The Loveland Tigers made their way down to Turpin Hills for this edition of Friday Night Lights, taking on Turpin in the Spartans homecoming game. The Tigers were rolling, coming off of their third win in a row in a dominant performance vs. Walnut Hills, while the Spartans were coming off of a heartbreaking loss on the road, dropping one to Lebanon 14-11. Loveland was looking to extend their winning streak to four, while Turpin was looking to bounce back after a tough road loss.
A Brady Stidham (10) field goal got the scoring started, making it 3-0 early in the first. However, the Spartans responded just a drive later, knocking in a 26-yard field goal to tie the game up. This tie wouldn’t last for long, as on the next Tiger drive, Colton Endicott (12) picked up where he left off against Walnut Hills, breaking off a 42-yard run before scoring from 15 yards out on the next play to make it 10-3. The Tiger defense would get involved in the scoring early as well, as Turpin quarterback Devin Nigam was sacked in his own end zone by Drew Holman (12) and fumbled the ball, allowing Tiger defensive lineman Calvin Lorek (10) to jump on it for the touchdown, making it 17-3.
The Tigers’ defense continued to dominate entering the second quarter, as Julius Vorbroker (12) picked off Nigam on the third play of the quarter, and ran it back 79 yards for yet another defensive touchdown, making the score 24-3. Turpin was able to create some offensive momentum on the next drive, getting down to the Loveland 10-yard line. But after the Spartans failed to convert on fourth down, the ball was right back in the hands of the Tigers. They would continue to put points on the scoreboard. Tyler Roberts (11) found Vorbroker over the middle of the field and he proceeded to slice up the Turpin defense for his second touchdown of the night, making it 31-3. Turpin would respond with a Nigam rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 21, but a Kolby King (12) interception ended the half and the Tigers went into the locker room with a 31-10 lead.
The second half would start just as the first had ended; with a Turpin interception. This time, it would be Dylan Hacker (11) with the pick and then two plays later, Endicott would punch in his second touchdown of the night to make it 38-10. Nigam would score another rushing touchdown to try and kick off a massive comeback, but Endicott’s third rushing touchdown and a Ben Hicks (12) field goal would seal the deal and the Tigers would snag their fourth straight win, 49-23.
Yet again, Endicott dominated on the ground, rushing for 150 and 3 scores to lead the offense. Vorbroker had one of the most impressive performances of the year, scoring both a defensive and offensive touchdown in this game. Kole Dahlke (11) and Sawyer Muchmore (11) led the charge on defense, both with five tackles. The Tigers will play this Friday on the road against Little Miami. The theme is neon. Be there and be loud!