Bluebirds 'outmatch' Bulldogs, 49-7

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands wide receiver Alex Veneman (right) reaches up for a touchdown catch against John Hardin sophomore defensive backs Korie Cleveland (center) and Darian Keener (left) in the first quarter of Friday's game. Veneman had eight catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns in Highlands' 49-7 win.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Some of their own faithful did not see them posting many blowouts like previous teams have done.

Bluebird Notebook: Highlands, John Hardin to switch classes next year

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands sophomore Grant Murray (24) tries to block a punt by John Hardin senior Sean Stevens (left). The Bluebirds won 49-7 to move to 3-0 on the season.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The two-year series between two teams that have been at or near the top of Kentucky for seven years ended Friday.

Highlands welcomes John Hardin for home opener

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands offensive linemen Matt Gall (71), Evan Richardson (74) and Bo Hebel (55) get out of their stances while running back Josh Watson (28) watches. The Bluebirds play host to John Hardin on Friday.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds football team has many reasons to be relieved to be coming home Friday for three straight games.

The Bluebirds escaped the road contest at Lexington Bryan Station, 47-41 last week to move to 2-0. They could easily be the opposite if various plays go against them in that game or the season-opening 23-16 win at Campbell County.

Highlands escapes no-quit Bulldogs, 33-26

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

RADCLIFF – The Highlands Bluebirds football team learned why it has to prove itself each and every game Saturday.

The undefeated 4-0 Bluebirds have not been challenged much during their 91-3 run since the start of 2007, especially in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. But the John Hardin Bulldogs (2-2) made them earn a 33-26 non-district victory on their home turf forcing the starters to play the entire game.

“(John Hardin) played well. You have to give them some credit,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “If we don’t turn the ball over, I think we have a better outcome. It’s a John Hardin team that had won 77 games in six years and we’d won 87 so it was a good game between two teams used to winning.”

Ryle, Covington Catholic and in the playoffs, Lexington Bryan Station in 2008 and Johnson Central in 2010 were among the few Kentucky teams that have challenged the Bluebirds during that time. Ryle handed the Bluebirds their lone loss to a team from Kentucky, 28-26 on Oct. 28, 2010 since the start of 2007.

Highlands senior quarterback Drew Houliston and senior running back Zach Harris once again led the Bluebirds to victory. Houliston completed 20-of-29 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Harris rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown and caught five passes for 59 yards and a score.

“It’s like coaching a (National Football League) quarterback,” Mueller said. “He just reads things so well. (Houliston) can come over and tell me what’s there. It’s so much fun coaching him. Drew plays so well one game after another.”

Harris also made sure John Hardin did not receive a chance to tie the game. He pounced on an onside kick with about 45 minutes left. That let Highlands go into victory formation and run out the clock.

Nine different receivers caught passes for the Bluebirds. Beau Hoge, Jensen Feggins and Brandon Hergott followed Harris with three each for 63, 34 and 29 yards each and Alex Veneman had two catches for 53 yards. Hergott scored two touchdowns and Feggins added the other.

The receivers did a good job finding holes to complete third-and-long situations. Highlands converted 6-of-9 on third-down and 2-of-3 on fourth down. John Hardin coverted 9-of-16 on third and 1-of-4 on fourth.

“Coach Mueller does a great job with the play calls on third-and-long situations,” Hoge said. “He gets us in good position to make those kind of plays. Once we get the ball, it’s easy.”

The Bluebirds did reach the Red Zone inside the John Hardin 20 on all seven possessions. The reason they did not score the other two times is they lost two fumbles. John Hardin also recovered an oneside kick near the end of the first quarter.

The Highlands offensive line did another fantastic job limiting John Hardin to just one quarterback sack. The Bluebirds contained Bulldog senior 6-foot-6-inch, 330-pound defensive lineman Matt Elam and even got him to jump offside a couple times. Elam has offers from several NCAA Division I schools such as Ohio State, Alabama and Kentucky.

“We didn’t game plan for (Elam) any differently,” said Tyler Schweitzer, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “I made sure I got low and moved my feet just like I would for anyone like Campbell County or (Covington Catholic). We didn’t care who he was. We’re just trying to win the game and win state.”

John Hardin had 14 penalties for 116 yards compared to nine for 67 for Highlands. The Bulldogs gained three first downs on penalties compared to one on penalties for the Bluebirds.

The big reason for the close score is John Hardin put up 466 yards of total offense to 341 for Highlands. That included 253-60 on the ground. That statistic did not please Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Brian Weinrich.

“It was a crazy game,” Weinrich said. “(The Bulldogs) played well and executed their offense. It’s a bad situation right now. We have to figure some things out.”

John Hardin controlled the time possession holding the ball for 33 minutes and three seconds of the game’s 48 minutes in its ball-control Wing-T attack. The Bulldogs ran 75 plays to 47 for Highlands and garnered 24 first downs to 15 for the Bluebirds. Highlands had 6 first downs via the ground compared to 14 for John Hardin.

John Hardin quarterback Patrick Anderson led the way completing 17-of-26 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. Anderson also rushed for 51 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

Khalil Frazier led the Bulldogs with 79 yards on 12 carries and DaQuan Deville had 79 on 14 carries. Elijah Smith had the other rushing touchdown.

Dimitri Cooper and Justin Carter led John Hardin with four catches each for 89 and 66 yards respectively. Cooper also had a touchdown reception.

“I don’t think they did anything we were not prepared for,” said Matt Gall, Highlands junior defensive lineman. “We just didn’t do our jobs collectively as a unit. We let our hearts get in the way. We didn’t play with our heads at the end of the game. It’s about better focus and I’m sure we’ll work on that this week.”

Highlands jumped out to a 12-0 lead to start the first quarter. Harris hauled in a 7-yard touchdown from Houliston with 9:14 left and Hergott caught a 5-yard touchdown minutes later.

John Hardin cut the margin to 12-6 with two Jacob Drexler field goals. The second one came with 7:42 left in the half.

Highlands increased its lead to 20-6 after Harris scored from five yards out before adding the two-point conversion run. Highlands missed the first extra-point attempt and did not convert the two-point attempt after the second touchdown.

The Bluebirds looked to put the game away in the third quarter when Hergott hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Houliston. But Smith responded with an 11-yard touchdown. That left the score at 27-12 in favor of Highlands after three quarters when John Hardin failed to convert the two-point try.

Houliston then completed a 12-yard touchdown strike to Feggins. That put Highlands up 33-12 with 11:43 remaining.

But John Hardin did not quit. Anderson completed a 41-yard touchdown to Cooper with 8:50 left before Anderson scored from two yards out to make the final score with 48.3 seconds left in the game setting up Harris’ onside kick recovery.

Highlands hits the road again Saturday at the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado. Game time is 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Highlands, John Hardin meet in 2009 5A title rematch

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands running back Jaylen Hayes (23) turns the corner in Friday's 62-44 win over Lexington Bryan Station while teammates like Justin Weyer (4) block. The Bluebirds hit the road for the first time this year with a 6 p.m. game in Elizabethtown against John Hardin.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It may not be conventional to play three consecutive road Saturday football contests.

But the Highlands Bluebirds play the first of them Saturday in Elizabethtown against a team they’ve beaten for a state championship during the current run of six in a row and 30-game playoff winning streak. Highlands takes on the John Hardin Bulldogs at 6 p.m. in a rematch of the 2009 Class 5A title game that Highlands won 35-7 in the only other meeting in school history. This comes after three home games to start the year.

One may assume Highlands scheduled things on Saturday to prepare for the big game at Covington Catholic in two weeks. But Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Dale Mueller said that’s how the schedule worked out.

“It was merely set up because we are so struggling to find games,” Mueller said. “Those are the only games we could find. I’d like to say we do that based on some reason. But the only reason we do it is because of who will play us.”

The undefeated Bluebirds (3-0) own a record of 90-3 since the start of 2007 and the Bulldogs have experienced similar success. John Hardin is 77-7 during that time with just one regular season loss in 2008.

John Hardin has had a tough time winning semifinal contests going 1-4 in five straight appearances including two straight losses to two-time 5A champion Bowling Green. The Bulldogs led the Purples, 13-6 late in the fourth quarter. But Purple quarterback Devin Hayes completed a short pass to standout wide receiver Nacarius Fant. Fant then tossed the ball to teammate Blake Pillow on a lateral and Pillow ran 74 yards for a touchdown with 1:36 left in the game. Fant then caught the two-point conversion pass from Hayes for the game-winner for the Purples, 14-13.

John Hardin opened in 2001 and the Bulldogs have not had a losing season since going 3-7 that year. They are 2-1 this year entering the game fresh off a 17-7 win over 6A Meade County on Friday.

The Bulldogs opened the year with a 35-6 win over Louisville Seneca before 2012 Class 2A semifinalist Louisville DeSales edged the Bulldogs, 25-20 on Aug. 30. That loss snapped a 43-game regular season winning streak that dated back to a 27-21 loss at Louisville Doss on Oct. 24, 2008.

John Hardin has a new head coach in Chad Lewis after Mark Brown led the Bulldogs in their first 12 seasons before retiring in January. But Lewis had been an assistant under Brown since the program’s inception including the last four as defensive coordinator.

“Most people would love the opportunity to play in semifinal games as we have the past five years,” Lewis said. “Unfortunately, it seems like this game is the game we hit a roadblock. A lot of that has to do with Bowling Green High being an outstanding program. We have been right in all five semifinal games except for one. If we catch a break here or there, then we would have been in more state title games.”

Highlands has a major advantage coming into the game as a two-platoon team with nearly 100 players. John Hardin has players going both directions with about 40 players listed on the roster.

“When you have as many players as Highlands (does), it allows you to play waves of kids throughout the game,” Lewis said. “We don’t have near that many players so we don’t have the opportunity to platoon. I wish we did, but we are not in that situation.”

The Bulldogs return just two offensive starters from last year including senior quarterback and free safety Patrick Anderson. Lewis said the offense flows through him in John Hardin’s double-slot Wing-T formation.

Anderson completed 5-of-7 passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns against Seneca to go with three interceptions and a fumble recovery defensively. Anderson completed 79-of-146 passes for 1,837 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions last year.

“We will stop the run and react to the pass,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “(Anderson) is a good athlete that makes plays. We will continue to focus on being fundamentally sound in all aspects of our defense. We don’t spend much time worrying about the other team with our guys. ‘Paralysis by analysis’ is what we do not want. Our game plan rarely changes from week to week. We worry about us.”

John Hardin graduated its top rusher and receiver from last year. Wade Holtsclaw rushed for 1,225 yards on 101 carries and 20 touchdowns last year with Dorian Collins hauling in 36 passes for 1,022 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Khalil Frazier and DaQuan Deville are trying to make up for Holtsclaw’s production in the backfield. Frazier ran for 75 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns against Seneca with Deville rushing for 94 yards on seven carries with a score. Deville also had two catches with Lavonte Wilson recording the longest reception of 28 yards.

The Highlands 3-4 defense has allowed an average of 23 points per game and 327 yards. Braden Hicks, Brady Murray and Joey Kruse lead the Bluebirds with two tackles for a loss with Hicks recording a sack. Joey Cochran, Matt Gall, Jake Parker and Thomas Wrobleski all have one fumble recovery with Griffin Urlage and Rocco Pangallo making one interception a piece. The Bluebirds faced a Wing-T team in University Christian to start the year.

“Basically, you focus on your (defensive) keys and keep everything in front of you as a secondary,” said Grayson Heck, Highlands junior defensive back. “(Facing University Christian) is going to help. Getting as many (repetitions) as we can against (a Wing-T offense) will help us.”

Highlands will counter with a Spread offense that is averaging 53 points and 477 yards of offense per game. The Bluebirds love to hustle to the line of scrimmage after the play ends and snap the ball quickly out of their no-huddle offense.

“We’re running all the time in winter weights,” said Sean Lemmons, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “That’s one of Coach Mueller’s main focuses. He always says if we save five seconds a play, we’re going to have five extra minutes at the end of the game with how many we plays we run. It just gives us a big advantage in tiring teams down. With our offseason program, we don’t get tired like they do.”

The Bluebirds scored eight touchdowns on eight possessions in the first half of the 62-44 win over Lexington Bryan Station on Friday. They’d love a similar start after not scoring any points in the first quarter of home wins over University Christian (Fla.) and Campbell County.

The Bluebirds are led by quarterback Drew Houliston and running back Zach Harris. Houliston has completed 54-of-76 passes for exactly 1000 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception. Harris has rushed for 298 yards on 34 attempts and seven touchdowns and caught nine passes for 174 yards and seven touchdowns.

Junior Jensen Feggins leads the Bluebird receivers with 10 catches for 157 yards and two scores. Twelve different Bluebirds have catches this year.

The Bulldog 4-4 defense is led by senior 6-foot-6 inch, 335-pound senior defensive lineman Matt Elam, junior linebacker Maleek Moody and senior linebacker Chris Smith. Moody and Smith led John Hardin with nine tackles each against Seneca.

“They’re big and fast,” Mueller said. “They really play a well-disciplined defense. We’ve been playing some three-man fronts so a four-man front can be a different look for you. If they blitz a guy, now they’ve got five guys coming. You have to first be able to block those guys before you can run a play.”

A Bluebird win would equal the 300th career victory as head coach for Mueller. Mueller’s record is 299-65 overall, including 240-34 at his alma mater. The 1973 Highlands alum went 48-12 at Cincinnati Withrow and 11-19 at Cincinnati Sycamore before coming back to Fort Thomas in 1994.