Talmage Ready to Face St. Bonaventure

Receiver Jon Talmage figures heavily in Orange Lutheran’s game plan no matter what the defense--or his own quarterback, for that matter--throws at him.

Last week, in a victory over Los Angeles Cathedral, Lancer quarterback Robby Hobbs tried to hit Talmage on a post corner route. The ball was severely underthrown, but Talmage stayed with the play and made a one-handed catch deep in Phantom territory after the ball was tipped by a defender.

“He saves us from a lot of interceptions,” Hobbs said. “You can have a bad ball and he’ll still make it into a great play. He can adjust to anything.”

Two weeks ago, Santa Paula limited Talmage to one catch by double-teaming him, but the ploy backfired by opening up the Lancers’ option attack.

“Jon is effective whether he’s getting the ball or not,” Orange Lutheran Coach Jim Kunau said, “because of the threat he poses.”

Talmage will be the focus of another defense tonight when the third-seeded Lancers (11-2) face top-seeded Ventura St. Bonaventure (13-0) in the Southern Section Division XI championship game at Ventura High.

Seraph defensive back Jashaun McCowan, who has eight interceptions this season, will try to shut down Orange County’s leading receiver.

“I just have to step up and accept the challenge,” said Talmage, who has set school single-season records with 82 receptions for 1,375 yards. “It’s my last opportunity.”

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior has made a habit of leading the Lancers, whether by racking up big receiving numbers in a victory over Woodbridge or taking big hits on slant routes against physically superior Newport Harbor.

“We were without our top two quarterbacks against Newport Harbor,” Kunau said, “so we couldn’t throw a lot. [Talmage] had the courage to run slants right into the safeties, who were some pretty tough players.”

One of Talmage’s biggest contributions can’t be found on a stat sheet. He possesses a sharp sense of humor for someone who’s mostly soft-spoken and reserved. “He’s pretty quiet,” Hobbs said, “but when he talks, it’s good for the team. He’ll kind of lighten up the situation sometimes if we’re in hot water.”

That happened earlier this week, when the Lancers were too sluggish in practice for Kunau’s liking. The coach called together his seniors and told them they needed to step up.

Talmage jokingly shot back, “Well, Coach, aren’t you a senior citizen?”, eliciting a round of laughter.

“He exudes a confidence and a real sense of humor that he displays at appropriate times,” Kunau said. “I think he brings some freshness and fun to the team because of that.”

Talmage was a latecomer to football. His first love was soccer, but the football coaches convinced him to try football his sophomore year, when he handled the kicking duties. Last season, he gained a spot as a receiver after excelling on the scout team.

Next fall, Talmage will play for Division I-AA Montana with former Lancer receiver Jeff Renevier. The Grizzlies, who play Appalachian State today in the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs, feature a wide-open passing attack that suits Talmage’s game.

“He runs excellent routes and has great hands,” Kunau said. “The only thing he doesn’t have is 4.4 speed. But he doesn’t have much of a background in football, and that’s why I’m really excited to watch him develop over the next four years at Montana. I think he’ll be one of their top players.”