“Cream rises to the top” is an old expression meaning quality will eventually win out, but for the Talawanda football team it also applies to their league schedule.

The Braves opened Southwest Ohio Conference play against the three teams that are likely the cream of the league and lost all three. Now they head into the final four games of the season against league foes more evenly matched with them.

They are certainly no “easy” games or ones that anyone, let alone an 0-6 team, can overlook, but coach J.D. Vonderheide sees them as games that are “winnable” and likely to be more competitive.

“We are due for a breakout game. We’ve moved the ball on everybody in our league,” Vonderheide said. “Mount Healthy has only allowed 33 points this year and we scored 20 of them. I feel good about the next four games.”

Talawanda plays on the road for the next two weeks, at Little Miami tonight and at Edgewood next week. The Braves will close out the season at home against Wilmington and Ross.

Northwest stayed undefeated on its visit to Talawanda last Friday, winning 42-7. A score that lopsided does not suggest a game that turned on one play, but this one comes close.

The Braves trailed 14-0 and had the ball third-and-goal at the Northwest 7 when sophomore quarterback Connor Scott passed into the end zone. The ball was intercepted by Northwest’s Dominick Williams, who returned it 100 yards for the first of his three touchdowns on the evening. With 10:09 left in the first half the Knights led 21-0 instead of 14-7.

Talawanda scored with 1:05 to go in the half on a 1-yard run by junior Dakota Byrd, capping a drive which started on the Northwest 45.

The Knights negated that touchdown when Williams scored on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Cory Roberson with 46 seconds left in the half. Northwest added two more scores in the fourth quarter, one on a 65-yard reception by Williams.

THS travels tonight to Little Miami, which stands at 1-5 overall, 0-3 in the SWOC. Its lone win was a 39-27 win over Monroe Sept. 7. Little Miami lost to SWOC foes Harrison 42-13, Mount Healthy 35-0 and Edgewood 53-26.

Two offensive players to watch are quarterback Josh Eckert and receiver Dustin Vice. Eckert is fifth in the league in yards passing (401), just behind Talawanda’s Connor Scott (442). Vice also is fifth in the league with 219 yards and also is just behind a Talawanda player, Christian Jones, who has 229.

“These are two pretty evenly matched teams,” Vonderheide said. “If we do what we do, this is a winnable game for us. We went toe-to-toe and played well at times against three very good football teams.”

Two defensive players on the Little Miami roster to watch for are linebackers Mike McKeehan and Nick Rigdon, Vonderheide said. “They run well and fly around,” he said.

Despite the record the Braves are working hard and improving.

“These kids don’t quit. We made some strides forward in the second half,” Vonderheide said.

Talawanda’s defense may have had its finest moment when the Knights’ Jason Phillips took the ball on second-and-goal at the 7 and crossed the goal line, but it was called back on a penalty, setting up another try at the 12. But they were pushed back to the 14. On third down Roberson was sacked at the 25 and Northwest missed a field goal attempt.