Shelby Steffen knows exactly what he wants for Turner football.

“We’re trying to give every single kid in Turner the Friday night atmosphere. That’s what we’re looking for,” the Turner head coach said.

On Friday, Oct. 23, the Turner District Activities Center had all of it. A big, loud crowd packed the stands behind a lively student section. The band, cheer squad, and dance team kept the noise up all game long. When the clock hit zero on a 27-20 win over Topeka West, a jubilant celebration broke out on the sidelines and in the stands.

The win was Turner’s first in the United Kansas Conference since the league formed in 2018. Three head coaches came and went without one before the breakthrough win Friday.

Junior running back Romo Byrd Jr. carried the Golden Bears there. He ran 29 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns. Hard hits twice sent him to the sideline, and each time he came back.

“I wanted to show everybody that Turner’s not just some football team that always loses,” Byrd said.

Bears build a lead

The Chargers tried to get an early advantage, recovering their own onside kick at the opening whistle. However, the Bears defense stood tall, driving West’s offense back on a 4th & 4 and getting the ball at midfield.

Turner nearly scored on its first possession, driving to the red zone, but a fumble at the goal line rolled out for a touchback. The defense quickly righted things, with sack and fumble recovery on the Chargers’ first snap. Jeremy Whittiker recovered the loose ball at the West 10, and two plays later, Byrd scored from 6 yards out.

Byrd added a 9-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.

“Romo, he’s a dog. That kid lives in the weight room,” Steffen said.

Byrd said a key to his great night was waiting for his line to make their blocks. “It was just staying patient, and when I [saw] the opportunity I just hit the crease,” he said.

The Chargers answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Eli Hernandez to Micah Emerson with 5:08 left in the half. The two-point pass failed. Turner then recovered an onside kick at the West 48, and Byrd carried six times on the drive. His 1-yard plunge with 1:16 left made it 21-6.

West had another long drive before the break, but M. J. Allen intercepted Hernandez at the Turner 9 with 22 seconds left to thwart the threat.

Halftime homecoming festivities

The halftime period was a busy one. First, Turner crowned Oswaldo Cabrera Romo and Alina Zamora Perez homecoming king and queen. The marching band followed with a motorcycle-themed show that included “Born to Be Wild.”

The Turner Goldenettes performed a dance number, and the student section held its costume contest, won by three cheerleaders outfitted as the aliens from Toy Story.

Special teams success stifles second-half West rally

The Chargers got the ball to start the second half, but Turner’s defense kept the third quarter scoreless. West drove to the Turner 11, but the Golden Bears forced an incompletion in the end zone on fourth down and took over.

However, West still had a rally in them. To start the fourth quarter, the Chargers needed just 45 seconds to move 60 yards, with Hernandez hitting Emerson for a 42-yard touchdown, cutting Turner’s lead to 21-12.

The Chargers tried another onside kick, but Turner recovered at its own 49. On the following drive, Byrd was hit hard on a run and was slow to get up after attention from the trainers. He sat out a few plays, with Whittiker subbing at running back and taking the ball down to the 2. Byrd returned to score from 2 yards out with 7:20 left. The extra point was blocked, leaving the score 27-12.

With 3:17 left in the game, Chargers tight end Prince Lassiter tightened the home crowd’s nerves when on fourth down from the Turner 8, Hernandez found him for a touchdown. Lassiter also caught the two-point pass, and Turner’s lead was down to seven.

“Number seven, he’s just a dude,” Steffen said of Lassiter, who is listed at 6-feet, 6-inches. “We knew they were going to run the slant when they’re on offense to get within seven. We knew right away they were going to run the two-point right back to [Lassiter] because it worked.”

To keep their rally hopes alive, the Chargers needed the next onside kick, but Christian Rodriguez covered it at the Turner 49, letting Turner run out the clock. The Golden Bears recovered three of West’s four onside kicks.

“Hats off to our onside team. I know we gave up the first one. Getting those two right at the end of the game, that’s the difference between this year and last year,” Steffen said.

Turner ran 50 times for 273 yards and held the ball for more than 28 minutes. Hernandez completed 11 of 31 passes for 165 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Emerson caught three passes for 93 yards and two scores, and Lassiter caught five for 60 yards and a touchdown.

A long road to Friday night

Turner entered the night 0-7. Opponents had outscored the Golden Bears 373-47, and no game had been closer than 34 points. Turner had not scored more than 14 points in any of them.

Byrd said the week of practice had a clear focus. “All week at practice was just about coming together as a team and finally locking in on our rivalry,” he said. “All we had to do was execute and fix the little things at practice.”

Building something at Turner

Steffen said staff and a new administration have bought in on that Friday night vision. “We want the kids that are in school supporting each other,” he said.

He was frank about where the program stands. “We know where we’re at. Small roster, we don’t have the few star kids. But when we play like a team and when our O-line gets moving, we can move some people,” he said.

He pointed to the program’s investment off the field, too. “We got a brand new weight room, people are taking notice,” he said.

Byrd is a clear sign of what that work can produce. “The kid’s going to go places,” Steffen said. He added that Byrd is “only going to get better.”

On to the playoffs

Turner (1-7) will play second-seeded Spring Hill (7-1) on Thursday, Oct. 29, at Spring Hill in the first round of the KSHSAA 5A East Regional playoffs. Spring Hill beat Turner 61-14 on Sept. 11.

Byrd, still a junior, is thinking what this win can mean for next season. “Next year I just want to come out here and build a better team and just win some games,” he said.

Byrd will be back for his senior season, and he knows the offseason starts in the weight room. “Mainly I do power lifting in the off season,” he said. “I also do some sprinting as well to help keep me fast.”

Steffen’s plan follows the same path. “We’re going to try to recruit like we always do, we’re going to try and hit that weight room even harder,” he said. Many of his players have come up through the Turner youth sports system.

Turner has now won on homecoming two years in a row, in front of packed stands both times. Steffen said the close-knit Turner community is paying attention.

“Every single person’s kind of taking notice of what we’re trying to build, which is good,” he said.

Correction: This article has been updated to correctly attribute the interception at the end of the first half and the running back in place of Byrd in the second half.