Weekend Highlands Results

Region Pairings Set for Highlands Soccer Teams

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. The Highlands girls take on Beechwood on Monday in the 9th Region quarterfinals at 7 p.m. at Tower Park.

The Highlands soccer teams learned their next opponents Sunday.

The Highlands girls soccer team received a great draw with arch-rival Notre Dame and St. Henry getting paired on the other side of the bracket of the 9th Region Tournament. The 36th District champion Bluebirds (14-3-5 overall) face 35th District runner-up Beechwood (8-9-3) on Monday at 7 p.m.

Monday Highlands Results

Two Individuals Headed to State Golf Tournament for Bluebirds

Twitter Photo. Highlands junior Ellie Rowland shot a 79 at the 8th Region Tournament to take third and qualify for state along with sophomore KJ Toole.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls golf team put together a solid outing in the 8th Region Tournament.

Highlands did not qualify for state as a team shooting a 359 to take third place. Grant County won the region tournament at AJ Jolly Golf Course in Alexandria with 344 points and Owen County took runner-up honors at 346. Unlike previous years when the region champion and runner-up made state, only the region champ qualified for state team-wise.

But the Bluebirds did see two individuals make it to the state tournament. Junior Ellie Rowland shot a 79 to finish third and sophomore KJ Toole shot an 82 to take fifth. The top seven individuals not on the region champion team go to state.

"The girls played their hearts out," said Mike Lipscomb, Highlands Head Coach. "As a team, we played the best we ever have."

Thursday Highlands Results

Bluebirds Down Holy Cross

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior setter Audrey Graves had 45 assists in the win at Covington Holy Cross on Thursday.

Entering the 9th Region match-up at the Covington Holy Cross Lady Indians, the Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team had lost just eight sets all season.

During the 14-2 start, Highlands won the swept through the best-of-three or best-of-two matches in the September Slam in 13 of their 14 wins. The only game the Bluebirds won where they lost a set came on Sept. 3 in a 3-2 (25-18, 18-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-7) win at Walton-Verona.

The All "A" State champion Lady Indians (19-4) pulled off the first set, 31-29. But the Bluebirds regrouped and won the next three by 25-18, 25-23, 25-11 scores to win the match. They have won five straight and are 8-1 against region opponents. Highlands is 2-0 against Holy Cross this year.

Tuesday Highlands Roundup

Highlands Volleyball Records Huge Home Win over Ryle

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands sophomore CC Shick (left) gets in position. In the back, from left, are seniors Casey Dunn, Rylee Kirschenbaum and Brooke Biltz.

Russell Bridges Gym at Highlands High School has turned into an atmosphere of excitement in recent years in the fall.

The rise of the Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team has more than been a huge reason for it. The atmosphere has especially helped Highlands record huge wins over 9th Region opponents.

Highlands (14-2 overall) and Ryle (8-7) came into the match-up Tuesday tied for third in the latest Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association 9th Region poll. They are both ranked in the Top 25 as well at 12th for Ryle and 18th for Highlands.

For years, Ryle has been at the top of the region led by veteran Head Coach Tasha Lovins. Lovins has been at that position since 2002. The Lady Raiders have won 11 district championships and have only missed the region tournament once since Lovins became head coach. But like many teams, the Lady Raiders have not been able the region wall of St. Henry and Notre Dame.

Highlands figured some things out in the first set after not starting off strong and won it 27-25. The Bluebirds then took control to win the game, 3-0 winning the next two sets 25-16, 25-17. Highlands owns wins over Dixie Heights and has beaten two top-ranked region teams in Campbell County from the 10th Region and Pulaski Southwestern from the 12th Region.

Tuesday Highlands Results

Highlands Soccer Wins Again; Volleyball Loses to Region Power

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands sophomore CC Shick (right) goes up for a kill in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team will end up playing three times in three days.

Highlands (6-0-4 overall) shut out the Beechwood Lady Tigers, 4-0 on Tuesday at Tower Park. The Bluebirds moved to 4-0-1 in 9th Region play.

"They've been trending upwards in terms of their skill," said Alex Dean, Highlands Head Coach. "They definitely have a good amount of skill and they definitely play with effort. (Beechwood Head Coach Josh Young) is in his first year, but he definitely did a good job making sure that his girls played hard."

Saturday Highlands Results

Highland Soccer Teams Tie Solid Opponents

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior goalkeeper Nick Fischer had four saves in the 1-1 tie against Lexington Henry Clay on Saturday.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (6-2-2 overall) hoped to finish the week with three nice wins.

The Bluebirds earned a man advantage in the second half of the game against the Lexington Henry Clay Blue Devils, a state semifinalist last season, after the Blue Devils earned a red card. But Highlands could not capitalize and the teams settled for a 1-1 tie. Henry Clay came into the game ranked third in the state in the Maher rankings.

Tuesday Highlands Results

Highlands Volleyball, Boys Soccer Teams Record Victories

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Audrey Graves sets up on a serve in the game at Walton-Verona on Tuesday. Graves had 53 assists and an ace in the victory.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team (4-1 overall) may have received the tough game needed before a huge game Thursday.

Highlands held off the Walton-Verona Bearcats (5-3) by a 3-2 count (25-18, 18-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-7) for a third straight win. But Highlands missed the opportunity to end it in four games and wants to do better finishing those opportunities.

Weekend Highlands Results/Football Sidebar

Huddleston Receives Post-Game Recognition

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior linebacker Brycen Huddleston earned the Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic Defensive MVP honors.

Highlands senior linebacker Brycen Huddleston earned the Defensive Most Valuable Player honors after the Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic loss to Knoxville Catholic, 31-28 on Saturday.

Tuesday Highlands Results

Highlands Volleyball Pushes Way to Win at Scott

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands junior Laura Winkler (right) follows through on a hit in a recent game while sophomore Maria Little (34) gets in position.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team (3-1 overall) headed to Taylor Mill taking on a Scott program looking to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Lady Eagles made the Bluebirds earn it. But Highlands came through with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-19) victory. Highlands has only lost at Kings (Ohio), which also beat Scott over the weekend.

Saturday Round-Up

Highlands Soccer Shuts Out South Oldham on Senior Night

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior midfielder Max Johncox sets up to make a move with the ball in the 3-0 win over South Oldham on Saturday.

The Highlands Bluebirds made the most of their Senior Night at Tower Park with nothing other than a shut-out 3-0 victory over the South Oldham Dragons. Highlands defeated the three teams in Oldham County.

"South Oldham may not have a great record, but they're coming out a number one seed out of their District (29) a number one seed," said Chad Niedert, Highlands Head Coach. "They're playing real stiff competition and they were on the road a lot. They came prepared hopefully to ruin a Senior Night. They're willing to travel because they want to come and get real good competition - the same reason we invited them out here. Playing some new faces is important for us."

The Bluebirds (16-1-3 overall) out-shot the Dragons (5-9-3), 25-8 including 11-3 on goal. That marked the 12th shut-out of the season for the Bluebirds. Highlands senior goalkeeper Will Burnham had three saves.

"That's what we pride ourselves on," said Will Hochleutner, Highlands senior defender. "We make sure we shut the other team out and score as many goals as possible. Our defense has really stepped up this year. We have to be conditioned because constant runs will come against us and we have to make sure we check those. We've done a lot of running in practice to get ready for that."

Thursday Sports Round-Up

Highlands Boys Soccer Goes on Road and Wins

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior wide receiver Ethan Houze makes a move against Dixie Heights on Thursday.

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. The Highlands students came to the football game against Dixie Heights dressed up in 80s Theme Night.

Cross off another win over a team that defeated the Blue and White last year.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (15-1-3 overall) wrote down the names of eight opponents that beat the Bluebirds last year and wanted to avenge those losses. They took care of a sixth one Thursday venturing to Cincinnati (Ohio) Madeira and winning 3-1. Madeira edged the Bluebirds, 2-1 at Tower Park last year.

Tuesday Highlands Round-Up

Highlands Boys Soccer, Volleyball Cruise to Victories

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands seniors Margot Seidel (left) and Olivia Gessner (right) pose with their families on Senior Day against Bellevue on Tuesday.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (14-1-3 overall) ended the game just several minutes into the second half in a convincing 10-0 9th Region win over the visiting Beechwood Tigers (4-11-2). Highlands is 7-0 in region play.

Highlands out-shot Beechwood, 21-2 including 12-1 on goal. Bluebirds senior goalkeeper Will Burnham stopped the only Tigers shot on net.

"We looked at it as opportunity to work on some things with the post-season on the horizon," said Chad Niedert, Highlands Head Coach. "The last few games, we haven't been terribly dynamic up top. It's kind of been very straight line runs almost like we're playing offensively in some sort of zone at times. Before the game got going, I encouraged the guys to get creative up top with their runs. I wanted to make sure the outside back guys got forward and contributed offensively as well as defensively. I thought we looked pretty strong. I think we allowed ourselves some room to try some things. It ended up working out really well. No matter who the opponent is. We have to respect them. Beechwood has some (nice) players. We just came out with the right start."

Wednesday Cancellations

Lightning and a high heat index in the area forced the cancellation of two Highlands events against Dixie Heights. The Highlands girls soccer team (5-1) was to travel to Dixie Heights and the Highlands girls golf team was to take on the Lady Colonels at Pioneer Park.

The next match scheduled for the girls golf team is Sept. 10 at Highland Country Club against Covington Holy Cross. The Highlands girls soccer team faces Summit Country Day at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Tower Park.

Saturday Highlands Soccer Notes

Bluebirds defeat fifth-ranked Henry Clay; Girls game cancelled

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Senior Alex Ford (4) has helped the Bluebirds to a 2-0-1 start the first week of the season. Highlands beat Lexington Henry Clay, 2-0 on Saturday.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team headed back to Lexington on Saturday for the Lexington Soccer Showcase and came home with a victory.

At Bryan Station, the Bluebirds (2-0-1 overall) took down the fifth-ranked Lexington Henry Clay Blue Devils (0-2) by a 2-0 count. Henry Clay owns two state championships in school history in 2010 and 1991.

Golden Tuesday for Highlands Soccer, Volleyball

Bluebirds Advance in Region, District Tournaments

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Luke Schweitzer (14) goes up for a header in the 9th Region quarterfinals against Cooper on Tuesday at Tower Park.

It seemed fitting these two teams met after the regular season meeting was cancelled.

But one thing did not change from the regular season. The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (14-7 overall) used its speed advantage to down the visiting Cooper Jaguars, 3-1 in the 9th Region Quarterfinals on Tuesday at Tower Park.

Familiar Soccer Draws

Highlands Soccer Teams Face Cooper in 9th Region Quarterfinals

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Mike Penrod makes a move in the 36th District championship game against Newport Central Catholic on Tuesday. Both Highlands teams take on Cooper in the 9th Region Quarterfinals at Tower Park.

After claiming 36th District championships over the Newport Central Catholic teams, both Highlands soccer teams knew they could draw an opponent from the same school after all four districts had almost identical results.

Tuesday Sports Briefs

Ladybird Volleyball, Soccer Victorious

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Joy Kappesser makes some signs in a recent game against Cooper.

The Highlands Ladybirds volleyball team hopes to have 22 victories entering the regular season.

Not only would that add to a season-high since current Head Coach Katelyn Sallee took over in 2014, it would be the most wins in a season since 2010. The 2010 team was led by the likes of seniors Kelsey Dunn and junior Jesse Bryson, who is in her second year as head coach at George Rogers Clark in Winchester, Kentucky. Highlands finished 22-19 in 2010 and lost to Newport Central Catholic in both the 37th District and 10th Region Tournament championship games.

Thursday Sports Briefs

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands freshman Jason Noe (24) looks for running room in a recent game. The Highlands freshman team defeated Conner on Thursday.

The Highlands Bluebirds soccer team (11-7 overall) could not earn another big win Thursday losing 2-1 to the Cincinnati Madeira Mustangs at Tower Park.

Tuesday Sports Results

Gabbard Moves on to Second Day of State Golf Tournament

HHSBlueBirdies Twitter Photo. Highlands junior Ryan Leigh fires a shot in the state golf tournament Monday. Highlands shot 331 as a team to tie for 17th out of 24 teams in the state tournament, but freshman JD Gabbard qualified for the second day as a freshman.

 The Highlands Bluebirds golf team had a nice showing on the first day of the state golf tournament Tuesday at the Bowling Green Country Club.

The Bluebirds tied for 17th as a team with Clay County shooting a 331. While the team did not make it to the second day, Highlands freshman JD Gabbard qualified for the second day shooting a 74 on the Par 72 course.

Weekend Round-Up

Ladybird Soccer beats Girls GCL leaders; Volleyball Goes 3-2 in JCIVT

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands sophomores Audrey Graves (8) and Ava Hockney (26) go up for a block in a game earlier this year. Highlands went 3-2 in the JCIVT over the weekend to move to 19-9 on the season equaling last year's win total.

The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team (14-4-1 overall) concluded the regular season with a huge 3-2 victory on the road over the St. Ursula Bulldogs from the Girls Greater Catholic League.