Recap: Talawanda football advances to next round of playoffs after 35-34 thriller against La Salle High School

An exclamatory “Brave!” roared over the Talawanda High School bleachers as fans and players looked to the flag for the National Anthem. No. 7 Talawanda faced off against the No. 10 La Salle High School Lancers in a fast-paced Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) division II first-round playoff game. 

First quarter

The opening drive started with a short run before senior quarterback Jake Van Gorden launched a deep ball for senior wide receiver Camar Ellis for a 68-yard touchdown. Senior kicker Brady Kent made the extra point and Talawanda took an early 7-0 lead. 

La Salle responded with a hurry-up offense, wasting no time in between plays. An offensive huddle before a play was rare. 

Junior quarterback Garrett Fraley fired to senior wide receiver Jack McLaughlin for six yards before senior running back Naseer Salaam ran for 18. On third-and-four, Fraley ran for seven for the first down. On a third-and-seven, Fraley took a deep shot to the endzone, ruled incomplete, forcing a fourth down. 

Fraley threw a bullet through the hands of a La Salle receiver over the middle and Talawanda took over at its own 29-yard line. 

Junior running back Ethan Hainline started the next possession with a 6-yard run. On the next play, Van Gorden threw deep past midfield and was intercepted by a La Salle defender. 

Salaam ran for a 5-yard gain to start the next drive. The Lancers kept it on the ground, and Salaam broke off toward the midfield sideline on a big run. After a 1-yard loss and 6-yard pass, Fraley threw to McLaughlin who escaped out of bounds for a first down. 

La Salle took a shot toward the red zone, but the pass was overthrown. Salaam ran left and kept his legs churning for a 15-yard run as defenders pulled him down. Fraley kept the ball on a 9-yard run. 

Fraley rolled out right and made some time before throwing across his body to McLaughlin in the endzone. The extra point after was good, and the score was tied at seven with under five minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

Talawanda responded quickly with a first down run by senior running back Brody Abney. After an 8-yard run, Hainline broke up the middle for 20 yards into La Salle territory. After a 2-yard run, Abney was stopped for a 1-yard gain, bringing third-and-seven. 

Van Gorden found senior wide receiver Ellis for an 18-yard gain to La Salle’s 10-yard line. Hainline got the next carry for two yards and the clock ran down, ending the first quarter. 

Second quarter

The Brave started the second quarter with a rumble in the stands. Senior utility man Oliver Bennet fielded a direct snap and ran up the middle for an 8-yard touchdown. After the extra point, Talawanda took a 14-7 lead. 

The Brave defense held strong on the next drive, forcing a third-and-11. McLaughlin spoiled the potential three-and-out, catching a 12-yard pass. La Salle kept the hurry-up offense, catching Talawanda off guard. One incomplete and 3-yard pass later, the pass was batted down at the line, and La Salle brought out the punting unit at midfield. 

With under 10 minutes in the half, Hainline ran for three yards and Abney fell forward for four. On third-and-short, Van Gorden saw a horde of Lancers crashing toward him and he threw the ball away. Senior tight end Joey Beckett punted to the opposing 43-yard line. 

Salaam added to his impressive half with a 21-yard run. After another handoff to Salaam for three yards, Fraley ran right for four. Salaam broke outside to the right, but was stopped short of the first down. On fourth-and-one, Fraley kept the ball up the middle and trucked forward for a 10-yard run. 

After Fraley kept another read-option for three yards, two runs for number 16 led to a second-and-six at Talawanda’s 11-yard line. 

After Salaam ran for three, Fraley looked like he would be short, but an extra push advanced the chains. 

Salaam ran for five before Fraley pushed forward once again on a direct snap for a 3-yard rushing touchdown. La Salle booted through the extra point and tied the game at 14 with under five minutes in the half. 

After a 1-yard loss, Hainline ran up the middle for four yards before La Salle’s defense cheered about a fumble recovery. Offensive lineman Jackson Clayton stayed laying on the field, but was able to jog off after the referees ruled it wasn’t a fumble. 

Senior wide receiver Tate Underwood caught a 10-yard pass on third-and-seven to move the chains. Hainline sprinted through the middle and then powered through two defenders for a 17-yard gain before a facemask gave the offense another five yards to La Salle’s 29-yard line. 

Abney got the next carry for eight yards, then Hainline fell forward for a first down. Hainline powered for three, then Underwood received an end around run for a 1-yard loss. 

With the clock ticking down, Van Gorden took the snap and looked over the middle for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The ball was slightly overthrown, but a pass interference call gave Talawanda the ball at the 8-yard line. 

With nine seconds remaining, a 4-yard direct snap run moved the Brave to the 6-yard line before Head Coach Andy Stuckert used his final timeout. 

Stuckert decided not to attempt a short field goal, and it didn’t pay off. Van Gorden lofted a pass left for Beckett, who was barely in bounds but couldn’t hold onto the football, and the score remained 14-14 heading into halftime. 

Third quarter

The Brave opened the second half with a squib kick. Last week, the special teams unit had multiple successful squib kicks in which they kept possession of the ball. The Lancers returned the ball to their own 37-yard line. 

Salaam started on the ground for La Salle. A 13-yard run set them up at midfield. Fraley lowered a shoulder and gained five yards on the next play. Salaam got the next carry, but was met at the line for a 1-yard loss. On third-and-six, Fraley fired toward the first down marker, but the pass was broken up and the punting unit took the field. 

Talawanda started its next drive at its own 11-yard line. Abney started with a 4-yard run before Hainline ran forward for three. On third-and-short, Van Gorden found Ellis for a 17-yard pass for a first down. 

Ellis received an end around run play, but was blown up for a 4-yard loss. Abney pushed forward to get the four yards back, bringing up third-and-long. Van Gorden looked deep left for Ellis, but the throw sailed just out of reach and Talawanda punted. 

Beckett’s second punt of the night traveled 40 yards before a La Salle returner muffed the punt but recovered. Salaam started the drive with a 6-yard run before juking out a defender and running left past midfield for 23 yards. On second-and-seven, Fraley found McLaughlin for five yards before spinning forward for a first down at Talawanda’s 34-yard line. 

The Brave were able to hold the La Salle offense to a third-and-five before Fraley kept a read option. Looking for a first down, he was two yards short, but tried again on fourth down. A 3-yard gain set up the offense at the 23-yard line. 

After a 1-yard gain, Fraley ran up the middle again for seven, bringing third-and-short in the redzone. Fraley took two straight direct snaps, pushing inside the Talawanda 10-yard line. 

Junior running back Jordan Lowe snuck out right as Fraley rolled left. No Talawanda defender was in sight, as Fraley lobbed a 9-yard passing touchdown to Lowe and took a 21-14 lead. 

Talawanda had a little over a minute in the third quarter to respond to its first losing score of the game. After the kickoff neared the endzone, the Talawana returner ran the ball out to Talawanda’s 36-yard line. 

On second-and-five, Van Gorden took his first sack of the game, setting up a third-and-14 and the start of the fourth quarter. 

Fourth quarter

Van Gorden looked left and launched a 30-yard deep ball to Ellis. Ellis made a spectacular toe-tap catch, giving the offense momentum past midfield. Facing a third-and-eight, Van Gorden backpedaled as the entire La Salle defensive line ran toward him. He dumped the ball off to Hainline for a 14-yard reception and a first down. 

On La Salle’s 20-yard line, Hainline bounced out right and found open field for a 20-yard touchdown run. Kent nailed his third extra point of the game, and the score reached its third tie at 21 each. 

With 10 minutes in the game, the Lancers took possession at their own 25-yard line. Salaam floated right looking for a hole, but was pushed back for a 1-yard loss. McLaughlin spoiled the defensive stop with a 12-yard catch and a first down. Salaam looked left again but was pushed back farther for a 3-yard loss. 

Salaam was injured on the play and wasn’t able to put weight on his left foot. Athletic staff carried him off the field. 

On the next play, Fraley launched 46 yards down the field to McLaughlin, a momentum shifter in the final quarter. Immediately after, Lowe sprinted left for a 16-yard touchdown, and La Salle took a 28-21 lead. 

After, the kickoff reached the endzone and a Talawanda returner hit a corner on the right to Talawanda’s 37-yard line. Hainline ran for six on second-and-seven, bringing up third down. Bennett lined up at quarterback and took a direct snap up the middle for a first down at midfield.

After a three-yard loss, Van Gorden threw a 7-yard pass and Abney ran forward for five yards, leading to a fourth-and-short. With under five minutes remaining, Bennett kept on a read-option and ran hard left for a first down. 

Looking for a receiver, Van Gorden stepped up in the pocket, but was sacked for a 3-yard loss. Hainline got the next carry and kept his legs churning for a 10-yard gain, his offensive line pushing him forward.

Tensions rose as Van Gorden threw toward the endzone for Ellis in double coverage, but the ball fell just off his hands. Stuckert took his first timeout of the half with a little over two-and-a-half minutes in the game. 

On fourth-and-three, Hainline cut right for a first down on La Salle’s 25-yard line. 

Another gasp was heard as Hailine ran for three up the middle and the ball came out. Talawanda kept possession after sorting out the pile of players. With under a minute in the game, Hainline ran right for three yards, but couldn’t get out of bounds and Stuckert used his second timeout. 

On third-and-four with 49 seconds remaining, Van Gorden fired over the middle to Abney for nine yards. A La Salle player stayed down, injured on the field and the clock stopped at 44 seconds. 

Van Gorden threw a fade to Ellis right off the snap, which didn’t survive the ground on the catch, bringing a second down. 

Van Gorden took the next snap, made a player miss and looked to scramble forward. Then, he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass for Ellis who was wide open in the middle of the endzone. The play marked Ellis’s second touchdown of the game. 

Kent kicked the extra point through and the teams were tied for the fourth time, 28-28.

“It was a chess match,” Stuckert said. “I thought the players on both sides of the ball were phenomenal. I thought they put on a show and that’s what Ohio high school football is all about, especially in the playoffs.”

Talawanda tried an onside kick attempt, but La Salle recovered at its own 26-yard line. Mclaughlin caught 4-yard and 5-yard passes, both out of bounds. With 18 seconds left, Fraley ran up the middle for a first down toward midfield. 

La Salle took its second timeout, looking for a miracle play. After a pass out of bounds, the Lancers had five seconds left at its own 46-yard line. 

Fraley heaved a hail mary, but the pass was intercepted by a Talawanda defender at the 10-yard line, ending the fourth quarter.

Overtime

Talawanda started at La Salle’s 20-yard line. After a 3-yard run, Van Gorden threw an incomplete pass intended for Ellis, setting up third-and-seven. An incomplete pass to Beckett after running around in the pocket meant a fourth-and-seven for the Brave. 

In desperation, Van Gorden checked down a pass to Abney who ran to the 5-yard line for a first down. Bennett took a direct snap on the next play and ran for one yard. Hainline took the next carry down to the 2-yard line. 

On third down, Bennett faked a handoff and ran up the middle for a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Kent’s fifth extra point went through and Talawanda took a 35-28 lead. 

La Salle responded quickly with a 15-yard run by Lowe. After a 3-yard run, Fraley ran forward for a 2-yard touchdown. The Lancers kept the offense out for a 2-point attempt and a ticket to the next round of the playoffs. 

Fralet rolled out right and lobbed a pass over the head of a Lancer receiver, who went for a one-hand grab. The ball landed out of bounds, and the Brave took a 35-34 victory. 

Beckett, out of breath from celebrating, emphasized how the team will prepare for next week’s matchup against the Harrison High School Wildcats. 

“We just keep going,” Beckett said. “Keep doing what we do. Just keep pounding the ball. Do what we do very well.”

The Brave will play away against the Wildcats on Friday, Nov. 6, in the second round of playoffs. When the teams played against each other earlier this season, Harrison came out on top 20-7. 

“We’re excited to still be in it, and we’re going to go prepare for Harrison,” Stuckert said. “We’re going to take our swings.”