Football: Delaware Hayes’ ‘Turnover River’ flows in win over Big Walnut
Friday, September 8, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Big Walnut’s Nate Severs looks to gain ground while Delaware’s Cooper Frye makes the stop Sept. 8 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Turns out “Turnover River” came in handy for the Delaware Hayes football team. After the Pacers’ offensive juggernaut gave them the lead, their defense forced a pair of turnovers down the stretch to seal a 38-31 victory over Big Walnut to open OCC-Capital Division play on Sept. 8.
Delaware improves to 4-0 for the first time since 2018. It’s also its first win over Big Walnut since 2013. The Golden Eagles had won the previous five meetings against the Pacers.
Delaware recovered a pair of fumbles in the final four and a half minutes to seal the victory. Connor Dutton recovered a fumbled exchange to set up a Cooper Goble 35-yard field goal with 3 minutes, 17 seconds remaining.
Then, Delaware’s Connor Murphy punched a ball out of the grip of Big Walnut’s Jake Nier, which was recovered by Justin Matthews to seal the game.
Delaware’s Jake Lowman throws against Big Walnut on Sept. 8 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“It’s just belief in what we teach and trusting the process,” Delaware coach Ryan Montgomery said. “We talk about when you’re the first guy to the ball, taking a shot at it and trying to get the ball out. Coach (Justin) Malivuk does a great job with a turnover river that we work every single day and (we saw) the benefits. I think our defense has forced close to 20 turnovers. So, it’s what we practice.”
So, what is a “Turnover River”?
“There’s three different drills and you run around trying to force turnovers,” said Murphy, a junior linebacker. “We have one where you get in the quarterback’s face and then another one where you try to punch it out and then you have another one where you rip it out. We also have one for (interceptions) and you do it all at once. I’m excited we won – it was a team win.”
Austin Koslow doesn’t have to participate in ‘Turnover River’. The senior had seven catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yarder on a short slant on the third play of the game.
“A lot of the times, it’s really my quarterback (Jake Lowman),” Koslow said with a scratchy voice, audible remnants of a tough game. “He does a great job of throwing me open and the line does a great job of giving him time. That’s all it is, really.”
Koslow also had a 48-yard kick return to set up Josh Russell’s go-ahead touchdown from 1-yard out with 4:37 remaining.
Big Walnut’s Garrett Stover makes the stop on Delaware’s Josh Russell on Sept. 8 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Russell carried 28 times for 125 yards and Gavin Brinkmoeller added 59 yards on seven carries, including a 24-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter to give the Pacers a 28-24 lead.
Delaware finished with 450 yards of total offense, including 261 yards passing and two touchdowns by Lowman, who went 14-for-22.
Logan Frye had 10 tackles and a sack for the Pacers on defense.
Severs rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries for the Eagles, who fell to 1-3 overall. He had touchdown runs of 54-yards and 27-yards called back because of penalties.
Jake Nier was just 4 of 8 passing for 32 yards, but rushed 19 times for 129 yards and two scores.
Garrett Stover had eight tackles, Landen Doan had a pair of sacks and Brody Hatfield had an interception to lead Big Walnut on defense.
“The kids are giving good effort,” Big Walnut coach Curtis Crager said. “We’re just making critical mistakes at critical times. Whether it’s the defense or the offense, we’ve just got to put a whole game together. The biggest thing is that the kids have to stay together and keep fighting for one another. I’m proud of the kids and I’m proud of their effort – we’ve just got to execute better.”