Tag: loveland sports 411 with cassie mattia

LHS Winter Sports Has Huge Victories Over Christmas Break!
The photo above by Claire Besler is Senior Bowler Jacob Kim

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Student-Athletes and sports fans across Ohio are celebrating as Winter sports are finally back in session!

Over Winter break, the LHS Winter sports teams competed and gained some unbelievable ECC (Eastern Cincinnati Conference) victories! There have been many Tigers that are not only helping their designated teams win but also making a name for themselves as top performers within the ECC. Here is your Loveland Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!

Men’s Basketball

The Loveland Men’s Basketball Team worked hard over Christmas break so that they could compete to their best ability in some big league and non-league games!

On December 22nd the Tigers faced Talawanda at their home court. Loveland gained a victory winning 34 – 32 (click the link to see box score). The lead scorer for the Tigers was Addison Hearn who had 10 points while fellow Tiger Sam Cox played a great game as well grabbing 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

On December 29th Loveland hosted Mason. Although the Tigers lost 62 – 24 they fought as hard as they could to compete. The lead scorer for the Tigers was Pete Craft putting up 16 points.

On January 5th the Loveland Men’s Basketball Team played at Turpin losing in a very close game 45 – 39. The top performer for the Tigers was Aaron Krabacher scoring 14 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.

On January 8th the Tigers played in another nail bitter at home against Lebanon. The Tigers lost in overtime 70 – 68. Aaron Krabacher played unbelievably scoring 18 points and collecting 10 rebounds while teammate Pete Craft scored 17 points and gained 11 rebounds.

Currently, the Tigers are sitting in the middle of the ECC with a 3-4 record (5-6 overall). Tiger Addison Hearn is 1st in the ECC in Assists averaging 3.3 per game.

The Loveland Men’s Basketball Team will play again on January 12th at Home against Aiken at 7:30 PM.

Women’s Basketball

The Loveland Women’s Basketball Team is taking the ECC by storm achieving an 8-1 record (12-1 overall) after competing over Winter break putting the Tigers at the top of the ECC!

The Tigers kicked off Winter break play on December 23rd on their home court against Walnut Hills. Loveland secured a victory winning 52 – 21. The top performer for Loveland was Tess Broermann who had 14 points and 5 assists. Jenna Batsch also had a beyond stellar game scoring 12 points and grabbing 3 steals. Tiger Nia Kemper chipped in for the win with 11 points and 5 steals.

On December 28th Loveland traveled to West Clermont gaining another win 43 – 31. Tess Broermann was once again the leading scorer with 14 points! The Tigers bounced back and played again on December 30th on their home court against St. Ursula. Jenna Batsch helped lead the Tigers to another win, 51 – 43, scoring 19 points!

On January 4th Loveland made the trip to play at Sycamore where they had another victory winning 48 – 36. The MVP for the Tigers was Jenna Batsch who had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 assist.

Loveland competed on January 6th at home against Lebanon winning 47 – 43 putting the Tigers officially on a 10 game winning streak! Jenna Batsch helped lead the Tigers to a victory once again earning 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, and 1 block.

After Loveland’s successful Winter break, several Tigers are now at the top of the ECC stat leader boards! Jenna Batsch is in 5th place in Scoring averaging 14.2 points per game, in 4th place for Blocks collecting 1.4 blocks per game, and is in 5th place for Steals grabbing 3 steals per game. Olivia Raby is in 3rd place for Blocks averaging 1.8 per game.

The Tigers will play their next game on January 13th on their home court against West Clermont at 7 PM.

Dive Team

Enjoy the beautiful compilation of photos taken of the Loveland Tigers Dive Team by Loveland Magazine intern Claire Beseler!

Photos by Claire Beseler © 2021
Wrestling

The Loveland Men’s Wrestling Team competed over Winter break earning top spots on all of the ECC leader boards! Check out the Tigers individual placement within the ECC according to what weight class they competed in!

EDITORS NOTE:

Katie Folzenlogen, the “Wrestling Liaison” sent this info to Loveland Magazine :

“You have some of the boys in the incorrect weight classes and missed the weight class 152. I am the wrestling liaison and I am happy to send the corrections if you would like them.”

126: Alex Harrison (10) and Tre Webster (12)
145: Ryan Harden (10) and Cole Ray(12)
152: Gavin Folzenlogen (11)

“Coach is switching up weight class placements for the duals moving forward. So there may be a few changes coming this Thursday.”
- 106 W L PINS
2. Ryne Webster (Jr), Loveland 5 5 1
- 113
1. Brett Hogan (Jr), Loveland 6 4 1
- 120
2. Ty Harter (So), Loveland 7 3 3
- 126
1. Alex Harrison (So), Loveland 7 3 3
- 132
1. Jake Case (Jr), Loveland 7 3 6
- 138
3. Ryan Harden (So), Loveland 5 4 3

4. Cole Ray (Sr), Loveland 1 1 1
- 145
3. Parker Ashby (Jr), Loveland 4 6 4
- 160
4. Brayden McCaleb (Fr), Loveland 1 3 1
4. Jack McCaleb (Jr), Loveland 1 6 1
- 170
2. Jarod Mendoza (Sr), Loveland 10 0 8
- 182
3. Semi Ozarslan (Jr), Loveland 4 2 3
- 195
2. Tristan Greatorex (So), Loveland 9 1 5
- 220
2. Vaughn Pence (Jr), Loveland 6 4 3
- 285
1. Sawyer Bowin (Jr), Loveland 9 1 5

The Loveland Wrestling Team’s next competition will be on January 14th at home against Lebanon at 5 PM.

Men’s Swimming

The Loveland Men’s Swim Team swam their hearts out over Christmas break placing in the top 10 in several ECC swimming categories! Below is the placement of both the team and Tiger individuals in the ECC.

The Women’s and Men’s Dive Team (Photo from Loveland Athletics)
- 200 Yard Medley Relay – 3rd – 1:51.93
- 200 Yard Freestyle
3. Evan Lucas (Jr), Loveland 1:58.04

8. Jackson Farrell (So), Loveland 2:10.51
- 200 Yard I.M
5. Colin Blackburn (Sr), Loveland 2:07.78

7. Landyn Temple (Fr), Loveland 2:20.64

9. Jackson Farrell (So), Loveland 2:29.17
- 50 Yard Freestyle
2. Evan Lucas (Jr), Loveland 23.85
- 100 Yard Butterfly
3. Evan Lucas (Jr), Loveland 56.29

6. Jackson Farrell (So), Loveland 1:04.02
7. Landyn Temple (Fr), Loveland 1:05.89
- 100 Yard Freestyle
3. Evan Lucas (Jr), Loveland 52.36

6. Colin Blackburn (Sr), Loveland 54.28
- 500 Yard Freestyle
6. Evan Lucas (Jr), Loveland 5:29.18

8. Landyn Temple (Fr), Loveland 5:32.83
- 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
2. Loveland 1:41.26
- 100 Yard Backstroke
5. Cole Kissick (So), Loveland 1:02.31
6. Jackson Farrell (So), Loveland 1:04.89

9. Jacob Carle (Sr), Loveland 1:11.50
- 100 Yard Breaststroke
2. Colin Blackburn (Sr), Loveland 1:05.20

4. Landyn Temple (Fr), Loveland 1:09.81

6. Evan Lucas (Jr), Loveland 1:12.69

8. Cole Kissick (So), Loveland 1:16.34
- 400 Freestyle Relay
3. Loveland 3:38.91

The Men’s Swim Team will compete again on January 21st at the Dive Championships at 5 PM at West Clermont High School and on January 23rd for the ECC Championships at 12:40 PM at Various Sites that have yet to be announced.

Women’s Swimming

The Loveland Women’s Swim Team swam fantastically over Winter break also placing in the top 10 in several ECC swimming categories! Below is the placement of both the team and Tiger individuals in the ECC.
- 200 Yard Medley
3. Loveland 2:03.60
- 200 Yard I.M
1. Sarah Lolli (Sr), Loveland 2:17.59

6. Kiley Dunlap (So), Loveland 2:31.64

10. Kendall Hubbell (So), Loveland 2:35.76
- 50 Yard Freestyle
3. Sarah Lolli (Sr), Loveland 26.66
- 100 Yard Butterfly
2. Sarah Lolli (Sr), Loveland 1:02.80

7. Kiley Dunlap (So), Loveland 1:10.19
- 100 Yard Freestyle
4. Kiley Dunlap (So), Loveland 58.54

8. Sarah Lolli (Sr), Loveland 59.95
- 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
3. Loveland 1:57.26
- 100 Yard Backstroke
7. Kendall Hubbell (So), Loveland 1:09.22
8. Kiley Dunlap (So), Loveland 1:10.37

10. Kendall Chapman (Fr), Loveland 1:10.62
- 100 Yard Breaststroke
3. Sarah Lolli (Sr), Loveland 1:15.52

9. Kendall Chapman (Fr), Loveland 1:22.31
10. Kiley Dunlap (So), Loveland 1:23.30
- 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
2. Loveland 4:14.62

The Women’s Swim Team will compete again on January 21st at the Dive Championships at 5 PM at West Clermont High School and on January 23rd for the ECC Championships at 12:40 PM at Various Sites that have yet to be announced.

Men’s Bowling

Photos by Claire Beseler © 2021

The Loveland Men’s Bowling Team kicked off January bowling in 3 different matches capturing 2 big ECC victories!

On January 2nd the Tigers bowled at the SWOC/ ECC Tournament then bounced back to bowl again against Anderson on January 4th claiming a big win! On January 6th Loveland secured another victory against Lebanon.

Below are the details for each of the 3 matches (click the blue link below to see)!

Sat. 2 at SWOC/ECC Tournament    Match Details
Mon. 4 Loveland 2489, Anderson 1810    Match Details
Wed. 6 Loveland 2624, Lebanon 2589    Match Details

The Loveland Men’s Bowling Team bowled again today at Little Miami at Eastgate Lanes at 3:30 PM, in which the results will be posted in a future Loveland 411 update, and will bowl on Wednesday at Crossgate Lanes at 3:30 PM against West Clermont.

Currently, Joey Kapszukiewicz is in 4th place in the ECC with a 202.6 bowling average, and Loveland as a team is sitting in 3rd place in the ECC with an average of 927.4. The Tigers are 2nd in the ECC with an 8-1 league record (9-1 overall).

Women’s Bowling

The Loveland Women’s Bowling Team started out 2021 bowling in 3 different matches capturing 1 win and 1 loss!

On January 2nd the Tigers competed at the ECC/SWOC Challenge, in which the Match Details weren’t available. On January 4th Loveland beat Anderson and a couple of days later on the 6th lost against Lebanon. The match details for both bowling competitions are below!

Sat. 2 at ECC/SWOC Challenge
Mon. 4 Loveland 1926, Anderson 1773    Match Details
Wed. 6 Lebanon 2133, Loveland 1913    Match Details

The Loveland Women’s Bowling Team competed on Sunday at Northwest Lanes for the Lancer Baker Bash and then again on Monday at Eastgate Lanes against Little Miami where they claimed a big ECC victory. The match details weren’t available for Sunday’s Lancer Baker Bash but were available for the Tigers match against Little Miami which is listed below.

Mon. 11 Loveland 2051, Little Miami 1718        Match Details

Loveland’s next match will be on January 13th against West Clermont at Crossgate Lanes at 3:30 PM.

Currently Tiger Ashley Gilker is in 4th place in the ECC with 175.5 bowling average and Loveland as a team is in 4th place with a 691.4 average. The Loveland Women’s Bowling Team is 6-4 in the ECC (6-5 overall).

Academic Team

The Loveland Tigers Academic Team competed twice thus far in 2021. Although they battled hard, the Tigers lost in both games against Little Miami on January 6th. The Tigers lost 82-67 and 70-63 putting them at 2-2-0 in the ECC.

The Academic Team’s next match will be January 13th at Kings at 4 PM.

That rounds up the Loveland Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia! For more of sports updates stay tuned!
Jan 11, 2021
Loveland Magazine Presents “National College Signing Day” at L.H.S!

by Cassie Mattia

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

Loveland, Ohio – It’s that time of year again to honor the L.H.S student-athlete Seniors as we send them on their way to play collegiate sports at the conclusion of this school year!

L.H.S’s National College Signing Day was held on November 12th at 2:30 PM, in the legendary Tiger gymnasium. Although the Loveland Athletic Department tried to make the ceremony as normal as they could for the student-athletes they did send out COVID-19 safety precautions so that everyone attending would feel as comfortable as possible. Below are some of the safety precautions L.H.S took for the National Signing Day ceremony:

1. Athletes, please e-mail Ms. Brulport the number of family members attending. We need to know this for seating and contact tracing.

2. Your family and student-athlete will be assigned seating in our Main Gym Bleachers. Please look for the placard with your child’s name on it. You will be socially distanced from other families.

3. No congregating is allowed prior to, during, OR after the ceremony. All families must leave immediately following the ceremony.

4. Face coverings ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES.

5. No group photos of the student-athletes together is permitted. Only pictures of the student-athlete, with their family, will be taken.

6. There will be NO student body allowed. This is for immediate family ONLY, plus 1 coach.

The L.H.S National Signing Day ceremony turned out to be quite the event as the Tiger student-athletes’ coaches, parents and family members celebrated the Seniors’ achievements and wished them the best of luck in their future college endeavors! The following Senior student-athletes signed to participate in athletics and get a college education in 2021!

Photos and Graphics provided by the Loveland Athletic Department.

Sarah Lolli signed to compete in Water Polo at Indiana University.

Connor Ruble signed to play Tennis at Wittenberg University.

Lauren Donovan signed to play soccer at the University of Minnesota.

Carly Wilhoite signed to play lacrosse at the University of Tampa.

Hanna Wenger signed to play lacrosse at the University of Central Michigan.

Josey Storm signed to play lacrosse at Notre Dame College.

Sherron Peacock signed to compete in Bowling at Tiffin University.

Brock Perkins signed to play baseball at Bluffton University.

Spencer Rodriguez signed to play baseball at Clark State Community.

Jenna Batsch signed to play basketball at Kent State University.

We would like to take the time to congratulate these OUTSTANDING Tiger student-athletes for getting the opportunity to fine-tune their crafts at the collegiate level! It has been a joy watching each and every one of you thrive as students and excel as athletes. We will be cheering all of you on as you take the next step in your athletic and education journey! LONG LIVE THE LOVELAND TIGERS! GOOD LUCK SENIORS!

For more of the Sports 411 with me, Cassie Mattia stay tuned!

Nov 17, 2020

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.

Ethan Lund with the Tiger TOUCHDOWN. 14-0 Tigers!!! pic.twitter.com/2fD3lzJYvI
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 9, 2020

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.

Way to Go Tigers!!! https://t.co/iwh4s8vdSv
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 22, 2020

(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 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!

Let's Go Tigers! https://t.co/E67rWQhL8i
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 26, 2020

(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!

EARNED 🏆 #IamWeAre pic.twitter.com/z8kSUNWHhx
— Loveland Strength & Conditioning (@Loveland_SC) October 16, 2020

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.

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.

CONGRATULATIONS to our Lauren Donovan – on being named this week's @RPDiamondprint Athlete of the Week! Lauren led our Lady Tigers Soccer Team to an undefeated regular season and an ECC Championship – also finished first in the ECC in assists. Great season Lauren. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/pIMM4cbyPd
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 30, 2020

Men’s Cross Country

Team Qualifies for State Meet

Here. We. GO!!! Let's Go Tigers!!! pic.twitter.com/ctfDBuHA9q
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 31, 2020

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

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.

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.

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.

Let's Go Tigers! Our Girls XC team is off and running. Let's do this! pic.twitter.com/zzwM8yWFC1
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 31, 2020

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.

Emmy Sager (Jr)

Loveland

Loveland Invitational

18:53.50

Sarah Madix (Jr)

Loveland

Lakota East Invitational

18:54.20

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

Ben Kirlin drains this putt. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/1VvpN4ftMn
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 15, 2020

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.

Joe Jankowski Tee's Off at Beavercreek for the OHSAA Districts. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/BQ7iYYyrNb
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 15, 2020

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.

Senior Anna Vuyk tees off for her very last Sectionals. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/pEIIQr1FM6
— Loveland Girls Golf (@LovelandGolf) September 29, 2014

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.

Haley Florence leads of the girls at Sectionals. Go Tigers!! pic.twitter.com/VFBjMPJ14L
— Loveland Girls Golf (@LovelandGolf) September 29, 2014

Women’s Tennis

Congratulations to these 3 fine Tennis Players. All moving on to round two. Maira Hoder wins 6-3, 6-4. Babs and Batsch win 6-0, 6-2. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/BpU9v2pX2G
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 7, 2020

Babs and Batsch drop the 1st set 6-4. Let's come back and take the next 2. Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/uKPR6WtfUc
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 7, 2020

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.

Congratulations to our Girls Tennis team on an outstanding fall season. We finish the season as ECC Champions! We appreciate your hard work and dedication. Forever, Go Tigers! pic.twitter.com/7wYxG1r9n0
— LovelandAthletics (@LovTigers_AD) October 7, 2020

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!

Nov 2, 2020

Check out the Loveland Sports 411 for the Week of September 14th-20th!

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

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Did you miss out on some of your favorite Tiger competitions last week? Well now is your chance to catch up! Here is your Loveland Sports 411!

FOOTBALL

On Friday, September 18th, the Loveland Tigers Football team hosted Little Miami. Both teams had a big first quarter, the Tigers scoring 20 points while Little Miami scored 42 points. Unfortunately, Little Miami ran away with the game scoring 6 points in the 3rd quarter and 7 points in the 4th quarter. The final score was Little Miami 55 and Loveland 20. Senior, Calvin Cloud had quite the game for the Tigers completing 16 out of 35 attempted passes, 3 of those passes being touchdowns. Cloud is in 4th place in the ECC for Offensive Passing Yards at 621. Currently, Loveland is sitting at 0-3 in the ECC.

The Loveland Football team will be playing again this Friday, September 25th at Holmes (KY) at 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Loveland Women’s Volleyball played several games last week winning one and losing the other two. On Monday, September 14th, the Tigers took on Little Miami at home, where they gained a big ECC victory! Loveland won 3 out of the 4 games, 25-11, 25-22, 21-25, and 25-11.

On Tuesday, September 15th, Loveland traveled to Anderson for another conference game! Although the Tigers lost they battled hard in all 3 games played, 25-20, 25-20, and 25-15.

The Loveland Women’s Volleyball team had their final game of the week on Thursday, September 17th, at home against Kings. The Lady Tigers played 3 very close games but came up a little short. The final scores of the games were 25-11, 25-18, and 25-23.

After Loveland’s week of competitions, several Lady Tigers are sitting in the top 5 in the ECC for individual stats! Senior Abbie Miller is in 5th place for Assists with 221, Senior Diana Clark is in 1st place for Digs with 221 and Pass Points with 654, and Junior Audrey Planner is in 4th place for Pass Points with 467.

This week Loveland has already played one game at home against West Clermont and captured another win with a score of, 25-19, 25-19, 17-25, and 35-33. The Tigers are now 6-6 overall and 4-5 in the ECC. Loveland took on Walnut Hills at home on Tuesday, September 22nd at 6:30 p.m. (results will be in the next edition of the 411), and on Thursday, September 24th the Tigers will face Winton Woods at home at 6:30 p.m.

MEN’S SOCCER

The Loveland Men’s Soccer team had a very successful week collecting 2 wins and 1 tie! On Tuesday, September 15th the Tigers hosted rival Little Miami beating them 6-0. Senior Max Flanders had 1 goal, Senior Helge Harris scored 4 goals, and Senior Ethan Smith had 1 goal in the big Tiger win.

Thursday, September 17th Loveland played another important ECC match-up at Kings, winning 2-1. Just a couple days later on Saturday, the Tigers took on GMC powerhouse Mason. Loveland played hard tying the Comets 2-2. Loveland’s stats have yet to be reported for their games against Kings and Mason.

After last week’s games, the Loveland Men’s Soccer team is in 1st place in the ECC with an overall record of 5-1-2 (3-1-0 in the ECC).

This week Loveland played on Tuesday, September 22nd at home against Highlands at 7:30 p.m. (results will be in the next edition of the 411) and on Thursday, September 24th at home against West Clermont at 7:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Loveland Women’s Soccer team had an exciting week, gaining 1 win and 2 ties! On Tuesday, September 15th the Lady Tigers played at Little Miami where they won 4-0. Impressively enough several Tigers added to the scoreboard! Senior Lauren Donovan scored 1 goal, Junior Leiah Goedde had 1 goal, Sophmore Brooke Hatfield collected 1 goal, and Sophmore Sophia Kapszukiewicz also added a goal to the win.

On Thursday, September 17th Loveland took on Kings at home where they tied 1-1. Junior Erin Bullock scored the tying goal for the Tigers. On Saturday Loveland traveled to Mason where they tied again 1-1. Junior Leiah Goedde had the 1 goal for the Tigers.

The Loveland Women’s Soccer team is currently in 1st place in the ECC with an overall record of 6-0-2 (3-0-1 in the ECC). On the ECC’s Women’s Soccer “leaderboard,” many Tigers are making a name for themselves with their individual stats. Leiah Goedde is tied for 4th place with her own teammate, Brooke Hatfield, for Points, both having 13. Goedde is also in 4th place for Goals with 6. Junior Eva Dudeck is sitting in 2nd place for Shutouts with 5.0, and Lauren Donovan is in 1st place for Assists with 6.

This week Loveland played at West Clermont on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7 p.m. (results will be in the next edition of the 411) and at home against Lakota West on Saturday, September 26th at 7 p.m.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

The Loveland Women’s and Men’s Cross Country team will be competing again on Saturday, September 26th at the Saturday Night Lights Meet which will be held at Centerville High school. The time is still being determined!

MEN’S GOLF

The Loveland Men’s Golf team has had quite the impressive season as they finished the season in 1st place and undefeated, 9-0 overall (8-0 in the ECC). Loveland competed in the ECC Tournament on Tuesday, September 22nd at Grizzly Golf Course, and won with 304 points! Tyler Valee grabbed 2nd place in the tournament with a score of 73, Joe Jankowski finished in 4th with a score of 74, Anthony Moran placed 5th with a score of 78, Aiden Callahan placed 7th with a score of 79 and Ben Kirlin rounded out the top 10 with a score of 81. Tiger, Jake Zicka placed 44th with a score of 102.

The Tigers will golf one more time at St. Xavier at 4 p.m. at Oasis Golf Course on Monday, September 28th.

WOMEN’S GOLF

The Loveland Women’s Golf team also competed in the ECC Tournament last week on Thursday, September 17th at Walden Ponds Golf Course.

The Lady Tigers, 2-5 in the ECC, finished the tournament in 6th place with 407 points. The top performer for Loveland was Emme Amy who finished in 20th place with 95 points. Caroline Sproull tied with her teammate Kristin Dygert for 26th place with a score of 103, and Ryan Smith placed 36th with a score of 114.

The Loveland Women’s Golf team will compete again at St. Ursula on Thursday, September 24th. The time is still being determined!

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The Loveland Women’s Tennis team had a very busy week last week competing 3 times! On Monday, September 14th the Lady Tigers competed against Indian Hill losing 5-0, but bounced back the next day at Lebanon capturing a 5-0 win!

On Wednesday, September 16th Loveland faced St. Ursula losing a close battle, 3-2. Again the Tigers came back on Monday, September 21st, and grabbed a win against Little Miami, 5-0.

On Tuesday, September 22nd, Loveland competed in the ECC Championships, but the score has yet to be reported.

Currently, there are a few Lady Tigers sitting in the top 10 for their individual stats in the ECC! Maira Hodar is in 4th place for Single with a 4-3 record in the ECC (8-8 overall), and Grace Haught is in 8th place for 2nd Singles with a 5-2 record in the ECC (11-5 overall). Tess Broermann and Hanna Wenger are in 1st place in the ECC for Doubles with a 6-0 record (12-0 overall, and Sarah McKenzie and Kendall Forrest are in 4th place for 2nd Doubles with a 2-0 record.

The Loveland Women’s Tennis team, 5-2 in the ECC (12-4 overall), will compete on Monday, September 28th at Mason High school at 4 p.m and on Wednesday, September 30th against Walnut Hills at 4 p.m.

Stay tuned for more of the Loveland Sports 411 with Me, Cassie Mattia!

Sep 23, 2020
A Look at Last Week’s LHS Sports and What’s to Come This Week!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland High School’s Fall sports seasons have finally taken off! Although COVID-19 has made school vs. school competitions this Fall season somewhat difficult the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) and the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has implemented safety protocols that have allowed high school student-athletes to have the sports seasons they have been dying to have!

Last week in LHS sports proved to be quite the success as several Tiger squads had victories! Here’s the Loveland Sports 411 for the week of September 7th-13th as well as what competitions you should expect for this week in the LHS sports world!

FOOTBALL

The LHS Football team was supposed to have the ultimate rivalry game at Milford on Friday, September 11th, but unfortunately, the game had to be canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test involving a Milford Football player. The schools are working on rescheduling the contest.

Currently, the LHS Football team is sitting at 0-2, with losses against Turpin and West Clermont. The Tigers are looking to grab their first win at home against Little Miami on Friday, September 18th.

VOLLEYBALL

The LHS Women’s Volleyball team is sitting right in the middle of the pack in the ECC with a 4-4 overall record (2-3 in the ECC). On Tuesday, September 8th the Tigers traveled to Turpin. While Loveland battled hard, they ended up losing 25-23, 25-12, winning 22-25, and losing the final game 25-15.

On Wednesday, September 9th Loveland played at home against Lebanon. The Tigers played 3 games losing 25-14, 25-8, and 25-17. On Saturday, September 12th the Lady Tigers came back with a vengeance facing one of the best teams in the GMC, Lakota West, at home. The Tigers played 5 games losing the 1st and 2nd games 23-25, and 20-25. Loveland than collected 2 wins in the 3rd and 4th games, 25-22, and 25-24. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost in a very close 5th game, 15-13.

The LHS Women’s Volleyball team will be back in action this week on Monday, September 14th at home against Little Miami at 6:30 p.m, Tuesday, September 15th at Anderson at 6:30 p.m, and at home against Kings at 6:30 p.m.

MEN’S SOCCER

The Loveland Men’s Soccer team played at Milford on Thursday, September 10th. The Tigers ended up losing 2-1 in a close battle. The Tigers are sitting at 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie (1-1-0 in the ECC) thus far for the 2020 Fall season.

The Men’s Soccer Team this week will be hosting Little Miami on Tuesday, September 15th at 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Loveland Women’s Soccer team has kicked off the 2020 season with a bang sitting at 1st place in the ECC with a 5-0-0 record overall (2-0-0 in the ECC). On Tuesday, September 8th they played Milford at home collecting a 3-0 win! Ryann Eversole, Brooke Hatfield, and Shraya Smolenski all had a goal in the big Tiger win.

On Saturday, September 12th the Lady Tigers faced Sycamore at home, in which they grabbed another win, 2-1. Leiah Goedde and Brooke Hatfield both had a goal for the Tigers.

This week the Loveland Women’s Soccer team will play 3 games, 1 on Tuesday, September 15th at Little Miami at 7 p.m, another on Thursday, September 17th at home against Kings at 7 p.m, and on Saturday, September 19th at Mason at 5 p.m.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

The Loveland Men’s Cross Country team has had quite the successful season thus far clocking times at the top of the ECC! On Saturday, September 12th the Tigers traveled to Corwin Nixon Park for the Mason Invitational. Loveland finished in 4th place as a team with 116 points. Ryan Chevalier took the gold for the entire invitational finishing in 1st place with a time of 16:14.8. Ajay Stutz was next finishing in 16th place with a time of 17:15.5, followed by Sam Neiger in 22nd place with a time of 17:42.5, then Caden Dyer in 38th place with a time of 18:00.4. The next finisher was Colin Beran in 59th place with a time of 18:31.1, followed by Grant Hanson in 66th place with a time of 18:40.1, then Alex Salatin in 71st place with a time of 18:44.7, and Zach Mays in 79th place with a time of 18:52.1. Rounding out the Tigers was Alex Saletta in 86th place with a time of 18:56.4.

Junior Ryan Chevalier’s 1st place performance out of 381 runners at the Mason Invitational gained him an ECC Athlete of the Week Nomination! Chevalier is currently sitting in 2nd place in the ECC with a time of 16:06, in which he ran at the Loveland Invitational on Saturday, September 5th.

The Men’s Cross Country team will compete again Saturday, September 26th at the Saturday Night Lights Meet at Centerville High school.

Read here about the Loveland Invitational that was held on September 5th.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

The Loveland Women’s Cross Country team is running off the ECC competition this 2020 Fall season with their unbelievable 5k times! The Tigers competed in the Mason Invitational on Saturday, September 12th at Corwin Nixon Park finishing in 2nd place out of 15 teams with 87 points.

The top finisher for Loveland was Sarah Madix clocking a 2nd place finish with a time of 19:32.6. Ellie Carr finished next in 18th place with a time of 20:43.4, followed by Sophia Huff in 20th place with a time of 20.50.1, and next in 25th place was Ally Colegate with a time of 20:58.4. The next finisher for the Tigers was Ansley Richards in 27th place with a time of 21:01.5, followed by Maaike Snider in 29th place with a time of 21:07.9, and Audrey O’Keefe in 34th place with a time of 21:14.5. Other finishers for the Lady Tigers were Lauren Gard with a time of 21:27.3 and Meghan Tibbs with a time of 21:34.3.

Junior Sarah Madix was the 2nd Loveland Tiger this week to be nominated for the ECC Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Mason Invitational. Madix not only had the 2nd fastest time out of 347 runners she was also 1 out of only 4 girls to break 20 minutes on the new Mason 5k course.

Currently, in the ECC several Lady Tigers are sitting in the top 10 for their Loveland Invitational 5k times. Emily Sager is in 2nd place with a time of 18:53.5, Sarah Madix is sitting in 4th place with a time of 19:18.2, and Ellie Carr is in 7th place with a time of 20:04.03.

The Loveland Women’s Cross Country team will be competing again on Saturday, September 26th at the Saturday Night Lights Meet at Centerville High School.

Read here about the Loveland Invitational that was held on September 5th.

MEN’S GOLF

The Loveland Men’s Golf team has been having a great season as they are sitting at the top of the ECC with a 7-0 record overall (6-0 in the ECC)! On Tuesday, September 8th the Tigers beat Anderson 159-160 at Legendary Golf Course. Over the weekend Loveland competed twice, traveling to Heatherwoode Golf Course on Saturday, September 12th, and to Glenview Golf Course for the Hadley Invitational on Sunday, September 13th. The results for both competitions have yet to be posted on the ECC website.

Several Tigers are in the top 10 in the ECC for their golf performances! Tyler Vallee is in 2nd place with a 38.36 average, Anthony Moran is in 4th place with a 38.63 average, Joe Jankowski is in 5th place with a 39.09 average, and Matthew Geist is in 9th place with a 40 average.

The Men’s Golf team will be competing again on Monday, September 14th at Miami Valley Golf Course for the Alter Invitational and on Tuesday, September 15th at Shaker Run Golf Course against Lebanon at 3:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S GOLF

The Women’s Golf team, currently 1-4 in the ECC, competed at Harmon Golf Course against Lebanon on Wednesday, September 9th. The Tigers lost 212 to 191.

This week the Loveland Women’s Golf team will be traveling to Eagles Nest Golf Course to face Little Miami at 3:24 p.m and then will be heading to Walden Ponds for the ECC Tournament on Thursday, September 17th at 8 a.m.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The Women’s Tennis Team is in 4th place in the ECC with a 10-2 overall record (3-2 in the ECC)! Loveland took on the Mason B Team on Wednesday, September 9th gaining another win, 4-1. Since collecting the Mason win, the Lady Tigers are ranked at the top of the ECC in Singles and Doubles. Maira Hodar is in 4th place in First Singles with a 6-6 overall record (2-3 in the ECC), while Grace Haught is in 6th place in Second Singles with a 9-3 overall record (3-2 in the ECC). Tess Broermann and Hanna Wenger are in 1st place in the ECC in First Doubles with an 11-0 overall record (5-0 in the ECC), while Jenna Batsch and Babs Dwyer are in 1st place in the ECC for Second Doubles with an 11-0 overall record (4-0 in the ECC).

The Loveland Women’s Tennis Team will be playing 3 times this week! On Monday, September 14th Loveland will be competing against Indian Hill at 4 p.m, then on Tuesday, September 15th at Lebanon at 4 p.m, and on Wednesday, September 16th against St.Ursula at 4 p.m.

Stay tuned for more of the Loveland Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!

Sep 14, 2020
LHS’s Andy Cruse Gives Preview of up and Coming Football Season!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – As student-athletes across Ohio are gearing up to start practicing and competing, the Loveland Tigers Football Coach, Andy Cruse, is more than excited to get his team ready for the 2020-2021 season!

Over the past several months, all contact sports in the state of Ohio were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing student-athletes to take it upon themselves to prepare for their up and coming sports seasons. Ohio coaches of course tried to impact their student-athletes as much as possible virtually, but for many high school athletes having coaches physically there motivating them through tough practices is what the athletes are saying they both want and need!

Recently OHSAA released guidelines for all Ohio High School sports programs in regards to what the protocol will be once practices and competitions begin. With that being said I decided to check in with LHS’s Head Football Coach Andy Cruse to see just how these guidelines will affect the football program, the student-athletes, the coaches, and the loyal Tiger spectators. Here is the Loveland Tiger Football 411 featuring Coach Andy Cruse!

Cassie Have you started in-person practices yet with the team and coaches and if so are there any restrictions?

Coach Cruse We began workouts with restrictions on June 1st. We have done football-related activities for a while now, but just recently started having limited contact during on-field training. We officially begin our season on August 1st.

Cassie Have you had fewer players come out for the team because of COVID-19 and the Pay-to-Play implementation?

Coach Cruse Surprisingly, no. We have had the best attendance since I’ve been the Head Coach at Loveland. I truly believe that quarantine made our athletes appreciate football and being together more. Many of them had to be very creative in their workouts without a weight room, so being able to train in our beautiful weight room has been great for all of them.

Cassie Have you named team captains and if so who are they?

Coach Cruse We have not. This is something we will do early on in August. We have many players that have really emerged as leaders since last December.

Cassie How are you and your staff handling the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions? Has it been tough or have you successfully managed the situation?

Coach Cruse Our staff has handled it very well. Head Coaches did a walk thru on everything with Brian Conatser, our AD before we started workouts and then my staff and I did a walk-thru of how the workouts would go before we started back up on June 1st. My staff and I, like the rest of the athletic department, are taking every precaution necessary and are following the guidelines that the state has put out. Initially, it was very different than what we were used to. We have told our players from the beginning of quarantine that we must adjust and adapt moving forward and that is exactly what we have done.

Cassie Do you have any returning Seniors or stand-out players from last year? What are your expectations for this year in regards to wins and losses?

Coach Cruse We return 9 out of 11 starters on offense and many defensive players return with varsity experience. This team is quietly gaining more and more confidence. It has been a joy to be around them since June 1st as it is very clear they enjoy working hard and being around each other. My expectations are to be competitive in every game we play and to respond to adversity that is thrown our way this season. Senior standouts include QB Calvin Cloud, OL Zach DeWitt, WR Tyler Lake, WR Aaron Morton, DE Gabe Ogdan, and TE/LB Austin Lodor. There are a number of other players we expect big things from this season too. As a whole, we are seeing a lot of competition for playing time, which is what we want.

Cassie The ECC recently added 3 more schools to the conference making the conference that much more competitive! This year who are you excited to compete against and who do you think will be challenging to compete against?

Coach Cruse The ECC is a terrific conference and will continue to be even more challenging. In our conference for football, every week is an absolute battle. There are no easy games on our schedule but we embrace that challenge and are excited about it!

Cassie Are you able to hold any fundraisers for the athletes or events to help with the pay-to-play fees?

Coach Cruse Unfortunately we missed out on a couple of things we had planned due to COVID-19. We will be selling discount cards until July 30th around the community. Be on the lookout for our players and please help support Loveland Athletics!

Cassie In your own words, talk about your experience with the quarantine, COVID-19, and trying to be the best coach you can be during this time.

Coach Cruse Quarantine was a unique time for all people for a lot of reasons. For me personally, I really enjoyed the time with my family, especially being with my daughter every single day! She is 8 months old now, so seeing how much she has changed in a few months and being with her every step of the way has been a blast. It was time I would’ve never gotten had COVID-19 not happened.

Overall, I looked at quarantine as an opportunity to get better every day. Just like we stressed with our players, I tried to have a routine every day to make sure I was productive. I am not a huge reader, but during quarantine, I quickly became one. I read about a book every 1-2 weeks and really enjoyed it. There were also a number of virtual football clinics that my staff and I attended as well.

Aside from that, we had a team meeting every week, at least one position meeting a week with players and a number of staff meetings. I grew to really look forward to these interactions with our players and coaches. When it all started, we decided as a staff that we wanted to make sure we were in constant communication with our players. We felt that checking in with them to see how things were going at home, how school was going, and then how workouts were going was going to be very important. We also took it as an opportunity to get closer as a team by getting to know each other better.

Check out the Loveland Tigers football schedule for this up and coming season!

2020-2021 Loveland Tigers Football Schedule

8/28 Sycamore
9/4 at Princeton
9/11 Turpin
9/18 West Clermont
9/25 at Milford
10/2 Little Miami
10/9 at Walnut Hills
10/16 at Kings
10/23 Anderson
10/30 at Winton Woods

For more of your latest local sports news stay tuned to the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia! Oh and by the way…GO TIGERS!

Jul 24, 2020
Local Facebook Group Fundraises for “Pay-to-Play” LHS Student-Athletes!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland has always been known as a community that gives back, and ALWAYS takes care of the youth. Over the past few months many have been fighting for the Loveland School levy because, without the appropriate funds, Tiger student-athletes have to “pay-to-play.”

Recently two Loveland School levies failed, leaving both Tiger student-athletes and their parents at a stand-still. Now those Tigers wanting to participate in a sport will have to pay $310. This did not sit well with Loveland Tiger advocate, Tori Morrison, so with the approval of the Loveland Athletic Booster Board she created a Facebook group that would help those athletes that could not afford to pay the sports fees.

“With the recent failure of two school levies, we knew that Pay to Play fees would be increasing this year,” Morrison explained, “In anticipation of that, the Athletic Boosters decided that we needed some way to help the athletes to continue to play. We feel that no tiger should be left out. Fees were previously $105 for all sports except football and lacrosse which were $155. Now all sports will be paying $310 per sport.”

Click Here To Sign Up Now! to be a Memember of the Loveland Athletic Boosters

Morrison attended Loveland Schools from 2nd through 6th grade before she moved with her family to New Richmond where she eventually met her husband and moved back to Loveland when her oldest child entered into 3rd grade.

“We have had three children graduate from Loveland schools – Ashlei (03), Chelsei (10), and Ben (20). My kids have been involved in soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, football, lacrosse, yearbook, drama, and choir,” Morrison said, “Over the years I have been a team mom for various sports and most recently organized and planned the Homecoming Parade for the last six years. When my son graduated I decided I was ready to become involved in a different way and decided to run for the Loveland Athletic Booster Board.”

Morrison says that the newly created Facebook Group “Loveland Athletic Boosters” is focusing on raising money for the student-athletes that may not be able to afford the pay-to-play fees.

“We want to share information and we encourage everyone to spread the word,” Morrison said, “The more people that join the group the more Tigers we can help! We want everyone to get a chance to play regardless of their financial situation. It’s going to be really tough for some families to pay the now $310 pay to play fee. Some athletes won’t be able to play at all and others will be forced to pick one sport where they used to be able to play two or three.” Many, many families have more than one child that will want to participate in a sport.

Thus far Morrison told us that the entire Loveland Athletic Boosters (LAB) Board is behind the fundraising efforts including, President Jeff Williams, Vice President Rich Myklebust, Treasurer Stephanie Bashardoust, and Secretary Stacey Lund. Soon LAB will be offering Business Memberships which would be a first for the Board.

I asked Morrison if the new Facebook Group would be holding any fundraising events and she said they are ALWAYS searching for new ideas and ways to raise money. The LAB’s do in fact have some awesome events planned that they hope will bring in a lot of funds for Tiger Student-Athletes.

Learn more about the annual Golf Outing on July 27 at O’Bannon Creek Golf Club.

“Our annual Golf Outing is July 27 at O’Bannon Creek Golf Club.

The Membership drive kicks off on July 1 and fall student-athletes will be selling discount cards that will be good at local restaurants and businesses,” Morrison said, “We will also be having like we do every year in January our Tiger Ball. One hundred percent of the money from these events will go towards helping our student-athletes with fees, gear, and anything else they need.”

Here at Loveland Magazine we encourage everyone to join the Loveland Athletic Boosters Facebook Group and support the Tiger student-athletes!

The group added Venmo so that it makes it easier to donate.

You may also comment on the FB page to adopt a Tiger. To learn more about how you can get involved with helping Loveland’s Student-Athletes compete in sports visit the Loveland Athletic Booster Facebook Page or check their website at www.lovelandathleticboosters.com.

Jun 30, 2020
ECC Names Former LHS Athletic Director Assistant Commissioner!

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

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Last Friday the Eastern Cincinnati Conference made quite the “Tiger” announcement when they named Jeff Zidron as the new Assistant Commissioner. Zidron was the former Athletic Director for both Loveland and Indian Hill High Schools. Currently, Zidron is an administrator for the Milford School District.

The ECC referred to Zidron as one of the “founding fathers” of the ECC and said that both Zidron’s experience and expertise will help the ECC continue to be one of the premier conferences in Ohio.

“I can’t wait to work with Jeff again in his new role,” ECC Commissioner Ray Spicher said, “I have the utmost respect for him as a person and as a professional educator. Look for great things as the ECC expands to 10 teams this year.”

To learn more about the ECC you can visit their website at http://eccsports.com/index.aspx.

Stay tuned for more of the latest sports 411 with me, Cassie Mattia!

Jun 24, 2020
Eastern Cincinnati Conference Holds a “Slogan Contest!”
by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Calling all student-athletes, coaches, parents, and fans! The Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) recently announced that they will be going through somewhat of a league transformation. In addition to adding three new schools, Little Miami, Winton Woods, and Lebanon, to the ECC for the 2020-2021 sports season they are also looking to add a new conference slogan.

The ECC stated that they would love to bring more awareness and reach to the conference’s brand so the conference decided to have students, coaches, and fans submit slogan ideas. The ECC selected the top 4 slogan ideas and posted them on the ECC website so that anyone and everyone could vote on their favorite slogan! Below are the top 4 slogan selections.

1. Engage. Compete. Conquer

2. Excite. Challenge. Compete.

3. Eastern Cincinnati Conference … top-level competition with community-based values.

4. Engagement. Competition. Community. We are the ECC!

The Slogan Contest allows voters to submit their slogan selection as many times as they want up until Friday, June 26th, 2020. The new slogan will be released in early July. If you would like to participate in the Slogan Contest click the link below to submit your vote!

VOTE NOW
ECC Schools
- Anderson
- Lebanon
- Loveland
- Turpin
- West Clermont
- Kings
- Little Miami
- Milford
- Walnut Hills
- Winton Woods
Stay tuned for the latest and greatest Local Sports 411 with me, Cassie Mattia!
Jun 16, 2020
OHSAA Plans to Expand the 2021 Football Playoffs

by Cassie Mattia

Columbus, Ohio – OHSAA released some excellent news for Ohio High School Football teams on Wednesday when they announced their Board of Directors approved expanding the playoff qualifiers from 8 teams to 12 teams per region.

OHSAA’s Board voted 9-0 to expand the OHSAA Football playoffs to 12 teams per region starting in the 2021 season. The expansion was proposed by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association. OHSAA’s Director of Communications, Tim Stried, sent out a press release explaining how the new football playoff expansion will work.

“During the first round of the playoffs, the top four seeds will have a bye, while the No. 12 seed will play at the No. 5 seed, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8. In the second round, the No. 1 seed will play the winner of the 8 vs. 9 game; the No. 2 seed will play the winner of 6 vs. 11; the No. 3 seed will play the winner of 7 vs. 10 and the No. 4 seed will play the winner of 5 vs. 12.

The expansion will increase the number of football playoff qualifiers from 224 to 336. Last year there were 709 schools in Ohio that played 11-man football. Football is the only OHSAA team sport in which not every school qualifies for the postseason.

‘We still have details to work out regarding the format and specific season dates, but this vote by the Board gives us the green light to finalize those details for 2021,’ said Beau Rugg, Senior Director of Officiating and Sport Management for the OHSAA and the Association’s football administrator. ‘We are thankful for the Board’s support on this proposal, which will bring all the great things of playoff football to 112 additional schools and communities.’

Rugg also noted that the football finals in 2021 are expected to end during the same weekend as previously scheduled (Dec. 2-5). Schools will still be permitted to play 10 regular-season contests.

The higher seeded teams will have the opportunity to host their playoff games during the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

Loveland Tigers vs. Lebanon in September of 2016

The OHSAA football playoffs began in 1972 when only 12 schools qualified for the playoffs (four schools in each of three classes). Expansion first came in 1980 when the OHSAA changed to five divisions with eight teams each (40 total qualifiers). A sixth division was added in 1994 (96 total qualifiers) and the number of qualifiers was increased to eight schools per region in 1999 (192 total qualifiers). A seventh division was added in 2013 to bring the number of qualifiers to 224.”

Stay tuned for the latest Ohio and Loveland sports news!

May 23, 2020