PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. The Highlands Bluebirds claimed their state-record 23rd state championship Saturday at Western Kentucky University. They rallied past Owensboro for the 49-42 win.
PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands Head Coach Brian Weinrich gives hugs after winning the state championship Saturday. Weinrich took over the vaunted Bluebird program in January, 2014 after serving as an assistant the previous 19 years.
By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
BOWLING GREEN – After the 49-35 loss to Cincinnati Elder on Oct. 24, Bluebird senior quarterback Beau Hoge made a promise to pal and Highlands senior cornerback Andrew “The Cowboy” Abner.
Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands senior linebackers Patrick Schoepf (left) and Brady Murray (right) bring down Lexington Catholic wide receiver Andy Thompson (center) in Friday's Class 4A state semifinal game. The Bluebirds won 47-26l
Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands wide receiver Alex Veneman (6) makes a tough catch in the first quarter of Friday's Class 4A state semifinal win over Lexington Catholic. The record-setting wide receiver had seven catches for 81 yards and a score.
By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
Many may be
tired of seeing them venture to Bowling Green.
But each football
team has its own unique story in a town that cares about the players’ success
in not just football but many things. The Highlands Bluebirds (12-2 overall)
advanced to the state championship for the eighth straight year with a sound
47-26 win over the Lexington Catholic Knights on Friday at David Cecil Memorial
Stadium.
Photo by G. Michael Graham. The Highlands Bluebirds celebrated their 22nd state championship Friday at Western Kentucky University and sixth in a row. The Bluebirds moved to 87-3 during that run.
By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
BOWLING GREEN – This year’s Highlands Bluebirds football team saw Co-Head Coaches Dale Mueller and Brian Weinrich lose someone close to them.
The Bluebirds (14-1) dedicated the season to those relatives. Mueller’s mother-in-law passed away in Ithaca, N.Y. earlier in the week and Mueller did not coach in Highlands’ 47-0 Class 4A state championship win over the Collins Titans (11-4) on Friday.
“Even though he’s not here calling the plays, this is just a well-oiled machine of a coaching staff,” said Donovan McCoy, Highlands senior quarterback. “We could have our three top offensive coaches go down and we’d still have someone there that could just go in and call the plays like he would and we’d execute the game plan. That’s how Highlands works. (Mueller) wasn’t here physically. But he was here spiritually and emotionally.”
Mueller handles a lot of responsibilities handling with the offense. The Bluebirds improved to 237-34 since Mueller came on staff in 1994.
“We met with (Mueller) Wednesday night before he left,” Weinrich said. “We do what we do and he trusts us. We’re a whole team top to bottom. They’re a great group of guys. We all rally around each other and we’re there for each other through everything.”
Highlands wore the initials, JEH for Weinrich’s grandmother Janet Hewling all season. The longtime Fort Thomas Independent School District employee passed away prior to the regular-season meeting against Covington Catholic.
Final Numbers:
The Bluebirds finished the season with 781 points, 111 touchdowns and 7,424 yards of total offense. Those averaged about 52 points, 7.4 touchdowns and 495 yards per contest.
Highlands also improved to 87-3 since the run of six consecutive state championships started in 2007. That includes a sparkling record of 82-1 against teams from Kentucky.
Final game for 25 Seniors:
The Bluebirds said goodbye to 25 seniors after the win Friday.
Highlands finished an impressive 58-2 in this class’ four years of high school. That was also the mark of last year’s class led by Patrick Towles, Austin Sheehan and Drake and Devin Bruns.
As far as the skill positions go, McCoy, running backs Colin Seidl, Ryan Donovan and wide receivers Jac Collinsworth, Luke Turner, David Christian, J.C. Mettens and tight end Jack Grimm graduate.The offensive lineman that will graduate are Richie Whitford, Jason Thome and center Mitch Dee.
On the defensive side, linemen Gabe Schultz, Austin Peterson, Taylor Fossett, and Trevor Kraft will graduate. The linebackers to graduate are Reid Schroder, Joe Paolucci, Jehad Henderson and Connor Poston. The defensive backs that played their last games Friday are Quentin Murray, Jake Lester, Blake Myers, Ben Streeter, Blake Schutte and Jake Heck.
Far from Bare:
The graduation of 25 seniors tends to set programs back. But not Highlands.
“We have a great group of underclassmen that are keeping (the tradition) going,”Schroder said. “They’re talking to all the freshmen and eighth graders keeping them in it and keeping the spirit alive for Highlands football.”
Drew Houliston is the leading candidate to take over at quarterback. But Beau Hoge could push for that spot as well.
They could throw to a number of receivers such as Ryan Greene, Luke Brockett, Brandon Hergott, Justin Weyer or even tight ends like Nick True or Jack Telek. Running backs Zach Harris and Jaylen Hayes will return for their senior seasons next year.
The offensive line returns a number of solid players. They will be led by Tyler Schweitzer, Bryan Saunders, Kendall Kramer and Scott Turner. The offseason programs generally begin in January.
“They are long and intense, but have a lot of fun with them,” Saunders said of Highlands' offseason workouts. “The contributors on this team survive them. You can’t get where we are without putting in that hard work.”
Seth Hope returns to anchor the defensive line along with Nathan Merkle and Matt Gall. The linebacking crew will be led by Brady Murray, Joey Cochran and Connor Bleser. The defensive backs will be led by Jackson Bardo, Griffin Urlage and Andrew Abner.
National Level:
The Bluebirds entered the season ranked second in the country for the most wins in school history. The picked up seven victories on the top team in the Valdosta Wildcats of south Georgia.
Valdosta has 23 state championships and 876 wins dating back to 1913. Highlands owns 842 victories since 1915. But Valdosta has not won a state title since 1998 playing in a tough region in the largest of six classes in Georgia.
The Bluebirds now rank 11th all-time in the country with the most football state championships in school history. Valdosta ranks 10th. The national leader is Sioux Falls Washington (S.D.) with 38.
Sioux Falls Washington and Honolulu (HI.) St. Louis have both won 14 straight state titles. A title next season would put Highlands among the nation’s elite with seven in a row and would tie five other schools. Massillon Washington (Oh.) had two separate runs of seven straight state titles in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
BOWLING
GREEN – Every championship comes with its own unique flavor, especially in
Caketown.
This
football state championship comes with a recipe for a state-record six
consecutive titles and 30 consecutive playoff wins. Class 4A’s top-ranked Highlands
Bluebirds (14-1) grabbed that record all to their lonesome Friday with a 47-0
thrashing of the Collins Titans (11-4) at Western Kentucky University’s
Houchens/L.T. Smith Stadium.
Boyle
County set the mark with five consecutive titles between 1999 and 2003. Highlands
snapped Boyle County's 29-game playoff winning streak with a 22-6 win against the Rebels
in the 2004 Class 3A title game.
The
Bluebirds recorded their second shutout of the year dominating both sides of
the ball. They outgained the Titans, 476-173 in total offense. Highlands also
garnered 22 first downs to 17 for Collins.
The Titans
averaged about 40 points per game and knocked off the previously undefeated,
third-ranked Warren East Raiders, 58-7 in the state semifinals last week.
“We didn’t think (a shutout) was going to happen,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Co-Head Coach. “We knew we had to play great to give
ourselves a chance to win. They have a lot of explosion on offense. We just
tried to make them drive the field with no big plays. That’s what we did.”
Collins
made its first appearance in the state championship despite forming from Shelby
County in 2010. The Titans lost to Louisville Western in the 2010 Region 2
title game before falling to Franklin-Simpson in the semifinals last year.
Highlands
once again ran the ball well behind another strong performance from the
offensive line that did not allow a quarterback sack. The Bluebirds garnered
323 yards on 41 carries and five touchdowns for an average of 7.9 a carry.
Highlands
nearly saw three players go for more than 100 yards on the ground. Colin “Frog”
Seidl led the way with 115 yards on six carries for an average of 19.2 a touch.
Quarterback Donovan McCoy followed with 15 carries for 105 yards and two
touchdowns for an average of seven a carry and Zach Harris had 14 carries for
96 yards and two touchdowns averaging 6.9 a carry.
“I couldn’t have rushed for more than 200 yards last
week against Lexington Catholic without (the offensive linemen),” McCoy said. “We
couldn’t have beat CovCath twice without them. They’re the spark of this
offense. Without them, we don’t run like we do or pass like we do.”
Highlands
added some passing to keep the Collins defense guessing. McCoy completed 10-of-15
passes for 153 yards, two touchdowns to four different receivers and two
interceptions. Luke Turner once again led the Bluebirds with four catches for
48 yards and a touchdown and Ryan Greene added three catches for 34 yards and a
touchdown.
“We’re fortunate to have a lot of great, talented
athletes,” said Jason Lynch,
Highlands offensive line coach. “They
make it easy to do a lot of different things. We have some tight end formations
and four-wide formations. We throw a lot on the table to make teams prepare. It’s
a testament to the kids and the hard work they do. They put a lot of time into
it in the offseason studying film and it showed (Friday).”
On the
other side, Highlands put constant pressure on Collins quarterback Lawson Page.
Page completed just 12-of-26 passes for 106 yards. Teammate DeAndre Farris led
the Titans with 60 yards rushing on 10 carries and eight catches for 65 yards.
The
Bluebirds sacked Page seven times totaling 81 yards in losses. Defensive
lineman Seth Hope had a team-high 10 tackles and five sacks. Teammates Trevor
Kraft and Gabe Schultz had the other two sacks.
“The main thing we were trying to do was make sure he
didn’t get outside and beat us with the run,” Hope said. “We knew he wouldn’t
be able to scramble on us. All the plays we made and pressure we had were good
bonuses.”
Also on
defense for Highlands, Joey Cochran and Quentin Murry also had tackles for a
loss with Thomas Wrobleski, Connor Poston and Jackson Bardo broke up passes
with Schultz forcing Page to make one hurried pass.
Highlands
also converted better on third and fourth-down and in the Red Zone. The
Bluebirds completed their lone fourth-down attempt, all five opportunities in
the Red Zone and 6-of-9 for 67 percent on third down.
The Titans
managed just 3-for-13 on third for 23 percent and 1-of-6 on fourth down for
about 17 percent. They also did not score on either trip to the Red Zone.
Collins punted four times for an average of 33.2 yards and Highlands punted
just once for 19 yards.
The
Bluebirds won the opening kickoff and marched 57 yards on eight plays for the
only touchdown they needed to win the game. McCoy found Greene for a 14-yard
touchdown just 2:20 into the game. McCoy completed a 13-yard pass to Turner on 4th-and-9
from the Titan 33 during that drive.
On the
ensuing drive, Collins marched into Highlands territory. But Poston stuffed
Collins’ Masai Whyte for no gain on 4th-and-1 from the 41.
Two
possessions later, Highlands took a 13-0 lead. McCoy found Turner for a 21-yard
touchdown pass with 2:53 left in the quarter.
The
Bluebirds pulled away with three touchdowns on five possessions in the second
quarter to go up 33-0 at halftime. Harris stated the onslaught with an 8-yard
touchdown just three seconds into the quarter.
On its next
possession, Highlands started at its 43 and scored on five plays. Seidl broke
down the left sideline and scored from 30 yards out.
The final
touchdown of the half came with 2:03 remaining. Harris ran in from three yards
out.
The
Bluebirds added one touchdown in each of the final two quarters. McCoy scored
from seven yards out with 3:56 left in the third and added a 12-yarder with
11:01 left in the fourth.
This year’s
senior class becomes the third one to win state championships in all four years
of high school. The Bluebirds have played 90 games in the past six years. That
is more than any team in the state during that run. Louisville Trinity has
played in 89 during that same span.
Photo by G. Michael Graham/Fort Thomas Matters. The 2012 Highlands Bluebirds football team will be looking to add to the legacy on Friday against the Collins Titans. Game time is 8 p.m. EST at Western Kentucky University's Houchens/L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green.
By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
It was not
until recently that the Highlands Bluebirds football team heard about the
Collins Titans.
That’s
because the Titans (11-3) broke off from Shelby County in 2010. Collins is the
last team standing in the way of history for Highlands. Class 4A’s top-ranked
Bluebirds (13-1) will take the field in search of a Kentucky record sixth
consecutive state championship Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at
Western Kentucky University’s Houchens/L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green.
A win would
give Highlands its 22nd state championship overall. The Bluebirds enter the
game with an overall record of 841-225-26 since starting their program in 1915.
That win total is good for second in the country behind just Valdosta (Ga.)
with 876 victories since 1913.
Collins is
33-8 in its brief three-year history with three district championships. The
Titans have advanced one round deeper into the playoffs each year having faced
Louisville Western in three consecutive Region 2 championships. The Titans lost
to the Warriors in 2010 by a 31-26 count before edging Western, 13-12 last year
and 36-20 this year. Head Coach Jerry Lucas has led the building process for
the Titans.
“(Lucas) is doing a great job,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands co-head coach. “Those are guys that were playing football
at their previous schools. Those are some experienced football players who are
serious about it. You can see that.”
Collins
lost to 2011 runner-up Franklin-Simpson, 20-15 in the state semifinals last
year. But the Titans came back to beat undefeated and third-ranked Warren East,
58-7 in the semifinals Friday.
“It was a neat experience for myself, our coaching
staff and our kids to start a program and build it from the ground up,” Lucas said. “We
have a beautiful school, great facilities and terrific kids. Shelbyville is a
great town to live and raise a family. Our kids believe in our school and our
program and it’s been fun being part of building the tradition at Collin High
School.”
Aside from
history, depth could factor into this contest. The Bluebirds dress more than 90
players and have no one playing on both offense and defense while the Titans
dress about 50 and have several players going both directions. Highlands tends
to wear down teams that have players going both ways.
“We are certainly honored to not only be making our
first state appearance but excited to be playing a team with the history of
excellence such as Highlands,” Lucas
said. “We understand what we are up
against playing a team like that has great players on both sides of the ball
and knowing that they only play their kids on one side. At this point in the
season, we just have to go out and play and let it all hang out.”
Highlands
also played the tougher schedule having to go through ranked Ashland Blazer,
Covington Catholic and Lexington Catholic to get to this point. The only ranked
team Collins faced on its way to the state championship was Warren East. The
first five Highlands opponents made it to the third round of the playoffs. One
made it to the 6A state semifinals in Scott County, where it fell 21-14 to
Louisville Trinity in the last minute.
Collins
finished 2-2 6A competition in the regular season beating 7-5 Meade County
(21-14) and 5-7 Oldham County (28-14) and losing to 11-3 6A semifinalist
Louisville Eastern (41-29) and 6-5 Lexington Bryan Station (55-52). Aside from
Louisville Western, the other common opponent is Boyle County. The Rebels beat
the Titans, 49-26 in Danville eight days after Highlands rallied past Boyle
County, 52-31 on Aug. 17 to open the season.
“It’s just great experience for guys playing in big
games,” Mueller said. “That’s why we schedule the teams we do. It
helps us get focused for this game.”
Junior
quarterback Lawson Page completed 14-of-18 passes for 260 yards and two
touchdowns against Warren East. Like Highlands senior quarterback Donovan
McCoy, Page wears number one and is a dual-threat out of Collins’ spread
offense that mixes in some Power-I formations. Page has completed 185-of-346
passes for 2,825 yards, 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Page has also run
the ball 155 times for 730 yards and five touchdowns for an average of 4.7 a
carry.
“We’re going to try to keep (Page) inside the pocket
and in front of us like we try to do with Donovan in practice,” said Nathan Merkle, Highlands junior defensive
lineman. “If he gets outside the pocket,
he can just run all over the field then he can throw it downfield to a wide
receiver or take it to the house.”
Junior
running back Deandre Farris is a threat to catch and run the ball. He leads the
Titans with 128 rushes for 937 yards and 17 touchdowns for an average of 7.32
per carry. Farris also has 60 catches for 974 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior
wide receiver Nathan Sames leads Collins with 62 catches for 994 yards and 16
touchdowns.
Collins has
outscored the opposition, 562-349 for an average of about 40.1-25 a contest.
Highlands has outscored its 14 opponents, 734-272 for an average of about
52.4-19.4. Collins has rushed for 2,681 yards and passed for 2,825.
The
Bluebirds play a 3-4 scheme defensively. They’ve allowed 2,584 yards rushing
and 1,272 passing. Senior Quentin Murray leads Highlands with five
interceptions and brother Brady Murray, a sophomore linebacker, leads the way
with two fumble recoveries. Reid Schroeder leads Highlands with eight tackles
for a loss. Thomas Wrobleski leads the Bluebirds with 7.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles
for a loss. Seth Hope follows with 6.5 sacks.
The
Highlands offense has rushed for 3,696 yards and passed for 3,252 more. The
Bluebirds have also scored 104 touchdowns this year. McCoy leads the way with
1,039 yards rushing on 148 carries and 20 touchdowns for an average of about
seven a carry. McCoy has also completed 159-of-252 passes for 2,616 yards, 30
touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Five
Bluebirds have rushed for at least 430 yards. Junior Zach Harris follows McCoy
with 130 carries for 905 yards and 18 touchdowns for an average of about seven
a carry.
Highlands
has 12 wide receivers with at least nine catches. Senior Luke Turner leads the
way with 38 receptions for 795 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Luke Brockett
has 21 catches for 358 yards and four touchdowns. The Bluebirds catch the ball
all over the field making life tough for defenses.
“We can beat (opponents) either way,” said Ryan Greene, Highlands junior wide receiver. “If they’re playing up, we can hit them
deep. If they’re playing deep, we’ll hit them short. We have a bunch of guys
who think about the team more than themselves. I think that’s why we win a lot
of games.”
The
Bluebirds have won the state championship in 10-of-12 appearances in the title
game since Mueller came on staff in 1994. The only years they finished
runner-up were 1995 losing 28-12 to Bowling Green and 2003 falling 44-10 to
Boyle County.
The
Highlands Bluebirds defense wanted to contain Lexington Catholic wide receiver
David Bouvier in Friday’s state semifinal contest.
The
Bluebirds accomplished the feat in the 61-28 victory. Bouvier had just three
catches for 41 yards. His longest catch went for 18 yards.
“They (Highlands defenders) just hung in there all
game long and kept playing (hard),”
said Dale Mueller, Highlands Co-Head Coach. “I felt like we played great. We had a lot of diversity.”
Bouvier
came into the game with 83 catches for 1,240 yards and six touchdowns. Bouvier
had eight catches for 130 yards in LexCath’s 27-16 semifinal win over Boyle
County.
When you think the Highlands Bluebirds football team will not do something, Class 4A’s
top-ranked squad proves you wrong.
The
Bluebirds (13-1) came into Friday’s state semifinal matchup against the fourth-ranked
Lexington Catholic Knights as favorites. But few expected them to beat the
Knights worse than last year’s record-setting squad and eclipse their season
averages of points, touchdowns and offensive output.
But the
Bluebirds did just that in a convincing 61-28 win over LexCath (11-3) on Friday
at David Cecil Memorial Stadium for their 29th consecutive playoff win.
Highlands moved to 13-1 overall, including an 86-3 mark since the start of
2007.
The playoff
matchups have been set for the Highlands Bluebirds and Newport Central Catholic
Thoroughbreds football teams.
Both will
be top seeds in their respective classes and favored to win state championships.
Highlands (8-1) is going for a Kentucky record six in a row and 22nd overall and
NewCath (5-4) hopes for its second in three years and fifth overall.
The
Bluebirds won their 16th district championship in 17 years smashing the rest of
Class 4A, District 7 by a combined 232-59 with one shutout. The only close game
came Sept. 21 in a 35-21 win over the Covington Catholic Colonels.
Newport
Central Catholic was never seriously challenged in Class 2A, District 6. The
Thoroughbreds outscored the other four opponents, 219-32 with two shutouts.
NewCath has won eight straight district championships.
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