Highlands Girls Down Lloyd Memorial

Bluebirds Receive Contributions from Many Players in Win

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands freshman center Marissa Green (10) had a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds in the win at Lloyd Memorial on Saturday.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (6-12 overall) won its first 9th Region game of the year in seven tries with a 58-39 road win at the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts (7-12).

"I was really proud of how the girls came out and competed," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "It was a great contribution from everybody."

It started inside with double-doubles from their two tall centers. The 6-foot-2-inch freshman Marissa Green had 20 points and 12 rebounds with 6-1 senior CC Shick scoring 13 and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Eight different Bluebirds scored in the win. Highlands made 23-of-50 shots for 46 percent including 2-of-12 three-point tries for 17 percent. The Bluebirds also made 10-of-12 free throws for 84 percent to go with 38 rebounds, 16 assists, five steals and 17 turnovers.

Sophomore guard Laney Smith led Highlands with six assists and sophomore center Kasey Gross had two steals. Third-year starting point guard Alyssa Harris made her return to the line-up a few weeks ago. Harris was the lone starter returning from last season. Harris was not able to play soccer or run cross country in the fall.

"It's been amazing to finally get back out on the court," Harris said. "Obviously getting to still see the girls play before when I was hurt, it was nice to be a part of the team. But finally being able to do something that could make a change to the game was really nice."

Friday Round-Up: Bluebird Hoops win, State Bowling results

Highlands Earns Another 9th Region Win

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands junior Jacob Brass (rights) get down in defensive position in a recent game.

Strong defensive efforts have been helping the Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team (17-10 overall) down the stretch.

Another one in Erlanger on Friday led to an impressive 55-34 9th Region win over the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts (15-7). Highlands has won seven of its last eight games and is 11-2 in region play. Lloyd Memorial has lost three straight and is 8-4 in region play.

"You like for your seniors to step up and raise their level of practice and focus," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "I felt like we had a couple good days of practice leading into (Friday). At this point of time, you are who you are as a team. You try to fine-tune things. The biggest thing is having guys understand their roles and excel in the things that you ask them to do. I felt especially defensively, we did that."

Highlands High, Middle School Weekend Notes

Highlands Cheerleading Squad Places High in Nationals; Hoops Squads Post 9th Region Wins

Contributed Photo. The Highlands cheerleading squad placed 11th out of 41 teams in the Universal Cheerleading Association Nationals on Saturday in Orlando.

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior forward Adam Uhlenbrock puts up a shot in a recent game.

The Highlands competitive cheerleading squad made the most of its time in Orlando.

Highlands took 11th out of 41 teams in the nation at the Universal Cheerleading Association championships. The squad participated in the Small Varsity Co-Ed class that allows up to 20 individuals on the mat including no more than four boys.

Friday Highlands Basketball, Bowling Results

Ladybirds escape Lady Rebels for 19th win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Jenna Martin goes in for a score in a recent game. Martin scored 17 points to help Highlands to a 57-48 win over Boone County on Friday.

Instead of the lopsided score people expected in this one, the Highlands Ladybirds basketball team came away breathing a sigh of relief that it won.

Highlands (19-7 overall) pulled away from the visiting Boone County Lady Rebels (7-18) in the last two minutes for a 57-48 9th Region win Friday in Fort Thomas. Highlands moved to 12-2 in region play with its seventh straight win over the Lady Rebels.

Victories before Christmas

Highlands records 9th Region wins

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Former Highlands Ladybirds basketball players received recognition Thursday.

Two district wins during the regular season often mean avoiding the four-five seed elimination game in the 36th District Tournament in late February.

With two district games remaining, the Highlands Ladybirds (6-2 overall) took that big step with a 54-33 win over the visiting Bellevue Lady Tigers (5-4) on Thursday. Highlands moved to 2-0 in district action and 3-0 in 9th Region play.

Highlands hoops teams record wins

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Chandler Cain puts up a free throw in Friday's game against Lloyd Memorial. The Bluebirds ended a four-game losing streak with the win.

The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team (6-13 overall) ended a four-game losing streak with a 70-62 win over the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts (10-15) on Friday on Senior Night.

How did NC respond to the huge Lloyd swings?

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The visitors came out with some things unseen on tape.

But once the hosts figured them out, they rolled to another second-round Class 2A victory on Friday. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team (6-5 overall) managed the challenge of beating the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts, 39-17 a second time this season.

Who does NC face in a playoff rematch?

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It is not necessarily a preferred path.

But the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (5-5) face the task of beating a District 6-2A for the second time this season to move on in the second round of the playoffs. They take on the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts (8-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Newport Stadium.

Did NewCath earn its first win of the season?

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic running back Jacob Smith looks for room in the recent game against Dixie Heights. Smith rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown in NewCath's 28-0 blanking of Lloyd Memorial on Saturday.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

When the dust settled, the team with more success recently left with the victory.

Why are the NewCath, Lloyd records potentially deceiving?

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic's Job Freppon (24) and Luke Kues (7) pursue Dixie Heights quarterback Drew Moore (7) in Saturday's loss. The Thoroughbreds open district action Friday at Lloyd Memorial at 7 p.m.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It is a case of the looks on paper being potentially deceiving.

The defending Class 2A state runner-up Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds enter the game in Erlanger on Friday winless at 0-4. On the other side, the upstart Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts come in confident with an undefeated mark of 4-0. Game time is 7 p.m. Friday.

Lloyd-Highlands games moved to Wednesday

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The bad weather continued Friday leading to more cancelled games for the Highlands basketball teams.

NewCath snaps four-game slide

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

NEWPORT – That familiar, good feeling of the thrill of victory found its way back to the Hill on Friday.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds played tough defense the entire game before their offense finished off drives in the second half to beat the visiting Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts, 22-7 in the Class 2A, District 6 opener for both teams. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the defending 2A state champions. The Thoroughbreds have won 16 in a row over the Juggernauts dating back to 1991 and lead the all-time series, 31-6.

NCC, Lloyd square off in district opener

 

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic running back Jacob Smith (with ball) heads toward the end zone in Friday's game at Dixie Heights. The Thoroughbreds open Class 2A, District 6 action against Lloyd Memorial at 7 p.m. Friday.

 



By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The scene looks somewhat familiar for a good reason.

It was about a year ago on Oct. 6, 2012. The Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts came to Newport with a nice 6-1 record while the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds stood 2-4.

But the Thoroughbreds ran away with a 63-22 Class 2A, District 6 victory on their way to another district championship, an 11-4 record and ultimately a nine-game winning streak that led to their fifth state championship. NewCath holds a perfect 20-0 mark in regular season play against district competition since football in Kentucky expanded from four to six classes in 2007. The Thoroughbreds have won 23 straight regular season contests against district competition.

The Thoroughbreds (1-4) are hoping for more of that in addition to getting back to their winning ways. They play host to a 3-2 Juggernaut squad that has improved in recent years. Game time is 7 p.m. in Newport.

Injuries mostly on the offensive and defensive lines have hurt the Thoroughbreds big-time in their four-game losing streak. Opponents have dominated the line of scrimmage during that time. But NewCath hopes to have players like Stephen Brooks, Logan Neff, Jacob Wieland and Matt Lenz back back Friday. But NewCath Head Coach Wagner said those decisions will be made around Thursday when they see the doctors.

“We’re still preparing as if they will not be there,” Wagner said. “But they are out running around. They’re not allowed to do any hitting. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Lloyd Memorial comes into the game on a two-game winning streak. The Juggernauts own road wins out of Class 2A, District 5 opponents Owen County (34-7) and Gallatin County (28-0). The Juggernauts have a new head coach in former Boone County Offensive Coordinator Eric Turner. Last year’s head coach Josh Stratton took a job at New Richmond (Ohio).

“We have talked each game about next up,” Turner said. “Yeah, it’s NCC and (the Throughbreds) are a state champion caliber team. We have talked about as a team what our goals are for the season and what we have to do to achieve those goals. We have to have a great week of practice first and then play with everything we have on Friday. We believe if we do that, we will have no regrets.”

Lloyd Memorial has upgraded its schedule this year facing three 4A opponents after facing no one higher than Class 3A last year. Two of those 4A opponents have handed them two losses in Marion County (26-18) and Covington Holmes (34-28). The Juggernauts play Pendleton County later in the year.

Like last year, the four losses came to bigger schools for NewCath. The Thoroughbreds have been outscored 144-93 and outgained 1,905-1,013 in total offense.

“We have a lot of things to get better at (offensively),” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “I can’t put a finger on it to tell you the truth. We’ve been so inconsistent and have not executed a lot of things very well.”

The Thoroughbreds will run their Spread offense against a 3-5 Juggernaut defense. Senior quarterback Mac Franzen has completed 39-of-75 passes for 543 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. His top target has been 6-foot-5-inch wide receiver Tommy Donnelly with 10 catches for 235 yards and a touchdown.

“They give us quite a few match-up problems,” Turner said. “Donnelly is just one for sure. We have to remain disciplined on defense and each player must do his job. One breakdown and NCC will take advantage of that.”

Franzen and sophomore Jacob Smith lead the NewCath rushing attack. Last year’s top running back Dylan Hayes did a wonderful job following the NewCath linemen. Smith and the other NC runners hope to do a lot more of that this year.

“It’s about patience (in the backfield),” Smith said. “You have to watch what’s happening in front of you and learn what play is going on. You have to watch what the linemen are doing and make sure you hit the hole right.”

The Juggernauts will throw a mixture of formations at the Thoroughbreds. They ran a spread offense out of the shotgun last year. Senior Brian Warren had led the Juggernaut rushing attack before going out for the season with an injury at Owen County.

Turner said the Juggernauts lost a couple other key players to injuries at Owen County. But he likes how senior Jared Gabbard and junior Hayden Molitor have picked up their games. Both are listed as quarterbacks offensively and play in the secondary on defense.

NewCath will throw out its vaunted 4-4 defense. Senior linebackers Jack Sutkamp and Kalvin Moore led the Thoroughbreds there. They also help earn some big yardage on the ground.

“We’re just concentrating on getting better,” Wagner said. “We’re trying to eliminate all the other stuff and pay attention to what we’re supposed to pay attention to.”

NewCath leads the all-time series against Lloyd Memorial, 30-6. The Thoroughbreds have won 15 in a row over the Juggernauts dating back to a 31-29 loss on the last game of the 1991 regular season.

District 6-2A opponents continue to chase Thoroughbreds

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The theme for Class 2A, District 6 may not change much.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds have dominated district since Kentucky expanded from four to six classes in 2007. They are a perfect 20-0 in district action during that time.

Every team in the district has a new head coach with the exception of Covington Holy Cross. The only difference between new NewCath head coach Dan Wagner and the rest of the district is Wagner received an in-house promotion. That often means teams need to adjust to new philosophies.

Covington Holy Cross Indians (4-8 last year):

The Indians are the lone team in the district to return their head coach in former Cincinnati Bengal Bruce Kozerski.

They hope to put last year in the rear-view mirror quickly. The Indians fell apart after winning the state championship in 2011. Injuries, inconsistency and a seemingly lack of team chemistry contributed to the Holy Cross fall.

But Holy Cross does return senior Jalen Beal. The 5-foot-11-inch, 190-pound wingback returns to lead the Holy Cross shotgun spread offense. Beal rushed for 704 yards on 111 carries and 12 touchdowns last year but did not play in Holy Cross’ second-round 52-0 playoff loss to Newport Central Catholic because of injuries. Beal also caught 18 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns last year.

The Indians have two players battling for the quarterback spot in Senior Matt Stecht and sophomore Hamilton Scott. They will be protected by three offensive linemen who weigh more than 240 pounds in seniors Jake Ketron (6-3, 260), Sean Sullivan (6-1, 240) and Anthony Zimmerman (6-3, 260).

The defense needs significant improvement if the Indians are to challenge for another state championship. Opponents averaged nearly 40 points and 286 yards against the Indians last year.

Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts (8-4):

Josh Stratton seemed to have the program from Erlanger headed in the right direction. Lloyd lost in the second round of the 2A playoffs to Walton-Verona last year finishing second in district action.

But Stratton took the job at New Richmond (Ohio). The school hired former Boone County Offensive Coordinator Eric Turner to take that spot in the offseason.

“Coach Stratton and his staff did a great job the last two years,” Turner said. “My staff and I have inherited a great group of student-athletes. We are excited for the upcoming season. I feel like we can continue where Lloyd left off last year and take it even further with our senior leadership.”

The Juggernauts ran a spread offense last year. Turner said the staff is looking to add a mixture of spread formations and tight sets. He said he want to see balance offensively. Defensively, Lloyd will implement a 3-5 base defense.

Lloyd graduated starting quarterback Dexter Smith and wide receiver Akintomide Mejolagbe. But senior Jared Gabbard could step in at quarterback or running back and safety on defense with senior Kyle Grant manning a wide receiver and defensive back spot. Senior Brian Warren should contribute at running back and linebacker and junior Zach Riddle returns at wide receiver and defensive end.

“My staff and I have been working hard to show the kids we are here for them be it on the field or off the field,” Turner said. “We are also very excited and confident in what we are implementing at practice. The players are buying in and also are getting close to the staff on and off the field. I feel we have a real ‘One Team, One Goal’ attitude.”

Newport Wildcats (3-8):

Matthew Schmitz came up from Tennessee to try to revive this program.

The Wildcats graduated all-purpose back Daylin Garland. But senior Dominic Joseph and junior David Lynam could pick up the slack there and also contribute at linebacker as well. Senior wide receiver/defensive back JaQuan Short returns along with senior running back/linebacker Daryl Youngman.

In their losses last year, Newport allowed at least 30 points. Two of their three wins came against struggling 1A schools Dayton and Ludlow. Their third and only district victory came 54-8 against Bishop Brossart. They lost 42-7 in the first round of the playoffs at Walton-Verona.

Bishop Brossart Mustangs (1-9):

Former Ryle Offensive Coordinator and Pendleton County Head Coach Lee Teegarden takes over a program that has struggled since its first season in 2007.

The Mustangs moved up to Class 2A from 1A in 2011 and have yet to win a district contest. Opponents outscored them 199-17 last year.

Bishop Brossart’s leading rusher in Jacob Elbert graduated. He ran for 1,093 yards on 113 carries and eight touchdowns last year.

But Senior Casey Pelgen returns at quarterback and safety for the Mustangs. Senior  running back/linebacker Sean Tieman also returns. Sophomore Logan Schoulthies could play a pivotal role at running back and linebacker with junior guard/defensive tackle Jeff Steffen anchoring the lines.

Highlands pulls away from Lloyd, 41-30

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands guard Drew Houliston (right) looks to make a move in Friday's game at Lloyd Memorial. The Bluebirds downed the Juggernauts, 41-30 to snap a nine-game losing streak to 9th Region opponents.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

ERLANGER – The odds may be against them making the 9th Region Tournament this season.
 

But that does not mean the Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team won’t try. They’re trying to find some positive things to build on as tournament time approaches.

Highlands found some things to build on Friday with a 41-30 win over the host Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak against 9th Region opponents and let the Bluebirds avenge a season-ending 42-39 loss to the defending 34th District champions in last year’s region quarterfinals at the Bank of Kentucky Center at Northern Kentucky University. Highlands improved to 10-15 overall and 4-10 in region play and Lloyd Memorial fell to 6-15.

“Our word for (Friday) was hope,” said Mike Flynn, Highlands head coach. “When you have hope you have everything. When you have no hope, you have nothing. That’s what we need to hang our hat on.”

Both teams slowed the pace and tried to work the ball around for good shots. Highlands shot the ball better making 14-of-32 shots for 44 percent compared to 10-of-39 for Lloyd for 26 percent. The Juggernauts made just 3-of-19 three-point attempts for 16 percent while the Bluebirds missed all four three-point shots.

Highlands tried to take advantage of its size down low with Jake Gronotte and 6-foot-6-inch Nick True. The duo scored eight points each to follow Luke Turner’s game-high 12 points. True also grabbed seven rebounds.

“We’re practicing hard every day trying to get our fundamentals up,” True said. “All we’ve been doing is shooting in practice. It’s starting to help a little bit and will get better down the road.”

Lloyd won the rebounding battle, 26-25. But Highlands recorded 10 second-chance points to two for the Juggernauts.

Jarice Ewell led the Juggernauts with 10 points. He recorded two three-point plays in the second quarter. But the Bluebirds switched to a mixture of 3-2 and 2-1-2 zones to take away the Lloyd penetration after that.

“That slowed (the Juggernauts) down and kept them away from the rim,” Flynn said. “They’re a very quick team. They cut very hard probably better than anyone in the region. They were hurting us with that.”

The Bluebirds made their free throws when the Juggernauts fouled in the fourth quarter. They hit 13-of-19 attempts for 68 percent compared to 7-of-10 for 70 percent for Lloyd.

Highlands used a 6-0 run to go up 10-6 after the first quarter. Gronotte and Drew Houliston made two free throws each before True rejected a Lloyd shot then hit a jumper with 45 seconds remaining.

Lloyd tied the game at 14 before Highlands went on a 5-0 run. Bailey Witte hit a free throw before Turner scored four points. The Bluebirds led 21-18 at halftime.

The Juggernauts tied the game at 25 with 3:10 left in the third before the Bluebirds used a 6-0 run to go ahead for good. Turner hit a jumper and two free throws in that run and Gronotte hit another jumper.

Highlands then pulled away in the fourth. The Bluebirds hit 6-of-9 free throws in the game’s final 2:26 to pull away.

“You just have to take care of the ball and slow it down a bit,” Houliston said. “They were going to keep coming at us and trap us. We had to make smart decisions. I felt we did a good job of that.”

Highlands has two games left in the regular season. The Bluebirds play host to the Scott Eagles (13-11) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

NCC pounds Lloyd Memorial, 58-28

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds dominated the visiting Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts, 58-28 on Tuesday to stay unbeaten at 7-0.

NewCath improved to 5-0 against 9th Region competition. The Juggernauts fell to 2-5, including 1-4 in region play.

Guard Michael Bueter led the Thoroughbreds with 23 points and Jake Schulte added 15. Nine different NewCath players scored.

Bueter scored most of his points in the second quarter. He connected on four three-pointers en route to 19 points in the frame. NewCath turned a 10-7 lead after the first quarter into a 30-10 halftime advantage.

Schulte took over in the low post in the third quarter. He scored 11 in that quarter as the Thoroughbreds led comfortably 47-18 entering the fourth quarter.

NewCath plays host to rival Covington Holy Cross (3-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

NewCath faces Lloyd Memorial in key District 6 matchup

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team felt like another one got away last week in a 12-7 loss at Covington Holmes.

The Thoroughbreds said part of the reason was a bad week of practice. The Thoroughbreds may be 2-4 overall. But they are still 1-0 in Class 2A, District 6 action and face the Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts on Saturday in a crucial district contest.

“I think our kids understand we need to practice better if we want to play better on Fridays,” said Eddie Eviston, NewCath head coach. “Our kids are responding right now. Obviously, things start to get real in district play. We hope our kids respond on Saturday afternoon.”

The Juggernauts come into the contest at 6-1 overall and 2-0 in district play. Lloyd Memorial has wins over Owen County, Dayton, Walton-Verona and Gallatin County and has lost to Garrard County in non-district action. The Juggernauts edged defending state champion Covington Holy Cross, 36-35 on Sept. 21 before beating Bishop Brossart, 28-0 last week in district action.

Of those seven opponents, only two are not in Class 2A in Dayton (1A) and Garrard County (3A) and only Walton-Verona (4-2 overall) and Gallatin County (5-2) have winning records. Those seven opponents have a combined record of 19-25. Lloyd Memorial has outscored those opponents, 228-145 for an average of about 32.6-20.7.