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Underdogs, an independent movie shot in Ohio, will premiere Friday in central Ohio. The
film, directed and produced by Canton, Ohio native Doug Dearth and starring Logan Huffman, is the
classic David-and-Goliath story centered around a small-town football team.

The movie, with a budget around $1.3 million, was filmed in Stark County with Ohio actors and
crew. It was given an Ohio Film Tax Credit of $425,650, and the estimated economic impact of the
movie to the community was $1 million.

The family film tells the story of Bobby Burkett (Huffman), the quarterback for Louisville 
St. Thomas Aquinas, a small catholic high school. His school plays football in the shadow
of North Canton Hoover, the high-profile Div. I program.

Local football fans may remember that St. Thomas Aquinas won its only state football title in
1984 against Bishop Hartley.

Coming off a losing season, a new hard-nosed coach (D.B. Sweeney) comes to town to reshape the
way the team plays. The coach brings in a new attitude, and he slowly rebuilds the team from the
bottom up.

Underdogs also tells the story of the Burkett family. Bobby’s father becomes embattled in
a struggle over the intellectual rights to the EdenPURE space heater. The film addresses the effect
of job losses on Rust Belt Ohio communities like North Canton. The movie was financed by Benjamin
Suarez, whose company produces the heater.

The community rallies around a Game of Champions, which pits David (St. Thomas Aquinas) against
Goliath (Hoover).

“It’s a fighting story, and football brings everybody together,” Huffman said.

Dearth, who went to Lake High School in Stark County, really liked the idea of making a movie in
his hometown. Suarez pushed him toward the idea.

“One of the things he (Suarez) said was, ‘We have to make this movie in Ohio,'” Dearth said.

He also credited the history of football in the state for its setting.

“What better place than Ohio to make a football movie?” Dearth said.

Both Dearth and Huffman were amazed by how the community rallied around the movie.

Many of the actors and crew for the film were from Ohio, including many from Columbus. Some of
the football-playing actors were former Ohio State players.

Some of the other actors in
Underdogs include Maddie Hasson, Melora Walters and Natalie Imbruglia. However, the
biggest football name in the film is Broadway Joe Namath, who delivered an improvised motivational
speech to the St. Thomas Aquinas players before the Game of Champions.

“Everybody in the locker-room had the hair standing up on their arms,” Huffman said about
working with Namath and listening to his speech.

There are plenty of signs that
Underdogs was filmed in Ohio. The movie opens up on the field at Fawcett Stadium in the
shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the characters works at Gionino’s Pizzeria, a
popular pizza chain in Northeast Ohio. The bar displays a poster for Thirsty Dog beers, a company
founded in Canton and located in Akron. The North Canton City Hall and Massillon Municipal Court
Judge Edward J. Elum have roles in the film. On the media front, the Canton Repository and WHBC-AM
are also in the movie. Also, the EdenPURE heater is manufactured in North Canton.

Underdogs will be in local theaters from Friday, Aug. 16 through. Thursday, Aug. 22. It
plays in Pickerington, Easton 30 and Lennox 24. After watching the film, moviegoers will receive a
ballot to vote for any Ohio high school of their choosing. The high school with the most votes
after the movie’s premiere will win a $3,000 check and a private screening of the movie at their
school with Huffman and Dearth. Second place will win $2,000 for their school. 

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