Harrison knocked off Talawanda 20-7 on Oct. 9.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
- Talawanda is a resilient bunch
The Brave fell behind twice in the second half, both times answering the bell with clutch drives.
La Salle seemed to grab the momentum, leading 21-14 after three quarters, but Talawanda answered.
Jake Van Gorden completed a 34-yard pass on third-and-14 before moving the chains again on a 22-yard pass on third-and-8. Ethan Hainline then went 20 yards for the tying score.
“It was great,” Hainline said. “We kept pounding it. We just kept doing it. We trusted our O-line, and we executed when we needed to.”
After La Salle jumped ahead 28-21, Talawanda took over five minutes off the clock, twice converting on fourth down before tying the score on Van Gorden’s pass to Camar Ellis with 29 seconds left.
- Brave enjoyed the packed home crowd
Talawanda took full advantage of a packed house on its home field.
Talawanda sent the crowd into hysterics, scoring on the second play from scrimmage when Van Gorden hit Camar Ellis for a 68-yard score.
Talawanda coach Andy Stuckert said having a solid regular season earned the playoff home game, and his team fed off the environment.
“It was entertaining for sure,” Stuckert said. “I think that is the best thing about Ohio high school football is you get games like this in the first round. Credit to our senior class. We talked a lot pregame about whether or not this would be the last time they stepped on the field and they wanted it and showed it tonight.”
Stuckert envisioned this type of game his first season and hopes his team can build on it.
“It is a surreal moment,” Stuckert said. “It is something we hope to build here and these are those games to get you to a certain point and hopefully you can get above there at some point. You got to have these in the meantime.”
- Woody Hayes would be proud
Talawanda mashed out 174 yards on 43 carries, with Hainline getting 134 yards and a score.
Fellow running mate Brody Abner had a tough 37 yards on 13 carries, while Oliver Bennett earned 19 yards on seven wildcat carries with two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.
“Our backs were great tonight, but I can’t say enough about Oliver Bennett,” Stuckert said. “He does whatever we ask him to do, whether that means play wing, play receiver, play quarterback and he does it. I am so proud of him.”
- O-line, take a bow
Facing a big, aggressive La Salle defensive line, the Talawanda offensive line accepted the challenge and helped pave the way for 381 total yards and 35 points.
Van Gorden finished 11 of 20 for 207 yards and two scores, while the running game kept the Lancers off balance.
Seniors Joe Kretschmer, Zeke Klenk, Jackson Clayton, Jordan Ellis and Hollis Hoffman are the five up front, with senior Joey Beckett blocking from his tight end position.
Stuckert said the line did the job Friday against a solid La Salle defense.
“To be perfectly honest, we were skeptical about whether or not we would be able to run the ball because that front is really good,” Stuckert said. “We issued a challenge to our O-line and they took it and ran with it. They were coming back with what they wanted and all that good stuff. It was a fun game for them.”
- Rematch with Harrison
Harrison and Talawanda have developed a nice little rivalry.
As the Talawanda players yelled about earning the rematch with Harrison, Stuckert remained calm.
Harrison used a 10-minute fourth-quarter drive to knock off Talawanda 20-7 in early October.
“That should be a fun one,” Stuckert said. “We will go back over and play. We are good with it. We are good with another week to play.”
