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Loveland's 21 point rally earns final four berth
Nov. 22, 2013 10:28 PM


Mount Healthy QB David Montgomery (7) keeps and runs the ball against Loveland DB Jeff Prifti (1) in the second quarter. / The Enquirer/ Joseph Fuqua II

Written by
Kevin Kelly

Loveland advanced to the Division II state final four on Friday by coming from behind to knock off Mount Healthy in a regional final at Lockland Memorial Stadium.

The undefeated Tigers scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, all in the final 5:14, for a 35-28 victory against the Owls (11-2).

They will play either New Albany or Zanesville in a state semifinal.

Loveland took the lead in dramatic fashion. Mount Healthy had the ball at the Tigers’ 23-yard line when the Owls fumbled at the 20. Senior linebacker Michael Weber scooped up the ball and streaked down the sideline for the touchdown with 1:16 remaining in the game.

The Tigers (13-0) were held scoreless from the time senior running back Gunner Gambill scored on a 5-yard run with 7:39 remaining in the first half until there was 5:14 remaining in the game.

Freshman running back Luke Waddell’s 10-yard touchdown run pulled Loveland to within seven points.

The Tigers tied the game on their next possession when Gambill scored from 1-yard out with 3:49 remaining. A 50-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Drew Plitt to senior wide receiver Tre Heath set up Waddell’s score, which cut Mount Healthy’s lead to 28-21.

Elliott caught one touchdown pass and ran for another score while Montgomery scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Owls. Montgomery’s 6-yard touchdown run with 2:13 remaining in the third quarter put the Owls ahead 14 and the game seemingly out of reach.

Montgomery was injured on the drive after Gambill tied the game at 28 with 3:49 remaining.

Mount Healthy went into the locker room at halftime with a 21-14 lead and momentum after its defense came up big in the toughest of circumstances.

Loveland had the ball and first down inside the 5-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the half, The Owls kept the Tigers out of the end zone on three consecutive plays. Loveland sophomore quarterback Drew Plitt kept the ball on third and goal at the 1-yard line. It was close but the officials ruled he did not get across the goal line.

Elliott scored his two touchdowns in the first half – on a 35-yard pass from sophomore quarterback David Montgomery and an 8-yard run when he subbed at quarterback after Montgomery’s helmet was dislodged on the previous play.

Montgomery scored on a 4-yard run to give the Owls a 14-7 lead with 9:27 remaining in the half.

Waddell finished with 122 yards on 12 carries for the Tigers and Plitt completed 4 of 10 passes for 156 yards. Montgomery led all rushers with 222 yards on 25 carries.

EXTRA POINTS: Mt. Healthy’s Elliott wore uniform No. 85 on Friday in honor of Vince Turnage, who was fatally shot in a home invasion last weekend. Turnage was a 2012 graduate of Mount Healthy and played football for the Owls in addition to running track. Players also work “V” stickers on their helmets to honor Turnage. There was a moment of silence for Turnage during the break between the first and second quarters….Loveland moved the ball to the Mount Healthy 27 in the second quarter before junior linebacker Dominique Smith intercepted a tipped pass and ran it back 44 yards. The Owls took advantage of the turnover and pulled ahead on Montgomery’s touchdown run….Waddell gained 98 yards on seven carries in the first half….Mt. Healthy junior defensive back Deion Wilkinson intercepted a Plitt pass with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter….Loveland coach Fred Cranford faced Mount Healthy last season when his Bishop Fenwick team lost to the Owls, 30-7.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131...four-berth

Unreal... down 28-14 I thought they were done. maybe it's the year of the Tiger. go Loveland!

Anyone here from Up around Columbus and know much about Zanesville? Same record and basically the same scores as Loveland all season long. Only difference i can see if Zanesville played some smaller schools. I am sure they are the real deal, but will Loveland's O-line be able to wear them down like the Tigers have done all season?

(11-29-2013 12:30 PM)JunctaJuvant Wrote: [ -> ]Anyone here from Up around Columbus and know much about Zanesville? Same record and basically the same scores as Loveland all season long. Only difference i can see if Zanesville played some smaller schools. I am sure they are the real deal, but will Loveland's O-line be able to wear them down like the Tigers have done all season?

i drove over the y bridge once and got pulled over shortly after visting some hippie shop. oh sorry for being off topic. i'm not from around columbus

Game was on TV last night. Who knew Loveland could top their regional final win.

Loveland was down 1 with 3 minutes left. They forced Zanesville to punt, but Zanesville faked it and got a first down. Next play Zanesville gets a TD. Loveland is down 8.

Loveland gets the ball but throws an INT on the first play. Game seems over, but Loveland does have 3 timeouts.

Loveland forces a 3 and out, gets the ball back with just over a minute to go at their out 45. Then with 17 seconds left Loveland completes a 38 yard TD pass down the sideline. They get the two point conversion and win in Double OT when Zanesville is short on a FG.

Ridiculous stuff from them the last two weeks.

Loveland rallies, earns championship berth in double OT
Nov. 29, 2013


Loveland Football State Semifinal: Loveland High School beats Zanesville 38-35 in double overtime in the Division II football state semifinal Nov. 29.

Written by
Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor

COLUMBUS — Another week, another thrilling Loveland comeback.

Last week in the regional finals against Mt. Healthy, the Tigers scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 35-28 win.

Friday, in a state semifinal against Zanesville, Loveland sophomore quarterback Drew Plitt forced overtime with a touchdown pass and his own two-point conversion with 17.5 seconds left and junior kicker Evan Burig connected on a go-ahead 29-yard field goal in the second overtime for a 38-35 win.

“Exhilirating,” Burig, who missed a point after earlier in the game, said when asked to describe how he felt when he saw his kick sail through the uprights. “Two wins like that in two weeks is amazing. I knew we’d pull through.”

The Blue Devils were leading, 28-20, when Plitt hit junior wide receiver Giavanni Ricci with a 36-yard touchdown pass on a flag pattern and then dove across the goal line for the two-point conversion that forced overtime at St. Francis DeSales’s Alumni Field.

“I felt confident,” Plitt said. “I knew we weren’t going home. I knew we’d get the win.”

Zanesville’s Jamal Gladden scored on a five-yard run on Zanesville’s first possession of overtime, but Loveland freshman Luke Waddell countered with a one-yard run to force a second overtime.

Loveland, the No. 2 team in the Associated Press Division II statewide poll, meets fifth-ranked Cleveland Glenville (13-1) for the state championship Friday at 7 p.m. at Canton Fawcett Stadium.

Loveland was leading, 20-14, and had forced a Zanesville punt, but the catch was fumbled and recovered by the Blue Devils, who took advantage of the new life by going 60 yards in five plays with senior Jamal Gladden scoring on a nine-yard run with 19.7 seconds left in the third quarter, helping Zanesville take a 21-20 lead.

The Tigers snapped a 14-14 halftime tie with an 81-yard drive on their first possession of the second half. Plitt completed two third-down passes on the drive, one of 25 yards to senior tight end Alex Hesse to keep it alive and a 40-yard bomb to senior tight end Jake Elfers for the go-ahead score. Junior kicker Evan Burig’s point-after kick sailed wide right.

Plitt was intercepted on his first pass and Loveland’s third play of the game, a turnover the Blue Devils converted with quarterback Thomas Wibbeler’s 25-yard pass to senior wide receiver J.T. McFarland with 7:20 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers responded with two time-consuming touchdown drives, both capped by Gunner Gambill scoring runs. He went three yards to complete a nine-play, 52-yard drive with 2:44 left in the first quarter and 15 yards – dragging one defender into the end zone and sending another sprawling at the goal line – to wrap up a 12-play, 76-yard drive with 4:56 left in the second quarter.

The first drive took 4:36. The second, kept alive by Plitt’s 12-yard pass to senior tight end Jake Elfers on third-and-five at the Blue Devils’ 27-yard line, lasted 6:10.

Gambill, who gained 53 yards on 13 carries in Loveland’s 35-28 regional final win over Mt. Healthy on November 22, had 88 yards on 15 carries by halftime against Zanesville.

The Blue Devils tied the game on Wibbeler’s four-yard run with 1:25 left before halftime.

Play of the game: McFarland’s first-down run on a fake punt with 4:11 left in the game and Zanesville leading, 21-20 The play left the Blue Devils with first down at the Loveland 38-yard line and Gladden capitalized with a touchdown run on the next play.

Star of the game: Plitt with his two touchdown passes.

View from the sideline: Loveland coach Fred Cambron on Loveland’s win: “It was surreal. I’m running out of things to say. This team hasn’t thought quit in 14 weeks.”

Extra points: Zanesville, making its second appearance in the state finals and first since 1978, reached the finals for the first time. … Loveland was making its first semifinals appearance in its fourth playoff appearance.

Glad to see Loveland representing the 45140.

Tough task next week with the Glenville Academic Campus Tarblooders. Keeping my fingers crossed.

(12-01-2013 06:39 PM)CliftonAve Wrote: [ -> ]Glad to see Loveland representing the 45140.

Tough task next week with the Glenville Academic Campus Tarblooders. Keeping my fingers crossed.

As a former Loveland resident with 4 grandchildren in the Loveland school system, GO T I G E R S!

HEART ! Kids were playing hurt at the end of the game and still made plays. After the TD before the tying 2 pt conversion the entire Loveland side was chanting WE BELIEVE.



Still not sure why Zanesville did not play their safeties a little deeper on that last drive. We'll take it.



BRING IT HOME BOYS!

GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I paid my dues...time after time..