Talawanda High School’s football team heads to Carlisle tonight for its first game on the road of 2012, facing a team similar to itself and hard to beat at home.

Both teams are looking for their first win. The Braves dropped their opener at home to Monroe 28-7 last week and Carlisle lost at Franklin 20-13.

“We are two very similar teams,” Talawanda coach J.D. Vonderheide said. “They lost a heartbreaker to a very good Franklin team. They are well coached and they do what they do very well. On the road, Carlisle is a very tough place to play.”

The first-year Talawanda coach said his young team will be up against a Carlisle team with experience and talent and needing to play a solid game tonight.

“They have a very good quarterback,” he said. “Offensively, they are pretty multiple and good at what they do. Their defense brings pressure. They stopped Franklin. We’ll be ready for the challenge. It will be a challenge, nonetheless.”

The Braves came out of last week’s opener healthy but a bit frustrated by the final score, which Vonderheide said he expects his players to put behind them.

“We had the usual bumps and bruises. We’re in good shape,” he said. “We have some guys going both ways and when it gets late in the game, people get tired. That’s when people get hurt. All the hard work in the offseason let us play the whole game and avoid injuries. Our focus is to keep progressing and moving forward each week. We’ve got enough talent.”

Talawanda jumped in front last week against Monroe with sophomore Maurice Thomas taking the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Monroe tied it late in the first quarter and the score remained 7-7 until late in the third quarter when the Hornets scored again and then added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Preparation for Carlisle began the next morning when the coach got up early and began reviewing video of the game the night before.

“It’s always good to step back from the emotions of the game and watch film,” he said. “My thoughts did not change much (after seeing the video). We just made too many mistakes to put the kids in a position to win.”

One play, however, stood out.

“The touchdown called back, they called a block in the back on Christian Jones,” Vonderheide said. “I did not see it. That play could have turned the game around.”

The Talawanda coach said he may have let the game get out of control late.

“Maybe I’m too emotional. I know only one way to play — all out,” he said. “At the end of the game, it was us forcing things to make things happen. Take five or six plays out of the game and it’s reversed. I’m disappointed, but there were a lot of good things to learn from. The game hung in the balance and could go either way for three quarters.”

For a team coming off a 0-10 season, there always is a risk of grasping at straws, but there was no mistaking the enthusiasm when Thomas ran back the opening kickoff, a moment that will live forever as the first score on the new Talawanda football field.

The opening kickoff will be at 7:30.