I Went Down To The River

Oct 05 2022

I Went Down To The River Podcast artwork

There is value in high school football that goes beyond wins and losses. Team sports build relationships, work ethic, character development, and teamwork.

Listen in as Dan Walton (Assistant Football Coach at Hawken School, located in Northeast Ohio) interviews fellow Hawken alum about their time within the football program, and how it has impacted their personal and professional lives all these years later.

Each episode contains stories and shared memories that may or may not be from your actual teammates, but the common experiences and lessons shared will resonate with all. As writer Devon Barnhard states, "shared memories simply gives a team a common experience to look back on and share together. There even becomes shared words and language that gets associated with the experience and memory".1

• Barnhard, Devon. “The Benefits of Shared Experiences for Teams.” Cloverleaf, Cloverleaf, 28 Jan. 2019, cloverleaf.me/blog/shared-experiences.

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Episode 22- Jason Roberts '01 -part2

Oct 05 2022 66 mins

Part 2Class of '01 OL/DL extraordinaire Jason Roberts takes us on a deep dive into what its like to play in the trenches during his Hawk career. Jason shares his special memories and recollections of his time spent wearing the Wings. Look Good, Play Good is a mantra that Jason embodies. Listen to his reasoning and wait for the upload of Just Plain Nasty t-shirt.

Episode 22- Jason Roberts '01

Oct 05 2022 104 mins

Class of '01 OL/DL extraordinaire Jason Roberts takes us on a deep dive into what its like to play in the trenches during his Hawk career. Jason shares his special memories and recollections of his time spent wearing the Wings. Look Good, Play Good is a mantra that Jason embodies. Listen to his reasoning and wait for the upload of Just Plain Nasty t-shirt.

Episode 21- Mel Jones '88 (Part two)

Sep 28 2022 72 mins

Part two of Mel Jones episode.

Episode 21- Mel Jones '88

Sep 28 2022 81 mins

On this episode, Mel Jones '88 dives deep into his 3 year career at Hawken and all of the experiences that helped mold his time. Mel explains how he ended up at Hawken, his football memories, and his passion for writing. His recollection of his playing days is clearly shared during this two part episode.

Episode 20 - Tony Twymon '91

Jul 28 2021 84 mins

On this episode, Tony Twymon '91 talks about his 4 year football career that started with the '87 State Runner Up and concluded with the 5th undefeated regular season in program history. Tony and I also talked about his success as a Free Safety and Wide Receiver and what helped his development. Other highlights include: the "infamous" high five against Beachwood, be

Episode 19 - Brad Bookatz, Nick Carreras, Kyle Knox, Matt Oberdorfer '00

Jul 21 2021 128 mins

On this trip Down to the River, four teammates talk about their shared experiences and how playing football together sparked a friendship that has lasted 20 plus years since graduation. Listen in on the class of 2000 as they share memories and impactful moments from their careers.

Episode 18 - Joe Marabito '13

Jul 14 2021 120 mins

On this trip Down to the River, Joe Marabito '13 discusses what it was like to play Center, the type of captain he aimed to be, and qualifying for the playoffs his senior year. Joe and I also talk about his transition from HS football, to NCAA Division 3 football, to coaching HS football.There is no Ask Coach segment

Episode 17 - Kevin Gillespie '95

Jul 07 2021 81 mins

Class of '95 Captain and Old Board recipient Kevin Gillespie takes a trip Down to the River, remembering the post season run of the '93 season and the high's and low's of a football season. There is no Ask Coach segment this episode.

Episode 16 - Myles Simmons '10

Jun 30 2021 102 mins

Myles Simmons '10 discusses the importance of his 4 year varsity career and the lasting impact it had on him personally and professionally as he has worked within the NFL as a writer. Many great memories and laughs about the shared experiences from his playing days at Left Guard.

Episode 15 - Chaun Powell '99

Jun 23 2021 104 mins

Chaun Powell '99 takes a trip Down to the River and discusses his switch from Kenston to Hawken and how important of a roll playing football was in his time as a high school student. Chaun and I talk about the responsibilities of being a captain, as a senior, and 12th man, as a sophomore, on special teams. There is no Ask Coach segment this episode.