Talawanda chases more dreams
- Updated: July 9, 2015
Talawanda was one of the hottest teams down the stretch last season. The Braves won their final five regular season games to propel them into the playoffs for just the third time in school history. They fell to Wapakoneta in the first round. Now they strive for another first for the program by getting to the post-season in back-to-back years.
That won’t be easy especially with the graduation of running back Maurice Thomas who ran for 2,780 yards and scored 38 touchdowns. The Braves relied on Thomas heavily. He accounted for 74% of the teams scoring (230 of 310 points) and offense (3,090 of 4,177 yards).
This fall it will be more of a team effort for Talawanda. Senior Mason Kuhn will be a larger part of the offense. He ran for 643 yards as a sophomore when Thomas was hurt. Carries were sparse for Kuhn in 2014 as he racked up just 101 yards rushing on 21 attempts. The passing game should open up more for receiver Marshall Nelson who has 34 receptions for 656 yards during his career.
On defense the Braves will have to be more opportunistic. Talawanda only had 16 takeaways. Seniors Cameron Fox, Logan Keebler and Nelson combined for eight of those takeaways. Keebler led the team with four interceptions. Fox and Nelson were Second Team All-SWOC selections in ’14. They are the teams only two returning all-conference players.
Add in a schedule that will see Talawanda face four teams that went to the playoffs in their first six games. The Braves must avoid digging themselves into a deep hole early on and it is going to take a gargantuan effort to do so.
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