Preview: Talawanda football takes on rival Eaton in 2nd home game of the season

The Friday night lights will shine for the second week in a row at Talawanda High School, as the Brave football team gears up for a home matchup against the rival Eaton Eagles in week three of high school football season. Talawanda and Eaton both enter the game with a 2-0 record. 

The Brave began the season at Taylor High School, where they defeated the Yellowjackets by a score of 33-6. Junior running back Ethan Hainline led the charge on offense and sported 146 yards and two touchdowns across 17 carries by game’s end, but sophomore ball-carrier Brody Abney also stepped up for 104 yards and one touchdown over 15 carries.

The Brave scored 26 of their 33 points in the second half and surrendered six in the third quarter.

After their opening-week victory, the Brave took the field for their home opener against the Meadowdale Lions, who were 1-0 after an unusual 8-6 win over the Independence Sixers. 

However, Talawanda took control from the opening snap and exploded out of the gate with 21 points in the first quarter and 35 in the first half.

Hainline once again scored two touchdowns, and so did Abney, despite only rushing for 56 and 36 yards, respectively. Sophomore quarterback Jake Van Gorden had nine completions on 12 attempts for 121 yards and a touchdown in the 49-0 win.

Talawanda head coach Andy Stuckert applauded his team’s effort in the first two weeks of the season, noting their physicality, conditioning and depth. However, he didn’t hesitate to label the group as one still finding their way into a groove on both sides of the ball.

"There's a lot of unknown that goes into the first couple of games because, obviously, a year goes by and kids get in the weight room and get a year of experience under their belts, so it's always hard to scout week one,” Stuckert said. “For us, we're just trying to figure out where we're at. We're still trying to work the kinks out, but we're comfortable where we're at.”

Next up for the Brave is an Eaton team they saw almost a year ago to the day, when they beat the Eagles 45-20, their first win in the matchup since the 2018-19 season. Then-senior running back Lance Cantrell finished with 313 yards and four touchdowns, while now-senior quarterback Oliver Bennett threw for 166 yards with two touchdowns. But for Eaton, it’s time to turn the page and focus on this year, and they’ve created the right momentum to do so.

The first two games for head coach Brad Davis’ squad thus far resulted in two wins at home, a 21-0 victory against the Greenville Green Wave and a 39-8 defeat of the Richmond Red Devils. 

Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Goeke threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns with seven completions on 10 attempts in week one. They followed that performance with 15 completions on 23 attempts, 185 yards passing, two touchdowns and one interception.

However, the more impressive performances in week two were Eaton’s defense, which overran the Richmond offense and created six turnovers – three interceptions and three fumble recoveries – and Junior running back and outside linebacker Crosby Schadle. He finished with 53 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, while hauling in six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Now, Eaton will head into the lion’s den, but Talawanda senior tight end and captain Joey Beckett won’t let himself or his teammates take anything lightly.

“We’ve played Eaton every year I’ve been with (Talawanda), and every year they are the most aggressive team we play,” Beckett said. “They’re getting into the nitty-gritty in the trenches, always hustling to the ball; all 11 players on defense are on the ball. So what we need to do is bring that aggression right back at them, and if we do that, we’ll come out on top. They’ve got some guys. They’ve got a really good team over there. So we have to make sure we do our jobs, stay on our game plan, and just be more physical because they’re the most physical team we’ll play all year.”

Before running out onto the field to the tune of the Talawanda marching band, the message in the Brave locker room is simple: play physical, play aggressive and do your job, nothing more and nothing less. In a rivalry game especially, there’s no need to do too much, and Beckett has seen that principle exemplified in the energetic defensive performances through the first two games.

“I just need to do my job,” Beckett said. “I’ll do whatever I need for my team. I can’t do too much, but I can’t do too little, and I expect the exact same from the teammate next to me.”

“Coming up on Eaton, I think we just continue to do what we’ve been doing – doing all the little things right, keeping our mistakes to a minimum, fewer penalties and negative yards, everything you can think of. I’m not on defense personally, but the defense has been stepping it up on everything. (Senior defensive back) Kendrick (Fox) has been balling out. He has two picks, and I can’t ask for anything more from him. They’ve been going at it all year.”

The Brave will try for two wins in a row against the Eagles when the game kicks off on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:00 p.m. at Talawanda High School Stadium.