Loveland, OH - After a big road win last Friday against the Lebanon Warriors, the Tigers traveled back to the friendly confines of Tiger Stadium to host the Walnut Hills Eagles for the Loveland Homecoming game. The Tigers were riding high after coming off a huge win, besting the Warriors in overtime 37-31, whereas the Eagles were still looking for their first win of the season, coming off of a 51-0 road loss to Anderson
Loveland’s defense started the game off strong, forcing a fumble on the second play from scrimmage that was recovered by Drew Holman (12). Loveland took over at the Walnut 20 looking to set the tone early, and three plays later, Jewel Vorbroker (10) waltzed into the endzone from three yards out to give the Tigers the 7-0 lead. The teams would trade punts, but eventually, the Tigers would force another turnover, this time on downs, as Max Carver (11), Holman, and a host of other Tiger defenders stopped Eagles running back Zion James on 4th and short. The Tigers took advantage of the big 4th down stop, taking it 61 yards in just 5 plays to set up Vorbroker’s second touchdown of the night, this time on a 12-yard rush.
The Tiger's defense continued to be stout, especially their front seven, as they forced two more punts before a blocked punt by Seth Ellis (12) set the Tigers up inside the Walnut red zone for the second time that night. Colton Endicott (12) scored from 21 yards out just four plays later, and the Tigers started to pull away, making the score 21-0.
The second half started with some hope for the Eagles, as they recovered an onside kick to begin the half. But turnovers continued to harm the Eagles, as quarterback Chris Potts fumbled at the Loveland 5-yard line, giving the ball back to the Tigers. Loveland proceeded to drive 95 yards (their longest drive of the year), capped with another Endicott touchdown to make it 28-0. The Tigers would close this one out with another forced fumble, another stop on 4th down, and a touchdown from Tyler Roberts (11) to Brayden McCaleb (12) to make the final score 35-0.
Colton Endicott continued his ECC Offensive Player of the Year campaign, rushing for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 12 rushing attempts. Averaging 7 yards a carry and leading the league in rushing, even after missing a game, Endicott has been purely dominant in his return to the gridiron for the Tigers. As for the defensive side of the ball, Holman racked up five tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery, while Will Stewart (11) and Sawyer Muchmore (11) also contributed with five tackles each. The Tigers travel south on Friday to face the Turpin Spartans in an ECC clash. Turpin is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Lebanon last Friday 14-11 and is 2-4 overall. Turpin quarterback Devan Nigam has looked very solid this season, but if the Tigers can shut him down, they should be able to hold on for a 4th straight win. The theme for Friday is Country vs. Country Club. Be there and be loud!