LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: David Miller

  • [VIDEO] Local Soccer Program Donates Checks to Mile42 Coffee and the Loveland Legacy Foundation

    [VIDEO] Local Soccer Program Donates Checks to Mile42 Coffee and the Loveland Legacy Foundation

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – The COVID-19 pandemic has effected many across Ohio including those involved in Loveland’s elite kids’ sports programs. A local soccer group by the name of “Loveland Storm FC” has become very familiar with the obstacles COVID-19 has created many of the obstacles coming right before their Spring soccer season.

    Due to the pandemic Loveland Storm FC had no choice but to cancel their Spring soccer season. Because of the season cancellation, the local soccer program quickly recognized that their financial outlook was troubling because they had already made investments before COVID-19 made itself known. On top of the prior investments, Loveland Storm FC  also felt a strong obligation to return the downpayment parents had already made for the spring season registration. At the same time, the Storm did not want to totally bankrupt the youth soccer program.

    In order to help out the Loveland Storm FC soccer program and get the community involved the decision was made to hold a Virtual 5k Walk/Run Fundraiser with donations going towards the soccer program. Although the Loveland Storm absolutely wanted the community involved in the Virtual 5k Walk/Run the soccer program also wanted to be sure that the way they asked the community for help was done in the right way especially with so much economic hardship present due to the pandemic.

    Local mother and Loveland community advocate, Libby Westerman, took the time to explain to us and our many readers in the video interview below how the Virtual 5k Walk/Run decisions were made, and how the Loveland Storm FC program’s plan would emphasize the values that they make a top priority. According to the soccer program’s mission statement, the Loveland Storm FC is meant to be a “player-centered, family-friendly, community connected, competitive soccer program that grows players, has fun, and gives back.” The Loveland Storm FC program stands by their mission by asking each team to take on a community service project each season as part of its investment in the community.

    After the Virtual 5k Walk/Run was all said and done the Loveland Storm FC program was able to not only refund the money they received for registrations but also give away a doughnut or pizza party to the top teams in the Virtual 5k Walk/Run.

    On Friday, August 7th the local soccer program was able to take more of the donations they received from the Virtual 5k Walk/Run and give back to both the Loveland Legacy Foundation and Mile42 Coffee located in Loveland’s Historic Downtown District. The President of the Loveland Youth Soccer Program, Bruce Jones, along with Loveland Storm FC representatives personally presented checks to the Loveland Legacy Foundation and Mile42 Coffee in a special ceremony on Friday, August 7.

    The Loveland Legacy Foundation will use their check to support the foundation’s mission which is “the betterment of Loveland, now and in the future.” Mile 42 Coffee plans on using their donation on providing Loveland teachers with free coffee. Loveland teachers will need to present their school I.D to retrieve a 4 dollar credit towards a coffee or specialty drink of their choice.

    Katie Butler, the owner of Mile42 Coffee, expressed her gratitude for the donation as well as explained what the coffee shop would be doing with the donated check in the on-camera interview below. You will also witness the check being presented to both Katie and her mother, Jackie Butler!

    In the interview below Libby Westerman shares with us how the Virtual 5k Walk/Run came to fruition, why the money was raised by the Loveland Storm FC, and why she wanted herself and her children involved in such a great local sports program!

    In the 3rd on-camera interview, we captured on Friday we talked to Steve Max, CeeCee Collins, and Brian Garry, who were representing the Loveland Legacy Foundation, about the donation check and what they would be using the donation for!

    For more of Loveland’s latest sports stories stay tuned to the Sports 411 with me, Cassie Mattia!

  • Loveland Frogman Race 2020 is Saturday Sep 12

    Loveland Frogman Race 2020 is Saturday Sep 12

    Saturday, September 12
    8:30 AM Start
    7:30 AM Registration Opens

    Location

    Downtown Loveland – All transitions are located at Loveland Canoe & Kayak (174 Karl Brown Way)
    Miami Township – Bike Path & Miami Riverview Park

     
    Join us for the 6th annual Frogman event: The Frogman Race is comprised of:

    5 Mile Kayak
    8 Mile Bike
    5K Run

    You may compete as a two person team (use a tandem kayak)
    or individually (use a kayak). 

    REGISTER NOW >Please note: The minimum age for competing on a team is 10 years old
    and as an individual is 16 years old.

    $130/Team
    $70/Individual
    ($10 discount if registered before August 16)

    The race will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a staggered start.
    Registration/Check-in will begin at 7:30 a.m.

    Please note this race has been reviewed and approved by the Hamilton County Board of Health. All participants must adhere to race safety and health regulations, including social distancing, masks, and sanitizing.

    NO spectators will be permitted at the 2020 event.
    Packet Pick up will be at JackRabbit Running Store of Loveland on Friday, September 11.

    Race will begin and end with all transitions at Loveland Canoe & Kayak (174 Karl Brown Way). All participants will be bused to start line (Carl A. Rahe Access).  Singles in kayaks will start the event, followed by team canoe divisions.

    Race Divisions:

    Team (16+), Parent/Child Team (10+), Male (16+), Female (16+), Senior (55+)

    Event t-shirts will be available for purchase (pre-order only) for $20 each.

    Canoes, kayaks, life jackets, and paddles will be provided.  Participants are to provide their own bicycle (road bike is recommended).  Life jackets must be worn at all times while on the water.  Bike helmets must be worn at all times while on your bike.  No headphones are allowed during any portion fo the race.  Failure to comply with the safety rules will subject contestants to disqualification.

    A photo ID is required and waiver must be signed and submitted in order to receive your race packet and bib/timing chip.  This is a rain or shine event and there are NO refunds.  In the event of severe weather the start may be delayed and the course may be altered for safety reasons.

    Please respect your fellow participants.  There will be all types of skill levels competing so please stay aware of your surroundings at all times.

    Bike’s can be rented locally at Loveland Bike Rental and Montgomery Cyclery.

    This race can be used as a Warm-up to Morgan’s Little Miami Triathlon.

  • Free Web-Based Training for Employers to foster a hiring process that is accessible and inclusive for candidates with disabilities

    Free Web-Based Training for Employers to foster a hiring process that is accessible and inclusive for candidates with disabilities

    Join Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) on August 20, at 10 AM for a free training to learn best practices to foster a hiring process that is accessible and inclusive for candidates with disabilities. The training includes discussion on the recruitment phase, pre-employment interviewing and testing, and the onboarding process.

    • Learn ways to make components of the hiring process accessible for candidates with disabilities.
    • Learn the two-part process for asking questions and administering tests in the pre-employment phase of hiring.
    • Learn common solutions for providing reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process.

    Questions and answers are facilitated throughout the presentation.

    The training will be hosted by OOD’s Worksite Accessibility Specialist Julie Wood, OT R/L, and Business Relations Specialist Kelly Jordan.

    A resource tool that accompanies this training can be downloaded from OOD’s website. This tool addresses the three main topics that we will be covering in this training: Recruitment, Interviewing, and Onboarding.

    You will not need to pre-register for this training, but please respond to this survey to let us know you’ll be joining us. This will assist us in making sure we are sharing any updates, attachments, and resources before and after the event.

    The training will take place as a Microsoft Teams Live Event. You can view the training through your web browser, and you do not need to have Microsoft Teams to participate. Here is a link to join the training.

    This Program has been approved for 1.00 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®).

    OOD  is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities and programs in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws. To request an accommodation based on a disability, please contact Chris Glover by August 18, 2020.

  • Loveland Area November Voting Guide: What you need to know to cast your ballot

    Loveland Area November Voting Guide: What you need to know to cast your ballot

    Tuesday, November 3, 2020

     

    LWVOH_rgb.pngThere are lots of rules around voting, but the League of Women Voters of Ohio is here to help! They offer all the “Get Ready to Vote” basic information you’ll need to cast your ballot with ease and success.

    Voter Registration

    Voter ID Requirements Voting by Mail

    Early Voting

    Find your Election Day Voting Location

    Voter Registration

    You must be registered to vote at least 30 days before an election.

    Register to Vote or Update Your Registration

    Every Ohioan should regularly confirm that they are properly registered to vote. Click here to check your Voter Registration Status​ and to find your voting location.

    Voter ID Requirements

    Ohio law requires that every voter, upon appearing at the polling place to vote on Election Day, must announce his or her full name and current address, and provide proof of identity. The forms of identification that may be used by a voter who appears at a polling place to vote on Election Day include:

      • An unexpired Ohio driver’s license or state identification card with present or former address, so long as the voter’s present residential address is printed in the official list of registered voters for that precinct;

      • A military identification;

      • A photo identification that was issued by the United States government or the State of Ohio, that contains the voter’s name and current address and that has an expiration date that has not passed;

    ​(For the following forms of identification, “current” is less than 12 months old.)​

      • An original or copy of a current utility or cell phone bill with the voter’s name and present address;

      • An original or copy of a current bank statement with the voter’s name and present address;

      • An original or copy of a current government check with the voter’s name and present address;

      • An original or copy of a current paycheck with the voter’s name and present address; or

      • An original or copy of a current other government document (other than a notice of voter registration mailed by a board of elections) that shows the voter’s name and present address, including license renewal and other notices, fishing and marine equipment operator’s license, court papers, or grade reports or transcripts.

    If you do not have any of the above forms of identification you may cast a provisional ballot. To do so you must provide either your Ohio driver’s license number, state identification number (which begins with two letters followed by six numbers), or the last four digits of your Social Security number.  Once the information is reviewed and verified by the board of elections, your ballot will be counted.

    If you do not provide one of the above documents, your driver’s license/state identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number at the precinct, you will still be able to vote using a provisional ballot. However, in order for that ballot to be counted, you must return to the board of elections no later than seven days following Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification. Follow this link for more information on provisional ballots.

    Voting by Mail

    All Ohio voters whose registration information is up-to-date have the opportunity to vote in any election from the convenience of their own home by requesting an absentee ballot. Voters must fill out and return an application to vote by mail and their absentee ballot will be mailed to them so they may make their selections at their leisure and return their ballot to the board of elections ahead of Election Day. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is three days before the election in which you want to vote, but be sure to give yourself plenty of time and send your application as soon as possible if you choose to vote by mail!

    Absentee ballots must be postmarked by the day before the election in order to be counted. You can also return your absentee ballot in-person to your county board of elections before the close of the polls at 7:30pm on Election Day.

    You must complete and submit a separate application for each election in which you want to vote.

    Print the Absentee Ballot Application or contact your County Board of Election office to request an Absentee Ballot Application. 

    STEPS TO REQUEST AND VOTE AN ABSENTEE BALLOT:

      1. Complete the absentee ballot application and sign it.

      2. Mail the form back to your local county board of elections.

      3. Wait to receive your ballot in the mail from your county board of elections. If you have questions about your absentee ballot request, you should call your county board of elections or you can track the status of your ballot request as well as your voted absentee ballot through the Voter Toolkit.

      4. Return your voted ballot. You can send it by U.S. Mail or deliver it in person to your county board of elections, but the return envelope containing your marked ballot must either be received by your county board of elections prior to the close of the polls on Election Day, or postmarked no later than the day before the election and received by the board of elections no later than 10 days after the election.

        To make sure your absentee ballot is counted, it must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day OR be postmarked by the day before Election Day.

    Starting the day after the close of voter registration, all registered voters can vote early at their local county Board of Elections office.

    Click here for Ohio’s statewide voting schedule and check here for the contact information and address of your county Board of Elections.

    Early Voting

    Starting the day after the close of voter registration, all registered voters can vote early at their local county Board of Elections office.

    Click here for Ohio’s statewide voting schedule and check here for the contact information and address of your county Board of Elections. 

    Election Day Voting Location

    Clermont County Board of Elections Web Site

    Hamilton County Board of Elections Web Site

    Warren County Board of Elections Web Site

    Ohio Secretary of State Web Site

  • Loveland School’s face mask policy

    Loveland School’s face mask policy

    Loveland, Ohio – On August 11, the Loveland Board of Education adopted a face covering policy requiring masks for staff and students in grades PreK-12.

    All students riding a Loveland school bus must be wearing a face covering/mask when boarding the bus, riding the bus, and departing the bus.

    Face coverings/masks must be worn into the building at all times and only removed when directed by the teacher or staff member.

    The Board policy states that face coverings/masks are “required and should”…

    • Fully cover mouth, nose, and chin;
    • Not create difficulty breathing while worn; and
    • Be held secure through a tie, elastic, etc. to prevent slipping; and
    • Be of effective quality (i.e., double-layered, non-permeable, tightly woven fabric without valves).

    For the current time, this is the District policy, however, the Administration is also waiting on Ohio’s written orders for the full implementation guidelines of the face covering/mask policy for schools.

    Also Read…

    First day of school for Loveland students will be Monday, August 31

    District to Open School with Blended Model

    Clermont County returns to Level 3 COVID 19 PUBLIC ALERT

    OHSAA Announces Shortened HS Football Season Proposal

    Helping Students and Educators Recover From COVID-19 Trauma

  • First day of school for Loveland students will be Monday, August 31

    First day of school for Loveland students will be Monday, August 31

    Loveland, Ohio – At the Loveland Board of Education meeting held on August 11, 2020, the Board adopted a revised district calendar for the 2020-21 school year.

    The first day of school for all Loveland students has been moved from Wednesday, August 26 to Monday, August 31.

    This change allows for the staff and teachers to have three additional in-service/planning days prior to the first day of school. Staff will now have from August 17-28 to be trained in the new health and safety protocols with additional time for designing curriculum for the in-person and remote learning models.

    There will be no change in the number of instructional days for students. The teacher planning days added on August 26, 27, and 28 replace one of the planning days scheduled at the end of each quarter. The planning days on October 23, January 15, and March 19 are now scheduled instructional days with students in attendance.

  • LYBO Wednesday sandlot-esq pick up games: Loveland fields full of kids living America’s pastime

    LYBO Wednesday sandlot-esq pick up games: Loveland fields full of kids living America’s pastime

    Parents sit along the outfield to watch their kids play during a Wednesday night pick-up game at at Phillips Park in Loveland, Ohio.

    Joe Timmerman graduated from Loveland High School in 2019 and will return to his studies in photojournalism at Ohio University this month.

    By Joe Timmerman

    Loveland, Ohio – Walking up to the baseball fields at Phillips Park on Wednesday July 29, the air feels like summer again as the fields are full with kids living in America’s pastime.

    Every Wednesday night since the first week of July, as the sun sets in Loveland, Ohio, kids have been playing baseball together again. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon these unusual times of social distancing, quarantine, and the cancellation of most future gatherings — the Loveland Youth Baseball Organization came up with the idea of pick-up baseball games. 

    With youth sports becoming seemingly more and more competitive as each year goes by, it was refreshing to watch a Sandlot-esq pick up game happening in our own town.

    In conversation with Matt Kapszukiewicz, the president of LYBO, I learned that they had been throwing the idea of pick-up games around for about a year or so, and that Rob Steinman, another LYBO board member, originally came up with the idea. “We decided to launch it because these older kids had no-one else to play against… so we blended them into a t-shirt league once we got a handle on what COVID-19 meant,” Kapszukiewicz said. 

    A warm up pitch is thrown before the last inning of a pick-up game with no score on Wednesday July 29 at Phillips Park in Loveland, Ohio.

    When my dad and I made it to the third base fence line with our baseball gloves in hand to check out the night’s pick up game, there were a couple open spots in the outfield. Tom Sackett, my dad’s friend and the supervisor for the game, told us to run out and join in. Before too long, I overheard a conversation between the right fielder and the infield players. 

    “Yeah, I don’t even know… it doesn’t matter.” 

    “Hey, what’s the score?”

    “Uh, 1-0 maybe”

    “Yeah, I don’t even know… it doesn’t matter.” 

    With youth sports becoming seemingly more and more competitive as each year goes by, it was refreshing to watch this a Sandlot-esq pick up game happening in our own town. 

    “These kids are having a blast out here… just run out there and do whatever you want, play wherever you want,” Sackett said. Sackett is a former LYBO board president and the coach of the Loveland Express, a 16u team that his son plays on, who like most teams this summer, had their season cancelled.

    “These kids are having a blast out here… just run out there and do whatever you want, play wherever you want,” Sackett said.

    About half of the 16 kids that showed up to play are 16 year olds, the rest are 15, and they all go to Loveland High School.

    After talking to a few parents who came to watch the game, I found out that there are usually about twice as many kids that show up to play on Wednesdays, but a player on Loveland’s football team tested positive which resulted in a quarantine for the entire team. 

    We had more fans than the Reds!

    “(These games) are providing an opportunity for the kids to get out and get some exercise, everything else has pretty much been cancelled at this point. Kids, friends, and even the adults had something to do… just sitting there watching a pick-up baseball game — we had more fans than the Reds. (Wednesday nights) have been valuable for building community and offering an opportunity to stay fit,” Kapszukiewicz said. “We (LYBO) didn’t charge anything, we provided umpires — it kind of cost us money to put on, but it was an investment that was worth it. We just wanted kids to get out and play ball.”

    LYBO is putting teams together this week for organized fall baseball games as local teams are starting to want to play again. From ages four and up, spring sign ups will start as early as December. You can sign up for fall or spring baseball or find more information on getting involved with Loveland Youth Baseball Organization on LYBO.org

  • No detection of “forever chemicals” in Clermont County water system

    No detection of “forever chemicals” in Clermont County water system

    Batavia, Ohio – A recent sampling of Clermont County’s water system for chemicals called Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) found no detection of harmful substances in our water. As a real-life parallel to the movie Dark Waters, which portrayed a town in West Virginia whose groundwater is contaminated by a neighboring chemical company, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) has been sampling water systems across the state.

    “This is very good news,” said Lyle Bloom, Director of Clermont County Water Resources. “All three of Clermont County’s water treatment plants were sampled as part of Ohio’s Statewide PFAS Action Plan for Drinking Water and there was no detection of PFAS from the raw or finished water at any of our treatment facilities.”

    The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) has been sampling water systems across the state.

    The plan calls for Ohio EPA to gather data from public water systems statewide to determine if PFAS are present in drinking water. The water system was sampled for six individual PFAS contaminants: PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFNA.

    PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals applied to many consumer goods to make them waterproof, stain resistant, or nonstick. PFAS are also used in products like cosmetics, fast food packaging, and a type of firefighting foam called aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) (which are used mainly on large spills of flammable liquids, such as jet fuel).  PFAS is also called the “forever chemical” because they are not easily broken down by sunlight or other natural processes. They may remain in the environment for many years.

    Recent sampling of Clermont County’s water system for chemicals called Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) found no detection of PFAS

    PFAS can enter drinking water at sites where they are made, used, disposed of, or spilled. Some, but not all, studies in humans with PFAS exposure have shown that certain PFAS may: affect growth, learning and behavior of infants and children; lower a woman’s chance of getting pregnant; interfere with the body’s natural hormones; increase cholesterol levels; affect the immune system; or increase the risk of certain cancers. Scientists are still learning about the health effects of exposures to mixtures of PFAS.

    In 2013, Clermont County performed sampling and analysis at all three of its water treatment plants. At that time, there was also zero detection of PFAS.  There are currently no national drinking water standards (Maximum Contaminant Levels or MCLs) established for PFAS compounds; however, OEPA adopted Action Levels ranging from 21 to 140,000 ng/L for various PFAS chemicals. Ohio EPA will be establishing response protocols for public water systems in Ohio when action levels are exceeded, including public notification and issuance of drinking water advisories.

    Ohio EPA also has a website dedicated to PFAS with additional information:https://epa.ohio.gov/pfas

  • Butler County school asks state supreme court to speed up decision on armed teachers policy

    Butler County school asks state supreme court to speed up decision on armed teachers policy

    By Susan Tebben
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    Columbus, Ohio – An Ohio school district hoping to enact a policy to arm teachers is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to speed up their decision in light of an approaching school year. 
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    Last week, the state’s highest court agreed to hear the appeal of the Madison Local School District in Butler County, after an appeals court ruled they did not have the right to enact a “firearms authorization policy” that would allow armed teachers in schools.
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    Several parents sued the district in 2018 seeking an injunction blocking the district from arming teachers and other staff without the training required of law enforcement officials.
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    When the court of appeals made that ruling in March 2020, it had “no practical effect” on the district, attorneys for the district said in court documents. The decision came after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine closed schools throughout the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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    “That changes (Aug. 13), when the 2020-21 school year begins for Madison with in-person classroom instruction,” attorneys for the district said in their motion. 

    Due to the upcoming school year, the school district is asking the court to “expedite” the schedule and consideration for the ruling.

    Due to the upcoming school year, the school district is asking the court to “expedite” the schedule and consideration for the ruling. They submitted the request two days after the state supreme court agreed to hear the case. 

    The request to speed up a ruling also included an argument that the school should be able to go forward with their firearms policy as the appeals court decision is appealed. 

    Attorneys for the district said the fact that the Ohio Supreme Court accepted the case “implies serious questions going to the merits of the Twelfth District’s decision and that Madison has at least a reasonable prospect of success on the merits.”

    The firearms policy was agreed to after a shooting at the junior/senior high school in which four students were injured, and the shooter, James Austin Hancock was sentenced to juvenile detention until he turns 21.

    The district also said barring the firearms policy as the school year begins could become a safety issue. 

    “To be sure, everyone can hope that Madison does not ever experience another school shooting, and it is possible that the absence of this deterrent effect during the upcoming school year might turn out not to have mattered,” the school district said in court documents. “But it might matter, and Madison has made the policy decision that its students and staff are safer with its policy in place.”

    The firearms policy was agreed to after a shooting at the junior/senior high school in which four students were injured, and the shooter, James Austin Hancock was sentenced to juvenile detention until he turns 21.

    The district noted in its statement to the court that there were no “situations or incidents” during the 2018-19 school year or the part of the  2019-20 school year in which the schools were open.

    The court battle is also the subject of a bill currently in the Ohio Senate. Butler County resident and state Sen. Bill Coley introduced Senate Bill 317 in May with the aim to reduce the amount of training needed for school personnel to be armed in schools. 

    An amendment has been brought up to include a “school marshal program” within the bill. The last hearing on the bill was held July 21.

    Susan Tebben

    Susan Tebben
    Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.
  • OHSAA Announces Shortened HS Football Season Proposal

    OHSAA Announces Shortened HS Football Season Proposal

    OHSAA adjusts high school season if football is approved by Governor

     

    by Cassie Mattia

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Governor’s recommendation to shorten Ohio’s High School Football seasons has been approved! The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) announced Friday that due to concerns COVID-19 may spike in the early winter, all Ohio HS football teams will enter into the playoffs on October 9th. The HS State Championship games would be played no later than November 21st. This is only in the event that the Governor’s Office approves Ohio HS Football being played this year.

    The proposal for a shorter football regular season was approved by the OHSAA Board of Directors with a 9-0 vote. OHSAA released a press release after the vote saying that they considered the proposal a win-win situation for all schools because it would then not matter how many games each team played leading up to the playoffs.

    So how will it be determined which HS football teams qualify for the playoffs you may be asking yourself? Well, instead of using the traditional computer ratings system, coaches in each region will conduct a tournament seed meeting the week of September 28th in order to form the regional brackets. This is very similar to how several other team sports within the OHSAA determine which teams qualify for playoffs.

    Loveland High School is apart of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.

    The shortened football season guidelines state that schools may keep their first six previously scheduled games, but all regular-season football contracts will be now voidable by either school. This is especially important in the event that conferences redo their league schedules so that games will fit into the first six weeks. The OHSAA will also determine new playoff regions in September. Teams that are eliminated from the playoffs may continue to schedule regular-season games up until November 14.

    MAC Announces Postponement of Fall Sports

    The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has announced the postponement of all scheduled fall contests, as well as MAC championships, due to continuing concerns related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Read on…

    The Big 10 is expected to announce the cancelation of the Fall football season on Tuesday.

    Those schools that have paused sports due to COVID-19 are still able to begin their season in September or early October as well as compete in the playoffs. If a school finds that they would rather play regular-season games up until November 14th and not compete in playoffs they are able to do so.

    “To both ensure we can offer students the opportunity to participate in education-based athletics but do so with their best interests in mind, we believe this modified plan offers a positive solution by addressing many of the concerns of our member schools,” President of the OHSAA Board of Directors and Athletic Administrator at Mentor High School, Jeff Cassella said, “Those that are able to start their seasons on time will be able to do so. Those that are starting later can still have a season. Add in the option of all schools entering the playoffs and the possibility of schools still being able to play 10 regular-season contests, and this plan is helpful to virtually all of our schools.”

    Here are the most important details in regards to the OHSAA’s modified Ohio HS Football season and changes to the Playoffs process:

    • Regular-season games will begin the week of August 24 (same regular-season starting date).
    • All teams are eligible to enter the OHSAA playoffs. New regions will be determined in September.
    • The number of playoff rounds is dependent upon the number of schools entering the playoffs in each division. Coaches in each region will seed all playoff teams in the region to form a bracket, similar to other OHSAA sports.
    • Schools eliminated from the OHSAA playoffs or those schools that choose not to enter the OHSAA playoffs have the option to schedule additional regular-season contests through Saturday, November 14 (maximum of 10 regular season contests permitted).
    • Playoff seeding will be determined via a vote of the coaches the week of September 28 (Harbin Ratings is suspended for the 2020 season).
    • All playoff contests through the regional semifinals (and possibly the regional finals) will be hosted by the higher-seeded team.
    • Schools must commit to participating in the playoffs by 11:59 PM on Thursday, September 17.
    • Playoff regions will be drawn on Friday, September 18.
    • Schools may withdraw from the playoffs without a penalty until Thursday, September 24.

    Below is what the new modified Ohio HS Football season will look like:

    • Regular season Week 1:  Week of August 24
    • Regular season Week 2:  Week of August 31
    • Regular season Week 3:  Week of September 7
    • Regular season Week 4:  Week of September 14
    • Regular season Week 5:  Week of September 21
    • Regular season Week 6:  Week of September 28
    • Playoffs begin Friday, October 9
    • State Finals end no later than Saturday, Nov. 21

    Still, have questions on OHSAA’s modified football season and the new Playoffs process? Click HERE for all of the Q&A’s!

    Thus far the decision on whether or not spectators will be allowed to be present at contact sports this year has not been made yet. The OHSAA stated that “At a minimum, parents should be permitted to attend.”

    Luckily four of the OHSAA’s Fall sports, golf, tennis, volleyball, and cross country, have been determined to be low-contact by the Governor’s Office which means these particular sports will be permitted to have contests with other schools. The remaining Fall sports, field hockey, soccer, and football, have been determined to be high-contact, so the OHSAA, the Governor’s Office and the Ohio Department of Health are working together to create a safe game plan so that these three sports may participate in contests with other schools as well.

    To get the latest 411 on which of Ohio’s High School sports will be competing this year and the most up to date COVID-19 sports safety protocols stay tuned to the Sports 411 With me, Cassie Mattia!