Bluebirds Reach 16 Wins for First Time Since 2008-09 Season

Highlands Handles Mason County

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham. Highlands seniors Jack Hegge (3) and Alex Starkey (32) slide over on defense in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball team (16-10 overall) made Senior Night special in a 74-58 non-region win over the Mason County Royals (10-13).

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.