Highlands boys downs Beechwood; NCC girls win at buzzer

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands' Bailey Witte (12) guards Beechwood's Kyle Fieger (with ball) in Friday's game. The Bluebirds pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 49-38 9th Region victory.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The host Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team wanted to carry some momentum into the postseason.

They continued their late-season surge with a 49-38 9th Region win over the Beechwood Tigers on Friday. Highlands won its final three regular-season contests to enter tournament play 12-15 overall after winning just 10 games all of last season. The Bluebirds moved to 5-10 in region play.

The Bluebirds had to come from behind once again outscoring the Tigers (8-20), 22-6 in the fourth quarter. Highlands hit 8-of-13 free throws for 62 percent in that quarter and 11-of-18 for 61 percent for the game.

Highlands hoops hopes to turn corner this year

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds basketball is receiving virtually no recognition in the preseason.

But that’s fine with the Bluebirds. That often allows teams to sneak up on people and Highlands could be a sleeper in the 9th Region this year.

Highlands last won a district crown in 2008. The Bluebirds’ last of 12 region titles came in 2001. They won it four out of five years between 1997 and 2001.

The Bluebirds are entering their fourth season under head coach Mike Flynn after finishing 10-19 last year. Highlands lost 49-44 to Newport Central Catholic in the 36th District championship and 42-39 to Lloyd Memorial in the 9th Region quarterfinals. The Bluebirds have gone 38-45 under Flynn.

Highlands graduated three starters off last year’s team in Patrick Towles, Carter New and Sam Lewis. Towles led the team in scoring.

But the Bluebirds will field a deep team this year with 19 players listed on the roster. The two returning starters are senior 6-foot-2-inch forward Luke Turner and senior 6-2 guard/forward Bailey Witte. They averaged eight points per game last year.

“The reason I’m enthusiastic is we now have a program where our kids are dedicated and committed to playing in the offseason,” Flynn said. “That’s been a gradual building process. You can see the upgraded skill level we have.”

Highlands has two other seniors on the roster. They are 5-9 guard Karl Hinkel and 6-3 center/forward Jake Gronotte.

“I think our depth is going to help us a lot,” Hinkel said. “A lot of us have been playing together for a long time. We all know how everyone has played.”

Deep teams tend to play up-tempo basketball. That is what the Bluebirds plan to do. They want to use a different number of presses and mostly man-to-man defense with a mixture of zones.

The biggest key to Highlands’ success is how quickly the football players get into basketball shape. About half the team played for the Bluebirds football team that won the Class 4A state championship, 47-0 over Collins at Western Kentucky University on Friday.

“For me, it’s not as hard because I’ve been running, running, running in practice anyway,” Turner said. “It’s definitely a bit of an adjustment because you can’t turn it off. Football is more of a sprint then you get a little break. In basketball, you have to keep going. We’re not taking any day off getting back into it.”

Gronotte said the seniors have different ways of leading. The Bluebirds lost a lot of games in the final stanza last year.

 “Myself, Karl and Bailey have been here since October so we’ve been playing together for two months,” Gronotte said. “Luke (Turner) is a natural leader. He comes in and gets everyone pumped up. We need to keep the volume up on the court and play our hearts out every play.”

The seniors said junior 6-1 guard Drew Houliston had a good offseason. Big things are expected from Houliston and 6-6 junior center Nick True. Houliston and True averaged six and four points a game last year.

Witte said the Bluebirds did struggle some against presses last year. But Witte listed some keys to handling pressure. The other guards in juniors Brendan Buten (5-6), Luke Brockett (6-0) and sophomores Jackson Hall (5-8) and Justin Weyer (5-11) could play big roles in bringing the ball up the court. Junior 6-1 Brandon Hergott could also bring the ball up the court as a guard or forward.

“We need to keep pushing the ball,” Witte said. “It’s a matter of not turning the ball over. We want to play our offense toward the middle of the floor and away from the sidelines. The sideline is an extra defender.”

The Bluebirds list six other forwards on the roster. They are juniors Ryan Greene (5-11) and sophomores Josh Watson (5-10), Parker Harris (6-3), Josh Salter (6-2), Jensen Feggins (6-1) and Kenny Ball (6-0). Sophomores Todd Ramey (6-3) and Reilly O’Hara give Highlands depth at the center spot.

Flynn said it normally takes football players a month to get their basketball legs under them. But once this team does, Flynn said it could be an exciting year, especially after December.

“High school basketball is one of the best entertainment values going compared to movies and all that other stuff,” Flynn said. “We’re going to play up and down and be exciting to watch.”

Highlands faces St. Henry at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Highlands claims 16th district crown in 17 years

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

COVINGTON – Fans and outsiders see things like overall program wins and consecutive state championships.

But the Highlands Bluebirds football team players and coaches will be the first to say they look at accomplishing things on a day-to-day or year-to-year basis. This year’s Bluebirds can now say they have an undisputed Class 4A, District 7 championship after a 57-28 victory over the host Covington Holmes Bulldogs at Tom Ellis Field on Friday.

“We were looking to play really well in this game,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Co-Head Coach. “The guys were ready to play and we jumped on them right from the start.”

The Bluebirds (8-0 overall, 4-0 district) have won six consecutive district championships and 16 in the previous 17 seasons. The only year they did not win a title was 2006 when Covington Catholic beat them on a last-second touchdown pass.

Highlands prepares for another big game vs. CovCath

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The date of Nov. 11, 2006 seems like ages ago.

The Highlands Bluebirds ventured to Covington Catholic and fell 25-15 in the second round of the Class AAA playoffs. The Colonels won the state championship weeks later in the final year before the Kentucky football playoffs expanded to six classes.

But since then, it has been all Blue and White. The Bluebirds have racked up seven consecutive over their arch-rivals going 77-2 since that day just more than 70 months ago. This includes two victories last year, 42-39 at CovCath in the regular season and 42-14 in Fort Thomas in the state quarterfinals en route to a fifth straight state championship. Highlands increased its all-time record to 41-17 against CovCath with those two wins.

The atmosphere at David Cecil Memorial Stadium should again be rocking Friday when the two Northern Kentucky football powers meet again. The Bluebirds enter the game with a perfect 4-0 mark and the Colonels come in at 4-1 in the Class 4A, Region 4, District 7 opener for both squads.

Covington Catholic’s lone loss came on Aug. 31, 27-11 at Cincinnati La Salle of the Greater Catholic League South Division. The Lancers used stellar defense to win the game and scored when senior defensive back Jaleel Hytchye intercepted CovCath quarterback Blake Bir and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown.

La Salle forced four Colonel turnovers in that game. Freshman running back Jeremy Larkin returned a punt 65 yards and defensive back Lemuel Weyer picked up a fumble and brought it back another 10 yards for two more Lancer touchdowns.

Playing in big games is nothing new for either squad. During the 77-2 run, Highlands also has huge wins over Greater Catholic League South powers Cincinnati Elder and Cincinnati St. Xavier. The Bluebirds opened the year with huge wins over Boyle County and Scott County. Since losing 60-37 in Fort Thomas on Aug. 24, Scott County has won three in a row over Harrison County (61-6), Madison Central (41-16) and Tates Creek (71-13) to move to 4-1 overall.

“We purposely try to play in big games to get ready for the big games,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands head coach. “So many guys on our team have been playing sports for so long. They’ve been good athletes and have played in championship games so they’re used to playing in big games.”

The best news for Highlands is the Bluebirds come in after playing their most complete game of the year in a 61-3 Homecoming domination of Mason County. Highlands increased its season averages to eight touchdowns, 56 points and 529 yards of offense per contest and also increased its average margin of victory to 32.5 points.

The Bluebirds hope to use their depth to win another big contest. Out of their spread offense, the Bluebirds have run for 1,164 yards and passed for another 952. Quarterback Donovan McCoy leads the balanced attack with 326 yards rushing on 35 carries with nine touchdowns for an average of just more than 9.3 a carry. He’s also completed 58-of-98 passes for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Bluebirds fine-tuned their passing game against the Royals. McCoy completed 33-of-44 passes for 400 yards and six touchdowns. Highlands did not run the ball much until late in the game. The offensive line gave McCoy plenty of time to throw.

Fourteen different receives have catches for the Bluebirds. Luke Turner leads the way with 10 catches for 193 yards and Colin Seidl has nine for 136. Turner, Ryan Greene and Nick True have two touchdown receptions each.

“It throws (defenses) off a lot because they have to worry about the run and the pass,” said Brandon Hergott, Highlands junior wide receiver. “When we’re running up the middle, it makes teams tighten up their defense so we can throw the ball over the top. We go as hard as we can every play. That makes us so successful.”

Highlands ran the ball well against Boyle County and Scott County before reverting to a balanced attack against Louisville Western. The Bluebirds have four guys with more than 200 yards rushing. After McCoy, they are Zach Harris with 320 yards rushing on 50 carries with six touchdowns for an average of 6.4 per touch; Ryan Donovan, 217 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns for just more than 12 yards a carry; and Jaylen Hayes, 208 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns for an average of just more than 12.2 a carry.

Highlands will face a stingy Covington Catholic 3-3 stack defense. The Colonels have blanked three opponents allowing just 33 points this year for an average of 6.6 a contest. Sophomore linebacker Sam Burchell leads the Colonels with 41 tackles and senior defensive lineman Dan Hellman has 32. The Colonels have picked off four passes and recovered two fumbles.

“I’ve been real impressed with how they’ve played,” Mueller said. “Each guy is quick on the field and has been doing his job. They’re playing a great as a team. You can see football means a lot to them.”

The Bluebird 3-4 defense squares off against a prolific CovCath spread offense led by Bir. Bir is being recruited by Northwestern University, Duke Univeristy, Indiana University and Mississippi State. Bir has completed 82-of-144 passes for 1,315 yards and 17 touchdowns.

“We just have to keep our depth and keep everything in front of us,” said Griffin Urlage, Highlands sophomore defensive back. “Their receivers are very good and (Bir) is really good. (Bir) has a really good arm and he’s really accurate. We have to know who we’re covering and know our keys.”

Eleven different receivers have catches for CovCath. Junior Evan Braun leads the way with 19 catches for 328 yards with three touchdowns and senior Ethan Egbers has five catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns.

Bir is also dangerous on the ground. He ran some quarterback draws against Campbell County. He has 120 yards rushing on 25 carries for an average of 4.8 per carry.

“It’s difficult when you’re playing a quarterback who can do so many things,” Mueller said. “He throws it short and deep well. He also runs it well so you have to play great team defense.”

The Colonels thought Sam Dressman would emerge as a solid running threat in place of the graduated Gabe Gray. Dressman has just 40 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns. Bir’s younger brother Luke and Bobby Beatrice have carried the load so far running the ball. Beatrice has 214 yards on 42 rushes and a touchdown averaging just more than five per attempt and Luke Bir has 208 yards on 29 carries for an average of just more than 7.1 per attempt. Beatrice and Luke Bir have one rushing touchdown a piece.

The Highlands defense has done a good job recording turnovers all season. The offense constantly turns the turnovers into points. The Bluebirds scored a combined 39 points off turnovers against Boyle County and Scott County.

Blake Schutte leads Highlands with two interceptions. Urlage had one against Mason County last week.

Game time is 7 p.m. in Fort Thomas.

Highlands obliterates Mason County, 61-3

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matter Sports Reporter

Everyone associated with the Highlands Bluebirds football team knew this was bound to happen.

The Bluebirds had been playing good, but not great football by their standards. So they had an intense week of practice and ended up thrashing the visiting Mason County Royals, 61-3 at David Cecil Memorial Stadium on Friday for Homecoming.

“We’re really pleased with what we did in all aspects of the game,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands head coach. “We really feel we have a number of All-State caliber players and we hadn’t been doing that yet.”

Class 4A’s top-ranked Bluebirds moved to 4-0 overall for its 24th consecutive win and 42nd straight home win improving to 77-2 since the start of 2007. Mason County dropped to 1-4. They Royals are 3-12 since the start of 2011 after two straight seasons losing in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.

Highlands came into the game with an average margin of victory of 24 points and also averaged 54.3 points and 512.3 yards per contest. The Bluebirds obliterated the first average and ended up topping the other two outgaining the Royals, 571-128 in total offense.

The Bluebird defense played its best game of the year coming out and hitting hard. The first three opponents averaged 30.3 points and 264.3 yards per contest rushing. Highlands held Mason County to 51 yards rushing on 25 carries for an average of just more than two yards a touch.

The Bluebirds keyed on Mason County standout tailback Rashon Nelson holding him to 45 yards on 13 carries. Nelson ran for 191 yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns in Mason County’s 37-22 win over Harrison County last week.

“We really worked on what we messed up against Louisville Western,” said Austin Peterson, Highlands senior defensive lineman. “We stayed closer to the line (of scrimmage), stayed lower and made sure we kept our gaps and played fast.”

The Bluebirds moved the ball up and down the field at will against the Royals mostly through the air and did not punt in the contest. Senior quarterback Donovan McCoy completed 33-of-44 passes for 75 percent. His completions to 11 different receivers netted an even 400 yards of total offense with six touchdowns.

Sophomore backup quarterback Beau Hoge completed Highlands’other pass attempt. It was a 16-yarder to Ryan Donovan in the fourth quarter.

Highlands opened up its passing game more against Louisville Western after dominating Boyle County and Scott County on the ground to open the season. McCoy completed 25-of-54 passes for 456 yards and four touchdowns in the previous three contests.

Nick True led Highlands with seven catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns and Jac Collinsworth had five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. Jensen Feggins, Ryan Greene and Luke Turner had one touchdown reception each for the Bluebirds.

“We knew we had to get our passing game going,” Collinsworth said. “We’d had our running game going for a while now. We wanted to work on our routes, get Donovan some throws and really get our guys going. We really took our biggest step up as far as our passing game.”

Highlands only ran the ball 11 times in the contest. Most of the runs came in the second half with the game out of reach. Donovan led the Bluebirds with 125 yards rushing on eight carries with two touchdowns. McCoy had the other three carries for 30 yards and his ninth rushing touchdown of the year.

Highlands opened the game with an oneside kick and recovered it. The Bluebirds drove down the field and scored when McCoy zigged and zagged through the Mason County defense for a 7-yard score to put the Bluebirds up for good at 6-0.

Highlands scored two more touchdowns in the first quarter to go up 20-0. Feggins hauled in a 6-yard pass and Collinsworth hauled in his first touchdown pass of the year from a yard out.

Mason County put together its longest drive to start the second quarter completing some short passes. The Royals hit a 30-yard field goal to cut the margin to 20-3. But Highlands responded with 14 in the quarter to go up 34-3 at halftime when Greene caught an 8-yard touchdown pass and Turner hauled one in from 47 out.

“We just started playing (the short passes) better,” Mueller said. “Sometimes, you can get a play on our defense once. But it’s hard to come back and get it a second time because once we’ve seen it, we’re pretty much ready for it.”

Highlands put the game away in the third to force the running clock. True hauled in 5 and 8-yard touchdown receptions and Donovan scored from two yards out in the third and four in the fourth for their touchdowns.

The Bluebirds return home Friday to face Blake Bir and the arch-rival Covington Catholic Colonels (4-1) back at David Cecil at 7 p.m.

 

 

Bluebirds welcome Mason County for Homecoming

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Even though they are putting up jaw-dropping numbers, any of the coaches and players for the top-ranked football team in Class 4A would tell you they can play better.

The Highlands Bluebirds enter tonight’s Homecoming contest against Mason County at 3-0 overall fresh off their biggest win of the season, 51-23 at Louisville Western. The Bluebirds are outscoring teams 54.3-30.3. They are also outgaining opponents, 512.3-370.3 in total offense including 336.3-264.3 rushing and have a plus-five turnover ratio.

But the Bluebirds were not happy with the slow start, the defense against the running game up the middle and the special teams play against Western. Highlands hopes to clean those things up against an improving Royals team that comes in 1-3 off a 37-22 victory against Harrison County, a Class 4A, District 7 opponent of Highlands. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Royals.

The Bluebirds led just 10-0 at halftime before Western scored eight straight to pull within two at 10-8. The Bluebirds recorded an interception and scored. After that touchdown, Highlands senior center Mitch Dee. shouted, “We score every time, not just once.” The Bluebirds led 30-8 at halftime and did not put the game away until the fourth quarter.

In the win over Western, Highlands allowed 279 yards rushing on 44 attempts for 6.3 a carry. The Bluebirds also gave up 278 yards on nine kickoff returns for an average of 31 per return and had four turnovers.

Two running backs rushed for more than 100 yards for Western. Cory Durham ran for 147 yards on 18 carries for an average of just more than 8.1 a touch and Dion Sutton ran for 123 yards on 16 carries for an average of just more than 7.6 a touch.

The Bluebirds will line up their 3-4 defense against another offense capable of putting up big numbers on the ground. The Royals line up in an I-formation set and ran for 247 yards against Harrison County. Junior Rashon Nelson had 191 yards on 35 carries for an average of just under 5.5 a carry and two touchdowns to lead Mason County.

“The key is playing great team defense,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands head coach of defending Nelson. “It’s about everyone doing their job.”

While Highlands focuses on those things, Mason County knows it could be overmatched against the deeply talented Bluebirds. Highlands is 76-2 since the start of 2007 and owns a 41-game home winning streak with 23 straight wins overall.

“We are really impressed with them,” said David Buchanan, Mason County head coach. “We are going to try to be sound and get the best keys and reads we can get. They have great players and their schemes are very good as well.”

Highlands ran for 798 yards total in home wins over Boyle County and Scott County. But the Bluebirds passed for a season-high 256 yards at Western out of their spread offense. Quarterback Donovan McCoy completed 16-of-35 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns to nine different receivers. McCoy also ran for 94 yards on 11 carries.

Overall, McCoy has completed 25-of-54 passes for 456 yards and four touchdowns. Luke Turner and Colin Seidl lead the Bluebirds with seven catches each for 121 and 120 yards respectively.

McCoy, Zach Harris and Jaylen Hayes have rushed for more than 200 yards. Harris has 320 yards on 50 carries with six touchdowns for an average of 6.4 a carry and McCoy has 296 yards on 32 rushes for an average of 9.25 a run and eight touchdowns. Hayes did not have any carries against Western but still has 208 yards on 17 carries for just more than 12.2 a carry and four scores.

Mason County mixes up its coverages on defense. Western keyed on the running attack. But that did not bother Highlands.

“We plan on doing whatever the defense gives us and being good enough to take advantage of it,” Mueller said. “They are a well-coached team with 11 good defensive players.”

Mason County struggled to a 2-8 campaign last year after going 10-2 in 2010 losing to eastern Kentucky power Belfry, 27-14 in the second round of the 3A playoffs. Highlands beat Mason County, 71-8 last year in Maysville.

The Royals went 11-1 with an undefeated regular season in 2009 before losing 26-23 to Pike County Central in the second round of the 3A playoffs. Mason County is in Class 3A, District 6 with Fleming County, East Carter, West Carter, Russell and Lewis County. Buchanan has been the head coach since 1996.

“It is the same formula as always,” Buchanan said. “We try to get better on a daily basis and we try to play one play at a time the best we can. We still have a long way to go, but we really like this group.”

Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Fort Thomas.

Highlands heads to Louisville for first road game Friday



By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
The deep talent pool does not just help Class 4A's top-ranked Highlands Bluebirds football team physically.
It also helps the Bluebirds' mental approach in games they're supposed to win handily. If a player goes in thinking, "They're no good, so we can take the night off," that player will come out. But generally, Highlands has not had this issue over the years.
"Our guys work at football year-round," said Dale Mueller, Highlands head coach. "We have maybe 200 practices a year and we only have 15 games so when they get a chance to play a game, they're looking forward to that game. So we never have a problem overlooking anybody."
The 2-0 Bluebirds hit the road for the first time to take on the Louisville Western Warriors of District 4. Western is also in Class 4A with Highlands. The Warriors finished 7-6 last year losing 13-12 in the regional title game to Collins, including a 56-0 loss in Fort Thomas.
Western is 0-2 in two home games so far this year under new head coach Torrey Shinholster. The Warriors fell 20-6 to Louisville Ballard on Aug. 17 before losing 28-0 to Louisville Male.
Male happens to be the second-winningest program in Kentucky with 818 wins all-time behind Highlands' 830. Highlands and Male rank second and third in the country behind Valdosta (Ga.) with 870 wins.
The Warriors have struggled finding an offensive identity in the first two games. They've tried a number of formations like the Power-I and the Spread.
"They have some good players on (offense)," Mueller said. "When they find what they're good at, they're going to be dangerous."
Highlands will counter with its 3-4 defense. The Bluebirds have allowed 815 yards of total offense, including 514 on the ground. Scott County ran for 253 yards as a team, but most of that came in the second half with the Bluebirds up comfortably.
The Bluebirds constantly disrupted the Scott County Traditional Wing-T attack in the first half. The Cardinals had to take to the air down big and Blake Schutte and Ben Streeter picked off passes to set up Highlands scores. Schutte also recovered a Cardinal fumble. The Bluebirds have a plus-4 turnover margin and have scored 39 points off those turnovers to none off two turnovers for opponents.
"(Pressure on quarterbacks) definitely helps because the quarterback has to make a quick decision," Streeter said. "Many times, he ends up throwing it to the wrong guy so you get interceptions. If it is a run, defensive penetration helps linebackers because the running back will bounce outside or cut in (to the other defenders)."
The Highlands offense will face a Western 5-3 defense that likes to stunt a lot. Male quarterback Tyler Erny threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns in Male's win Friday.
"They're difficult to block," Mueller said. "They're really looking to disrupt your game because they'll bring eight different guys. They put you in bad field position. They've made a lot of teams go three-and-out regularly."
The Bluebirds will bring their prolific spread offense to Western. They average eight touchdowns, 535 yards and 56 points per game.
Highlands has averaged 399 yards per contest rushing the ball. Zach Harris leads the Bluebirds with 36 carries for 234 yards with Jaylen Hayes going for 208 yards on 17 carries and quarterback Donovan McCoy running for 202 yards on 21 touches. McCoy has six touchdowns with Harris and Jayes running for four each.
Highlands' offensive line has done a good job opening up holes. The linemen constantly push defensive linemen upfield. But their job does not stop when the runner gets 20 yards or more up the field.
"We are conditioned to run down the field and follow the ball because anything can happen," said Scott Turner, Highlands offensive lineman. "Balls can pop out or helmets get on the ball and the ball goes flying. You just have to be there to get the ball."
The Bluebirds can throw the ball if necessary. McCoy also has completed 9-of-19 passes for 200 yards and a 33-yard touchdown pass to Luke Turner. Senior wide receiver Jac Collinsworth said he hopes to make his season debut after sitting out the first two games with a hamstring injury.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Louisville.