OXFORD — For Talawanda it was a familiar scenario as Braves’ miscues turned into Eaton points on Friday, Sept. 9. The first half for Talawanda mirrored their game last week against Badin, as the Rams jumped out to an early lead by taking advantage of Talawanda turnovers.
Against Eaton, a mishandled punt allowed the Eagles to get possession back in the first quarter and set up a short scoring drive. Also, an Eaton interception which was ran back inside the one yard line, set up another score.
Talawanda got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter, putting together a solid drive. The Braves capped it off with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Logan Kamphaus to Luke Croucher. Kamphaus and Croucher connected again in the fourth quarter from 4 yards out for the Braves other touchdown.
The Talawanda quarterback was 12 of 31 passing for 171 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran 13 times for 74 yards. Croucher led all receivers with six catches for 53 yards.
Blake Bryan had two catches for 65 yards, including a 61-yard reception. He added 54 yards on three kickoff returns and had an interception.
Talawanda is now 0-3 on the season with one final non-conference game remaining. They will travel to New Richmond on Friday, Sept. 16. New Richmond is 2-1 after three games. They defeated Monroe on Friday.
Talawanda will open Southwest Ohio Conference play the following week, hosting Little Miami. In other SWOC action, Mount Healthy remains unbeaten, 3-0, and four teams are 2-1 (Edgewood, Little Miami, Northwest and Ross).
Volleyball
The Talawanda varsity volleyball team remained unbeaten in Southwest Ohio Conferennce play with wins over Harrison and Mount Healthy last week. The pair of victories keeps them atop the standings along with Ross, who also won both of their conference matches.
The Lady Braves took both matches 3-0, defeating Harrison (25-8, 25-23, 26-24) on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and Mount Healthy (25-8, 25-23, 25-9) on Thursday.
In the win over Harrison, the Braves were lead offensively by seniors Jordan Chase who went 6 of 13 (.462 hitting efficiency), Olivia Lauer who went 5 of 11 (.455 hitting efficiency) and sophomore Mallory Elliott who was 6-of-10 (.400 hitting efficiency). Senior Gabriella Lindley anchored the defensive with six digs and senior setter Katlynn Woodruff recorded 31 kills and five digs.
“Overall both teams played well in spurts,” coach Ruchelle Dunwoody said. “Our focus in that match was to keep Harrison out of system by serving tough and we were able to accomplish that task by recording 17 aces on the night. Overall, I was very proud of our efforts.”
Against Mount Healthy, Talawanda was lead offensively by Junior Jessica Dingledine who recorded eight kills and hit. .500 for the match.
Talawanda faced a tough Badin squad in a non-conference matchup on Saturday at home. Badin entered the matchup at 6-1 (MaxPreps), with their only loss at that point against Alter.
The Lady Braves had to come from behind to take a five-game match. They opened with a 25-15 win in the first game, but fell behind 2-1 (20-25, 23-25) going into game three. Talawanda controlled game three, winning 25-14 and then took decisive final game, 15-12.
“But again the team proved it can execute when their backs are against the wall against a tough opponent and a hostile visiting crowd.” Dunwoody added.
The win on Saturday gives Talawanda seven straight wins and an 8-1 record overall.
The Lady Braves faced a tough challenge this week playing four games in five days. Talawanda was set to play Edgewood at home on Tuesday, Sept. 13. They will follow with Fairfield, also at home, and at Northwest on Wednesday and Thursday. They will cap off the week at Hamilton on Saturday.
Boys’ golf
The Talawanda boys’ golf team kept pace with Harrison and Little Miami in Southwest Ohio Conference action last week, defeating Edgewood on Thursday, Sept. 8. The 165-197 win over the Cougars keeps Talawanda with just one loss in SWOC play.
Talawanda (2-1), Harrison (4-1) and Little Miami (3-1) each have one loss in conference play. The Braves only SWOC loss came earlier in the season against Little Miami (173-175). LIttle Miami’s only loss was against Harrison (163-169). Talawanda defeated Harrison (176-185).
The Braves win over Edgewood pushes their overall record to 9-2. They stay busy this week with a match scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12, at Northwest, followed by Fenwick on Wednesday and Ross on Thursday. The SWOC Conference Tournament is set for Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Tennis
The Talawanda girls’ tennis team has won four of their last five matches and remain unbeaten in the SWOC at 4-0. That record puts them atop the standings in the conference, along with Ross, also 4-0.
Talawanda won two of three last week, defeating SWOC opponents Mount Healthy (5-0) and Edgewood (4-0). In non-conference action, the Lady Braves lost to Badin (1-4).
The week’s schedule for Talawanda included four straight matches from Monday, Sept. 12 through Thursday. The Lady Braves were set to travel to Fairfield on Monday and Northwest on Tuesday, before hosting Seton on Wednesday. They will wrap up the week with a SWOC showdown with Ross on Thursday.
(Some information provided by the Southwest Ohio Conference website)
