Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: Miami Redhawks

  • Brian Damewood Named Loveland High School Tigers Head Football Coach

    Brian Damewood Named Loveland High School Tigers Head Football Coach

    Photo by Loveland Athletics

    EDITOR”S NOTE: This article has been corrected to reflect that the first varsity game is 8/23 @ Harrison with and the first home game on 8/30 vs Lebanon, 7P at Tiger Stadium.

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The search for Loveland’s next head football coach was refreshingly short, and they have absolutely found the right man for the job. On June 7 Athletic Director Jayson Bruce announced that Brian Damewood would be promoted and would be the man to lead the program to the promised land in 2024 and beyond.

    After the departure of Andy Cruse, who took a job with the Miami Redhawks to assume the role of tight ends coach.

    The Loveland Athletic Department  was keen to find his replacement and they quickly named Damewood as the interim head coach. It was only a matter of time, though, before they removed the “interim” tag and made the promotion official. Coach Damewood has many years of experience coaching defensive backs and special teams for the Tigers and is an excellent choice to helm the program in the future. Continuity is important at every level of football but especially in the high school game. The many years of experience that Coach Damewood has living and breathing Loveland’s brand of football means that the team likely won’t miss a beat with him leading them this year.

    Loveland finished with a 5-7 record last year, good for 6th in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, though they look ready to improve on that mark next year. The Tigers open the 2024 season with their first varsity game on 8/23 at Harrison and the first home game on 8/30 vs Lebanon at Tiger Stadium with Coach Damewood at the helm and the entire city will no doubt be behind him.

    __________

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to LovelandSportsGuy@gmail.com!

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

     

  • Miami vs. Miami? That’ll be confusing on Sept. 1st

    Miami vs. Miami? That’ll be confusing on Sept. 1st

    Written by Donna Boen, Miamian editor

    OXFORD, OH – Heaven help the announcer when Miami University plays the University of Miami in football on September 1st.

    “Miami is within sight of Miami’s end zone with two downs to go. Miami calls a timeout.”

    Huh?

    The game will be played in Coral Gables, Florida and you can listen on the ACC Network Radio and the Miami Radio Network.
    The confusion isn’t our fault. We tried to persuade the Florida school to change its name after it was chartered in 1925 — 116 years after Miami University’s charter. When I say “we,” I mean the Miami University president at the time, Raymond M. Hughes, Class of 1893, and several Miamians.

    In a Feb. 10, 1927, letter to President Hughes, alumnus George Shuman shared a letter of protest that he was sending to the president and trustees of the Florida institution. Shuman went on to propose that President Hughes “have Miami students all over the country send in their protest against the use of the Miami name by any other university.”

    In his protest, Shuman stated that he felt the University of Miami was “doing a very great injustice to my alma mater in stealing the name.” He suggested changing to Everglades University or the University of Southern Florida.

    Shuman doesn’t explain what motivated his protest. However, a letter sent to President Hughes six days later by another alumnus referenced a protest by Alfred H. Upham, Class of 1897 and 1898, in the February 1927 Bulletin, the alumni magazine of its day. At the time he submitted his letter to the editor, Upham was president of the University of Idaho. He would become president of Miami University a year later.

    In his introduction, Upham wrote, “Since the first announcements, more than a year ago, regarding the new University of Miami in Florida, I have looked in vain for even the mildest protest from the alumni and friends of our own Miami University.

    “Presumably names of collegiate institutions are not copyrighted and these good citizens of Florida have the legal right to adopt such a name as they choose. But they certainly have not much moral right to usurp the name of a university which has established itself by more than a century of sound scholarship and effective educational service.

    “Generations before the now famous winter metropolis of fashion was even heard of, Miami University was established, taking its name from the rivers which in turn had been named for a local Indian tribe.”

    Near his conclusion, Upham wrote, “There are so many perfectly good names for a new and aspiring university. What justification or justice is there in appropriating one that has made its place in the academic world through more than a century of achievement?”

    Phillip Shriver, president of Miami from 1965-1981, and forever the historian, kept the series of letters in his papers. They eventually ended up with President Shriver’s son, R. Scott ’78 MEd ’95, who located them last month and shared them with Tom Fey ’68 of Oxford, Ohio.

    In a Feb. 21, 1927, letter to another frustrated alumnus, President Hughes wrote, “I have voiced the sentiments of the alumni to the president of University of Miami. As I told you, I do not think we have any right in the matter, but undoubtedly large confusion will arise from this joint use of the same name, which will be very embarrassing in the educational field.”

    The University of Miami’s leader, Bowman F. Ashe, president from 1926-1952, was both sympathetic and apologetic. In a March 5, 1929, letter to Miami University’s new president, A.H. Upham, he wrote:

    “I had some correspondence two years ago with President Hughes about the matter, and the Board seriously considered changing the name to the University of Southern Florida. The difficulty in that is that it would again raise some confusion in connection with our state university, and it might also have some effect upon municipal appropriations which we receive from the city of Miami.

    “We are now, so far as possible, in our own publications, using the full name ‘The University of Miami, Florida.’

    “May I assure you that I will do everything possible to prevent the confusion of the names, and it is possible that at some future time there may even be a change in the name here which would end the confusion for all time.”

    And here we are, nearly 100 years later, and the confusion continues.

  • Loveland women’s soccer: state champions [photo gallery+video]

    Loveland women’s soccer: state champions [photo gallery+video]

    by Sam Smith

    Columbus, Ohio – On Friday, 11/10, Loveland High School soccer competed for the Division I state title at the Columbus MAPFRE stadium. The team bested Perrysburg High School 1-0, earning Loveland the OHSAA state championship. Junior Brooke Harden scored the winning goal with 21:20 remaining in the first half. The two teams battled for the next hour but failed to score again.

    Loveland competed in the state championship in 2015 and fell to Walsh Jesuit. The freshman and sophomore players– now juniors and seniors– made it their mission to come back and claim the title. Players wrote messages about “The Mission” over car windows and fans held signs. The team was sent off to Columbus Thursday evening with a performance from the Loveland Marching Band, a police and fire escort out of the City, and a crowd gathered on a Loveland street corner to wave and cheer to the busses. At MAPFRE stadium, the home of the Columbus Crew, Loveland bolstered a packed stadium section of enthusiastic black-and-orange spectators with face paint and noisemakers.

    Loveland ends their pre-game huddle

    Watch Loveland defeat Perrysburg and claim the state title:

    For around an hour, Perrysburg fought without avail to take away the one-point lead Loveland held. Perrysburg attempted to score several times (notably within the last minute) but goalie and senior Lauren Parker consistently deflected and guarded the goal. Parker earned her 50th career shutout. She will play for the Miami Redhawks next year.

    “I can’t even put it into words. We’ve had this goal since we lost two years ago and we just did it. That’s all I can say,” Parker told Loveland Magazine in a post-game interview. 

    Southwest Ohio has formed a women’s soccer dynasty of sorts, claiming all the division state titles this year. Indian Hill took home division III, Summit Country Day Division II and Loveland Division I. Summit Country Day also won Divison III men’s soccer.

    Sarah Harter fights for the ball

    As the game neared an end, the stands turned to bedlam and rowdy excitement. Fans jumped, screamed, and cheered as it became clear that Loveland would take home the State Champion trophy. 

    When the clock hit zero, the team burst into emotion and ecstatic tears. Coaches and players embraced, jumped and screamed. A sign stating “The Mission Is Complete” appeared in the hands of players, while parents and friends embraced over the fence. 

    “It feels like we broke through a limit that was set two years ago”

    “It feels like we broke through a limit that was set two years ago when we came in second. It felt like we finally accomplished the goal we had been working so hard for every year,” said Senior Colleen “Jelly” Swift.

    Loveland paid their respects to the state runner-up while Perrysburg accepted their trophy and medals. Loveland players encouraged each other to clap for each opposing player and congratulate them on their success.

    “As a coach, I am so proud of these kids and this program, but I am equally proud to have coached so many amazing young ladies. I am exceptionally of the fine young women they have turned out to be. The love and support that our alumni have shown through the years have been off the charts, as has Tiger Nation. Thanks to the Loveland community, alumni and administration… this one’s for you,” head coach Todd Kelly said in an official release.

    A teary-eyed Julie Rener (athletic director) handed state champion medals to euphoric players and coaches. Teammates hugged and cried into each other’s shoulders in excited shock. Parents screamed and fans hollered. There was hardly a dry eye on the loveland side of the MAPFRE field.

    “We became a family this season because we wanted to play for the player standing next to us and we did not want to let them down”

    “I still can’t believe we just won state. It’s like it hasn’t processed into my brain yet because it’s just so amazing and unbelievable… We became a family this season because we wanted to play for the player standing next to us and we did not want to let them down. Also, I️ think our little saying, “Humble and Hungry”, played a big role in every one of us through our mission. Everyone used that to their own abilities which made us unstoppable,” Brooke Harden told Loveland Magazine.

    “You were not only humble but hungry all the time. It’s amazing, two years later, what you can accomplish if you stay focused,” OHSAA Director of Sports Management, Jerry Snodgrass told Loveland seniors after calling them forward.

    Loveland Varsity women’s soccer poses after their win with the scoreboard in the background
    Colleen “Jelly” Swift hoists the trophy with the scoreboard in the background
    Lauren Parker (center) poses with friends for a selfie

    Lauren Williams and Maria Bashardoust pose after winning

    “It’s hard to believe that the mission is over. The last four years with Loveland Soccer has been a blessing to me. The girls, the coaches, and the support from the community is more than I could’ve ever asked for. This state championship has been in the making for many years. All of the alumni who taught each of us what Loveland soccer is about are the ones who made last night possible. I’m proud to be part of something so special,” said Sarah Harter after the game.

    Loveland ended their season 22-1 win-loss. Colleen Swift was named the ECC women’s soccer athlete of the year and Todd Kelly coach of the year. Brice Grieshop, Brooke Harden, Riley Massey, Lauren Parker and Colleen Swift were named First Team ECC all-conference selections. Colleen Swift and Lauren Parker have been named to the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division I First Team.

     

    Loveland Magazine extends its thanks and congratulations to the 2017 Loveland Varsity women’s soccer team. We would like to offer special thanks to Head Coach Todd Kelly, Athletic Director Julie Renner, Lauren Parker and everyone who has offered their time for interviews and photos. Great job, team — it’s been a pleasure reporting on your incredible journey to a State Championship.

    -Writer/photographer Sam Smith and publisher David Miller

    Thank you Jarvis Global Investments and Art Jarvis for supporting and making it possible for Loveland Magazine to cover Loveland Sports.

    Jarvis Global Investments, LLC

    Jarvis Global is an investment advisory firm in Symmes Township, Ohio which offers private portfolio management and retirement services to high net worth individuals.