LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: loveland tigers

To tamp down rumors: Statement from Superintendent of Schools

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland School Superintendent Bradley Neavin has asked Loveland Magazine to send the below message to the community about a situation yesterday at the Loveland Middle School.

In a phone call, Neavin said, “The situation is being investigated. It is being handled. We’ve pulled our resources together, including our outside resources which include our resource officers and everybody is safe.”

LMS Safety Update

Tiger Family –

We wanted to update you on a situation involving Loveland Middle School. Yesterday, the school administration was informed of a safety concern involving one of our students. This situation was reported to the school administration and an investigation, involving school and central administration, student support personnel, and the school resource officer in collaboration with the Loveland City Police Department, was initiated.

In communication with the parents of the student, the situation was addressed and per the investigation, Loveland Middle School was determined to be safe.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and collaboration.

Feb 11, 2021
[VIDEO] Interview with Loveland’s new Superintendent of Schools

by David Miller

David Miller is the Publisher of Loveland Magazine

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District recently hired Bradley Neavin to serve as Superintendent. Neavin’s contract runs from February 10 until the Board hires a permanent superintendent, or until July 3.

Neavin’s first official day begins on Wednesday, however, he sat for an interview this morning from the Board office via Zoom so we could introduce him to the community and ask a few questions about his role in the District in the coming months.

The Steubenville native chatted with me about the Steelers/Browns/Bengals, and the Ohio University Marching 110. We also talked about the funding in Governor DeWine’s proposed K-12 education budget, the Ohio Legislature’s attempt to fix school funding, and DeWine’s goal of re-opening Ohio’s schools on March 1. And, more…

Superintendent Neavin can be reached at neavinbr@lovelandschools.org or (513) 683-5600.

Feb 8, 2021
Brackets are Released for Women’s High School Basketball Post-Season!
by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – High School Winter sports are starting to wrap up their regular-season competition and prepare for the post-season as OHSAA officially released the Loveland Women’s Basketball Team first-round post-season matchup!

The Tigers, who are still sitting in first place in the ECC (Eastern Cincinnati Conference) with an 11-2 record in the conference and a 15-4 record overall, have 3 regular-season games left all of them being important ECC matchups. On February 3rd the Tigers will face Lebanon on their court at 7 PM, on February 4th they will play Turpin at home at 7 PM, and on February 6th Loveland will compete at home against Winton Woods at 7:30 PM.

Over the past couple weeks Loveland has captured some big ECC wins, beating Milford 45 – 39, West Clermont 59 – 27, and Kings 59 – 40. The Tigers suffered one upset during that time period against Little Miami, losing in quite the nail-biter 48 – 45.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) recently released the Sectional/District brackets (see below) giving Loveland a 7th seed. The Tigers will be playing their opening tournament game against Cincinnati Anderson, a 29th seed, on February 13th at 10:30 AM at Harrison High School. If the Tigers grab a victory they will move on to play Cincinnati Winton Woods, a 22nd seed, on February 17th at 5 PM at Harrison High School.

View all the State Tournament Brackets:
- Region 4 –
  - Districts: Princeton 2 vs. Princeton 1 | Princeton 3 vs. Princeton 4
- Region 3 –
  - Districts: Central 1 vs. Central 2 | Central 3 vs. Central 4
- Region 2 –
  - Districts: Northwest 1 vs. Northwest 2 | Northeast 6 vs. Northeast 5
- Region 1 – Districts: Northeast 2 vs. Northeast 1 | Northeast 3 vs. Northeast 4
The Loveland Women’s Basketball Team is not only having a very successful season with the potential to be the 2021 ECC Champs, but the Tigers also have several individuals in the top 10 in the ECC for their personal stats. Currently, Jenna Batsch is in 6th place for scoring averaging 14.1 points per game, and teammate Tess Broermann is in 8th place putting up 12.1 points per game. Broermann is also in 7th place in the ECC for Assists averaging 2.5 per game. Olivia Raby is sitting in 3rd place in the ECC for Blocks averaging 1.6 per game while Batsch is in 7th place averaging 1.3 per game. Batsch is also in 5th place in the ECC for Steals averaging 2.9 per game.

To catch more of the Loveland Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia, stay tuned!
Feb 3, 2021
Congratulations Loveland Tigers ECC 2020-2021 Academic Team Award Winners!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Our Loveland Tigers are both talented on and off the field/court!

Introducing to you the ECC (Eastern Cincinnati Conference) 2020-2021 Loveland Tiger Academic Team Award Winners! In order to earn this achievement, the athlete must be on the varsity squad and earn a 3.5 g.p.a or higher. The following Tigers managed to meet the above requirements.

FALL CHEER: Kaitlyn Breese, Baylee Bronner, Erin Flanagan, Amy Keyser, Joseph Koehne, Blake Moore, Rachael Morgan, Nicole Pedicini, Olivia Powers, Grace Schamel, Anna Soupene, Caroline Staley, and Rowan Strayer.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: David Ballman, Colin Beran, Brady Burns, Ryan Chevalier, Cayden Dyer, Grant Hanson, Jesse Jenkins, Carter Jerome, Alex Laman, Sam Neiger, Alex Saletta, Brady Steiner, Ajay Stutz, Andrew Waple, and Alex Wolf.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Ellie Carr, Allyson Colegate, Skyler Daumeyer, Bella Dillhoff, Kali Egan, Allie Fogel, Lauren Gard, Jessie Gibbins, Bethany Griffin, Sophia Huff, Sarah Madix, Tara McCarthy, Audrey O’Keefe, Ansley Richards, Emmy Sager, Maaike Snider, Meghan Tibbs, and Ellie Zicka.

FOOTBALL: Luca Aquilino, Zach Bebout, Jack Bergman, Sawyer Bowin, Calvin Cloud, Cam Delaney, Zach Dewitt, Ethan Freeland, Max Huddleston, Noah Kline, Tyler Lake, Weston Manske, Mason Moore, Jackson Noe, Gabe Ogdan, Adam Perry, Reed Stewart, Ben Svitkovich, and Jude Wint.

BOYS GOLF: Aiden Callahan, Matthew Geist, Ben Kirlin, Anthony Moran, Tyler Vallee, and Jake Zicka.

GIRLS GOLF: Emme Amy, Kristin Dygert, Elena Hentz, Kylie Poe, Meghan Smith, Ryan Smith, Caroline Sproull, Maya Stokes, and Kathryn Taylor.

BOYS SOCCER: Cole Brock, Gavyn Caney, Ian Circ, Kees Ciric, Landon Cornwall, Ryan Dillinger, Helge Harris, Addison Hearn, Sean Hollenkamp, Noah Lee, Luc Parrish, Alex Paumier, Aaron Schuetter, Brayden Shepard, Ethan Smith, and Joseph Stepaniak.

GIRLS SOCCER: Lindsay Barry, Erin Bullock, Megan Davis, Lauren Donovan, Eva Dudeck, Ryann Eversole, Leiah Goedde, Ella James, Sophia Kapszukiewicz, Campbell Massey, Grace Muchmore, Abby Pawlikowski, Shraya Smolenski, and Ava Webb.

GIRLS TENNIS: Jenna Batsch, Tess Broermann, Babs Dwyer, Kendall Forrest, Grace Haught, Sarah Hiett, Maira Hodar, Sarah McKenzie, and Hanna Wenger.

VOLLEYBALL: Julia Bayliff, Diana Clark, Faith Daugherty, Ellie Egan, Maya Jepson, Kate Krabacher, Nancy Taylor McKibben, Faith Meece, Abbie Miller, Alex Miller, Maggie Norris, and Audrey Planner.

Great job Tigers! Here at Loveland Magazine we are so proud that our athletes perform in the classroom as well! Congratulations!

Stay tuned for more of the latest 411 on your local sports!

Jan 21, 2021
OHSAA Announces Adjustments to High School 2021 Football Schedules

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Although COVID-19 is still causing Ohio’s High Schools to be cautious, OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) announced in their routine Thursday morning meeting on the 14th that they voted in favor of making adjustments to the 2021 Ohio High School football regular-season schedules.

In May of 2020, OHSAA released that the Ohio High School Football Playoffs would be expanded to 12 schools per region rather than 8. This expansion alone would increase the number of football playoff qualifiers from 224 to 336. To read more about how the new playoff format will work click the following link: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports/News/ohsaa-to-expand-football-playoffs-in-2021.

With the approval of the playoff expansion, the 2021 regular Ohio High School football season will begin a week earlier. Now schools will be allowed to execute two of the mandatory five “acclimatization” days in July. Practices are officially able to begin on August 1st.

Before the first day of the regular season for Ohio High School Football, which is on August 20th, teams will be able to participate in two scrimmages or jamboree games that can take place between August 6th-14th. The conclusion of the regular-season schedule will be on October 23rd followed by six weeks of playoffs.

To view more highlights from the OHSAA Board of Directors meeting that took place on January 14th click the following link: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/ohsaa-board-of-directors-meeting-highlights-44.

Want to stay up to date on the latest Loveland and Ohio sports news? Stay tuned for more of the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!

Jan 18, 2021
Loveland schools want feedback

Loveland, Ohio – Julie Dunn the administrative assistant in the board of education office asked Loveland Magazine to share this information to the broader community.

The Board of Education is seeking input from staff, families and the community on their “commitments for the 2021-2022 school year”.

Dunn asks that you please review the current LCSD Board Commitments (below) and provide feedback through answering the questions. The survey will remain open until Wednesday, January 20 at 9 AM.

Take the survey here.

Jan 13, 2021
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
Lorenz re-elected Board President of Loveland District

This story was up-dated at 12: 28 PM as we received a comment from Dr. Lorenz

Loveland, Ohio – Dr. Kathryn Lorenz was re-elected Board President last night at a meeting of the Loveland City School District Board of Education.

Kevin Dougherty (Provided Photo)

Kevin Dougherty was chosen by fellow Board members to replace Michele Pettit as Vice-President.

The Board postponed the previously announced executive session (for last night) to discuss the hiring of an interim Superintendent. The session will now be held on Tuesday, January 12 at 6 PM when they will have a “virtual” meeting. Dr. Amy Crouse resigned as Superintendent on December 17.

UP-DATE at 12:28 PM: Dr. Lorenz just sent Loveland Magazine this comment: “I am honored by the comments made by board members, suggesting that they would like me to continue facilitating the administrative work of board meetings. I know that all board members are equal and I know that the board President is simply the board member who helps by running the meetings and facilitating some communication with the district administration and the public at large.”

Jan 6, 2021
DeWine relaxes guidance for COVID 19 classroom quarantine

“Students and teachers exposed to a COVID-positive person in school are no longer required to quarantine as long as the exposure occurred in a classroom setting and all students/teachers were wearing masks and following other appropriate protocols.”

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – Governor Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that Ohio is changing its guidance regarding quarantines following an in-classroom exposure in K-12 schools. The Ohio Department of Health said, “Moving forward, students and teachers exposed to a COVID-positive person in school are no longer required to quarantine as long as the exposure occurred in a classroom setting and all students/teachers were wearing masks and following other appropriate protocols.”

The change follows an evaluation of virus spread in Ohio schools conducted by researchers with the Ohio Schools COVID-19 Evaluation Team. Preliminary results of the evaluation found no discernable difference in the risk of contracting the coronavirus between those in close contact with a COVID-positive person in the classroom and those who were farther away.

Loveland Magazine has reached out to Loveland Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse and the District health team to inquire whether the District will adopt DeWine’s newest protocol, however, neither are available for immediate response. (Thank you for your email. Our offices are closed through Sunday, January 3, 2021. I am out of the office with limited access to email.)

Loveland school students return to the classroom on Monday, January 4.

“This evaluation confirms for us that Ohio’s classrooms are a safe place for our students and that the commitment our schools have made to keeping kids safe in the classroom is working,” said DeWine.

Schools should continue to require quarantines for exposed students in situations where masking and distancing protocols were not followed. The updated quarantine guidance does not apply to after-school activities, including sports, according to the new guidelines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in early December new quarantine guidelines for people who were exposed to coronavirus, reducing the length of time from 14 days to 10 days without symptoms or seven days with no symptoms and a negative test. The Loveland School District announced on December 4 that they would implement these less stringent quarantine requirements.

Meanwhile: The Associated Press reports that California has the nation’s 2nd confirmed case of a new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus. Read on…

Here is the last Covid 19 Dashboard that was published by the District (12/12/20 -12/18/20) right after classes dismissed for Winter Break:

Because of the data we now have, we’re changing our guidance and are no longer recommending that students who have been exposed to another COVID+ student quarantine – as long as all students have been wearing masks and the exposure took place in a classroom setting.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020

Ultimately, this is one more step to keep our kids in the classroom – which is where we want them to be.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020

Statewide Curfew extended for another three weeks

The Ohio Department of Health is extending the 10 PM to 5 AM statewide curfew for another three weeks until January 23. Governor Mike DeWine said, “This is b/c we don’t yet know what effect the holidays may have on our hospitals and health care systems, so we must continue to be cautious.”

As a reminder, the curfew does not apply to those:

✅ going to and from work
✅ who have an emergency or need medical care

The curfew is not intended to stop anyone from getting groceries/going to the pharmacy.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020

Picking up carry-out or a drive-thru meal and ordering for delivery is permitted, but serving food and drink within an establishment must cease at 10:00 p.m.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020

Dec 31, 2020
A Primer: Loveland’s Quarterback Drew Plitt in Arizona Bowl today at 2 PM on CBS (Ch 12 – WKRC)

News from BallState Sports.com

Quarterback Drew Plitt leads the Ball State Cardinals on CBS New Years Eve December 31 | 12pm MST/2pm EST

Drew Plitt played football at Loveland High School and led the 2013 Tigers to a Division II state title.

Offerpad Arizona Bowl
Ball State (6-1, 5-1 MAC) vs. No. 19 San Jose State (7-0, 6-0 MWC)
Thursday, Dec. 31 (12:12 p.m. MT/2:12 ET kickoff)
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Ariz.)
Watch: CBS | Listen:104.1 WLBC/1430 WXNT (Indy)
Social: @BallStateFB, @BallStateSports, #ChirpChirp, #WeFly, #DOB, #MACtion
Bowl Notes:Ball State (PDF) | San Jose State (PDF)
Bowl Week Media:Neu | Martin

The Ball State football team’s historical checklist for 2020 is nearly complete.

Win the MAC West Division for the first time since 2008? Check.

Win the overall MAC championship for the first time since 1996? Check.

It had been a while, but both of those things has been accomplished before. This last one, the final box, has not. A bowl victory.

For a team that has already achieved so much in this unique year, a win over No. 19 San Jose State in Thursday’s Offerpad Arizona Bowl would further cement its legacy in Ball State annals.

“It’s monumental for us,” senior cornerback Antonio Phillips said. “But we’ve been preparing for every game like it’s a championship game all year.”

All this in a season that looked like it might not happen. The MAC was the first FBS conference to postpone its football season because of concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the last to announce its return.

When the Cardinals finally took the field on Nov. 4, they were dealt an early blow, falling in the final seconds at rival Miami (Ohio). But the loss only galvanized the veteran team more. The Cardinals were undeterred and kept their sights fixed on the goal of a MAC championship.

Doing it on the ground at times and through the air at times all while getting tougher and tougher on defense each week, Ball State rattled off one win after another — six in all — culminating with their 38-28 victory over undefeated No. 23 Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game. Now, on the final day of 2020, BSU will look to check that final box.

“We were on a mission to get ourselves to Detroit, and that was such a great feeling when that clock hit zero,” head coach Mike Neu said. “To have that celebration with our team in the locker room was special. We’ve worked hard for this … Our next goal that lies ahead is to win the first bowl game in the history of our program.”

Ball State isn’t hiding from that fact or from being an underdog again this week against the ranked Spartans. It’s a role the team has embraced all season long since it was picked to finish fourth of six teams in the MAC West Division.

Fueled by that, by how close they were last year and by a brotherhood of togetherness, the 2020 Cardinals are champions and are still looking for more. This bowl trip to Arizona is both a reward and an opportunity, and they are not taking it for granted.

“Last year we were at home watching people play bowl games, we were at home watching conference championships,” running back Tye Evans said. “This was the year of, ‘Hey, we’re not doing that anymore. We don’t want to go home early and sit and watch people play football. We want to continue to play football as long as we can.’”

As long as they can is New Year’s Eve, one way or another. Might as well write a little more history.

More Background: Loveland’s Drew Plitt: MAC Champion

Prep for the 2 p.m. ET / Noon MST kickoff by checking out some of the best stories of the year about the Ball State Cardinals.

LATEST STORIES ABOUT BALL STATE FOOTBALL:

Nick Lawler explores the rise of Drew Plitt and his ability to take care of business down the stretch. (Ball State Sports Link)

As Chris Vannini writes in The Athletic, the lesson learned in Ball State’s success is patience. (For subscribers)

This Arizona Bowl matchup is a historic one, says Bud Geracie of the Mercury News.

‘He finds a way.’ Jordan Guskey of the Muncie Star-Press tells us about the man with the plan for Ball State.

USA Today says the Arizona Bowl with Ball State will be the 5^th-best bowl to watch.

Here’s a one-stop shop for the Arizona Bowl from College Football News.

Donnie Harmon of Ball State Sports Link breaks down how Plitt’s performance has Cardinals headed to Arizona.

Ian Hansen of the Ball State Daily News talks about the resilience of the Cardinals.

Jordan Guskey has a primer on how the Cardinals got to Arizona.

Dec 31, 2020