Highlands seeks to enhance fear factor during bye week

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Football teams have their own ways of handling bye weeks.

For the top-ranked team in Class 4A, it may not be as intense as game weeks. But the deeply talented Highlands Bluebirds still plan to find ways to become even scarier.

“We played two really physical games,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands head coach. “It’ll be more speed, quickness, fast-motion, running through stuff. It will be a week of getting ready for a state championship because we are. During the bye week, you’re getting ready for your season. We’ll be in pads. But it will be a week where we don’t bang into each other much.”

Mueller said the Bluebirds will also lift weights three times this week and look to get healthier. Highlands saw several players not dress for various reasons in the Scott County win.

The Bluebirds come into the week 2-0 overall with impressive wins over two talented 1-1 teams in Boyle County and Scott County. Yet Highlands beat both teams by an average of 56-34. Most of Scott County’s points came in the second half.

The Rebels beat Collins, 49-26 on Saturday. They are 53-6 since Larry French took over as head coach in 2008 including spotless 15-0 runs to the Class 4A state championships in 2009 and 2010.

The Cardinals are 45-13 since the start of the 2008 season. Veteran head coach Jim McKee’s teams have been to at least the Class 6A regional finals the last four years. They were state runner-up last year falling 62-21 to Louisville Trinity in the title game.

Eye-Popping Numbers:

Many did not believe the Bluebirds would put up offensive numbers similar to last year’s team with the graduation of quarterback Patrick Towles, last year’s Kentucky Mr. Football who is now playing down Interstate-75 at the University of Kentucky, among others.

But the Bluebirds are on pace to put up similar numbers through two games. The 2011 team broke state records with 849 points, 121 touchdowns and 7,517 total offensive yards. Highlands averaged 56.6 points, just more than eight touchdowns and a little more than 501 yards per game.

Through two games, Highlands has 16 touchdowns, 112 points and 1,077 yards of total offense. That averages 8 touchdowns, 56 points and 538.5 yards per contest.

The Bluebirds have done most of their damage on the ground rushing for 795 yards with 15 touchdowns. None of them players go both ways so Highlands rotates in many players, especially on the offensive line that has some players weighing above 240 pounds.

Quarterback Donovan McCoy and running backs Jaylen Hayes and Zach Harris have 14 of the 16 Highlands touchdowns. The other two touchdowns came when McCoy connected on a 33-yard strike to Luke Turner and a Colin Seidl 43-yard score, both against Scott County.

Harris leads the team with 235 yards rushing on 38 carries with four touchdowns for an average of 6.2 yards per carry. Hayes is second with 211 yards on 17 carries with four touchdowns for an average of 12.4 per touch. McCoy has 197 yards rushing on 20 carries with six touchdowns for an average of 9.85 a touch.

Highlands’ defense has helped set up six of those touchdowns. The Bluebirds have a plus-4 turnover ratio (6-to-2) and have scored 39 points off those turnovers. Scott County and Boyle County did not score any points off the Bluebird miscues.

The Bluebirds currently carry a 22-game winning streak. They are 75-2 since the start of 2007 and own a 41-game home winning streak.

Eyeing the Colonels on Sept. 21:

Highlands needs to defeat the host Louisville Western Warriors on Sept. 7 and the Mason County Royals on Sept. 14 at David Cecil Memorial Stadium before worrying about a potential showdown with the arch-rival Covington Catholic Colonels.

On paper, neither game looks like much of a challenge. Western is 0-1 losing 20-6 at home to Louisville Ballard on Aug. 17. Highlands handled the Warriors, 56-0 last year in Fort Thomas.

The Royals are 0-2 to start this year. They lost 55-6 at Lexington Lafayette on Aug. 17 and 21-14 to Montgomery County on Aug. 24. Mason County finished 2-8 last year.

The Royals have had success recently. They finished 10-2 losing to eastern Kentucky power Belfry, 27-14 in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs in 2010. They had an undefeated regular season in 2009 finishing 11-1 before losing 26-23 to Pike County Central in the second round of the 3A playoffs.

The Colonels have rolled through their first two opponents by scores of 37-0 and 54-0 over Campbell County and Dixie Heights. Standout quarterback Blake Bir completed 22-of-35 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns against Campbell County. He then completed 17-of-25 passes for 317 yards and six touchdowns against Dixie Heights.

Covington Catholic still has to take down Cincinnati LaSalle, Boone County and Beechwood before facing the Bluebirds. The schedule could favor the Bluebirds.

Chasing Valdosta:

Highlands entered the season ranked second in the country behind the Valdosta Wildcats of south Georgia for the most wins all-time. Highlands could catch Valdosta in a matter of years if certain trends keep up.

The Wildcats entered the year with an overall record of 869-205 with 34 ties. They open their season Friday in what is their 99th season of football. They started their program in 1913 but the 1918 season was cancelled because of World War I and a flu epidemic.

On the other hand, Highlands moved to 830-224-26 with the win over Scott County on Friday against 131 different opponents. The Bluebirds started their program in 1915 and did not miss the 1918 campaign going 4-5-1 that year. The 2014 season will mark the 100th in school history.

The Bluebirds have just eight losing seasons in school history and none since 1955 when they went 4-5-1 for a total of 56 consecutive winning seasons. Highlands has won 21 state championships tied with Louisville Trinity for the most in Kentucky and own nine state titles since 1998.

Meanwhile, Valdosta did go 1-9 in 2006 for its first losing season since 1974. The Wildcats own 23 state championships, six mythical national championships and have just five losing seasons in school history. However, Valdosta has not won any state championships since 1998 mostly because it plays in a tough region. Teams in their Region 1-AAAAA (largest of Georgia’s five classes) have won seven state championships since then including three by cross-town rival Lowndes County. The success of Lowndes County, Valdosta High and NCAA Division II Valdosta State University in football helped the town become Title Town, USA by ESPN in 2008.

The Bluebirds have also had the same head coach in Mueller during that time while Valdosta is on its fourth in third-year head coach Rance Gillespie. The Wildcats went 8-3 last year losing in the first round of the AAAAA playoffs.

Valdosta and Highlands are two of just five teams nationally with more than 800 wins in school history. The other three entering the season are Louisville Male (currently with 817 program wins), Massillon Washington (811) located near Akron, Ohio, and Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania (801) located 88 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Video Highlights of Highlands' win over Scott County