This is how on December 6, 2013 Loveland Football won the Div. II State Title

Div. II Champs

First ever State Title

Loveland Tigers Un-defeated, Perfect 15-0

Underclassmen instrumental in Championship
 

Canton, Oh. – Sophomore, Drew Plit was 5 for 5 passing for the game, and with two touchdown throws in the first half, one to freshman,Tre Heath for 22 yards and one to Jake Elfers for 12, combined with a 66 yard touchdown run by freshman Luke WaddelL, a Gunner Gambill 5 yard touchdown, and a Beau Ngu 50 yard interception return, the Loveland Tigers had the number one team from the north down 34 to nothing at the half.

Glenville tried in vain all night to play catch-up. Loveland capitalized on mistakes, the Tarblooders from the Cleveland City School District, did not. Four fumbles by each team in the game and Glenville lost 85 yards via 9 penalties. Loveland intercepted 3 times, punishing the Tarblooders for trying the long ball in a blinding, blizzard.

Tiger defenders were relentless getting in Glenville’s backfield forcing them out of their play and game plan.

The temperature was 28 degrees, wind was 5-10 mph, and a steady snow kept plows busy clearing the Canton Fawcett Stadium yard lines throughout the game.

Glenville Academic scored three times in the second half, but Gunner Gambill again scored on a 6 yard run in the third, keeping the game so out of reach that the only reason Tiger fans had to glance at the scoreboard was to check their disbelief, or waiting out the final countdown of the clock.

The score was 41-15 until late in the 4th quarter.

Loveland out rushed Glenville 340 to 209. Glenville put up 293 yards in the air to Loveland’s 66. Both teams had 23 first downs. Time of possession only gave Loveland a slight edge.

Loveland Freshman, Like Waddell had 175 ground yards on 19 carries, and 194 total yards. Gunner Gambill ran 24  times and 115 rushing yards.

Glenville had no answer for Darren Sackett’s 6 solo tackles and 5 assists or Max Mather’s 6 solo and 2 assist night. James Canigilla and Charlie Lawyer each had 5.5 tackles.

Glenville’s Marshon Lattimore, the number one prospect in the state of Ohio was kept out of the end zone until he caught a 47 yard pass with 3:25 left in the game.

Read all of the GAME STATS.

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score
-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----
Loveland............  7 27  7  0  - 41       Record: (15-0)
Glenville Academic..  0  0 15  8  - 23       Record: (13-2)

The community believed

by Ricky Mulvey
Story courtesy of Loveland High School Roar
Ricky Mulvey is Editor-in-Chief of the Roar and Sports Director for Loveland Magazine

Canton, Oh. – After heart stopping wins in state quarter and semifinal games, the Loveland Tigers snowplowed through the Glenville Tarblooders in a 41-23 Division II State Championship victory.

There has just got to be a wee bit of irony in this. The two wins leading up to the game, where Loveland was evenly matched, were decided in the final seconds. This one though; the one where Loveland was expected to lose, the game against the number one recruit in the state, and a defense that posted six shutouts on the year; well, this game was simply a stroll in the snow for the boys from Loveland.  

The keys to Loveland’s monster game were pretty simple. After the first half, former Ohio State head coach, Jim Tressel commented that, “They are keeping great focus, and creating turnovers and when that happens you get a big lead. They look to me like they are a pretty focused bunch.” Loveland ended up generating eight Tarblooder turnovers in the game, four of them interceptions coupled with four fumble recoveries. It appeared the Tigers were more at home in a snowstorm than the northern dwelling Tarblooders from Cleveland. It was a bit of a shock just how lopsided the matchup was though. 

Likely the biggest surprise of the game was the shutdown of wide receiver Marshon Lattimore by Tiger cornerback Jeff Prifti. Lattimore, the top recruit in the state, is so good that he is able to play college ball wherever he wants. According to Rivals.com, he has offers from 17 different Division  I programs including Ohio State, Michigan, and Alabama. On that cold December night, the Goliath was neutralized by Prifti. The junior cornerback was able to keep his body in front of Lattimore for pretty much every pass thrown to him, and held him to less than 30 receiving yards through three quarters.  

While the defense was iron, and the offense superb, maybe another game changer was the community support. For the past two weeks, it has been impossible to take a drive through Loveland without seeing a Tiger football sign planted somewhere. Though the trip to Canton was roughly four hours long, and many had to buy hotel rooms and take a day off work to make the game, Loveland managed to sell 2,200 pre-sale tickets.  Even in the press box, hundreds of feet away, the Loveland faithful were loud. The community believed. The team fed off the energy from the stands. 

The state championship win is the first one for Loveland. It was the first time any Tiger football team made an appearance in the state championship, and it cemented this Tiger team as the best, the unequivocal best football team to grace Loveland. Even to Tressel, a man that has a NCAA National Championship and won five straight Big 10 titles, “The Loveland Tigers are impressive.”

From the Loveland Police Department:

To help celebrate the accomplishments of the Loveland High School State Champion Football Team the police department has “re-striped” its newest Tahoe in the high school colors. The “Tiger Tahoe” will make its first public appearance at the parade on Sunday, December 15th.

For full information about the parade and celebration read: Come congratulate the Loveland High School State football champions

Canton, Oh. – This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is Ricky Mulvey’s Post Game interview at Canton Fawcett Stadium with Loveland High School defensive back, Jeff Prifti after his team captured the State Div. II Title on December 6.

Prifti neutralized Glenville wide receiver, Marshon Lattimore, who was kept out of the end-zone until late in the 4th quarter when the outcome had already been decided. Lattimore has offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Oregon. He is the top recruit in Ohio, and was held to only three receptions and 83-yards; 47 of those yards came with 3:25 left in the game.

The Loveland Tigers defeated the Glenville Tarblooders 41-23

Mulvey also half-time guest on Zanesville radio

Here is Loveland Magazine Sports Director, Ricky Mulvey reporting from St. Vincent DeSales High School just north of Columbus at the conclusion of the Loveland Tiger’s miraculous come from behind win over Zanesville on November 29. The 38-35 win puts the Tigers in the State Div. II Finals in Canton on December 6.

The video leads with clips of Mulvey being interviewed, and the halftime guest for the live broadcast by Zanesville’s North Valley Banks Halftime Show on Z-92FM and AM1240.

District will enact early release Friday, Dec. 6 for all students

The Loveland City School District congratulates our Loveland High School (LHS) Tiger Football Team on their outstanding win in the State Semi-Finals Game Friday, Nov. 29. In preparation for the Friday, Dec. 6, Division Two State Championship Game, we want to make the Tiger Family aware of game details as well as an early release planned for all students. 

Early Release

Friday, Dec. 6, all Loveland City School District students will have an early release. The dismissal times are as follows:

• 12:15 p.m. Loveland High School, Loveland Middle School, Loveland Intermediate School
• 1:30 p.m. Loveland Elementary School, Loveland Primary School
• Noon Loveland Early Childhood Center (Any parent wanting to pick up their LECC student needs to do so by 11:40 a.m.)
• There will be no afternoon kindergarten

Game Date and Time

7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, 2013 (Gates Open at 5:30 p.m.)

Game Location

Canton Fawcett Stadium, 1835 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton, OH 44708

Game Opponent

Our Loveland Tigers (visiting team) versus Cleveland Glenville Tarblooders (home team)

Game Tickets

$8 pre-sale, $10 at the gate, for all ages 

(Please remember no passes are accepted. The game ticket you buy for our game is only good for the Division Two game. If you want to attend any other Division Game, separate tickets must be purchased.) 

Game Ticket Sales

Advance tickets may be purchased in LHS Athletic Office on the following dates and times:

• 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3
• 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4
• 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5

Game Parking

The cost to park is $3 – $5 for cars.

Game Coverage

The Tiger Family can watch coverage of the State Championship Game on Channel 99 Time Warner and Sports Time Ohio. The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has information on radio coverage of the game. Please visit http://www.ohsaa.org/news/Radio/radiohome.asp for those details.

 Game Day in Canton

If anyone is in need of information for hotels, restaurants or the sites in Canton, please visit www.visitcantonstark.com or http://www.ohsaafootball.com/hotels/

Friday, Dec. 6

Div. II: Cleveland Glenville (13-1) vs. Loveland (14-0), 7 PM at Canton Fawcett Stadium

Stark County has hosted the finals since 1990.

Evan Burig gets last say with 29 yard field goal

Loveland to State Div. II Final

by Willie Lutz

Loveland, Oh. – It is simply impossible to associate the word “quit” with the Loveland Tigers. Two weeks in a row, the Tigers appeared to be defeated. With the clock dwindling and the opposition preparing to bask in the sweet taste of glory, the Tigers reversed the course of history and advanced deeper into the playoffs; this time, the spot is much sweeter. Knocking off AP ranked #1 Zanesville, the #2 ranked Tigers won by a final score of 38-35 in double overtime. The team that was a portrait of mediocrity just a season ago, will now advance to their first ever state championship. 

The Tigers traveled nearly two hours to get to St. Vincent DeSales High School just north of Columbus for Friday night’s contest. Even though their hometown of Loveland was chilly, it was unrivaled by the snow-laden ground of Columbus. When it comes to attendance, weather didn’t play a factor. The stadium, which holds 6,000 people in its stands, was overflowing with people. The Tigers even sent eight “spirit buses” filled with students and teachers to the game. 

Drew Plitt once again started the game for the Tigers on a rough note. For the second time this postseason, the Loveland quarterback’s first pass of the game ended up an interception. This week, the opposition made it count. 

The Blue Devils had by far the best offense the Tigers have seen this season, most of that offense comes from the right arm of their quarterback Thomas Wibbeler, who had thrown for over 4,000 yards and 47 touchdowns coming into the game. He showed his talent early when on the first touchdown of the game he hit wide receiver, JT McFarland, on a 25-yard pass to the end zone.  

Just as the scoreboard reflected, the game was neck and neck at the half. With a 14-14 score, the game was just as tight with a 136-132 battle in yards. Plitt only threw two passes for the entire half, the interception and a big twelve yard pass to Jake Elfers for a first down. Gunner Gambill was forced to step up as the feature back for the Tigers as the Zanesville defense was shutting down Luke Waddell. On eight carries, Waddell had only gained 27 yards; an average of 3.2 yards per carry. Gambill picked up 92 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half of action.

Plitt began to pick up his performance in the third quarter including a marvelous 41-yard bomb to Giovanni Ricci that led to a Loveland touchdown. Then, a moment that would haunt the minds of Tiger fans later in the matchup; Evan Burig missed the extra point. Immediately, Loveland fans in the stands and watching on their TVs at home thought the worst, “what if a missed extra point costs us the season?” Their thought was justified. After the Tiger touchdown, the Blue Devils methodically marched down the frozen gridiron and made their extra point to take a 21-20 lead.

Now, to the fourth quarter. After the teams traded possessions for the majority of the quarter, Michael Weber slammed Wibbeler to the turf to pin the Zanesville drive inside their ten-yard line on fourth down, which meant all signs pointed to punt and great field position for the Tigers. After a wobbly punt by JT McFarland, Evan Dever attempted to field a ball at his feet; and then muffed the ball.

The Tigers had a chance to shut the books on the Zanesville drive when the Blue Devils pulled a wildcard; the direct snap fake punt. The Tigers had the Blue Devils halted on fourth and two when the fake punt was perfectly executed. A few plays later, the Devils would hand the ball to Jamel Giadden for a 38-yard touchdown. Immediately after that play, the “Tiger Faithful” begin the mass exodus to their cars assuming the worst; the season was over, the Tigers had lost.

To say the road to the championship was rough was an understatement. After rallying to beat the Mt. Healthy Fighting Owls in the Regional Finals, where they were down by 14 with under six minutes on the clock, the Tigers would be caught in a hole once again late in the game against the Blue Devils. 

On their first attempt to make up for lost points, the fans once again felt that undeniable feeling in their stomach that the season may, in fact, be over, when Plitt threw a ball into triple coverage, inevitably picked off by the Zanesville defense. 

After a great stand by the Tiger defense, a punt and a solid return by Dever gave the Tigers a 57- yard field to work with in order for his offense to have any chance of moving on to the state championship. Then, a legend was born. Plitt led the most perfect drive with only one minute remaining on the clock. Throwing completion after completion, hitting receivers on simple routes in order not to put the game in danger by throwing another interception, and picking up good yardage in an almost Tom Brady- like fashion. After those simple plays, Plitt delivered another deep touchdown to Giovanni Ricci, this time for 36 yards, to put the score at 28-26, still in favor of the Zanesville Blue Devils. 

The Tigers had to make up for lost time, as the Burig 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 leapt into the air and across the goal line for the perfect two-point conversion. 28-28, the game would be knotted up and heading for overtime.

Zanesville started overtime with the ball. In high school overtime, both teams are given a position at the 20-yard line and battle it out until one team is either stopped or is forced to kick a field goal, which would then have to be followed up by a touchdown. Giadden would get them on the board first. After the extra point, the Blue Devils took a 35-28 lead. The Tigers then got the ball and allowed the previously scoreless Waddell to punch his way into the end zone. The kick by Burig was good and the game was knotted at 35-35. 

The Tigers received the ball first to start the second overtime. The Zanesville defense refused to let the Tigers coast into the end zone, so head coach Fred Cranford put his faith in the left leg of Evan Burig, who earlier in the game had missed an extra point. The snap: good, the hold: good, and finally, the kick: good. The Tigers took a 38-35 lead, then it was up to the defense to stop Zanesville from taking their ticket to the Division II State Championship. On first down, quarterback, Wibbeler threw a near perfect pass to the corner of the end zone that would’ve sealed the game for the Blue Devils, but the feet of his target landed only inches out of bounds. After two more stops by the Tiger defense, the Blue Devils had no choice but to match the field goal by Burig, however Logan Graham doesn’t have that same ice water running through his blood that we’ve seen this postseason from Burig. The kick was missed, and once again, the Loveland Tigers had come back from the depths of failure to survive. 

“It was the perfect recovery after that missed extra point,” said a near speechless Burig after the game. 

Given a day to recover, the two players who nearly went down in infamy gave their comments on the game. 

“It was a great team win. Two miracles in two weeks. This team is so amazingly resilient and persistent. I’m so blessed to be a part of this team and have the opportunity to play for this community,” said Burig, “I give a lot of credit to the unsung heroes, the long snapper (Danny Kruzel) and the holder (Jeff Prifti).”

“It was a great team win. We never give up. That’s what makes our team so special. We play hard every game because losing is not an option,” said Dever.

Drew Plitt said, “Tigers never stop believing because we fight until the very last second. Two weeks in a row. You can’t ever stop, because you never know what god has planned, so you have to do your best and see how it plays out. I couldn’t do it without my teammates picking me up after that second interception. Now, it’s on to Canton to play Glenville.”

Friday, the Loveland Tigers will take on the Cleveland-Glenville Tarblooders at Canton Fawcett Stadium, where the NFL Hall of Fame game is played every year. The stadium is next door to the National Football Hall of Fame. Game time is 7 PM.

The Tarblooders come into this game ranked #5 in the Division II Ohio AP polls, while the Tigers are posted at #2. The Tarblooders have the #1 Ranked player in Ohio in Marshon Lattimore, who is being recruited by a list of schools highlighted by Alabama, Ohio State, and Oregon. Lattimore plays wide receiver and corner and scored four touchdowns in Glenville’s 41-13 rout of Medina Heights on Friday night. Look for the Jeff Prifti versus Marshon Lattimore battle to be one of the best of all time. 

The Loveland Tigers will have the opportunity to see what magic they have left in their flawless 14-0 season.  

Tigers in State Final

Columbus, Oh. – This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is Rickey Mulvey interviewing Loveland High School Head Football Coach, Fred Cranford after the win on Friday that sends the Tigers to the State Championship game next Friday.

Watch the plays that tied the game and Evan Burig’s winning field goal.

For the second week in a row, the Loveland Tigers stunned their gridiron opponents with a come back win, this week in the Ohio State Div. II Semi-Final game on Friday in Columbus against Zanesville.

Halftime brought a tie 14-14 contest, and Zanesville went up 21-20 with 19 seconds left in the 3rd quarter and added 7 more early in the 4th to make it 28-20.

With time and hope dwindling to 17 seconds, Drew Plitt hit Giavanni Ricci for a 36 yard pass down the right sideline for a score. The Tigers still needed 2 to stay alive. For the extra points, Plitt faked a hand-off to the obvious choice Gunner Gambill to carry the ball and headed to the right looking for open receivers. Plitt almost threw the ball twice, but instead, headed to the end-zone and leaped high over a defender to tie the score at 28-28.

Zanesville got the first chance from the 20 yard line in overtime and scored. Loveland answered to again tie the game, 35-35.

Evan Burig kicked a 29 yard field goal in the second overtime to take Loveland ahead, 38-35. The Tiger defense held Zaneville in their last possession to end the game after a Zanesville field-goal attempt failed.

See FULL GAME AND TIGER SEASON STATS 

Late Loveland rally wins regional title over Mt. Healthy 35-28

by Willie Lutz

Loveland, Oh.- High School football is a game of 48 minutes, two halves, and four quarters. It doesn’t matter whose down when, who makes mistakes, and what bad calls were made. All that matters is that who has the higher score when that clock reads 0:00 at the end of the game. With six minutes remaining in the game, the Tigers were trailing 28-14 to the Mt. Healthy Owls and showed no sign of life. As the clock expired and the Tigers lined up in that magical victory V formation, the warriors from Loveland High School pounded their way to the Ohio Div. II State semi-finals. 

Mt. Healthy had their story inked out in pen in the history books of the OHSAA, all they had to do was close the book. Instead, the Tigers denied fate and rewrote the course of history. It was almost paranormal; Loveland’s student section had been muted for the first time all year. Almost for an entire half of football, but in the nature of the Tiger, they weren’t ready to go home. All that mattered were those magical final six minutes of football where the Tigers left every ounce of sweat on that Lockland High School gridiron. 

They weren’t ready to let everything they worked for in the offseason slip through their fingers and begin the discussion of next year. An offseason that would last for nearly ten months, a time after the Tigers would lose all the seniors who have worked countless months,  days, hours, minutes, and seconds perfecting their game of football. They couldn’t let that happen. The senior class has become accustomed to championships; they won league championships in 7th grade, 8th grade, as freshman, JV, and again this season in varsity football. They couldn’t let all of those championships be overshadowed by the looming trophy that trumps all other titles; the OHSAA Football State Championship. 

After stopping the drive at the goal line, which would’ve been the nail in the coffin for the Loveland Tigers, Drew Plitt launched a perfect pass up the gridiron to Tre Heath which put the Tigers right in the Red Zone. Then, Luke Waddell punches in a ten yard touchdown. 28-21, Mount Healthy leads, 5:14 remains. 

Then, Mt. Healthy was faced with the task of reclaiming the energy and emotion they had captured all game. They were playing for their slain brother, Vincent Turnage, who was a former football and track star at Mt. Healthy. Turnage had received a full ride scholarship to the University of Akron, but he was need home by his family. On November 17th, Turnage walked up stairs due to some commotion he was hearing. He saw both of his parents tied up before he was shot and killed. It was very tough on many of the players to see a man who they had played with just a season ago, now no longer with them. 

Wide Receiver, Tyree Elliot, was wearing Turnage’s #85 as opposed to his normal #10 jersey. The boxing match between the Mt. Healthy Fighting Owls and the Loveland Tigers was one of those games where football was much heavier than the game itself. Mt. Healthy had the weight of the community on their backs, and for the most part, carried it without a struggle.

After a Max Mather kick-off, the Owls were at their own twenty yard line. On this drive, a hero was born. After two great stops on defense, the Tigers were faced with the challenge of containing Owls quarterback, David Montgomery on third down. Montgomery had been taking whatever he wanted from the Tigers. He was playing like Cam Newton in his days at Auburn. Montgomery had picked up 222 yards throughout the course of the game. Nothing Loveland tried could truly stop him. That was until on third down. A Montgomery pass is deflected… then intercepted, by who other than Max Mather. Immediately, every ounce of momentum headed to the Loveland side line. Drew Plitt launched a perfect spiral to Alex Hesse. Then Gunner Gambill slammed the ball into the end zone. 28-28, tie ball game, 3:49 remains. 

Once again, Mather’s kick out of the back of the end zone but the Owls on the 20 yard line. Montgomery takes a quarterback keeper all the way down to the Loveland 30 yard marker. After a systematic 3 play, first down pickup, the Tigers had to stop the Owls inside the red zone, a place that was Mt. Healthy’s stomping grounds. On first down, Montgomery goes down with a knee injury that would hold him out for the remainder of the game, so it was up to Tyree Elliot to fill in as the quarterback for the Owls. On second down, magic happened. 

Elliot was heading down the far side of the field, when it appeared the play had been halted due to a tackle, all of the sudden, a man in black was seen sprinting towards the Tiger end zone. Michael Weber had recovered an Owls fumble and hauled down field to pick up an 81yard Tiger Touchdown. An almost overwhelming volcanic eruption of cheers from the Tiger fans and the Tigers on the sideline themselves had proved to be a loud sigh of relief. Just like every other extra point, ice water Evan Burig pounded the ball square through the gilded uprights. 35-28, Tigers recapture the lead, 1:20 remaining. 

It was time for the Tigers to finish the comeback that will be remembered in folk lore for the rest of time. Mather kicks the ball deep, but not out of the end zone. The referee swung his arm in a circle signaling the clock to start, and the returner stood on the one yard line, assuming the play was over, where he was splattered by the Loveland kick-off team. Could Mt. Healthy do it again? Last week, on their last drive of the game, they marched down field to knock off the Winton Woods Warriors. Tonight, the Loveland Tigers refused to let that happen. Four plays later, the Loveland Tigers had defeated the Mt. Healthy Owls despite all odds. The moral of the story for that miraculous Friday night, the team led by head coach Fred Cranford wasn’t going to let anyone, including their own fans, write them off.

Next week, the DIV. II state ranked #2 Tigers will take on the #1 team in Ohio, the Zanesville Blue Devils. Expect a historic battle on both sides of the ball. Zanesville took down New Albany by a final margin of 35-28 to reach their spot in the state semi-final pairing. The team will be a battle of the undefeated. Both teams are looking at their 13-0 records and have no intention of adding blemishes to perfect seasons. 

Friday’s game will be played at Columbus St. Francis DeSales Alumni Stadium at 7:30 PM.

T-Shirt Sales:  The Loveland Athletic Boosters will be selling a Final 4 Playoff t-shirt 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, in the Loveland High School Lobby. The cost of the t-shirt is $18.

This news report is courtesy of WhizNews, reporting on the Zanesville win over New Albany last Friday. Loveland will travel to Columbus St. Francis DeSales Alumni Stadium next Friday to see which of these two teams go on to the State finals.

Loveland will play Mt. Healthy next week. Mt. Healthy beat Winton Woods tonight, 13 – 10.

Friday, November 15, 2013
14 Northwest	1 2 3 4 T NTW 14 0 0 0 14 LVL 21 3 7 14 45	45 Loveland