ROSS TWP. — Ross found the formula it had been searching for Friday night, Sept. 25.
Run the football, control the clock and let its defense finish the job.
The Rams put together a pair of long scoring drives and delivered a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter to knock off previously unbeaten Talawanda, 14-7, at Robinson Field.
Senior Parker Jackson scored both touchdowns for Ross (2-4), which snapped a three-game losing streak and handed Talawanda (5-1) its first loss of the season. The Brave entered Friday having outscored their first five opponents 197-12 and had posted three consecutive shutouts.
“We played some really good football teams, and this is one of them,” Ross coach Kenyon Commins said. “They are as advertised. Our guys earned it tonight. Really proud of it. Very, very proud of them.”
Ross entered the night having lost to Wyoming, Northwest, Wilmington and Harrison — teams that were a combined 17-3 before Friday — with its lone victory coming 57-0 over Thurgood Marshall.
The Rams’ defense set the tone immediately when senior defensive back Charlie Armstrong intercepted Talawanda on the Brave’s opening possession.
Talawanda eventually broke through when sophomore Brody Abney scored on a 5-yard run with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter to give the Brave a 7-0 lead.
From there, Ross dictated the pace.
The Rams leaned on Jackson and their offensive line, sustaining long drives that shortened the game and kept a Talawanda offense that had been averaging 39.4 points and 343.6 yards per game on the sideline.
Jackson capped a methodical drive with a 5-yard touchdown run before halftime to make it 7-7.
Ross went back to the same formula after the break.
Jackson finished another extended possession with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter, putting the Rams ahead 14-7.
Jackson had been limited for much of the season because of a nagging hamstring injury he sustained during this most recent spring track season. He entered Friday with just 18 carries for 66 yards in two games.
“He’s finally back to maybe 80 to 90%,” Commins said. “That drive coming out of the half is huge as well. You got to see him, you got to see an offensive line that we finally have the same starting five for the first time back-to-back weeks.”
Jackson credited the players in front of him.
“My offensive line — those guys up front — those guys just work so hard,” Jackson said. “They create the push. They start every play, and they make my job a lot easier.”
A strong punt by JJ Buehner pinned Talawanda deep early in the fourth quarter, and the Rams continued to make the Brave work for every opportunity.
Talawanda drove the ball inside the 10 on its second-to-last possession. Then on third down with 3:00 left to play, senior receiver Camar Ellis appeared to make a catch near the corner of the end zone, but officials ruled him out of bounds. Ellis was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after arguing the call, pushing the Brave backward.
On fourth-and-goal from the 19, Ross senior Chase Vowell reached a scrambling Jake Van Gorden before pulling him down for the sack.
Talawanda had one final stab after a quick Ross punt, but the Brave fell short.
“For the first time all year, we didn’t play complementary football,” Talawanda coach Andy Stuckert said. “Our defense played great again. We can’t expect them to go play and bail us out on every drive like they were doing.
“They punched us in the mouth and we just didn’t recoil very well this week. This one either galvanizes you and you go on a roll, or you go the other way.”
The victory provided a payoff for Ross after an early-season transition from its traditional triple-option attack to a power-spread offense.
“It’s a big transition going from a triple option to kind of what we are now,” Jackson said. “We’ve been working on this stuff for a long time. They do such a great job of focusing on the little details.”
Senior Alex Galante said the Rams embraced being overlooked.
“We’ve been the underdogs for every single game, mostly,” Galante said. “It just feels great to finally beat somebody.”
“Job’s not finished,” Jackson added. “We still got a long way to go.”
Ross begins Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division play next Friday at home against Edgewood, while Talawanda travels to Northwest.
