Bluebirds Soccer Wins Third Straight 36th Crown; Girls Soccer, Volleyball Advance in Semis |
| PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. The Highlands Bluebirds celebrated their third straight 36th District championship with a 6-0 convincing win over the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds at Tower Park. |
Things started well for the Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (17-1-3 overall) with a convincing 6-0 win over the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (7-9-3) in the 36th District championship. Highlands has won three consecutive district championships.
"It's kind of motivating for our guys they have something to earn, something to prove," Niedert said. "They have this target on their back. It's been growing all season. We just have to make sure we don't get lost in all the other stuff. Our guys came in and were fully aware of what was at stake. We're glad we came away with the win."
That marked the 13th shut-out for the Bluebirds this year. They scored three in each half.
The game's most valuable player in junior Porter Hedenberg along with all-tournament teammates in sophomore Max Farris and senior Carter Holmes had one goal each. Farris also had an assist. Junior Caymon Stevie, senior Mike Penrod and junior George Gates had the other goals.
"We're confident, but we're not trying to be too cocky about it," said Thomas Kelso, Highlands senior midfielder. "We're really working hard in practice every day. We come out trying to play as hard as we practice. We get every little touch on the ball we need. We put every last little bit of effort we need to win that ball and win the game."
Highlands out-shot NewCath, 41-15 including 6-3 on goal once again controlling the ball with its speed and athleticism. Highlands senior goalkeeper Will Burnham had three saves.
The 9th Region tournament takes place next week. Highlands will play host to a region quarterfinal game. But a huge upset occurred Tuesday as the Conner Cougars beat the defending 9th Region champion Ryle Raiders (15-3-2) in the 33rd District semifinals at Boone County, 2-1 on penalty kicks. Ryle had the second-best record in the region entering the post-season.
Soccer, Girls:
Highlands 11, Newport 0:
The Bluebirds (16-4 overall) had no problem defeating Newport for the second time this year to open the post-season.
Highlands out-shot Newport, 21-0 including 11-0 on goal. Senior forward Lindsey Meyer recorded an assist to move into a tie with former assistant Stephanie Sandfoss-Graves with 39 career assists. Meyer has 21 goals and 10 assists on the season for 52 points. For her storied career, Meyer has 68 goals and 39 assists for a total of 175 points. Graves had 64 goals and 39 assists for a total of 167 career points.
"It was great to see everybody ready for the postseason," said Alex Dean, Highlands Head Coach. "We've had 19 games. This is the big stage. It was not relaxed because of the opponent, but relaxed because this is the fun stuff. If you lose, you go home. There's only one team that doesn't lose its last game of the year and that's what we want to be."
Junior defender Natalie Ossege led Highlands with two goals and an assist for five points. Ossege has three goals and three assists on the year for nine points. Sophomore Kenzie Nehus, junior Lauren Deckert and junior midfielder Kelsey Mathis had two goals each. Junior forwards Maria Broering, Maria Wiefering and Brooklyn Shuley scored the other goals. Shuley and junior forward Jordan Halpin also had assists.
"I think we just love to come out and play no matter who it is," Shuley said. "It's not so much about winning just having a good time and trying to get better as a team."
Highlands takes on either Newport Central Catholic (10-7-1) or Dayton (2-11-3) for the district championship on Thursday back at Morscher Field. Game time is 5:15 p.m.
Volleyball:
Highlands 3, Newport 0:
Highlands (24-10) cruised to a sound victory, 25-5, 25-12, 25-10 in the 36th District semifinals at Newport Central Catholic.
"At the very beginning (of the season), we (coaches) pulled the upperclassmen aside and spoke of that vision like, 'Hey. You have people watching you," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "They feel like they were just underclassmen. They don't know they're seniors. They don't know how they're juniors. It flies by so quickly when you're the older girls. But I think it is really important to have that perspective of these younger girls see you as special. They see you as impressive and times intimidating. You have a role in that leadership whether you like it or not. You have to walk in that responsively. The character of our girls lends itself in being positive examples in all that they do. I think they really took that seriously and they've really worked hard to set a pace for them. I think it breeds a positive culture. The underclassmen feel loved."
The Bluebirds had 30 kills and assists, 18 aces, one solo block from freshman middle blocker CC Shick and 21 digs. The two seniors led the way. Libero Olivia Gessner had four digs and seven aces with outside hitter Margot Seidel recording five kills and three digs.
Junior setter Audrey Graves had 26 assists and Shick led the way with nine kills. Junior middle blocker Ava Hockney had six kills and three aces with junior defensive specialist Rylee Kirschenbaum recording three aces and two digs. Sophomore Laura Winkler had six digs.
"I think it's cool to watch, especially in games like this where it's a bit of a slower pace, the upperclassmen and how they still play every game like it's a championship match," said Nicole Ossege, Highlands freshman outside hitter. "They don't want to just get by. They want to do the best that they can every point. It helps us freshman to watch that because it gives us an idea of the mentality of Highlands volleyball."
Highlands faces the host NewCath in the district championship on Wednesday. Game time is 7:15 p.m.
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