Loveland, Ohio – Another school in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference has decided to forego its Native American Mascot. Loveland Magazine wants to congratulate the Winton Woods City School District on the retirement!
Winton Woods High School announced on their school website this week that after several years of gradually hinting at the retirement of their Native American Chieftain Mascot it has finally been approved. Winton Woods City School’s Community and Public Engagement Coordinator, Corina Denny, said the discontinuation of the Native American mascot has been 5 years in the making.
“This stemmed from our high regard for the Native American people and their rich history and contributions to our community and nation,” Denny explained, “The design elements of our two new campuses gives us another opportunity to move in the right direction.”
Superintendent Anthony G. Smith also weighed in on the historical change saying that, “With a diverse student body and 31 spoken languages, it is a priority and imperative that we continue to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all of our students and families.”
On July 27th the Board of Education voted and approved the retirement of the Chieftain Mascot and with that the Winton Woods City School District did a thorough search through every school in the ECC’s advertisements and marketing tools just to be sure anything pertaining to the Native American Mascot was removed.
Winton Woods was not the only school in the ECC to retire a mascot. The Forest Hills School District announced in early July that Anderson High School would be retiring their Redskins Mascot as it was approved by a 4 to 1 vote. To read more about Anderson’s decision to retire the Redskin CLICK HERE.
For more of your local sports news 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.
Loveland, Ohio – With Ohio High School 2020-2021 sports seasons set to start on August 1st, coaches, parents, fans, and student-athletes are wondering when school vs. school competition will be allowed to resume. That particular question was answered on Tuesday when the OHSAA sent out a newsletter confirming that for the time being all contact-sport school vs. school scrimmages will be suspended.
The OHSAA’s Interim Executive Director, Bob Goldring, stated in the newsletter that the goal is to work with the Governor’s Office to make sure everything that they are implementing for the 2020-2021 sports seasons will be “in concert.”
OHSAA’s Interim Executive Director, Bob Goldring
“We are on track for the low/non-contact sports of golf, girls tennis and volleyball to begin practices on August 1, with school vs. school scrimmages and contests to follow per their normal OHSAA permissible dates and regulations,” Goldring said, “We are on track for the contact sports of football, soccer, field hockey and cross country to begin practices on August 1. We are waiting for more guidance from the Governor’s Office and Department of Health on when school vs. school competition can begin and are hopeful of that permission being granted for our normal contest dates later in August. To that end, school vs. school scrimmages are SUSPENDED. We do not anticipate that suspension changing soon and there remains the possibility that no scrimmages will be permitted in the contact sports of football, soccer, and field hockey. We will certainly keep you updated if that changes.”
Goldring said that the OHSAA plans on continuing to have conversations about both field hockey and cross country being put into the low/non-contact category.
After speaking with the Governor’s Office, Goldring explained that one thing was very clear, the end goal is to make sure Ohio’s student-athletes get the opportunity to “learn the lifelong lessons and receive the social, emotional, and physical benefits that the privilege of participating in education-based interscholastic athletics programs provide.”
“We all have to be accountable for following all mandates and requirements. By not following the mandates and requirements, we are putting our student-athletes at risk of not only contracting and/or spreading COVID-19 but also at risk of losing the season for themselves, their families, their teammates, their schools and their communities. Mandates and requirements put into place must be followed in order for the Governor’s Office to continue to allow us to participate,” Goldring said.
According to Goldring, the OHSAA has been working hard to finalize contest day mandates and requirements that he says will be strictly enforced.
“Our administrators, coaches, and student-athletes will be held accountable for non-compliance. So as to not cause alarm, these mandates and requirements will be to elevate many of the recommendations that were provided in the OHSAA Return to Play Recommendations document to the level of mandates and requirements and should not require wholesale modifications to your game-day protocol,” Goldring added.
As rules and regulations change within the sports world due to COVID-19, here at Loveland Magazine we will continue to bring you the latest updates so that you and your family know what to expect if your child or someone you know is participating in Ohio High School athletics this year! Stay tuned to the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!
Loveland, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) made another sports announcement on July 22nd giving more specific “Return to Play” guidelines for the sports of cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer, and tennis.
The updated guidelines also included a Student Pledge that all student-athletes are now required to sign before participating in a sport this Fall.
Below is the OHSAA’s 2020 COVID-19 Individual Sports Recommendations:
The OHSAA’s Interim Executive Director, Bob Goldring spoke about the updated sport-specific guidelines in the newsletter the OHSAA released on July 22nd.
“The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has presented the OHSAA with a myriad of challenges. The Executive Director’s Office, with support from its Board of Directors and feedback from the Ohio Joint Advisory Committee on Sports Medicine, the National Federation of State High School Associations and the Ohio Department of Health along with support from the Ohio Lt. Governor’s Office, offer a Return to Play document as recommendations on how our member schools can consider approaching the many components of ‘opening up’ sports with the objective of commencing the fall sports seasons on August 1, 2020. The OHSAA fully intends to support its member schools and the student-athletes who desire to compete in interscholastic athletics and will continue to assess all areas as more information becomes available. We encourage you to especially pay attention to the early pages of the document closely since they indicate that many of the recommendations can ONLY be utilized if mandates from the Ohio Department of Health Director’s Order are modified.“
Included below are the updated “Return To Play” recommendations brought to you by the OHSAA.
The OHSAA understands that the physical and mental benefits of participation in education-based interscholastic athletics are numerous and are heightened even more during this pandemic. Students who participate learn life lessons in an environment that cannot be duplicated. Academic achievement, the development of leadership, and social skills as well as the mental health benefits are known to be greatly enhanced in students who participate in our programs compared to those who do not. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has already resulted in thousands of our students missing out on these life-shaping educational experiences over the past several months, and we certainly hope we can return to some type of normalcy as it relates to interscholastic athletics soon. With that being said, in order for interscholastic athletics to occur, we all need to follow the protocols that have been put in place.
The recommendations within the Return to Play document for the resumption of the varsity, non-varsity, and 7th-8th grade interscholastic athletic seasons and participation opportunities have been made with the health, safety, and well-being of all student-athletes in mind.
The risk of coronavirus transmission will still be present to some degree as interscholastic athletics activities begin in August and will continue until there is a widely available vaccine or therapeutic care, possibly through the 2020-21 school year. While the science about COVID-19 is evolving, it will be important to remain vigilant and nimble to respond to new developments. Students and their families, along with school personnel, must recognize these risks and implement best practices to reasonably mitigate these risks. Participation in school activities is voluntary and every individual will need to evaluate the risk versus the benefits of athletics participation. Those immunocompromised students and staff, or those who live with family members with elevated health concerns, should evaluate associated risks of participation and may choose not to participate. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person to person, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and also may be produced when yelling, cheering, singing and spitting. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Spread is more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about six feet). Risk mitigation strategies should be aimed at reducing the likelihood of a person being exposed to respiratory droplets coming from another person. Every school is different, and every athletics activity is different. Certain mitigation strategies may be feasible in one school or for one activity, but not another.
Schools should attempt to significantly mitigate exposures by:
Maintaining physical distancing while not on the field or court of play;
Requiring face coverings while not on the field or court of play;
Reducing or greatly eliminating unnecessary travel;
Reducing or eliminating sharing of common equipment, and
Reducing or eliminating contact frequency with student-athletes from schools and non-interscholastic programs outside of each school’s league/conference or normal competition sphere.
As things develop and are consistently adapting to make Ohio High School sports the safest possible during the COVID-19 pandemic Loveland Magazine will continue to bring you the latest local sports updates! We wish all those planning on participating in high school sports this year the best of luck and to please adhere to the safety guidelines so that fans, family, and other students may enjoy watching you compete this year!
Loveland, Ohio – Over the last several months’ life as we know it has been changing and evolving, including the lives of the Loveland High School Student-Athletes. Coaches, Parents, and Spectators have been waiting patiently to see if and when the Fall 2020-2021 sports seasons will begin and what the stipulations will be due to the rampant COVID-19 Pandemic.
On Wednesday, July 22nd, Bob Goldring, the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) Interim Executive Director, issued updated guidelines and “COVID-19 Return to Play Recommendations.”
In the new guidelines, Goldring and the OHSAA team emphasized that participation in school activities is voluntary. Goldring and the OHSAA team stated that every individual will need to evaluate the risk versus the benefits of athletics participation.
“Those immunocompromised students and staff, or those who live with family members with elevated health concerns, should evaluate associated risks of participation and may choose not to participate,” OHSAA said.
The OHSAA Executive Director’s Office, the Office’s Official Board of Directors, the Ohio Joint Advisory Committee on Sports Medicine, and the National Federation of State High School Associations, joined forces to help write an updated “COVID-19 Return to Play” document. The document includes recommendations on how member schools can consider approaching the many components of “opening up” sports with the objective of commencing the fall sports seasons on August 1.
“The recommendations within this document for the resumption of the varsity, non-varsity and 7th-8th grade interscholastic athletic seasons and participation opportunities have been made with the health, safety, and well-being of all student-athletes in mind,” the OHSAA document said.
Below are some of the topics the OHSAA document covers:
Game Day Face Masks/Coverings
Sidelines and Benches
Game Day Venue Restrictions and Spectators
COVID-19 Pre-Participation Screening
Failed Screening or Positive COVID-19 Test Action Plan
Positive Test – Action Plan
If You Had Close Contact With an Infected Person
Contest-Day Screening Procedures
Game Day Event Staff
Concessions
Athletic Training Room and Locker Rooms
Travel Considerations The following items are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
The following is the complete document from OHSAA stating the “COVID-19 Return to Play Recommendations” that was issued on Wednesday, July 22nd.
For more of the latest updates on the OHSAA and Loveland High School Sports stay tuned to the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!
Loveland, Ohio – The LHS Athletics community has come together in light of the “Pay-To-Play” announcement to support the Tiger student-athletes that now have to pay $310 per sport. The Loveland Athletic Boosters, a non-profit organization composed of adult volunteers, have been and continue to be one of the biggest advocates for the LHS student-athletes as they are consistently coming up with ways to generate income for the LHS Athletic Department. Money is raised typically by running concessions, fundraising, and Booster Membership fees.
Recently, the Loveland Athletic Boosters created a Facebook group that is focused on raising money for the pay-to-play fees for LHS student-athletes. Click the article link below to learn about the Loveland Athletic Boosters Facebook group and how you can “Adopt-A-Tiger!”
Now that July is here, the Boosters are now preparing for one of their biggest fundraisers of the year, the 21st Annual Athletic Boosters Golf Scramble, which is set to be held on July 27th at O’Bannon Creek Golf Club. There are several different packages that you can grab to support the Tiger athletes that are listed below!
The Golf Scramble registration, buffet lunch, and practice time on the golf range will start at 11 AM and end at 1 PM. At 1 PM the shotgun will sound kicking off the scramble officially. At 6:45 PM dinner and awards will be held.
The Annual Golf Scramble will feature course challenges such as the longest drive and the closest to the pin, a Par 3 challenge, a Par 5 challenge, a putting contest on the practice green, a Mulligans sale, and a Hole-In-One Challenge sponsored by Performance Lexus.
The deadline for registration is Friday, July 17th. To register now click the REGISTRANT INFORMATION tab below!
2020 Athletic Boosters Annual Golf Scramble
When
Monday, July 27th
Lunch starts at 11:00 AM and the shotgun start will occur at 1 PM
Dinner and awards will follow immediately after the golf scramble
Loveland, Ohio – Its been a tough road for athletes all across Ohio in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Competitions have been canceled, sports seasons have been postponed, and in-person practicing has been banned. Although this new normal has been hard on many high school athletes and coaches, many were glad to hear that the Ohio Governor and Health Department’s Responsible Restart Ohio implemented a “three-phase process” that would ease both athletes and coaches back into practicing and competing.
LHS’s Athletic Director, Brian Conatser, couldn’t be happier to get the Tiger Athletes and Coaches back into LHS’s athletic facilities, but in the safest way possible!
“We are in Phase 3 of our skills practice which will last until July 6th,” Conatser explained, “Once we get more guidance from the Ohio Governor and OHSAA, we will move forward with those restrictions and guidelines.”
On June 1st, LHS opened its Athletic Facilities in accordance with the OHSAA skills training guidelines.
“Our coaches are extremely committed to working with the Athletic Department to implement COVID-19 procedures and guidelines. As an Athletic Department, we walked through the process as a team, fine-tuning our plan prior to our athletes returning to campus,” Conatser said, “The plan is extremely thorough and detailed, as the safety of our student-athletes and coaches are our primary concern.”
Conatser provided the guidelines given to him by OHSAA that both coaches and student-athletes are following as they begin to return to athletics.
Every student-athlete and coach MUST complete the 2020-21 Final Forms COVID-19 waiver prior to the 1st training session.
Every student-athlete and coach MUST complete the LHS COVID-19 Self-Evaluation Google Form every day prior to each skills training session.
Social distancing includes a 6-foot separation. Entrances and Exits are outlined and over-communicated to avoid congregation and lingering of student-athletes.
Facial coverings must be worn when in the building (gyms, fitness center, athletic training room). Facial coverings may be removed during the training session.
Sanitation products and stations are located at the entry and exit of our inside facilities. We also ask EVERY student to bring: Water bottle, Sanitation wipes, Hand sanitizer, and Facial covering.
All equipment, balls, etc. must be wiped down at the beginning and end of each training session.
Three phases: Phase 1: May 26th – June 8th / Phase 2: June 9th – June 22nd / Phase 3: June 23rd – July 6th
Conatser gave credit to Loveland’s student-athletes, coaches, and parents for playing such an important role in the three-phase process.
“From parents dropping off their kids in designated spots to everyone following the COVID-19 guidelines. The coaches deserve an overwhelming amount of credit,” Conatser said, “These outstanding professionals make sure their programs have all of the information well ahead of time via communication from ZOOM, Google Hangout, email, Twitter, etc. We are looking forward to a safe and productive summer of skill training.”
For more Loveland Tiger sports updates stay tuned to the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!
Loveland, Ohio – As high school sports across Ohio begin to enter back into in-person practicing and competitions Fall sports teams are beginning to release their 2020 competition schedules including LHS’s Cross Country Team.
On Wednesday, LHS’s Cross Country Twitter page released its 2020 Cross Country schedule, describing it as “very fun and challenging!”
Be sure to come out and support the Tigers beginning August 15th at the OHSAA Season-Opener at Fortress Obetz, a multi-purpose sports, and entertainment complex in Obetz, Ohio. The bleacher system alone holds 6,500 people and the standing room holds near 20,000 people. Fortress Obetz opened in 2017 and was the former site of Columbus Motor Speedway.
by Cassie Mattia
by Cassie Mattia