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Bluebirds Enjoy Life on Road; Volleyball Wins Three in Cake Classic

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior linebacker Mason Schwalbach (3) goes after Lexington Catholic junior running back Philippe Ilumva (42) in the 44-27 Highlands win on Friday.

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham. Highlands senior Brady Walz retrieves a ball during warm-ups Friday at Lexington Catholic.

Halfway through the season, only one road game remains. The Bluebirds completed their longest trip of the season with an 89-mile venture to Lexington Catholic and won 44-27.
"I personally enjoy road games more than home games," said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. "It's fun. It just seems like the day is more structured. We get in. We eat. We get on the bus. We're together. We drive. We get off at the rest stop. We get here. We don't have much time. We have to get dressed and go. We really are focused on what we have to do so away games are good to us because these guys know how to make business trips. On the ride down, every guys was tuned in to what they were supposed to do and showed up ready to go."

Highlands drops final two of Doc Morris Invitational

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior pitcher Ricky Raisor (24) fires to the plate in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team (7-8 overall) lost its last two games of the Doc Morris Invitational at Dixie Heights. Highlands has lost five in a row.

Bluebirds earn another semifinal victory

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.

Bluebird Notebook: Highlands successfully defends home field

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands quarterback Beau Hoge (7) makes a move in Friday's Class 4A state semifinal win over Lexington Catholic. Hoge ran for 137 yards, three touchdowns and passed for 206 yards in the 47-26 Bluebird win.

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands senior linebacker Rocco Pangallo (17) pursues Lexington Catholic quarterback Reese Ryan (left) in Friday's Class 4A state semifinal win. Pangallo had two sacks as the Bluebirds moved to 15-1 in state semifinal games since 1995.

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands senior defensive lineman Daniel Kremer (center) sacks LexCath quarterback Reese Ryan while D.J. Mills (42) closes in. Kremer and Mills had two sacks each and Mills added a fumble recovery in the 47-26 Bluebird win. The Knights had 27 rushes for a negative-46 yards with seven quarterback sacks.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds football team just needed to defend its home field to advance back to the Class 4A state championship game.

Highlands squares off with similar opponent in state semifinals

Allen Ramsey Photo. Highlands senior quarterback Beau Hoge (7) eludes Covington Catholic senior defensive back Sam Kathman (22) in Friday's region title game. The Bluebirds face the Lexington Catholic Knights at 6 p.m. Friday in the Class 4A state semifinals.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It may be Black Friday, but it’s also been a Blue and White Friday the previous seven years in Fort Thomas.

The Highlands Bluebirds (11-2 overall) have won seven consecutive state semifinal contests and are seeking another against the same opponent they’ve beaten in the last three in Class 4A in the Lexington Catholic Knights (10-3). Game time is 6 p.m.

Highlands holds off determined LexCath, 49-35

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

LEXINGTON – The Highlands Bluebirds football team once again forced the running clock.

It may have saved them in the end of a 49-35 Class 4A semifinal victory against the host Lexington Catholic Knights on Friday. Highlands (13-1) won its state-record 34th consecutive playoff game. The Bluebirds have outscored those opponents by 1,142 points for an average of about 33.6 points per game.

Bluebird Notebook: Highlands improves to 14-1 in semifinal games since 1994

G. Michael Graham. Highlands senior defensive back Jackson Bardo (3) escorts junior linebacker Brady Murray (with ball) downfield in the first quarter after Murray recovered a Lexington Catholic fumble. Highlands recovered two fumbles and intercepted one pass in Friday's 49-35 Class 4A semifinal win over the Knights.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

LEXINGTON – This one turned out to be the closest state semifinal win in a while.

During their state record 34-game playoff winning streak, no one had come within 21 points in the state semifinals. In their six consecutive state championship runs, no team had come within three touchdowns of the Highlands Bluebirds in the state semifinals. Highlands had won those six semifinal contests by an average of 29 points.

Highlands hopes for more Knights out

G. Michael Graham. Highlands defenders Nathan Merkle (39) and Braden Hicks (9) pursue on defense in Friday's 28-13 win over Covington Catholic. The Bluebirds travel to Lexington Catholic on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. Class 4A semifinal contest.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Now that they’ve beaten their arch-rivals for the second time this year, many around Kentucky have basically anointed another state championship to the Highlands Bluebirds.

That is understandable considering the winner of the Covington Catholic Colonel-Highlands playoff game has finished as state champions or state runner-up 10 times since 1994 when Dale Mueller became Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. The Bluebirds hope to make it seven straight state championships overall and seven straight championships the same year following a playoff win over the Colonels. Highlands beat CovCath for the third straight year, 28-13 in the regional championship game in Fort Thomas on Friday.

Highlands goes 1-2 at Lawrence County

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team started the season 1-2 with three games at Lawrence County on Saturday.

Highlands opened the season with a 3-2 loss in extra innings to the host Bulldogs. Jake Heck (0-1) took the loss for the Bluebirds.

Jake Whitford and Jake Lester turned in multi-hit games for Highlands. They both finished 2-for-3 at the plate.

Brandon Stevens picked up the win for Lawrence County. Ryan Kingsmore led the Bulldogs at the plate going 3-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Teammate Adam Cavins followed going 2-for-3 with a walk.

Highlands turned around and beat the Capital Cougars of Charleston, West Virginia, 13-6. Ben Vermeil (1-0) picked up the win for the Bluebirds.

Lester finished 2-for-2 with two walks reaching in all four plate appearances for Highlands. D.J. Mills followed going 2-for-3 with a double, walk and three RBI with Hector Molina going 2-for-4. Colin “Frog” Seidl added two walks, three runs and two stolen bases for Highlands with Quentin Murray and Whitford scoring two runs each. Whitford added two walks and Gabe Schultz had a triple.

Highlands concluded the day with a 3-1 loss to the Prestonsburg Blackcats. Kenny Ball (0-1) took the loss for the Bluebirds.

Highlands returns to action Monday at 5 p.m. The Bluebirds face the Holmes Bulldogs to open 9th Region action.

NewCath baseball drops two in Lexington:

The Thoroughbreds opened their season Saturday with two lopsided losses at Lexington Catholic All-Catholic Tournament.

The host Knights handed the Thoroughbreds a 9-0 defeat to open the season. NewCath recorded just one hit by Josh Cain.

On the other side, the Knights had just four hits but took advantage of seven NewCath walks and two errors. They scored six earned runs.

Connor Bartels took the loss for the Thoroughbreds. He allowed struck out three and allowed just one hit and two earned runs in three innings.

The Thoroughbreds then lost 16-6 to the Trinity Shamrocks. Cain took the loss for NewCath. He pitched three innings allowing just one earned run to go with four walks and one strikeout.

The game actually stayed close until the sixth inning. NewCath trailed just 7-6 entering the fifth when the Shamrocks scored four runs before adding six more in the sixth.

Cain, Mitch Pangallo and Zach Pangallo all had two hits each for the Thoroughbreds. Cain scored twice and had two RBI.

Nolan May recorded the win for Trinity. Justin Howard, Tyler Marshall, Hill Connor, Tyler Hunt, Bobby Graven and Brady Pfaadt had two hits each for the Shamrocks. The outhit the Thoroughbreds, 15-9.

NewCath plays host to Woodford County on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Freedom Park.

Highlands-LexCath Notes: Bluebirds contain Bouvier

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

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.

Knights Out: Highlands heading back to state championship with convincing win

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

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.

Highlands faces LexCath in 2011 semifinal rematch

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds do not need to be told every football team in Class 4A is aiming for them.

They’ve been in that position for years, especially with a state-record 21 state championships, including the previous five. Highlands (12-1) again puts its 28-game playoff winning streak on the line Friday against a team that could consistently challenge on a yearly basis.

The fourth-ranked Lexington Catholic Knights (11-2) come to Fort Thomas in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal contest at 7 p.m. Highlands downed LexCath, 42-21 in Lexington before beating Franklin-Simpson, 42-14 in the Class 4A title game a week later.

The Bluebirds beat the Covington Catholic Colonels, 28-13 in the Region 4 title game to make it to the semifinals. Down the road, LexCath rallied past Boyle County, 27-16 in the Region 3 championship. The Knights outgained the Rebels, 393-247 in total offense including 306-81 in the second half.