Cincinnati Ohio high school football: Turpin Spartans beat Anderson Redskins in ECC classic

There was no hesitation. 

After moving the ball 90 yards in 66 seconds – without using a timeout – the Turpin Spartans, playing in front of their home crowd against their biggest rival, had a decision to make. 

The Spartans went for two and the win, defeating Anderson in a thriller, 29-28. 

“It didn’t take too long. We had the momentum and you’ve got to jump on it,” said Turpin head coach Kent McCullough. “The way the flow of that whole game was going, we just had to take advantage of that moment right there. The way we were making plays, you might as well go for it.” 

Senior quarterback Justin Silverstein rallied his team, connecting on two deep passes to Josh Bell to cut the deficit to 28-27. The 6’5” wideout got behind the Redskins defense for a long gain into Anderson territory, then hauled in a contested throw in the front corner of the end zone on the next play. 

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Turpin’s offense stayed on the field. After Anderson took a timeout, Max Gundrum hauled in the game-winner directly in front of the visiting team’s fans. 

Anderson’s potent offense had one more chance, taking over at its own 20 with 19 seconds to play. Matthew Johnson intercepted a Jackson Kuhn pass to seal the victory. 

“We just came out, we played our hardest, we fought til the end and we pulled out the W and that’s huge for us,” said Johnson. “It just shows our dedication to the team. We work hard every day, and we respect the grind.”

This was one of the more memorable outcomes in a rivalry that has at times been lopsided. The Redskins won the previous two meetings by an average of 30 points. The Spartans won the two before that by an average margin of 26 points. In McCullough’s third season at the helm and Anderson coach Evan Dreyer’s fourth, the rivalry has been restored.

“Every game with these guys is a battle. It’s awesome. You can throw the records out the window,” said McCullough. “The atmosphere tonight was fantastic and I told the kids all week long this is gonna be a game that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. I didn’t think it would be like this, but this has definitely made it a heckuva lot more memorable.” 

The first half was a defensive battle, with Turpin taking a 14-7 lead into the locker room thanks in large part to a goal-line stand.

The Redskins played with their typical aggression in the second half. Jackson Kuhn converted a 4th-and-9 from Anderson territory to Bennett Snyder, who ended the drive with a touchdown reception to give the Redskins their first lead of the game, 28-21, with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter. 

The Anderson offense was held scoreless in the final frame. Turpin’s defense stepped up to give the offense more opportunities. Anderson’s defense came up with two huge fourth-down stops late in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans had one last chance.

On a 4th and 1 from their own 38-yard line, leading by seven and with Turpin out of timeouts, Dreyer made the rare call for his punt team. The punt pinned the Spartans at their own 10-yard line with 1:25 to play. Sixty-six seconds later, the home team was in the lead. 

“I have all the confidence in the world in my team. I know that we can do that, we’ve done it before, nothing short of what I expected,” said Silverstein. “We’ve lost the last two so getting the win back on our side is great. It sets us up great, hopefully being number one in the region.”

After backup running back Kaiden Naughton went down in the game’s first series, third-string running back Miles Molloy stepped up. Will Myres and the Spartans defense continued to pressure Kuhn into difficult throws. Turpin never gave up, even when all the momentum was on Anderson’s sideline. 

“The ebb and flow of the game, and how everybody, played, it was fantastic,” said McCullough. “We talk about all three phases kicking in and doing their part, and that’s the part where this group was playing with so much heart. We talk about the brotherhood, and they truly embodied that tonight. The community, everything about this, I’m so proud of this group of guys.”

Turpin improves to 8-0 and now holds sole possession of first place in the ECC at 5-0. Anderson falls to 5-3, 4-1.