Bluebirds Notebook: Highlands Golf Completes First Day at State Tournament

Highlands Wins Seventh Straight Against Boone County

PHOTO: Ed Harber. Highlands junior defensive lineman TreVaughn Woods celebrates after recovering a fumble against Boone County on Friday.

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The Highlands Bluebirds boys golf team found itself in 11th place out of 12 teams in the state golf tournament after the first day shooting a total of 350. 

The Christian Academy of Louisville shot 297 on the first day to lead Madison Central by a stroke after the first day. The par for the Bowling Green Country Club course is 72.

Freshman Hank Schick led Highlands shooting an 81 on that day. The next two scorers in senior Jack Schneider and junior Joel Craft shot 86. The fourth scorer in Highlands freshman Nate Surrey shot 97. Freshman Oliver Golden is in his first state tournament.

The second day of competition resumed Saturday.

Gessner Commits to NKU:

Highlands freshman goalkeeper Meg Gessner has committed to play collegiately at Northern Kentucky University. She'll join former Highlands players Lindsey Meyer and Lauren Deckert.

Highlands faces Ryle in the 9th Region Quarterfinals on Monday. Game time is 7 p.m.

Scouting Covington Catholic:

The Colonels come into the game Friday at 4-3. They defeated Boone County, 39-6 after holding off Coopers, 31-24 in overtime to move to 2-0 in district. The Colonels have won five consecutive district titles. CovCath has not lost three games in a season since going 9-4 in 2016 losing in the region title game to Louisville Fern Creek.

Sixth-year Head Coach Eddie Eviston led CovCath to a 44-1 mark between 2017 and 2019 with undefeated state championship seasons in 2017 and 2019. Current Miami (Ohio) quarterback AJ Mayer and younger brother Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer had a lot to do with that run.

CovCath did make it all the way back to the state semifinals last year losing 20-0 to eventual state champion Bowling Green. The Colonels finished 5-8 in Eviston's first season in 2015, but have not had a losing season since then.

The Colonels have won seven straight against the Bluebirds. Highlands is still seeking its 50 win all-time against CovCath still leading the overall series 49-24.

Class 5A, District 5 Notes:

The Cooper Jaguars (5-2) and Conner Cougars (5-3) met in a crucial game Thursday and CovCath took its bye week. Cooper destroyed Conner, 43-7 giving the Colonels sole possession of first place in district play at 2-0. Cooper and Conner are 2-1 in district play. Highlands trails at 1-1 and Boone County is 0-3. The Rebels will miss the playoffs for the third straight year.

Series Against Boone County:

The Bluebirds beat the Rebels for the seventh straight year since the series resumed in 2015 following a four-year hiatus.

Highlands-Conner Notebook

Homecoming King, Queen Named

PHOTO: Ed Harber. Highlands junior quarterback Charlie Noon looks for running room in the game against Conner.

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Highlands held its annual Homecoming Game on Friday against the Conner Cougars and announced the Homecoming King and Queen at halftime.

Senior Cole Greenman won the King honors and senior KJ Toole won the Queen honors. Toole just qualified for the girls golf state tournament for the third straight year. But she is also active leading cheers at various sporting events.

"It was a lot of run," Toole said of the honor. "I'm glad to be a representative for the school that all grade levels can look to as a friend."

Greenman is mainly involved with a group called Young Life. The group meets after school three times per week and talks about something that goes beyond a person's time on Earth. Greenman admitted he once struggled with depression. But since coming to know Jesus, Greenman said he's build a connection with his parents and newer people he's met.

"I just hope that we can spread the word across the school and hopefully we can encourage people who are dealing with problems at home to come to us and they can learn about Jesus," Greenman said. "He helps them up."

Class 5A, District 5 Results:

Covington Catholic (4-3) stayed with Conner for the district lead at 2-0 with a sound 39-6 win over Boone County (3-4), which fell to 0-10 in district games in the current format.

The Cooper Jaguars (4-2) stepped out of district play Friday and won 51-19 at Madison (Indiana). The Jaguars feature a strong running game with senior Brendon Tye and junior Eli White.

Looking at Boone County:

The Rebels are in their third season under Head Coach Bryson Warner. They are 3-4 on the season, which is one more victory than last year.

Highlands Makes History with Win

Bluebirds Second Team in Country to Reach 900 Program Wins

PHOTO: Ed Harber. Highlands senior Brycen Huddleston (1) sets up for a block in the 49-0 win at Boone County on Friday. That marked the 900th victory for the program.

Coming into the season, three teams in Kentucky had the chance to reach the 900-win plateau in school history.

The Highlands Bluebirds led that group needing just five wins while the Louisville Male Bulldogs and Mayfield Cardinals needed eight and 13 respectively. Highlands has 23 state championships in school history with Mayfield and Male recording 12 and eight respectively.

People wondered if Highlands would get there first after the two-game losing streak. But the Bluebirds earned it first with the 49-0 win over the Boone County Rebels on Friday in Florence. The Bluebirds are 900-243-46 dating back to the first season in 1915.

The Bluebirds are second in the country for the most all-time wins. The Valdosta Wildcats from south Georgia lead the country at 931-234-34.

"That means a lot to me personally growing up and wanting to be a part of Highlands football," said Joe Buten, Highlands junior running back. "It's cool to accomplish something like that."

Highlands-Boone County Sidebar

Bluebirds Celebrate Senior Night

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior running back Tyler Brune (20) looks for running room in the fourth quarter against Boone County on Friday while junior offensive lineman Jackson Bibb (60) looks to block.

On Friday, the Highlands Bluebirds dominated the Boone County Rebels, 55-14 as expected to move to finish the regular season 8-2 overall.

It marked the first 8-2 regular season for Highlands since the 2014 Class 4A state championship team did it. The Bluebirds spent the last three years against the Rebels trying to gain respectability or finish 5-5 during the regular season. They finished 5-5 in both 2015 and 2017 and 3-7 in 2016.

Highlands Freshmen Football Wins

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands offensive lineman Nate Weidner makes a block in a recent game. The Bluebirds freshman team is 6-2 on the season.

The Highlands Bluebirds freshman football team knocked off Boone County, 52-6 in Florence to snap a two-game losing streak and move to 6-2 on the season.

Rebels Pull Away From Bluebirds in Third

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior guard Robby Gabbard (5) goes up for a score against Holmes earlier in the week.

Boone County pulled away from the Highlands Bluebird boys basketball team (0-2 overall) to win 67-50 in Fort Thomas on Friday.

Bluebird Baseball Comeback

Highlands wins shootout against Boone County

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands freshman Ethan Kavanagh swings through a pitch against Boone County on Friday. The Bluebirds edged the Rebels, 10-9 in 9th Region action at Thomas More College.

The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team (2-0) wanted to take better approaches at the plate in the second game of the season.

Different results in Region play

Ladybirds win district opener; Bluebirds drop tight one

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands sophomore Zoie Barth (14) goes in for the score during Friday's 36th District game at Dayton. Barth scored nine points and had seven assists in the 76-33 victory.

The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team (1-1 overall) dominated the Dayton Lady Devils, 76-33 in the 9th and 36th District opener Friday.

Tuesday Briefs: Highlands soccer handles Boone County

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior midfielder Joe Broering (5) boots the ball ahead in Tuesday's game against Boone County. Highlands won 7-0.

The Highlands Bluebird soccer team found itself on the positive end of a 7-0 final just three days after experiencing the opposite.

The Bluebirds moved to 2-1-1 overall and 2-0-1 in 9th Region action with a victory by that score over the Boone County Rebels (0-4) at Tower Park after Louisville Trinity won at Tower Park by that score on Saturday. Highlands has beaten Boone County two straight times since the Rebels eliminated the Bluebirds in the 9th Region quarterfinals in 2014.

NC Boys hammer Boone County; DH beats Highlands

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic guard Zach Pangallo sets up the offense in Tuesday's game at Boone County. Pangallo scored 17 points to help the Thoroughbreds to the 73-33 9th Region win on Fookes Court.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

FLORENCE – A ton of hype between two undefeated teams accompanied this early boys basketball battle.

It evaporated quickly in a matter of minutes.

Highlands softball beats NCC; baseball beats Boone County

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds softball team downed the rival Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds in a crucial 36th District game on Tuesday.

Highlands (5-3) scored two runs in the top of the sixth to take the win. NewCath (3-5) won all four meetings last year on its way to the district championship.

NewCath outhit Highlands, 9-8, but the Bluebirds recorded more extra-base hits. Shelby Graybill led the way going 3-for-4 with two triples, a run batted in and a stolen base. KC Broering added a double with Kendall Turner and Payton Leighty also making triples. Leighty also had a stolen base.

Bailey Spencer picked up the pitching win for Highlands. She struck out four in the complete game.

Michaela Ware and Casey Kohls led NewCath at the plate. Ware finished 3-for-4 with a run scored and Kohls finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and stolen base. Morgan Martin added a stolen base for the Thoroughbreds.

Sarah Neace pitched a complete game in the loss for NewCath. She struck out two.

Both teams return to action Thursday. Highlands plays host to Newport at 5:30 p.m. and NewCath travels to Dayton at 5 p.m.

Baseball:

Highlands 2, Boone County 0:

The Bluebirds (9-8) moved to 3-1 in 9th Region action with a shutout of the visiting Rebels on Tuesday.

Ben Vermeil moved to 2-0 with the pitching win. He threw six innings before Jake Liggett took over and recorded his third save of the season.

Quentin Murray went 1-for-2 with a double, run batted in and run scored. Joseph Martin followed going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Highlands continues action today at St. Henry. Game time is 5 p.m.

Highlands girls rally past Conner; boys fall to Boone County

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team overcame a bad first half by rallying in the second half to record its 15th win of the season, 54-48 over the host Conner Lady Cougars.

Highlands (15-6) shot just 5-of-29 from the field in the first half for 17 percent. The Bluebirds trailed 28-18 at halftime and by as much as 14 in the third quarter before coming back. They made 9-of-24 shots in the second half for 38 percent and finished 14-of-53 for 26 percent. Highlands won the fourth quarter, 21-8.

“We weren’t very smart in the first half,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands head coach. “We challenged them to be smarter in the second half. The girls stepped up to the challenge. We didn’t make any adjustments. They just wanted it. We got a lot more steals and a lot more active. In the first half, we were just dead.”

Steals made the difference for the Bluebirds. They turned 12 of Conner’s 18 turnovers into steals and allowed just two steals on seven turnovers. Vanessa Fisse led Highlands with three thefts.

Brianna Adler paced the Bluebird comeback with 19 points. She made 10-of-11 free throws and a three-pointer.

Leah Schaefer also hit double-digits for Highlands. The Xavier signee scored 14 points and nabbed seven rebounds. Alex Combs followed with six points on two three-pointers.

Conner (18-3) made 15-of-41 shots for 37 percent and 13-of-14 free throws for 93 percent. Madi Meyers hit all 10 free throws to lead the Lady Cougars with 18 points before fouling out and Jordan Scott had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. But Highland did hold Emily Pluto to two points and two rebounds with one assist.

Highlands made it to the free-throw line 18 more times committing 16 fouls to 25 for Conner. The Bluebirds made 23-of-32 free throws for 72 percent.

The Bluebirds also improved to 5-0 at the Conner Gym. Highlands won all four contests to take the Conner State Farm Classic in December.

Highlands travels to Covington Holy Cross (15-3) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Boone County boys 54, Highlands 42:

The Rebels (11-9) pulled away from the Bluebirds (7-11) with a 19-9 fourth quarter.

“You never like to lose, but I thought we played well,” said Mike Flynn, Highlands head coach. “I thought we executed well. We only had nine turnovers. Anytime you’re under 10 turnovers, that’s important. We just didn’t shoot the ball well in the second half. Give (Boone County) credit. They made their shots and we didn’t. That’s why we lost the game.”

Defending 9th Region champion Boone County saw three players reach double-digits with the win. Brenden Stanley led the way with 21. The other two Rebels to reach double-digits were Mayberry and Melzer with 13 and 11 respectively.

Drew Houliston led the Bluebirds with 13 points. Bailey Witte and Luke Turner followed with 12 and 10 respectively.

Highlands has lost five of its last six contests and things don’t get any easier on Tuesday. The Bluebirds welcome the 36th District rival Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (17-2) to Fort Thomas. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Thoroughbreds dominate 2012 9th Region title rematch

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds won the 2012 9th Region championship rematch in convincing fashion Wednesday.

The Thoroughbreds dominated the visiting Boone County Rebels, 65-41 to remain undefeated at 4-0 on the season. All wins have come against 9th Region opponents. This marked the first home game of the year for NewCath.

The Rebels fell to 2-4 in a rebuilding year. Boone County graduated its top eight players from last year’s 9th Region championship that finished 27-8 including the 54-49 win over NewCath in the regional title game.

Nick Seibert led the Thoroughbreds with 18 points. All the points came in the first half as Seibert made four three-pointers.

NewCath forced nine Rebel turnovers in the first quarter to build a 23-4 lead. The Thoroughbreds led 38-14 at halftime and 53-27 entering the fourth quarter.

The Thoroughbreds cross the Ohio River on Friday for their next game at 7:30 p.m. They take on the Glen Este Trojans from the east side of Cincinnati.