Highlands Girls Soccer Posts Convincing Win

Bluebirds Make Lead Stick

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. The Highlands OZone student section has been coming out in full force this year.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team appears to have its swagger back.

The Bluebirds (10-1-5 overall) ventured to Dixie Heights on Wednesday and came away with a 3-0 victory. Highlands junior goalkeeper Jasmine Rehberger stopped four shots from the Lady Colonels (10-7-1) in the eighth shutout of the season for the Bluebirds.

"It was a very impressive game," said Alex Dean, Highlands Head Coach. "We started clicking from the beginning, connecting passes and doing things that we really hadn't seen this year like switching from the back, finding a center mid(fielder) and getting (the ball) to the other side. The intensity just kind of grew and then we made sure we got that shutout."

Highlands Girls Hold off Dixie Heights

Highlands Boys Lose on Road

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham. Highlands senior Chloe Jansen (34) sets up to shoot a free throw in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team has had its way with the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels over the years.

But the last two have been very close. Highlands (21-4 overall) once again escaped 14-8 Dixie Heights, 52-51 with exactly one second left. The Bluebirds moved to 9-2 in 9th Region action with the win.

Bluebirds Keep Winning Streaks Alive

Highlands Escapes Dixie Heights with Seventh Straight Win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands sophomore Piper Macke puts up a free throw in a recent junior varsity game. Macke saw her first varsity action in the 54-51 Highlands win at Dixie Heights on Friday after being declared eligible for varsity action Friday afternoon.

The winning streak is still intact for the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team.

But it came by nearly the slimmest margin possible. Highlands (18-6 overall) won its seventh in a row with a 54-51 victory over the host Dixie Heights Lady Colonels (17-7) Friday despite not playing its best basketball. The Bluebirds moved to 8-3 in 9th Region play with their 12th straight win in the series against Dixie Heights.

Another Goal Accomplished for Highlands Volleyball

Bluebirds Advance in 9th Region Tournament

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior setter Skyler Phillips (middle) plays the ball forward while teammates Joy Kappesser and Ava Hockney (right) get in position. Highlands beat Dixie Heights in the 9th Region quarterfinals Monday at Holmes for its first region tournament win since 2010.

Solid net play put the Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team one game away from another first in a while.

Dixie Heights did not go down without making Highlands (25-10 overall) earn it. But the Bluebirds withstood the challenge taking down the Lady Colonels (20-10), 3-2 (25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 15-7) in the 9th Region quarterfinals on Monday at Covington Holmes. That marked the first region tournament win for Highlands since finishing 10th Region runner-up in 2010 and the first-ever since the current 9th Region alignment changed in 2012.

Highlands Softball Falls

The Highlands softball team could not make it consecutive wins on the road in its 9th Region opener Monday.

Home Stretch for Highlands Hoops

Highlands basketball team record 9th Region wins

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Kyle Finfrock goes strong to the basket in a recent game. Finfrock had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds helping Highlands to a 75-45 win at Villa Madonna on Friday.

The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team entered Friday with five games left in the regular season.

The Bluebirds (11-13 overall) would not mind putting together some wins during that span and head into the postseason with momentum. Highlands started the stretch run strong with a convincing 75-45 victory over the host Villa Madonna Blue Lightning (10-12) in 9th Region action, Highlands improved to 8-6 in region play with the win.

Highlands softball pulls away from Dixie Heights

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands freshman third baseman Zoie Barth makes a play in Thursday's game against Dixie Heights. Highlands committed no errors defensively in the win.

The Highlands Ladybirds softball team pulled away from the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels late Thursday in 9th Region action.

Highlands (14-6 overall) moved to 8-0 in region play. The Ladybirds have won eight in a row.

Ladybirds win fourth in a row

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Kiersten Clukey (15) plays the ball in a recent game at Notre Dame. Clukey had an assist in Monday's 2-1 win over Dixie Heights.

The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team won its fourth in a row Monday with a 2-1 decision over the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels.

NewCath pulls away from Dixie Heights in 9th Quarterfinals

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Newport Central Catholic senior Hannah Daunt (33) applies pressure in the Girls 9th Region quarterfinal game Tuesday at the Bank of Kentucky Center. Daunt scored eight points and had a steal in the 65-48 Thoroughbred win.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS - Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbred girls basketball Head Coach George Stoll wanted to figure out ways to contain Dixie Heights standout Liza Tibbs.

NewCath girls move to 3-0

Newport Central Catholic’s girls basketball team won its third game of the season in as many times Wednesday.

Highlands holds off Dixie Heights

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team won its fourth in a row Monday.

The Bluebirds ventured to Crestview Hills and took down the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels, 56-50. Highlands improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in 9th Region action and Dixie Heights fell to 2-4. Dixie Heights is coached by former Highlands standout and assistant coach Tara Boothe-Smith.

NC girls down Dixie Heights, 57-43

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls basketball team moved to 4-0 overall another 9th Region win, 57-43 at the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels on Wednesday.

NewCath moved to 3-0 on the road with the win. Dixie Heights fell to 1-3 with the loss.

Posts Nikki Kiernan and Alexus Mayes once again led NewCath with 14 and 13 points respectively and Loren Zimmerman followed with nine. Mayes nabbed six rebounds with Michaela Ware recording six steals to go with six points.

Highlands girls soccer earns first win on new surface

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It marked the post-game run they’d been wanting for nearly two years.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team won for the first time since the new turf graced Tower Park in 2012 in a decisive 5-1 win over the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels on Monday. Highlands entered the game 0-8-5 in its first 13 games on the new artificial surface and had not won at Tower Park since beating Bishop Brossart, 3-2 for the 19th District championship on Oct. 13, 2011.

“I thought we played really well,” said Tommy Kearns, Highlands Head Coach. “I think Dixie is a really good team. They have some really talented players and I think we did a really good job containing them.”

Dixie Heights beats NCC in extra innings

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds softball team could not come up with key plays in Tuesday’s back-and-forth 9th Region quarterfinal contest at Northern Kentucky University.

The Thoroughbreds (15-14) took a two-run lead in the top of the eighth. But they wound up surrendering three in the bottom of the inning in a 6-5 season-ending loss to the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels (14-14).

Loren Zimmerman recorded a two-run triple in the eighth to give the Thoroughbreds the lead. They’d trailed 3-2 entering the top of the seventh. But Christina Enzweiler hit a game-tying single to left.

Dixie Heights tied the game in the eighth when Megan Estenfelder singled with two outs and the bases loaded. Then Mary Beth Odom hit one hard to left for the game-winner.

Dixie Heights scored twice in the first inning before NewCath came back and tied it. Enzweiler singled and advanced to second on an error before scoring on another Lady Colonel error. Molly Mertle then scored on an error to tie the game.

Dixie Heights outhit NewCath, 11-10 but committed four errors to two for the Thoroughbreds. Michaela Ware led the Thoroughbreds going 3-for-5 with Taylor Burkart and Enzweiler both recording two hits each. Burkart had a sacrifice and Enzweiler a run batted in.

Erin Snyder and Julie Morehead led Dixie Heights with three hits each. Morehead and Estenfelder recorded two runs batted in each.

Sarah Neace pitched all eight innings in the loss for NewCath. She struck out four and allowed just three walks.

Courtney Garrett pitched all eight innings for Dixie Heights. She struck out seven and walked two.

The Thoroughbreds graduate just one player off this year’s 36th District championship team. That is Enzweiler.

Season-Opening Split

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands pitcher Bailey Spencer sets up to throw in Friday's game against Conner at Softball City in Taylor Mill. Spencer struck out five against Dixie Heights and three against Conner in the Uncle Pete Invitational.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

TAYLOR MILL – The Highlands Bluebirds softball team found out immediately where it stood among the 9th Region contenders Friday.

The Bluebirds ended up splitting those contests beating Dixie Heights, 3-2 in six innings before losing to Conner by the same score in five innings. Both games had a time limit of an hour and 15 minutes.

The Bluebirds had several games cancelled before finally opening the season. These marked the first two games of the Uncle Pete Invitational at Softball City.

“We’re young, but we knew if we could play error-free, we could play with these guys,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands head coach. “We spoke with them all winter about the things we need to change the program. Some are the physical and mental errors that we made. We’ve really done a good job from now to the first scrimmage cleaning those up. Some cost us (against Conner).”

Freshman pitcher Bailey Spencer took the decisions in both games. The first game marked her first appearance against her former teammates. She helped Dixie Heights make the 9th Region semifinals last year.

“It was really hard going in there,” Spencer said. “But once I got focused, it was like another game. I didn’t think about it much.”

Spencer struck out five against the Lady Colonels and allowed just three hits. Spencer struck out three and allowed four hits against the Lady Cougars.

Spencer’s dad Matt is a 1984 Highlands graduate that played safety on the 1982 Highlands state championship football team and helped the Bluebirds to a Class AA state cross country championship in 1983. The family wanted her to attend Highlands because of the school’s academic reputation.

“She’s a teen-aged girl,” Coffey said of Spencer. “She had some moments the last couple days where she was apprehensive about having to face her ex-teammates. She loves that whole coaching staff and the kids on that team. We talked multiple times and she said she was ready to go. She went in and did a great job.”

Highlands fell behind 2-0 to Dixie Heights before rallying in the fifth. KC Broering tripled and Haley Coffey drew a walk. Payton Leighty then grounded out scoring Broering and moving Haley Coffey to second. Whitney Quillen then stepped to the plate and doubled in Haley Coffey to tie the game.

“I think we’re coming together as a team and are ready to compete with anybody,” Quillen said. “I’d been struggling and that hit boosted my confidence. It felt great to help out the team.”

Highlands scored the game-winning run in sixth. Ashley Grosser started out on second per late-inning, tie-breaking rules and scored when Kendall Turner hit into a fielder’s choice.

Highlands belted six hits against Dixie Heights. Shelby Graybill and Grosser had doubles for the Bluebirds.

The Bluebirds took a 2-1 lead in the fifth against Conner. Haley Coffey and Broering scored on errors before the Lady Cougars came back and won the game in the bottom of the inning.

Jessie Roark pitched a good game for Conner. She allowed just two hits.

Highlands continues the tournament today. The Bluebirds take on Nicholas County at 9 a.m. then play another game in the afternoon.

Highlands girls roll past Boone County; NCC girls dominate

G. Michael Graham Photo. From left in Blue, Highands defenders Vanessa Fisse, Ava Abner, Leah Schaefer, Jesse Daley (24) and Brianna Adler (10) get in position in Tuesday's game at Boone County. The Bluebirds recorded 23 steals in Tuesday's 61-35 9th Region win over the Lady Rebels.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

FLORENCE – The Boone County Lady Rebels basketball team has been known to make opponents feel the heat through the years, especially on its home Fookes Court.

But on Tuesday, the Highlands Bluebirds reversed the fortunes. They pressured the Lady Rebels all over the court to a tune of 23 steals in a 61-35 9th Region victory. Highlands (14-6) also beat Boone County (9-8), 46-40 in overtime on Dec. 28 on its way to winning the Conner State Farm Classic. The Bluebirds are 7-2 in region action.

“They understood the game plan,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands head coach. “We had a specific game plan against Boone County and they accepted that. They listened to the coaches and we’ve been harping in the gaps. They saw that when they’re in the gaps, they get a lot of hands on the ball.”

Nine different Bluebirds recorded steals in the contest, including seven with at least two. Vanessa Fisse led the way with five thefts with Haley Coffey and Ava Abner making four each. Emilie Parton followed with three steals and Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Alex Combs made two each.

“We’ve been getting each other up,” Coffey said. “When we get each other up, we’re always hyped up running and jumping to get our stuff done. So when we’re out there stealing (the basketball), we’re already fired up. Our defense is good. But it’s when we’re fired up that we get the steals.”

Overall, Boone County made 27 turnovers to 16 for Highlands. The Lady Rebels had just eight steals. Macey Ford led Boone County with two.

“We had a ton of turnovers. That’s for sure,” said Nell Fookes, Boone County head coach. “(Highlands) did a great job. They definitely changed their style of play since the last time we played them. We knew they were going to come out and pressure a little more. We didn’t handle the ball well. You can’t win many games playing the way we did.”

Both teams recorded balanced scoring with eight different players putting the ball through the hoop each. But the Bluebirds saw four players reach double-digits to none for the Lady Rebels.

The domination started in the paint with Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Alex Combs. Daley led Highlands with 15 points and five rebounds and Combs made all three free throws on her way to 12 points.

The Bluebirds extended the domination outside with Brianna Adler scoring 13 points, including two three-pointers, and Leah Schaefer adding 10. Schaefer scored two crucial buckets in the fourth to stem a Boone County run. The Lady Rebels trimmed the lead to 47-30 following three-pointers by Dallis Knotts and Ford with 6:45 left in the game. But Schaefer put Highlands up 51-30 with 6:11 left.

Schaefer, a Xavier University signee, admitted she needed a jolt of energy to get going. She had just five points in the first three quarters and the coaching staff benched her in the third quarter.

Highlands shot the ball better making 23-of-50 shots overall for 46 percent, including four three-pointers, and 11-of-20 free throws for 55 percent. Boone County made 13-of-45 for 29 percent, including four three-pointers, and 5-of-12 free throws for 42 percent.

“I think since the (Louisville) DuPont Manual Tournament, everyone has bonded,” Schaefer said. “Before games, we try to pump each other up. We try to post quotes (from different speakers or athletes) so everyone can get focused. When we go on runs, we get energy and it makes us play better.”

The Bluebirds mixed things up defensively. They held Boone County standout guard Jessica Jones to nine points before fouling out. Coffey said the key to that was making the Tennessee Tech University signee dribble to her left. Highlands limited her drives to the basket.

Highlands recently saw Schaefer and Parton return from injuries. Parton missed time because she strained her left Middle Collateral Ligament. The Bluebirds are still not 100 percent because Lydia Graves and McKenzie Leigh could not play against the Lady Rebels. Graves rolled her right ankle in practice.

“It just amazes me that this team plays like a team,” Richey said. “When one person goes down, someone else steps up or the whole team steps up. When we’re clicking, we can be a dangerous team.”

Highlands took the lead for good with a 9-0 run behind three Daley buckets. Combs hit a three-pointer from the left corner as time expired to give Highlands a 19-9 lead after the first quarter.

The lead continued to expand from there. Schaefer put in an offensive rebound to put Highlands up 34-14 after two quarters.

Daley scored seven more points in the third. The Bluebirds led 47-22 entering the fourth quarter.

Highlands then finished the game with a 10-2 run. That led the staff put in the reserves for the game’s final two minutes.

“It was much better than against Ryle (on Friday),” Richey said. “We were up by 30 against Ryle and let them cut it to 20. So I was very happy with the fourth quarter. We didn’t let them cut too much into our lead.”

Highlands travels to Conner (18-2) on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Newport Central Catholic girls 64, Dixie Heights 37:

The Thoroughbreds (14-4) dominated the host Lady Colonels (8-11) on Tuesday. They are 9-2 in 9th Region action.

NewCath nearly saw all five starters reach double-digits in the scoring column. Alexus Mayes led the way with 12 and Stephanie Lewis scored 11 points to go with six rebounds and two three-pointers. Teammates Nikki Kiernan and Michaela Ware scored 10 points each and Loren Zimmerman had nine.

Kiernan scored all her points in the first half and did not play in the second half. NewCath led 41-17 at halftime.

Liza Tibbs and Meggie Malone led Dixie Heights with 12 and 11 points respectively. The Lady Colonels are in their second season under former Highlands and Xavier standout Tara Boothe-Smith. They made the 9th Region tournament last year and won just 10 games.

NewCath shot much better from the free-throw line than in previous games. The Thoroughbreds made 18-of-22 free throws for 82 percent and the Lady Colonels hit 9-of-12 for 75 percent.

NewCath travels to Mason County (11-5) on Saturday. Game time is 1:30 p.m.

Schaefer hits 1,000 points as Highlands dominates Dixie Heights

Photo by G. Michael Graham. Highlands senior Leah Schaefer (23) fires up a free throw in Tuesday's game against Dixie Heights. She made it for the 1,000th point of her career. Schaefer scored 14 points as Highlands opened with a 64-30 win over Dixie Heights. Schaefer became the 13th player in school history to reach 1,000 points in her career.
 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Highlands Ladybirds basketball head coach Jaime Walz-Richey and staff would love to see this remain consistent the entire season.

All 12 players who saw action contributed in host Highlands’ 64-30 win over the Dixie Heights Lady Colonels on Tuesday. This marked the season-opener for both teams.

Nine different Ladybirds scored. But senior forward Leah Schaefer hit a scoring milestone with at least two predecessors watching. With 5:19 remaining in the third quarter, Schaefer drew a foul and hit two free throws to score her 1,000 career point.

Schaefer came into the season needing 14 points to become the 13th player in Highlands history to hit the plateau. Those 14 points marked the game-high for both teams. Schaefer added five rebounds. Richey hit 1,000 points as an eighth-grader on her way to the state-record 4,948 points.

“I really wanted to get it over with this game with everyone here cheering me on,” Schaefer said. “I’m glad I have the teammates that I do. They’re really awesome. They pass me the ball and I tried to get it to them as much as I could so we really helped each other out.”

Dixie head coach and former Highlands standout Tara Boothe-Smith also hit the plateau before going to Xavier and setting Xavier records for career points with 2,324 and rebounds with 1,004. Smith is in her second year as head coach of the Lady Colonels after serving as an assistant at Highlands.

The guard play turned out to be the difference in this game. Dixie Heights turned the ball over 25 times and only took 22 two-point attempts.

“We feel we can go pretty deep on the bench to where we can wear teams down,” Richey said. “That’s what I felt we did.”

Highlands turned a number of those turnovers into steals and points. Schaefer led Highlands with four steals with Ava Abner and Alex Combs recording three each. The Ladybirds constantly pressured the ball all over the court doubling the guards at certain locations.

“(The Ladybirds) are number two in the region for a reason,” Smith said. “They have very quick, athletic guards. Luckily, not a lot of people can simulate the kind of pressure they do.”

Highlands made eight three-pointers and 14-of-17 free throws for 82 percent. Dixie Heights hit three triples and just 3-of-7 free throws for about 43 percent.

After Schaefer, one other player for both teams made double-figures. Senior guard Vanessa Fisse made three three-pointers and two free-throws for 11 points.

“I was really, really happy,” Fisse said. “My shots are falling more this year than they have been and I’m more confident to shoot. We’ll see how it goes.”

Jesse Daley and Alex Combs followed with eight each for Highlands. Combs made two triples with Brianna Adler, Tomi Blanton and Lydia Graves added one three-pointer a piece.

Highlands scored the game’s first eight points and never looked back. Richey credited Daley for two buckets in the post there because Dixie Heights started to double the paint after that point.

The Ladybirds used a 12-0 run to pull away and lead 27-9 after the first quarter. Adler and Graves made three-pointers during the run.

Highlands extended the lead to 38-10 at halftime. The Ladybirds would have shut out the Lady Colonels in the second quarter if Molly Diamon had not drawn a foul as time expired and made 1-of-2 free throws for Dixie Heights.

“We just told them to relax on offense,” Richey said. “Get the ball and attack. We didn’t mind the turnovers real bad because we were attacking the basket as opposed to just throwing it out of bounds.”

Highlands won the second half, 26-20. The Ladybirds made five three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Liza Tibbs, a 6-2 sophomore, led Dixie Heights with nine points. She scored five in the fourth quarter, but did battle foul trouble the entire game.

Dixie Heights finished 10-22 in Smith’s first season. The Lady Colonels lost 72-38 to Ryle in the 9th quarterfinals in their first appearance in the regional tournament since 2008. Dixie Heights last won region in 1992.

“It’s just about the change in the style we play,” Smith said. “I think we’re headed in the right direction. I think the players we have want to be here and win. They show up, play hard and work hard. You don’t go from where we are to the number one team in the region overnight.”

Highlands travels to Cincinnati Ursuline on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Thoroughbreds open with big win at Ludlow:

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds opened the season with a convincing 69-46 win at Ludlow on Tuesday.

The Thoroughbreds face another District 34 team Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. They travel to battle the Dixie Heights Colonels. It will be the season-opener for Dixie Heights.