Loveland, OH- Loveland High School 2018 spring sports are off to a strong start, currently leading the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) in men’s and women’s lacrosse along with softball.
Last year, the baseball and women’s lacrosse team won the ECC title and a handful of track runners performed exceptionally well. Athletes claim to expect success in the coming season.
Women’s lacrosse currently holds a 4-0 overall record and sits at the top of the ECC. Loveland has bested Centerville, Kings, McNicholas and Little Miami all by an objectively wide margin.
“I have extreme faith that we can win the ECC again this year. This is the hardest working team I’ve ever been on, and I’ve never seen a group of girls with so much chemistry. On the field, we are family and pick each other up and lead one another to success, and off the field, we do just the same,” women’s lacrosse team captain and senior, Lindy Walker, told Loveland Magazine.
Loveland women’s lacrosse has won the past five ECC titles, four of which were undefeated conference seasons. There are currently twelve more matches scheduled for the team.
“We have a really good bond as a team and work together super well. We also focus a lot on communication on the field which helps us move the ball on offense and create turnovers on defense,” player Audrey Cook explained.
Similarly, Loveland men’s lacrosse currently holds first in the ECC with a 3-0 conference win-loss and 5-1 win-loss overall. The team lost a four-year ECC title last year, finishing third place neck-in-neck behind Kings and Milford. All three teams had a 4-1 conference record, but Loveland’s overall win-loss of 13-6 couldn’t pull the team to the success they had become accustomed to. However, the players expect more luck this season.
“Communication and being on the same page is the biggest key for our team. If we all know what we are doing, and we are working together– both on the offensive end and defensive end– we will be a very hard team to beat[…] I am very confident in our ability to reclaim the ECC title. Teams are getting better every year, but if we play our game we have what it takes,” Loveland men’s LAX player, Samuel Wenger claimed.
Another 2017 ECC topper, Loveland baseball ended with an 11-3 win-loss conference score in the 2017 season. They hope to continue last year’s success.
“We definitely have the skills to make an ECC run once again[…] Our bats are hot and we can hit with anyone. All in all, taking the ECC title, once again, will require hard work, but we have the people to do it,” said player and senior, Adam Paddock.
The team currently sits in third in the ECC, close behind Milford. However, the season is still young– there are already seventeen more games scheduled.
On the softball front, the Loveland team currently holds first place in the ECC with a 2-0 conference season. The team has not won an ECC title since 2013, ending with a 5-9 win-loss record in the 2017 season. They are hopeful for a stronger season this year.
“What gives us an edge is our defense. The teams we are playing have a great offense, but our defense has the ability to hold the other team from scoring,” Senior Audrey Swearingen explained.
Loveland track has yet to begin conference meets, but individuals are already finding success. Junior, Blake Poteet, jumped 20 feet, 10 inches in the long jump. Last year’s ECC second place long jumper (and Loveland graduate) Zion Wynn ended the season with a 21 feet, 20 inch long jump.
“We’ve lost most our older, more experienced guys, but we also have a lot of young talent. It’s hard to say if we’ll do better than last year,” Loveland senior and track athlete, Tim Purtell, told Loveland Magazine. Purtell added that AJ Stutz and Colin Flanagan are runners to keep an eye on as the team enters conference season.
As teams enter the new season, there is promise for a strong Spring season. Students are confident and last year’s records show hope for victory. But, ultimately, there is no real predicting where the Loveland spring season will go– only time will tell.
Keep up on scheduled games here.
Jarvis Global Investments, LLC
Jarvis Global is an investment advisory firm in Symmes Township, Ohio which offers private portfolio management and retirement services to high net worth individuals.
