Highlands seniors contributed well to program legacy

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The end result did not turn out the same for the previous six senior classes.

But the senior class of this past football season did what it could to add to the great history of Highlands Bluebird football. The Bluebirds rank second in the nation for the most wins in school history with 855 dating back to 1915. Valdosta (Ga.) is first with 882 victories since 1913.

Injured players still have roles for Bluebirds

 

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands sophomore defensive lineman Tyler Robinson (50) puts pressure on University Christian quarterback Billy Cobb (4) in Saturday's game. Robinson recorded the sack in the Bluebirds' 47-17 win.

 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter         

It can be a hard pill to swallow when you’re told you’re out for the entire football season.

The Highlands Bluebirds have endured their fair share of injuries early in the season. But for now, only two will not play this entire season. Senior offensive lineman Johnny Kemplin is out because of back issues and junior running back Josh Watson will miss because of a torn anterior cruciated ligament.

But both still plan to contribute to the team. Kemplin has been filming games.

“Johnny Kemplin is an example of guy that’s out for the good of the team,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Co-Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “We’re a fraternity of guys that are out to help the guys win. They may have injuries, but they're still going to do what they can to help the team win.”

Kemplin still hopes to help the Bluebirds celebrate another state championship. They’ve won 22 overall, including a state-record six in a row.

“The worst way to take care of it is to quit or get down,” Kemplin said. “You have to help out in any way you can even if it is just filling up water bottles, getting bags or even filing it so someone can watch it Saturday when we get done lifting. It’s a great way to help the team. If someone has a question on the offensive line, I can help them the best that I can so I can help win state championships down the road.”

Watson scored a couple touchdowns in backup duty as a sophomore. He hopes to come back stronger for his senior year, especially after running backs Jaylen Hayes and Zach Harris graduate.

“You just do whatever you can to help the team,” Watson said. “I need to work my hardest to come back. I study what I’ve done in the past and the play book. I can still get better physically in the weight room.”

The Bluebirds are especially hurting in the defensive secondary. Defensive backs Andrew Abner and Griffin Urlage missed the game because of various injuries. Urlage said he’ll be back for the Campbell County game and Abner said Friday it would be a game-time decision. Abner ended up not playing.

But the defensive backs did not need to defend too many passes. The three UC quarterbacks combined to complete just 4-of-12 passes for 67 yards.

Well-Hydrated:

Game-time temperatures hit 80 degrees. Some players went down because of cramps.

“I had to drink so much water these past couple days I had to go (to the bathroom) so many times,” said Ryan Greene, Highlands senior wide receiver. “We condition and sub a lot so we’re in perfect shape for the kind of style we play. I felt good the whole game.”

Highlands continuously subbed in fresh players. The weather and players going both ways may have had a lot to do with University Christian wearing down in the second quarter.

A good Highlands crowd showed up. But many fans left starting at the end of the third quarter because of the lopsided score and heat.

Settled at quarterback:

Highlands has its order set at quarterback. That order is senior Drew Houliston, junior Beau Hoge and sophomore Austin Hergott. Hoge also plays some wide receiver.

On the other side, University Christian tried three players at quarterback. None threw the ball effectively. That helped Highlands key on the Fighting Chrisitan running attack.

“You don’t really like that when you have a couple quarterbacks in the battle,” Mueller said. “But those are three great quarterbacks. They (UC coaches) came over and said, ‘Wow. Who’s that guy?' looking at (Austin) Hergott. Beau Hoge is a good quarterback, but it’s nice to have a clear number one.”

Facility Improvements:

Many noticed the new and taller scoreboard on the south side of David Cecil Memorial Stadium and the new and wider press box. Highlands recently spent $199,217 on its team last year after spending way less the year before. Booster clubs and nonprofit organizations spent $92,000.

The Highlands Athletic Boosters picked up the tab of $11,500 on the final payment of the field turf that was installed in 2002. The Fort Thomas Education Foundation donated $40,000 for the new scoreboard.

But Mueller also said the community helped Highlands install a $600,000 turf soccer field at Tower Park and add a new basketball and volleyball court at the gym.

“Everything is important in this community,” Mueller said. “This (scoreboard) was for our media department because it is a student-run thing.”

District 7 success:

All four Class 4A, District 7 opponents posted victories over the weekend.

On Friday, Covington Catholic handled Boone County, 48-0 and Covington Holmes downed in-town rival Holy Cross, 48-14 in Ben Nevels debut as head coach. The Indians, led by former Cincinnati Bengal Bruce Kozerski, have struggled going 4-9 since winning the 2A state championship in 2011.

The Harrison County Thoroghbreds knocked off Fleming County, 35-7. Harrison County and second-year Head Coach Jim Carr equaled last year’s win total. The Thoroghbreds finished 1-10 last year.

Pendleton County chose not to partake in district play this year. The Wildcats lost to Carroll County, 44-11 on Friday.

Highlands seeks history in 4A title game

Photo by G. Michael Graham/Fort Thomas Matters. The 2012 Highlands Bluebirds football team will be looking to add to the legacy on Friday against the Collins Titans. Game time is 8 p.m. EST at Western Kentucky University's Houchens/L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green.
 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It was not until recently that the Highlands Bluebirds football team heard about the Collins Titans.

That’s because the Titans (11-3) broke off from Shelby County in 2010. Collins is the last team standing in the way of history for Highlands. Class 4A’s top-ranked Bluebirds (13-1) will take the field in search of a Kentucky record sixth consecutive state championship Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at Western Kentucky University’s Houchens/L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green.

A win would give Highlands its 22nd state championship overall. The Bluebirds enter the game with an overall record of 841-225-26 since starting their program in 1915. That win total is good for second in the country behind just Valdosta (Ga.) with 876 victories since 1913.

Collins is 33-8 in its brief three-year history with three district championships. The Titans have advanced one round deeper into the playoffs each year having faced Louisville Western in three consecutive Region 2 championships. The Titans lost to the Warriors in 2010 by a 31-26 count before edging Western, 13-12 last year and 36-20 this year. Head Coach Jerry Lucas has led the building process for the Titans.

“(Lucas) is doing a great job,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands co-head coach. “Those are guys that were playing football at their previous schools. Those are some experienced football players who are serious about it. You can see that.”

Collins lost to 2011 runner-up Franklin-Simpson, 20-15 in the state semifinals last year. But the Titans came back to beat undefeated and third-ranked Warren East, 58-7 in the semifinals Friday.

“It was a neat experience for myself, our coaching staff and our kids to start a program and build it from the ground up,” Lucas said. “We have a beautiful school, great facilities and terrific kids. Shelbyville is a great town to live and raise a family. Our kids believe in our school and our program and it’s been fun being part of building the tradition at Collin High School.”

Aside from history, depth could factor into this contest. The Bluebirds dress more than 90 players and have no one playing on both offense and defense while the Titans dress about 50 and have several players going both directions. Highlands tends to wear down teams that have players going both ways.

“We are certainly honored to not only be making our first state appearance but excited to be playing a team with the history of excellence such as Highlands,” Lucas said. “We understand what we are up against playing a team like that has great players on both sides of the ball and knowing that they only play their kids on one side. At this point in the season, we just have to go out and play and let it all hang out.”

Highlands also played the tougher schedule having to go through ranked Ashland Blazer, Covington Catholic and Lexington Catholic to get to this point. The only ranked team Collins faced on its way to the state championship was Warren East. The first five Highlands opponents made it to the third round of the playoffs. One made it to the 6A state semifinals in Scott County, where it fell 21-14 to Louisville Trinity in the last minute.

Collins finished 2-2 6A competition in the regular season beating 7-5 Meade County (21-14) and 5-7 Oldham County (28-14) and losing to 11-3 6A semifinalist Louisville Eastern (41-29) and 6-5 Lexington Bryan Station (55-52). Aside from Louisville Western, the other common opponent is Boyle County. The Rebels beat the Titans, 49-26 in Danville eight days after Highlands rallied past Boyle County, 52-31 on Aug. 17 to open the season.

“It’s just great experience for guys playing in big games,” Mueller said. “That’s why we schedule the teams we do. It helps us get focused for this game.”

Junior quarterback Lawson Page completed 14-of-18 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns against Warren East. Like Highlands senior quarterback Donovan McCoy, Page wears number one and is a dual-threat out of Collins’ spread offense that mixes in some Power-I formations. Page has completed 185-of-346 passes for 2,825 yards, 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Page has also run the ball 155 times for 730 yards and five touchdowns for an average of 4.7 a carry.

“We’re going to try to keep (Page) inside the pocket and in front of us like we try to do with Donovan in practice,” said Nathan Merkle, Highlands junior defensive lineman. “If he gets outside the pocket, he can just run all over the field then he can throw it downfield to a wide receiver or take it to the house.”

Junior running back Deandre Farris is a threat to catch and run the ball. He leads the Titans with 128 rushes for 937 yards and 17 touchdowns for an average of 7.32 per carry. Farris also has 60 catches for 974 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Nathan Sames leads Collins with 62 catches for 994 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Collins has outscored the opposition, 562-349 for an average of about 40.1-25 a contest. Highlands has outscored its 14 opponents, 734-272 for an average of about 52.4-19.4. Collins has rushed for 2,681 yards and passed for 2,825.

The Bluebirds play a 3-4 scheme defensively. They’ve allowed 2,584 yards rushing and 1,272 passing. Senior Quentin Murray leads Highlands with five interceptions and brother Brady Murray, a sophomore linebacker, leads the way with two fumble recoveries. Reid Schroeder leads Highlands with eight tackles for a loss. Thomas Wrobleski leads the Bluebirds with 7.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss. Seth Hope follows with 6.5 sacks.

The Highlands offense has rushed for 3,696 yards and passed for 3,252 more. The Bluebirds have also scored 104 touchdowns this year. McCoy leads the way with 1,039 yards rushing on 148 carries and 20 touchdowns for an average of about seven a carry. McCoy has also completed 159-of-252 passes for 2,616 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Five Bluebirds have rushed for at least 430 yards. Junior Zach Harris follows McCoy with 130 carries for 905 yards and 18 touchdowns for an average of about seven a carry.

Highlands has 12 wide receivers with at least nine catches. Senior Luke Turner leads the way with 38 receptions for 795 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Luke Brockett has 21 catches for 358 yards and four touchdowns. The Bluebirds catch the ball all over the field making life tough for defenses.

“We can beat (opponents) either way,” said Ryan Greene, Highlands junior wide receiver. “If they’re playing up, we can hit them deep. If they’re playing deep, we’ll hit them short. We have a bunch of guys who think about the team more than themselves. I think that’s why we win a lot of games.”

The Bluebirds have won the state championship in 10-of-12 appearances in the title game since Mueller came on staff in 1994. The only years they finished runner-up were 1995 losing 28-12 to Bowling Green and 2003 falling 44-10 to Boyle County.

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 tame Warriors, 51-23

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

LOUISVILLE – The Louisville Western Warriors football team gave its best punch on its home field Friday.

But the Class 4A top-ranked Highlands Bluebirds responded every time and left with a 51-23 victory. Highlands still recorded its largest margin of victory this year after opening with 52-31 and 60-37 victories over Boyle County and Scott County at home. The Bluebirds’ average margin of victory is 24.

“We made some mistakes,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands head coach. “But we’re 3-0 and ready to move on to the next (game).”

But the Warriors of Class 4A, District 4 made the visitors earn the win despite falling to 0-3. The Highlands starters played the entire game. Western lost 13-12 to Collins in the state quarterfinals last year and lost 56-0 to Highlands last year in Fort Thomas.

The Warriors could not match the Bluebirds’ offensive balance. Highlands outgained Western, 467-296 in total offense. That included 256-17 in the air.

Highlands came into the game averaging 399 yards per contest on the ground. But Western ran a 5-3 stunting defense and held the Bluebirds to 211 carries on 32 rushes for an average of just under 6.6 a carry.

Thus, the Bluebirds attacked through the air and had a lot of success throwing deep. Highlands quarterback Donovan McCoy had career-highs completing 16-of-35 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. McCoy also rushed for 94 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns for an average of just more than 8.5 a carry.

“We’ve been running the ball more (lately),” Mueller said. “But in this game, we passed it more. We’re pleased with (the offensive balance) because we have a lot of good athletes.”

McCoy completed passes to nine different receivers. Luke Turner led the way with three catches for 46 yards and Colin Seidl had three catches for 35 yards. Teammates Ryan Greene, Brandon Hergott and Zach Harris all had two catches each for 74, 32 and 27 yards respectively.

“Getting separation and coming down with the ball is the most important thing,” Greene said. “(The quarterbacks and receivers) just have to get in sync with each other. It will come. We have a good quarterback in Donovan McCoy and good receivers.”

Harris also ran for 86 yards on 14 carries. McCoy has eight rushing touchdowns for the season and Harris has six.

Highlands still may have some work to do with its passing game. But it has made some strides since struggling in the scrimmage against Louisville Trinity. McCoy completed 9-of-19 passes for 200 yards with just a 33-yard touchdown to Turner against Scott County.

On the other side, Western quarterback Bryson Harris completed just 2-of-11 passes for 17 yards and three interceptions to Blake Schutte, Quentin Murray and Brady Murray. Ryan Love had both receptions for Western.

The Warriors turned the ball over five times to four for the Bluebirds. Both teams lost two fumbles each. Both Highlands’ lost fumbles came on onside kicks.

Western did have some success lining up in the I-formation and attacking between the tackles but could not convert on fourth-down inside the Red Zone. The Warriors also had some success on special teams (see sidebar).

Highlands took the lead for good at 10-0 after the first quarter converting on two Western turnovers. Harris scored from two yards out and Luke Brockett hit a 32-yard field goal.

The Warriors did gain some momentum in the second scoring eight points. But the Bluebirds answered with 20 to go up 30-8 at halftime. McCoy scored on a 32-yard run before throwing touchdowns of 35 and 21 yards to Greene and Brockett.

Western cut the margin to 30-15 in the third. But the Bluebirds answered quickly. Harris ran it in from a yard out to put Highlands up 37-15 after three.

McCoy had a hand in both Highlands touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He scored from 14 yards out and found Hergott from 13 yards out with 8:15 left in the game.

Highlands recorded two sacks by Schutte and Thomas Wrobleski for a loss of 17 yards. On the other hand, the Warriors sacked McCoy three times resulting in a loss of 21 yards.

Highlands returns home Friday to take on Mason County (1-3). The Homecoming game starts at 7:30 p.m.