The above photo is Jenna Batsch in action in the District Semi-Final for the Loveland Tigers last season (Loveland Magazine file photo)
Cassie Mattia is the Associate Editor of Loveland Magazine and lives in Historic Downton.
Loveland, Ohio – As the end of the school year nears, L.H.S’s Senior student-athletes are making plans for the future! It was announced last week that two Tigers, Jenna Batsch and Lauren Donovan committed to playing collegiate athletics at two very prestigious schools.
Lauren Donovan
University of Minnesota’s Head Women’s Soccer Coach, Stefanie Golan, announced last Wednesday, that L.H.S’s Lauren Donovan would become a part of the Women’s Soccer 2021 Recruiting Class. Joining Donovan will be five other talented women, two forwards, two midfielders, one defender, and one goalkeeper.
Donovan has had quite the impressive Tiger journey earning All-City and First Team All-Southwest honors in 2019 for Soccer as well as two varsity letters in Basketball and Track and Field (in addition to Soccer). This year Donovan was apart of the 16-4 L.H.S Women’s Soccer Team that not only secured a District Championship but also Regional Runner-Up honors.
Head Coach Golan is excited to see Donovan’s contribution to what Golan thinks will be a stellar 2021 recruiting class!
In addition to playing soccer, Donovan will be majoring in Communications at the University of Minnesota.
The University of Kent State’s Women’s Basketball Coach, Todd Starkey, also announced on Wednesday that Loveland Tiger basketball stand-out, Jenna Batsch, along with three others, would be joining the 2021 Recruiting Class.
Head Coach Starkey said that he believes Batsch will be a much needed addition to an already talented group of student-athletes! Starkey then went on to predict a possible Mid-American Conference Championship throughout the course of the 2021 Recruiting Class’s four seasons.
Six-foot guard, Batsch was a part of last year’s Loveland Women’s Basketball Team that made history earning their first-ever ECC Championship, a Sectional Title, and a 22-4 record. Batsch collected First Team All-ECC, Honorable Mention All-District, and was ranked in the ECC’s top 10 in both steals and blocked shots, averaging 10.9 points, 2.5 steals, and 0.8 blocked shots per game.
Cassie Mattia is the Associate Editor of Loveland Magazine and lives in Historic Downtown Loveland
by Cassie Mattia
Loveland, Ohio – A former Loveland Tiger stand-out student-athlete will get the opportunity to showcase his football skills on the CBS Sports Network on Wednesday, November 4th!
Drew Plitt, Loveland High School graduate, and now Ball State University’s quarterback will be facing MAC Champion Miami for their season-opener, as the 2020 season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at 7 PM.
On top of being showcased on National television, Plitt was nominated for two very prestigious college football awards. Plitt was placed on the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award just two weeks after being placed on the watch list for the Manning Award, which recognizes the top-performing quarterback in America.
In a near blizzard, Drew Plitt quarterbacked the Loveland Tigers to a 41 – 23 win over Glenville at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium to win the Div II State Championship in 2013. The temperature was 28 degrees, the wind was 5-10 mph, and steady snow kept plows busy clearing the Canton Fawcett Stadium yard lines throughout the game. Dec. 6, 2013.
Before Plitt headed to Ball State himself to play football he was a top-notch student-athlete at Loveland High School. Plitt was a member of the National Honor Society all while earning multiple awards in both basketball and football. As a Junior Plitt was Team Captain, MVP, and First-Team All-Conference in basketball. In football, Plitt received All-Conference twice as well as Honorable Mention All-District as a Senior. Plitt helped lead the Loveland Tigers to a 2013 state title and still has the school record for career passing touchdowns (42).
It was announced recently the Plitt’s college football team, Ball State University will have their first three games nationally televised! On Wednesday, November 4th you can catch the Cardinals playing their rival Miami on the CBS Sports Network at 7 PM, and then one week later on November 11th you can watch BSU as they host Eastern Michigan at 7 PM. The third game on BSU’s six regular-season game schedule will be played on November 18th against Northern Illinois at 7 PM. This particular game will be broadcasted on ESPN2, ESPNU, or CBS Sports Network.
According to BSU’s website, “The TV designation for the NIU game and designations and kick times for all three of the Cardinals’ Saturday contests to close the regular season will be announced 12 days before each game. The three Saturday games will appear on CBS Sports Network or an ESPN platform. The MAC Football Championship Game will air Friday, Dec. 18 on ESPN or ESPN2. As always, all BSU football games can be heard on the Ball State Radio Network on 104.1 WLBC.”
We wish Drew Plitt the best of luck for the up and coming BSU Football Season! We can’t wait to see all the awards and accomplishments he racks up! Check out BSU’s Football schedule below and what platform each game will be televised on.
2020 Ball State Football Schedule
Wed., Nov. 4 (7 p.m.) at Miami (Oxford, Ohio) – CBS Sports Network (CBSSN)
Loveland, Ohio – A former LHS student-athlete has found himself on another prestigious list for excelling in the game of football! Ball State redshirt Senior, Drew Plitt, was placed on the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award just two weeks after being placed on the watch list for the Manning Award, which recognizes the top-performing quarterback in America.
The Golden Arm Award was named after Johnny Unitas, an 18-year NFL veteran, who began his stellar football career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958. Unitas was not only responsible for creating football’s 2-minute drill he also racked up some very impressive stats throughout his career.
The recipient for the Golden Arm Award each year is selected by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee. The top Senior quarterback is chosen based on their performance on and off the field. This year Plitt joins Kent State’s Dustin Crum on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. Plitt and Crum are the only MAC quarterbacks on the list.
2020 Golden Arm Award Watch List
Jack Abraham, Southern Miss Jake Bentley, Utah James Blackman, Florida State Ian Book, Notre Dame Alan Bowman, Texas Tech Myles Brennan, LSU Charlie Brewer, Baylor Chase Brice, Duke Anthony Brown, Oregon Shane Buechele, SMU Sean Clifford, Penn State Jack Coan, Wisconsin K.J. Costello, Mississippi State Dustin Crum, Kent State Micale Cunningham, Louisville Sam Ehlinger, Texas Justin Fields, Ohio State Feleipe Franks, Arkansas Chase Garbers, California Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee Donald Hammond III, Air Force Sam Hartman, Wake Forest Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech Josh Jackson, Maryland Mac Jones, Alabama D’Eriq King, Miami
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson Levi Lewis, Louisiana Adrian Martinez, Nebraska Dylan McCaffery, Michigan Davis Mills, Stanford Kellen Mond, Texas A & M Tanner Morgan, Minnesota Jamie Newman, Georgia Patrick O’Brien, Colorado State Asher O’Hara, Middle Tennessee Brandon Peters, Illinois Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Drew Plitt, Ball State Brock Purdy, Iowa State Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern Shawn Robinson, Missouri Anthony Russo, Temple Nick Starkel, San Jose State Zach Smith, Tulsa Zac Thomas, Appalachian State Skylar Thompson, Kansas State Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA Kyle Trask, Florida Brady White, Memphis Zach Wilson, BYU Terry Wilson, Kentucky
After the MAC made the decision to postpone all scheduled fall contests in 2020, as well as MAC championships, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Plitt expressed his feelings on the cancellation and the honor of being placed on the Golden Arm watchlist.
“This has been an unexpected and frustrating year for us and the cancellation of the season was extremely disappointing. The team was playing really well having a lot of fun and enjoying the little bit of normal we were experiencing when on the field for practice,” Plitt explained, “For all us, football is an escape from reality, a time to forget everything else in the world, put on the helmet and pads and be a kid again and it’s very disappointing and very frustrating that we won’t be playing and really didn’t have much say in the entire decision making. The award watchlist is a tremendous honor and really a testament to my teammates because, without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. It’s awesome to be apart of the watchlist but I’ve got other things on my mind like winning a MAC championship first and foremost! That’s what our team wants, the awards come when a team performs great and wins.”
Plitt’s parents Steve and Julie said they couldn’t be prouder of their son’s accomplishments and hope they will get to see him play his final college season.
“As Drew moves through each phase of his sports career and life he continues to amaze me and make me proud. This is just another example,” Julie Plitt said, “He is privileged to have great coaches and players to help him in this journey.”
Bryce, Julie, Marie, Steve, and Drew Plitt at Marie’s volleyball Senior night in 2019
“For me personally, being raised and growing up in Baltimore, this resonates deeply inside. Johnny Unitas went to our church and I saw him there often,” Steve Plitt explained, “His youngest son graduated from the same high school as I did. Johnny Unitas was the pinnacle of success in Baltimore, not for just being maybe the best QB of all time, but his time off the field spent in the community helping others. My roots are from Baltimore, and I know that there is a little of that ‘blue-collar’ Baltimore grit in Drew’s spirit as well. Johnny U was my father’s favorite QB, Drew never had the chance to meet his grandfather, so in some way this connection is both humbling and very, very special for me.”
Here at Loveland Magazine, we want to congratulate Drew Plitt for representing Loveland in such a positive way! We admire Plitt’s hard work and dedication and commend his parents for raising such a top-notch student-athlete! We will be rooting for you Drew when you get back out on the field!
For more of Ohio and Loveland’s sports updates stay tuned to the Sports 411 With ME, Cassie Mattia!
Loveland, Ohio – As Fall sports finally take flight another Loveland Tiger is being recognized for their outstanding athletic abilities! On July 30th, The Allstate Sugar Bowl announced that Loveland High School 2016 graduate and stand-out student-athlete, Drew Plitt, would be placed on the preseason Manning Award Watch List, which is the ONLY quarterback award that takes the recipient’s bowl performances into consideration before the winner is selected.
The Manning Award was created to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning. The prestigious watch list includes 30 of the top quarterbacks in the United States going into the 2020 season. The winner will be chosen by national media and each of the Mannings after the bowls have concluded and will be announced after the College Football Playoff National Championship. Plitt is one of two MAC quarterbacks on the Manning Watch List this year.
In a near blizzard, Drew Plitt quarterbacked the Loveland Tigers to a 41 – 23 win over Glenville at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium to win the Div II State Championship in 2013. The temperature was 28 degrees, the wind was 5-10 mph, and a steady snow kept plows busy clearing the Canton Fawcett Stadium yard lines throughout the game. Dec. 6, 2013.
Here is the list of the preseason 2020 Manning Watch List recipients:
2020 MANNING AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST (2019 STATS)
Name, Cl., School
Cmp-Att
Pct.
Yards
TDs
INT
QBR
Rushing
Jack Abraham, Jr., Southern Miss
275-405
.679
3,496
19
15
64.1
6 TDs
Holton Ahlers, Jr., East Carolina
264-442
.597
3,387
21
10
57.8
359 yds, 6 TDs
Ian Book, Sr., Notre Dame
240-399
.602
3,034
34
6
76.3
546 yds, 4 TDs
Charlie Brewer, Sr., Baylor
251-389
.645
3,161
21
7
69.2
344 yds, 11 TDs
Shane Buechele, Sr., SMU
307-490
.627
3,929
34
10
72.5
105 yds, 2 TDs
Sean Clifford, Jr., Penn State
189-319
.592
2,654
23
7
76.8
402 yds, 5 TDs
Jack Coan, Sr., Wisconsin
236-339
.696
2,727
18
5
82.0
4 TDs
Dustin Crum, Sr., Kent State
216-312
.692
2,622
20
2
73.7
707 yds, 6 TDs
Micale Cunningham, Jr., Louisville
112-179
.626
2,065
22
5
83.9
482 yds, 6 TDs
Jayden Daniels, So., Arizona State
205-338
.607
2,943
17
2
64.4
355 yds, 3 TDs
Sam Ehlinger, Sr., Texas
296-454
.652
3,663
32
10
77.6
663 yds, 7 TDs
Justin Fields, Jr., Ohio State
238-354
.672
3,273
41
3
92.1
484 yds, 10 TDs
Dillon Gabriel, So., UCF
236-398
.593
3,653
29
7
68.0
4 TDs
Sam Howell, So., North Carolina
259-422
.614
3,641
38
7
72.3
NA
Trey Lance, So., North Dakota State
192-287
.669
2,786
28
0
—
1,100 yds, 14 TDs
Trevor Lawrence, Jr., Clemson
268-407
.658
3,665
36
8
87.3
563 yds, 9 TDs
Levi Lewis, Sr., Louisiana
243-378
.643
3,050
26
4
72.5
195 yds, 3 TDs
Kellen Mond, Sr., Texas A&M
258-419
.616
2,897
20
9
73.5
500 yds, 8 TDs
Tanner Morgan, Jr., Minnesota
210-318
.660
3,253
30
7
84.2
NA
Bo Nix, So., Auburn
217-377
.576
2,542
16
6
63.8
313 yds, 7 TDs
Drew Plitt, Sr., Ball State
238-370
.643
2,918
24
7
55.3
171 yds, 5 TDs
Brock Purdy, Jr., Iowa State
312-475
.657
3,982
27
9
71.2
249 yds, 8 TDs
Chris Reynolds, Jr., Charlotte
181-291
.622
2,564
22
11
67.3
767 yds, 6 TDs
Chris Robison, Jr., FAU
291-471
.618
3,701
28
6
58.8
2 TDs
Kedon Slovis, So., USC
282-392
.719
3,502
30
9
81.1
NA
Zac Thomas, Sr., Appalachian State
225-359
.627
2,718
28
6
69.0
440 yds, 7 TDs
Skylar Thompson, Sr. Kansas State
177-297
.596
2,315
12
5
70.2
405 yds, 11 TDs
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jr., UCLA
216-362
.597
2,701
21
12
56.6
198 yds, 4 TDs
Kyle Trask, Sr., Florida
237-354
.669
2,941
25
7
81.3
4 TDs
Brady White, Sr., Memphis
269-420
.640
4,014
33
11
74.3
4 TDs
Archie Manning couldn’t express enough how excited he is to see what he thinks is a fantastic group of quarterbacks on the Watch List this year.
“Our Watch List is once again an exceptional group of candidates, but every year is a new year and we’ll be watching closely to add the best newcomers to the list after we get things rolling,” Manning said, “I’d also like to thank the Allstate Sugar Bowl for sponsoring this award; it means a lot to the entire Manning family that they include our name in recognizing the best quarterbacks in the country.”
Bryce, Julie, Marie, Steve, and Drew at Marie’s volleyball Senior night in 2019
Plitt, son of locals Steve and Julie, is very familiar with the art of playing collegiate sports as his father played baseball at Xavier, his mother played volleyball at Xavier, his brother Bryce also played baseball at Xavier, and his sister Marie plays volleyball at Ball State.
Before Plitt headed to Ball State himself to play football he was a top-notch student-athlete at Loveland High School. Plitt was a member of the National Honor Society all while earning multiple awards in both basketball and football. As a Junior Plitt was Team Captain, MVP, and First-Team All-Conference in basketball. In football, Plitt received All-Conference twice as well as Honorable Mention All-District as a Senior. Plitt helped lead the Loveland Tigers to a 2013 state title and still has the school record for career passing touchdowns (42).
In 2016, Plitt joined the Ball State Football Team as a fourth-string quarterback and made the decision to redshirt his freshman season. As Plitt worked his way up the roster in 2017 he received his first opportunity as a quarterback on October 26th against Toledo. Plitt ended up scoring a touchdown during the 3rd quarter giving him the confidence he needed to perform in his first collegiate start against Eastern Michigan. Plitt exceeded everyone’s expectations throwing a season-high of 169 yards and two touchdowns!
In Plitt’s 2018 season with Ball State, he became the 2nd string quarterback. During the season Plitt had the longest completion for the year coming in at 63 yards against Central Connecticut. Plitt had multiple successful games during the 2018 season earning him MAC West Offensive Player of the Week, the 2018 Ball State Ray Louthen Award (most improved player), and the MAC All-Academic Award.
Drew Plitt on the basketball court for the Loveland Tigers in 2015
During Plitt’s Junior year was when he really took on the leadership role at Ball State starting in all 12 games as the quarterback. Not only did Plitt help lead Ball State to be at the top of the MAC in scoring (34.8 points per game) and total offense (463 yards per game) he also led the MAC personally in touchdown passes (24), placed second in passing yards per game (243.2), and ranked fourth in total offense (257.4 yards per game). All of Plitt’s impressive 2019 stats earned him several accolades; the MAC’s West Offensive Player of the Week twice, the 2019 Ball State Co-Offensive Player of the Year, the MAC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Week, and the 2019 MAC All-Academic Award. After the completion of the 2019 Ball State Football Season Plitt gained the eighth-place spot on the Cardinals All-Time Passing Chart with 4,356 yards, he tied for “Most Touchdown Passes in One Game” with six touchdown passes against Fordham, and he also holds the fifth-place spot for “Most Passing Yards in a Single Season” with 2,918.
Drew Plitt dives into the end zone for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 28 with 17.5 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter against Zanesville in the 2013 State Div II semifinal. Loveland Magazine writer Ricky Mulvey described it this way, “The Tigers had to make up for lost time, as the missed extra point forced the Tigers to go for two late in the game. That’s when the “Holy Plitt” moment was born. The play was drawn up for Drew Plitt to run to the outside edge and into the end zone. The play appeared to be broken along with the Loveland Tigers when Plitt leaped into the air and across the goal line for the perfect two-point conversion. The game was knotted up at 28-28 and heading for overtime. Loveland eventually won 38-35 in double overtime.” (Photo by David Burig)
Ball State’s 2020-2021 Football Season is bound to be a phenomenal one as the team will have 16 starters returning. Last year the Cardinals battled for the MAC West Division Title winning some very important games against Northern Illinois and MAC Champions Miami. The Ball State coaching staff, team, and spectators have high hopes for Plitt’s Senior season and can only hope that Plitt will help lead them to a 2020 MAC Title!
Here at Loveland Magazine, we want to congratulate Drew Plitt on all his Ball State successes! We can’t wait to see how Plitt’s Senior season with the Cardinals turns out and we hope that he remains on the Manning Watch List through the entire season! If you would like to get information on how you can watch Plitt play football this year click here.
Drew Plitt (9) playing for the Loveland Tigers in 2013 (Loveland Magazine file photo)
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WEEK TWELVE
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offensive Player of the Week: Ball State QB Drew Plitt
Ball State sophomore quarterback Drew Plitt (Loveland, Ohio) threw a career-high three touchdown passes on 21-26 passing for 258 yards in a 42-41 (OT) win over Western Michigan on Nov. 13. Plitt made his second start this season and completed 80.8 percent of his passes (21-of-26), the highest percentage by a Ball State starting quarterback since Keith Wenning completed 81.8 percent (27-of-33) of his passes against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 29, 2013. He notched a personal-best 22-yard run in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass in overtime to give the Cardinals a 42-35 lead. (From getsomemaction.com/news)
More of the Plitt File
Drew Plitt quarterbacked the Loveland Tigers to a State Div. II Championship in 2013
2017 (R-Fr.): Started the season as the team’s No. 4 quarterback … forced into action the final five games, with three starts, due to injuries at the quarterback position … made his collegiate debut in relief during the Toledo game on Oct. 26 … scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Rockets … earned his first collegiate start at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 2 … threw for a season-high 169 yards and two touchdowns at EMU … led the Cardinals on a touchdown drive on their second possession at Northern Illinois on Nov. 9.
2016 (Fr.): Took a redshirt season.
HIGH SCHOOL: Earned three letters from coach Fred Cranford at Loveland High … team captain and honorable mention all-district as a senior … helped the Tigers win the 2013 state title … owns the school record for career passing touchdowns (42) … completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for more than 1,400 yards and 15 scores as a senior … also ran for three touchdowns in 2015 … two-time all-conference pick … team captain and MVP for the basketball team as well … first team all-conference as a junior … a member of the National Honor Society.
PERSONAL: Son of Steve and Julie Plitt … born Jan. 9, 1998 … one sister and one brother … full name is Steven Andrew Plitt.
This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is of Plitt’s college signing day at Loveland High School. Watch as Athletic Director Julie Renner talks about his accomplishments.
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