Talawanda football closes out regular season with dominant 42-0 win on senior recognition night

Red-sashed cheerleaders in tiaras, marching band members in navy blue and orange and football players covered in bright red uniforms flooded the running track. Talawanda High School recognized the seniors from each group before the final home game of the 2026-27 football season on Friday, Oct. 23. 

It was a night to remember for senior running back Oliver Bennett, who suffered an injury early in his high school career.

“My freshman year, I broke my leg and I didn’t even know (if) I was going to play football again,” Bennett said. “It’s really come true that all that hard work showed off at the end, and I couldn’t pick a better ending for it.”

Despite the early obstacle, Bennett would run for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-0 win and potentially his last game on Talawanda’s home football field.  

Talawanda’s final regular season opponent, the Blanchester High School Wildcats, took early reps on the field while each senior took time standing with their respective family members, facing the bleachers. The announcer recognized the players’ names, family members’ names, plans after high school and who they wanted to thank for helping them through their own journeys. 

“This night’s all about them,” Head CoachAndy Stuckert said. “We told them no matter what happens tonight, playoff-wise, this could be the last time they play on this field, and to make sure that they take that into account and don’t let this moment slip through their hands. They did a great job.”

Because the game start time changed to 7:15 p.m., the lights overshadowed the Talawanda Brave field while a pink strip of clouds floated over a faded, blue sky. The Wildcats, 25 in number, came into the game at 5-4, while the Brave, who more than doubled that amount of players, entered the night 7-2. 

The opening kickoff to Blanchester rolled out of bounds, so the Wildcats offense set up at the 35-yard line. The Brave defense made a statement early. 

After allowing a fourth-and-one conversion, the Talawanda defensive line came up big with multiple tackles for a loss, leading to an early punt. 

Sophomore quarterback Jake Van Gorden came out on the first possession and started firing. 

After a first-play pass good for a first down, Van Gorden found senior tight end Joey Beckett for over 20 yards inside the Wildcats 20-yard line. On the next play, the ball slipped during Van Gorden’s throwing motion, and was intercepted by Blanchester on a high-sailing lob. 

With less than four minutes in the first quarter, the defense committed another two-down stop and forced another punt. A Wildcats false start put them back five yards farther, which set up senior wide receiver and returner Camar Ellis for a return to midfield. Sophomore running back Brody Abney gained 14 yards up the middle on the first play of the drive. 

After an incomplete pass and an Abney 7-yard run, Ellis blew past defenders on a 30-yard carry to the right for a touchdown. Senior kicker Brayden Kent made the extra point, and the Brave took a 7-0 lead. 

Kent attempted a squib kick short through the middle of Blanchester’s return team. After the ball was muffed by a Wildcat, senior free safety Kemper McAfee dove on the ball, and Talawanda got the ball back on Blancheter’s 30-yard line. 

Immediately after, the crowd erupted as Ellis scored his second 30-yard touchdown, this time on a deep ball from Van Gorden. Kent converted the point after to close out the first quarter with a Talawanda 14-0 lead. 

Lightning struck twice, as senior wide receiver Tate Underwood scooped up another squib kick to begin the second quarter.

On Blanchester’s 43-yard line, Van Gorden heaved a pass to Beckett who caught the ball near the 20-yard line and escaped right into the endzone for another score. However, a blindside block penalty disallowed the touchdown and set the offense back at the 20-yard line. Abney erased the penalty on the next play with a 20-yard touchdown run to the right. 

Within two minutes, Talawanda completed two squib kick recoveries and four straight offensive plays that resulted in touchdowns. Although one was called back, the Brave racked up 21 points in that span. 

“We were well prepared for this,” senior linebacker Mamoudou Datt said. “Our coaches, they got us right. Our teammates, they really lift us up.”

The Wildcats managed to shave some time off the clock on their next drive, but the Brave defense continued to suffocate the opposition. Talawanda’s special teams continued to make plays, blocking the Blanchester punt on fourth down and taking over once again in enemy territory. 

Abney converted his second rushing touchdown of the game. Breaking free up the middle, Abney covered over 20 yards of ground, and the Brave took a comfortable 28-0 lead. 

The Wildcats stayed with the run game in the final two minutes and couldn’t get anywhere, concluding Talawanda’s dominant first half. Not only did the offense execute, but the special teams and defense helped carry the Brave through the two quarters. 

“I can’t brag about our defensive coordinator Cortez McGinnis enough and our special teams coordinator Blake Hawkins,” Stuckert said. “Those guys do a really good job. They’re always shuffling personnel and getting guys in, and tonight was just a pretty normal night for them.”

Talawanda’s dominance continued after receiving the second half kickoff. Bennett ran for a short gain, then took off for a 60-yard rushing touchdown. Kent made his fifth extra point of the game, and Talawanda held a 35-0 lead within the first two minutes of the third quarter. 

Talawanda attempted a third squib kick, but a Wildcat fell on the ball at Blanchester’s 20-yard line. 

After a series of unsuccessful first downs, Blanchester decided to attempt a fourth down conversion and failed. Talawanda took over possession near midfield. Senior wide receiver Tate Underwood caught a short pass from Van Gorden and took off for a 51-yard score, but a penalty once again took six points off the board and sent the offense back behind midfield. 

Underwood caught a screen pass on the next play and broke off for over 20 yards, but another penalty sent the offense even farther back. 

On second-and-19, Bennett ran up the middle for 20 yards and a first down, erasing the penalties. On Blanchester’s 38-yard line, the Brave closed out the third quarter with a 10-yard run by senior running back Colton Smith.

The Brave faced their first fourth down of the game on Blanchester’s 25-yard line. Kent took the field looking for a career-high 42-yard field goal. The line-drive kick fell just short, but Talawanda kept a 35-0 lead with nine minutes remaining in the game. 

The Brave defense didn’t let the Wildcats offense breath, allowing zero yards on the next drive and forcing another punt. 

With six minutes left, Bennett started the drive with a 9-yard run. With the clock dwindling, Smith ran for short and Tate caught a screen pass to convert the third down. Smith ran for one and Bennett was met behind the line before the two-minute warning whistle blew. 

On a third-and-long, Bennett received a direct snap and ran for a 43-yard touchdown, his second of the game. 

“It’s not just, ‘Oh, number four had a multiple touchdown game,’” Bennett said. “It’s, ‘The offense had a multiple touchdown game for sure.’ There were run plays today where I was stuffed, but my offensive line paved the way, and I’m the one who they say scored.”

Kent made his sixth extra point and Talawanda went up 42-0. 

The final minute ran off the clock before another kickoff and the teams lined up for handshakes at the end of the game.

Despite the regular season’s end, Talawanda is currently eyeing its next opponent in the playoffs. Practice isn’t over, and neither is a successful 2026-27 football campaign. 

“We’re gonna dial in and find out who our playoff opponent is,” Stuckert said. “Nothing will really be official for a couple days, but we’ll know. We’ll start doing a pretty good dive into that opponent and start our scouting process and treat it just like any other week.”