Cincinnati Ohio high school football: Down 14, Anderson rallies to stun Walnut Hills in OT
The Week 8 stakes could not have been much higher than they were at the Nut House on Friday night, and the drama on the field lived up to the pressure both teams faced with their postseason hopes on the line.
Anderson rallied from down 14 points at halftime to stun host Walnut Hills in overtime, 34-31.
James Camden’s gritty performance led the second-half comeback.
Leyton Wheeldon’s interception on the first play of overtime set the Redskins up for the win. Hayden Brooke delivered the victory with a 37-yard field goal that just barely squeaked over the crossbar.
“It really comes down to a bunch of seniors that wanted to win,” said Anderson head coach Evan Dreyer. “They played angry and just willed our team to win. I can’t say more about James Camden and Bennett Snyder and Elijah Willis and Nate Crawford just being great leaders and being resilient to make sure our team won tonight.”
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Anderson (6-3) was playing without the Eastern Cincinnati Conference's (ECC) leading passer. Jackson Kuhn was sidelined by an injury to his non-throwing hand. Camden, usually a wide receiver, shifted behind center. He rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Camden also took snaps in the secondary and returned punts and kickoffs for the Redskins.
“James stepped in and played a tremendous part in our win," Dreyer said. "What a gritty kid, what a leader. I’m proud of the way he represented us tonight.”
Both ECC teams entered the penultimate week of the regular season squarely on the playoff bubble. Walnut Hills entered the game ranked ninth in Division I, Region 4. Anderson was ranked eighth in Division II, Region 8.
The Eagles opened the game with a 69-yard scoring drive that took 6:15 off the clock.
Camden led Anderson on a scoring drive on the Redskins’ opening possession, using a combination of his arm, legs and two Walnut Hills offside penalties on fourth downs to keep the Anderson drive alive.
Nick Presley returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to put the Eagles back on top. The Eagles' defense then forced a three-and-out and the game’s first punt, which only traveled seven yards. Set up with starting field position at the Anderson 17-yard line, the Eagles added to their lead just two plays later when Presley hauled in a touchdown reception from Jack Reuter.
Walnut Hills was not forced to punt until there was 7:55 left to play in the second quarter, and the Eagles held a 21-7 lead.
Camden finished off an Anderson scoring drive with a 24-yard run, but the freshman Reuter quickly answered for Walnut Hills. Reuter delivered two crucial passes while getting hit, the second of which Garry Williams took 32 yards for a touchdown and a 28-14 halftime lead.
But Anderson’s potent offense came out of the locker room firing. The Redskins put together a scoring drive in just 1:13 and Owen Koelle’s touchdown run cut the deficit to seven.
The defense pressured Reuter into floating a pass as he was hit, and Billy Knott hauled in his fifth interception of the season. A few plays later, Camden was in the end zone again. Less than four minutes into the second half and the game was tied at 28.
“We just had to get our mind right,” said Knott, whose two interceptions spurred the comeback. “We just thought that we’re only down by two touchdowns, that’s nothing in the game. Everybody just stuck together. We’ve got to keep going forward, never back.”
Anderson then stopped Walnut Hills on a fourth-and-1 at the Walnut Hills 41. The Redskins took their first lead of the game on the ensuing drive on Hayden Brooke’s 30-yard field goal.
The defenses exchanged big plays with Walnut Hills linebacker Lundyn Lane coming up with a huge stop late. His diving interception gave the Eagles the ball at the Anderson 20, setting up Justin Brown’s game-tying 36-yard field goal with 3:39 to play.
Knott’s second interception of the game in the closing minute gave Anderson another chance to win in regulation. His return to the 1-yard line was nullified by penalty, and a 45-yard field goal attempt at the buzzer missed, setting up the dramatic overtime finish.
Anderson – 7 7 17 0 3 – 34
Walnut Hills – 21 7 0 3 0 – 31
WH – Dorn 1-yard run (Brown kick)
A – Williams 14-yard run (Brooke kick)
WH – Presley 92-yard kickoff return (Brown kick)
WH – Presley 17-yard pass from Reuter (Brown kick)
A – Camden 24-yard run (Brooke kick)
WH – Williams 32-yard pass from Reuter (Brown kick)
A – Koelle 23-yard run (Brooke kick)
A – Camden 35-yard run (Brooke kick)
A – Brooke 30-yard field goal
WH – Brown 36-yard field goal
A – Brooke 37-yard field goal
Records: Anderson 6-3 (5-1 ECC), Walnut Hills 4-5 (2-4 ECC)