Loveland QB Phil Deis tries to break away from McNicholas defender Adrian Nichols. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        Two years ago, Loveland's Steve Ball kicked a game-winning field goal to beat Little Miami in his first varsity game. Friday, the senior kicked the second game-winner of his career in what otherwise could have been his last high school game.

        Ball nailed a 36-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give Loveland a 24-21 victory over McNicholas in a first-round Division II playoff game at Anderson's Brown Stadium.

        It's the first football playoff victory for Loveland (8-3) and puts the Tigers in a regional semifinal matchup next Friday with Piqua, which beat Talawanda 54-33.

        “I was just thinking: "Don't push it. Don't push it, and take it easy,'” Ball said of his game-winning kick.

        “For him to hit that field goal under that kind of pressure was phenomenal,” Loveland quarterback Phil Deis said.

        Ball's kick was set up when McNick's Nick Fore lost control of the ball while fielding a punt with 2:02 left in the game at his own 30. Loveland's Matt Gill recovered at the McNick 26-yard line.

        “That was huge,” Loveland coach Chuck Warden said. “Any time you get in a game like this and it's late in the game, it's going to be won by special teams.”

        With the ball at the 25 on third down, Deis scrambled under pressure to the 19 to set up Ball's kick. That was essential, as Loveland's staff considers field position outside the 20-yard line pushing the limit of Ball's range.

        The fumbled punt and field goal were the final turns in a game that featured frequent momentum swings.

        After a 7-7 tie at halftime, McNick reasserted itself behind the passing of junior quarterback Bryan Cupito, who finished with 241 yards, three TDs and a two-point conversion passing.

        Cupito put McNick ahead 13-7 when he completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Nick Schmidt on the first drive of the second half. The extra point was blocked.

        Loveland scored TDs on its next two drives, the first on a 1-yard run by David Jackson and the second on a 5-yard run by Deis.

        McNick struck back, with Cupito's 5-yard TD pass to Tony Linz, and a two-point conversion pass from Cupito to Schmidt tied the game 21-21 with 11:02 left.

        It appeared McNick was driving for a game-winning score with under six minutes left in the game. Having started at their own 5-yard line, the Rockets were at the Loveland 28 when Cupito, facing pressure, was intercepted by Loveland's Mike Magliano at the 5-yard line to end McNick's threat.

        Loveland ....... 0  7 14  3-24

        McNicholas ....... 0  7  6  8-21

        M—Linz 4 pass from Cupito (Hammer kick)

        L—Gambill 74 pass from Deis (Ball kick)

        M—Schmidt 43 pass from Cupito (kick blocked)

        L—Jackson 1 run (Ball kick)

        L—Deis 5 run (Ball kick)

        M—Linz 5 pass from Cupito (Schmidt pass from Cupito)

        L—Ball 36 FG

        Records: L 8-3, M 7-4.

        Complete prep football coverage at Enquirer.com/prepfootball

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