Talawanda, Ross eager for chance to finish strong in rivalry clash

That fluttering sound you hear around Oxford and Ross are records being thrown out the window.

That’s what happens when neighboring prep rivals get together as Talawanda and the Rams are scheduled to do on Friday night at Ross in a Southwest Ohio Conference football game and the regular-season finale for both teams.

The two squads have combined for three wins in a bleak season, but the emotions of playing a rival combined with the keen interest in ending the season on a positive note could produce a barnburner similar to last season’s game. Ross erased deficits of 14 points in the second quarter and seven in the fourth quarter to pull out a 30-24 win in overtime.

“A lot of people don’t remember this, but we didn’t lead in a ballgame last year until there was about six minutes left in the second quarter against them,” said Talawanda coach J.D. Vonderheide, who lives in the Ross school district. “We were right on the cusp of tasting victory. There are no hard feelings. It’s not a bitter rivalry. I like (Rams coach) Brian Butts. He’s a good guy and a good coach. He’s done a good job. We played well enough to win. We just let one slip away. If that motivates our kids to not let up, that’s good.

“We’re pretty evenly matched on paper. We’ll see which team shows up on Friday night, on both sides of the field.”

Butts doesn’t anticipate last year’s outcome playing a role in this year’s game.

“I don’t think the kids remember that,” he said. “This year’s game will be about how we build on little bits and pieces of good things. I think whoever can get off to a fast start and build confidence will probably win the game.”

Talawanda (1-8, 1-4 SWOC) goes into the game on a four-game losing streak and has lost three of the last four games against Ross (2-7, 0-5). The Rams have dropped six straight games and are playing at home for the first time since Sept. 30.

“That last game is always emotional,” said Butts, who lives in the Talawanda school district. “We do a lot of special things with the seniors, like a father-son thing in the pregame locker room. I think both teams just wanting to win will bring the level up a bit.”

While both coaches will be saying goodbye to seniors, they also hope to generate a good taste for the mouths of the returning players, which will help get them through the rigors of offseason conditioning and practice.

“Winning would be a good way to end the year,” Vonderheide said. “We’ve had a tough little stretch here against some really good competition. Ross looks good to me. They’ve had a similar season as us. We both have had some injuries, and things haven’t gone our way.

“It’s going to be a game filled with emotion. You want to send your seniors out the right way, and it’s important as far as setting the tone for the offseason and next year. We like to call it a one-game season.”

Butts wishes his Rams could finally find some consistency.

“We’ve had a lot of struggles that come from injuries,” he said. “We’ve been banged up since Week 2. We’ve had a different running back each week. It’s going to be a struggle for us, because we haven’t been able to build any consistency with players being moved around and having to learn new positions. If we get healthy and have a good week of practice, we have a shot.”

Vonderheide suggests that fans shouldn’t be surprised to see both teams empty their playbooks.

“Week 10, you throw it all against the wall and see what works,” he said. “This is one where they could come out and try something different. We came out on the third play against Little Miami (Talawanda’s only win) and threw a double pass. That was a big win on homecoming. Usually my brain doesn’t think of those things until later in the week.

“What have you got to lose? Nobody has anything to lose. We look for something to give us a spark and create some energy. We’re looking for an edge. You want to create some energy — get back to that energy you had at the start of the season, so you look for any way to create that energy to finish out the season.”

Friday’s game

What: Talawanda (1-8, 1-4 SWOC) at Ross (2-7, 0-5 SWOC), 7 p.m.

Where: Robinson Field, 3425 Hamilton-Cleves Road, Ross Twp.

Last meeting: Ross won 30-24 in overtime in 2015

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