LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: LHS Volleyball

  • Join us While we Celebrate LHS’s Fall Sports Victories and Memorable Accolades!

    Join us While we Celebrate LHS’s Fall Sports Victories and Memorable Accolades!

    Cassie Mattia is the Associate Editor of Loveland Magazine and lives in Historic Downtown.

    Loveland, Ohio – Sports across the world have had many obstacles to overcome in 2020 as the spread of COVID-19 caused seasons and post-season tournaments to be canceled or rescheduled. Many Fall sports in the state of Ohio were able to postpone their seasons and eventually get back to the games they so cherish. Though athletes and coaches were worried that they wouldn’t be prepared for any type of competition due to only being able to virtually practice for several months, that just wasn’t the case for the Loveland Tigers!

    Loveland High School’s Fall Sports teams excelled in their 2020-2021 seasons, many teams and individuals receiving several accolades for their performances. Without further ado, here is your Loveland Sports 411 with me, Cassie Mattia!

    Football

    The Loveland Tigers Football Team had quite the year as they had to deal with their season and post-season being held-up due to COVID-19. Even though the Tigers had a lot to overcome, they still gave their best effort during their competitions. The Tigers rounded up their season 0-4 in the ECC and 1-6 overall. The ECC 2020-2021 Champions this year were both Kings and Winton Woods.

    Tiger’s playoff game against Little Miami on October 9.

    Calvin Cloud had a stellar season placing 2nd in the ECC in Offensive Passing Yards with 1,950. As of current, the ECC has not published the post-season football awards.

    Women’s Volleyball

    The Loveland Women’s Volleyball Team made it quite far in the post-season tournament, getting all the way to the 3rd round!

    On October 22nd the Tigers played Little Miami in the 1st round of the post-season tournament at Lakota East. Loveland beat the Panthers in 3 out of the 4 games, 22-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-16.

    On October 24th the Tigers faced West Clermont in the 2nd round of tournament play where they won 3 out of the 4 games,  25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22.

    (October 22 vs. Little Miami)

    Finally on October 27th Loveland played powerhouse Mount Notre Dame in the 3rd round of the tournament and lost 25-10, 25-14, 25-9.

    The Loveland Women’s Volleyball finished their hard-fought 2020-2021 season 8-8 in the ECC and 14-10 overall. Loveland also had some impressive Tigers make into the top 5 in several categories in the ECC! Diana Clark placed 3rd in the ECC in Digs with 399 and 1st in the ECC in Pass Points with 1,266. Abbie Miller placed 5th in the ECC in Assists with 428 while Audrey Planner placed 4th in the ECC in Pass Points with 899 and 5th in Kills with 249. 

    Several Loveland Women’s Volleyball Tigers were awarded ECC honors for their regular season performances! Diana Clark received ECC’s 1st Team, Audrey Planner was awarded 2nd Team, and Maya Jepson was honored with ECC’s Honorable Mention.

    The ECC Women’s Volleyball Champions for the 2020-2021 season was Lebanon.

    Men’s Soccer

    The Men’s Soccer Team had a great season earning OHSAA District Runner-up.

    The Loveland Men’s Soccer Team ended the season with a bang also making it far into the post-season tournament and racking up some well-deserved ECC accolades!

    On October 19th the Tigers played Withrow in the 1st round of the post-season tournament and won 7 – 0.

    On October 22nd Loveland faced Mount Healthy in the 2nd round of the post-season tournament and again captured a very impressive victory, winning 9 – 0.

    The Men’s Soccer Team played Elder on October 24th in the 3rd round of the tournament at Sycamore High School. The game was a nailbiter as it went into overtime where the Tigers claimed another win 3-2!

    (Video by Claire Beseler)

    Finally, on October 29th the Tigers faced Centerville where they lost the battle 5-0.

    Coach Mike Dunlap was named ECC Coach of the Year for the 3rd year in a row (Photo by David Miller © 2020)

    The Loveland Men’s Soccer Team rounded out the season 6-1-1 in the ECC and 13-3-3 overall making them the 2020-2021 ECC Champions along with Turpin. This was the 3rd season in a row that Loveland claimed the ECC Champions title!

    Several Tigers ranked in the top 5 in the ECC in several categories. Helge Harris placed 3rd in the ECC in Offensive Points with 35 and Kees Ciric placed 5th with 33. Harris also placed 3rd in the ECC for Goals with 15 and Ciric grabbed 5th place in Assists with 9. Dylan Schwinn placed 1st place in the ECC in Shutouts with 7.5. Coach Mike Dunlap received ECC Coach of the Year for the 3rd year in a row and Kees Ciric was honored with Player of the Year and ECC’s 1st Team. Helge Harris and Nick Williams received ECC’s 1st Team honors as well. Addison Hearn and Joe Stepaniack were honored with ECC’s 2nd Team while Peyton Kubin was awarded Honorable Mention.

    Women’s Soccer

    Head Coach Todd M. Kelly was named ECC’s Women’s Coach of the Year

    The Loveland Women’s Soccer Team claimed the ECC 2020-2021 Champions title with a 7-0-1 ECC record and a 14-1-3 overall record. The Tigers have now been ECC Champions 6 times out of the past 9 seasons!

    On October 24th the Tigers played West Clermont in the 1st round of the post-season tournament winning 1 – 0.

    Loveland then went on to face Oak Hills in the 2nd round of the tournament and after giving all that they could give, the Tigers lost 1 – 0.

    2020 ECC Girls Soccer Champions

    The success of the Women’s Soccer Team showed as several of the Tigers placed in the ECC in several categories! Lauren Donovan placed 4th in the ECC in Offensive Points with 26 and finished in 1st place in Assists with 12. Shraya Smolenski also placed in the ECC in Assists, grabbing 3rd with 7. Eva Dudeck placed 1st in the ECC with 13.0.

    Loveland racked up quite a few post-season ECC awards for their successful 2020-2021 season! Head Coach Todd M. Kelly was awarded ECC’s Coach of the Year and Lauren Donovan was honored with Player of the Year and ECC’s 1st Team. Eve Dudeck, Abby Pawlikowski, and Leiah Goedde also received 1st Team ECC honors. Ella James and Brooke Hatfield received ECC’s 2nd Team and Sophia Kapzukiewicz was awarded Honorable Mention. 

    Men’s Cross Country

    Team Qualifies for State Meet

    The starting gun at the Regional Finals 

    The Loveland Men’s Cross Country Team is having a historical season this year as they recently qualified for the 2020 OHSAA State Cross Country Tournament as a team, something they haven’t done in 49 years!

    The Tigers had several top performers in the ECC after the regular season meets, 7 ranking in the top 25! Below are Loveland’s personal best times for the season and where they fell among the top 25.

    4. Ryan Chevalier (Jr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 15:34.50
    5. Ajay Stutz (Sr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 16:12.80
    6. Brady Steiner (So) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 16:15.00
    9. Sam Neiger (Jr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 16:29.20
    12. Cayden Dyer (So) Loveland District Championships 16:35.20
    21. Colin Beran (Sr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 16:54.60
    25. Grant Hanson (So) Loveland Lakota East Invitational 16:59.90

    On October 17th the Loveland Men’s Cross Country Team placed 2nd in ECC Championship Meet at Home of Brave Park. Loveland scored 57 points. If you would like to see the full results from the meet click the following link: 2020 ECC Cross Country Championship Results (Boys). Ryan Chevalier was the ECC 1st place champion finishing with a time of 15:51.60. Brady Steiner also placed in the top 10 grabbing the 7th place spot with a time of 16:39.98.

    District Runner-ups

     

    Junior Ryan Chevalier broke the Loveland XC School Record on October 3 at the Sycamore Sunset Invitational. His winning time of 15:34.5 bettered Mark Weden’s record of 15:44 set at the Saint Xavier Invitational fifteen seasons ago. (Loveland Magazine file Photo from 2019)

    The OHSAA District Cross Country Championship meet was held at Voice of America Park on October 24th where the Tigers successfully qualified for Regionals as a team! Loveland finished in 2nd place with 66 points. If you would like to check out the full results from the meet click the following link: Division I Boys – District A – Voice of America Park, West Chester. Ryan Chevalier was the Tigers top performer finishing in 4th place with a time of 15:39.3. Sam Neiger also finished in the top 10 securing a 9th place finish with a time of 16:29.5.

    On Halloween, the Tigers traveled to Troy, Ohio to compete in OHSAA’s Regional Cross Country meet. In order to qualify for the State Championship, which will be held at Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio on November 7th, Loveland had to be one of the top 5 teams and they did just that! The Men’s Cross Country team finished in 5th place with 168 points. If you would like to see the full results of the Regional meet click the following link: Region 4 – Division I Boys.  Ryan Chevalier was the top finisher for the Tigers grabbing the 7th place spot with a time of 15:58.8. Sam Neiger finished 37th with a time of 17:00.4, Cayden Dyer placed 40th with a time of 17:02.0, Ajay Stutz crossed the finish line in 48th with a time of 17:09.6, Brady Steiner placed 53rd with a time of 17:11.4, Colin Beran finished in 71st place with a time of 17:34.5, and Grant Hanson placed 109th with a time of 18:32.1. The Tigers will run the Division 1 Championship at 3 PM on November 7th.

    https://twitter.com/lovelandcc1/status/1322625060503519240

    The Tigers’ successful season brought one individual on the team a huge honor within the ECC! Ryan Chevalier was selected as the 2020-2021 ECC Runner of the Year. Lebanon claimed the 2020-2021 ECC Champions Title.

    Women’s Cross Country

    Emmy Sager will compete in the State Cross Country meet on November 7th at 4 PM.

    Advancing to the Regional Meet

    The Loveland Women’s Cross Country team ran like true Tigers this season as the team advanced to Regionals!

    On October 17th the Tigers ran at the Home of the Brave Park for the ECC Championship meet. Loveland placed 2nd with 61 points. For the full ECC Championship meet results click the following link: 2020 ECC Cross Country Championship Results (Girls) Emmy Sager was the top Tiger finisher placing 6th with a time of 19:23.98. Jessie Gibbins also placed in the top 10 finishing in 8th place with a time of 19:32.59.

    On October 24th Loveland competed in OHSAA’s District Cross Country meet at Voice of America Park. The Tigers qualified for the Regional Cross Country meet by placing 2nd with 75 points. To see the full meet results click the following link: Division I Girls – District B – Voice of America Park, West Chester. Emmy Sager finished in the top 10 crossing the finish line in 3rd place with a time of 18:59.6. 

    On October 31st in Troy, Ohio at OHSAA’s Regional Cross Country meet Loveland missed making the State Tournament as a team by one spot finishing in 6th place with 169 points. To see the full meet results click the following link: Region 4 – Division I Girls.

    In order for individual runners on their designated team to qualify for the State Championship, the runner had to finish in the top 20. Emmy Sager who finished in 8th place with a time of 19:01.9 was the only Tiger to qualify for the State Meet, which will be held in Obetz, Ohio on November 7th.

    The rest of Loveland’s Women’s Cross Country team ran great races Jessie Gibbins finishing in 23rd with a time of 19:39.6, Maaike Snider placing in 45th with a time of 20:15, Sophia Huff finishing in 47th with a time of 20:20.4, Ally Colegate finishing in 63rd with a time of 20:43.2, and Ellie Carr placing in 103rd with a time of 22:03.7. 

    https://twitter.com/lovelandcc1/status/1322644564218417153

    After so many great performances throughout the season, several Tigers ended the 2020-2021 season ranked within the top 20 in the ECC for their stellar 5k times. Below are where each individual runner placed and their season personal best 5k time.

    4. Emmy Sager (Jr) Loveland Loveland Invitational 18:53.50
    5. Sarah Madix (Jr) Loveland Lakota East Invitational 18:54.20
    7. Jessie Gibbins (Jr) Loveland Lakota East Invitational 19:02.70
    9. Ellie Carr (Sr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 19:36.40
    10. Ansley Richards (Sr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 19:37.50
    14. Ally Colegate (So) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 19:49.90
    15. Maaike Snider (Jr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 19:50.50
    18. Lauren Gard (Fr) Loveland Sycamore Sunset Invitational 19:57.20

    Men’s Golf

    Golf team advancing to OHSAA Districts!

    The Men’s Golf Team won the ECC this year with an undefeated record! This is the 2nd year in a row that the Tigers have managed to grab the ECC Champions title.

    Head Coach David Allan won ECC Coach of the Year and Tyler Vallee was awarded Golfer of the Year. Several other Tiger golfers received ECC honors for their excellent performances during the 2020-2021 season. Joe Jankowski, Anthony Moran, and Tyler Vallee joined ECC’s First Team, Aiden Callahan was awarded 2nd Team, and Ben Kirlin joined 3rd Team.

    Women’s Golf

    The Loveland Women’s Golf Team battled this season ending the year in 6th place in the ECC with a 3-5 record in the league and 3-9 overall.

    There were a couple of top-performing Tiger golfers that were honored with ECC accolades for the 2020-2021 season. Emme Amy was awarded ECC’s 2nd Team and was ranked 17th in the league for her performance with a 48.00 average and 171 holes. Kristin Dygert received ECC’s 3rd Team.

    Women’s Tennis

    The Loveland Women’s Tennis Team had a historical 2020-2021 season as they finished at the top of the ECC with a 7.5 for the regular season and an 11.0 for the tournament totaling 18.5! The Tigers were ECC Champions for the second year in a row with a 5-2 league record and a 14-4 overall record.

    The Loveland Tennis Team gathered several ECC awards as Head Coach Mikayla Pitman received ECC’s Coach of the Year and Maira Hodar was awarded ECC’s 1st Team in Singles. Tess Broermann and Hannah Wenger also received ECC’s 1st Team in Doubles. Jenna Batsch and Babs Dwyer were awarded ECC’s 2nd Team in Doubles and Grace Haught received Honorable Mention in Singles.

    Thus far into the 2020-2021 Athletics season, Loveland is in 2nd place with 74 points for the ECC’s All-Sports Trophy. Turpin currently is in the top spot for the All-Sports Trophy with 76 points.

    Here at Loveland Magazine, we want to congratulate the Loveland Tigers Fall Athletic squads for all the hard work and dedication they put into perfecting their craft! We understand it has been a difficult time for the sports world, but we couldn’t be prouder of how Loveland Athletics was able to overcome the obstacles that were thrown at the high school student-athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators. We can’t wait to see what’s to come in Tiger sports for the remainder of the year! GO TIGERS!!

    Stay tuned for more of your Loveland Sports 411 with me, Cassie Mattia!

  • OHSAA Announces Suspension of all Contact-Sport Scrimmages

    OHSAA Announces Suspension of all Contact-Sport Scrimmages

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – With Ohio High School 2020-2021 sports seasons set to start on August 1st, coaches, parents, fans, and student-athletes are wondering when school vs. school competition will be allowed to resume. That particular question was answered on Tuesday when the OHSAA sent out a newsletter confirming that for the time being all contact-sport school vs. school scrimmages will be suspended.

    The OHSAA’s Interim Executive Director, Bob Goldring, stated in the newsletter that the goal is to work with the Governor’s Office to make sure everything that they are implementing for the 2020-2021 sports seasons will be “in concert.”

    OHSAA’s Interim Executive Director, Bob Goldring

    “We are on track for the low/non-contact sports of golf, girls tennis and volleyball to begin practices on August 1, with school vs. school scrimmages and contests to follow per their normal OHSAA permissible dates and regulations,” Goldring said, “We are on track for the contact sports of football, soccer, field hockey and cross country to begin practices on August 1. We are waiting for more guidance from the Governor’s Office and Department of Health on when school vs. school competition can begin and are hopeful of that permission being granted for our normal contest dates later in August. To that end, school vs. school scrimmages are SUSPENDED. We do not anticipate that suspension changing soon and there remains the possibility that no scrimmages will be permitted in the contact sports of football, soccer, and field hockey. We will certainly keep you updated if that changes.”

    Goldring said that the OHSAA plans on continuing to have conversations about both field hockey and cross country being put into the low/non-contact category.

    After speaking with the Governor’s Office, Goldring explained that one thing was very clear, the end goal is to make sure Ohio’s student-athletes get the opportunity to “learn the lifelong lessons and receive the social, emotional, and physical benefits that the privilege of participating in education-based interscholastic athletics programs provide.”

    “We all have to be accountable for following all mandates and requirements. By not following the mandates and requirements, we are putting our student-athletes at risk of not only contracting and/or spreading COVID-19 but also at risk of losing the season for themselves, their families, their teammates, their schools and their communities. Mandates and requirements put into place must be followed in order for the Governor’s Office to continue to allow us to participate,” Goldring said.

    According to Goldring, the OHSAA has been working hard to finalize contest day mandates and requirements that he says will be strictly enforced.

    “Our administrators, coaches, and student-athletes will be held accountable for non-compliance. So as to not cause alarm, these mandates and requirements will be to elevate many of the recommendations that were provided in the OHSAA Return to Play Recommendations document to the level of mandates and requirements and should not require wholesale modifications to your game-day protocol,” Goldring added.

    If you missed the OHSAA Return to Play Recommendations click on the following article link we released last week: https://lovelandmagazine.com/ohsaa-releases-updated-covid-19-return-to-play-recommendations/.

    As rules and regulations change within the sports world due to COVID-19, here at Loveland Magazine we will continue to bring you the latest updates so that you and your family know what to expect if your child or someone you know is participating in Ohio High School athletics this year! Stay tuned to the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!

  • OHSAA Releases Additional “Return To Play” Recommendations

    OHSAA Releases Additional “Return To Play” Recommendations

    Loveland, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) made another sports announcement on July 22nd giving more specific “Return to Play” guidelines for the sports of cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer, and tennis.

    The updated guidelines also included a Student Pledge that all student-athletes are now required to sign before participating in a sport this Fall.

    Below is the OHSAA’s 2020 COVID-19 Individual Sports Recommendations:

    The OHSAA’s Interim Executive Director, Bob Goldring spoke about the updated sport-specific guidelines in the newsletter the OHSAA released on July 22nd.

    “The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has presented the OHSAA with a myriad of challenges. The Executive Director’s Office, with support from its Board of Directors and feedback from the Ohio Joint Advisory Committee on Sports Medicine, the National Federation of State High School Associations and the Ohio Department of Health along with support from the Ohio Lt. Governor’s Office, offer a Return to Play document as recommendations on how our member schools can consider approaching the many components of ‘opening up’ sports with the objective of commencing the fall sports seasons on August 1, 2020. The OHSAA fully intends to support its member schools and the student-athletes who desire to compete in interscholastic athletics and will continue to assess all areas as more information becomes available. We encourage you to especially pay attention to the early pages of the document closely since they indicate that many of the recommendations can ONLY be utilized if mandates from the Ohio Department of Health Director’s Order are modified.“

    Included below are the updated “Return To Play” recommendations brought to you by the OHSAA.

    1. The OHSAA understands that the physical and mental benefits of participation in education-based interscholastic athletics are numerous and are heightened even more during this pandemic. Students who participate learn life lessons in an environment that cannot be duplicated. Academic achievement, the development of leadership, and social skills as well as the mental health benefits are known to be greatly enhanced in students who participate in our programs compared to those who do not. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has already resulted in thousands of our students missing out on these life-shaping educational experiences over the past several months, and we certainly hope we can return to some type of normalcy as it relates to interscholastic athletics soon. With that being said, in order for interscholastic athletics to occur, we all need to follow the protocols that have been put in place.
    2. The recommendations within the Return to Play document for the resumption of the varsity, non-varsity, and 7th-8th grade interscholastic athletic seasons and participation opportunities have been made with the health, safety, and well-being of all student-athletes in mind.
    3. The risk of coronavirus transmission will still be present to some degree as interscholastic athletics activities begin in August and will continue until there is a widely available vaccine or therapeutic care, possibly through the 2020-21 school year.  While the science about COVID-19 is evolving, it will be important to remain vigilant and nimble to respond to new developments. Students and their families, along with school personnel, must recognize these risks and implement best practices to reasonably mitigate these risks. Participation in school activities is voluntary and every individual will need to evaluate the risk versus the benefits of athletics participation. Those immunocompromised students and staff, or those who live with family members with elevated health concerns, should evaluate associated risks of participation and may choose not to participate. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person to person, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and also may be produced when yelling, cheering, singing and spitting. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Spread is more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about six feet). Risk mitigation strategies should be aimed at reducing the likelihood of a person being exposed to respiratory droplets coming from another person. Every school is different, and every athletics activity is different. Certain mitigation strategies may be feasible in one school or for one activity, but not another.
    4. Schools should attempt to significantly mitigate exposures by:
      • Maintaining physical distancing while not on the field or court of play;
      • Requiring face coverings while not on the field or court of play;
      • Reducing or greatly eliminating unnecessary travel;
      • Reducing or eliminating sharing of common equipment, and
      • Reducing or eliminating contact frequency with student-athletes from schools and non-interscholastic programs outside of each school’s league/conference or normal competition sphere.

    As things develop and are consistently adapting to make Ohio High School sports the safest possible during the COVID-19 pandemic Loveland Magazine will continue to bring you the latest local sports updates! We wish all those planning on participating in high school sports this year the best of luck and to please adhere to the safety guidelines so that fans, family, and other students may enjoy watching you compete this year!