Thoroughbreds, Camels meet in in-county clash

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

A rivalry game is probably what these two teams needed coming off losses Friday.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds and Campbell County Camels meet for the 38th time in Alexandria in a battle of 1-1 squads. NewCath lost to Cooper, 31-22 in the Skyline Crosstown Showdown and Campbell County lost at Highlands, 50-8.

The Thoroughbreds lead the all-time series, 26-11, but would love to quickly put away the tough memories from last year’s 42-16 defeat in what turned out to be their worst loss of the season. Campbell County quarterback Tyler Durham ran roughshod on the banged-up Thoroughbreds to the tune of 219 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns against a NewCath defense missing injured linebackers Brady Thacker and Jack Sutkamp.

That loss turned out to be the second of three straight defeats. But NewCath rebounded to win their fifth state championship while Campbell County won the Class 6A, District 6 championship for the second straight year before losing 29-21 to Simon Kenton in the second round of the playoffs.

Durham graduated. But new Camel quarterback Avery Wood has shown some promise in Campbell County’s spread offense. Wood has rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries for an average of 4.7 touch and completed 23-of-49 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown. Camel County has rushed for 545 yards and passed for 350 and have allowed 381 yards rushing and 473 passing.

“We have to play tough, responsibility defense,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath head coach. “You can’t try to do too much and take care of your job. This is why we play these teams. It’s the only way we’re going to get better.”

Wood’s top targets have been Nate Hess and Jake Zabonick. Hess has 10 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown with Zabonick grabbing eight balls for 73 yards. Wood completed a lot of short five to 10-yard passes to Zabonick near the sidelines against Highlands.

Alex Howard leads Campbell County in the rushing department. Howard has 140 yards rushing on 25 carries with two touchdowns for an average of 5.6 yards per touch.

“We spent a lot of time Saturday with our kids reviewing the film and learning from the mistakes we made,” said Stephen Lickert, Campbell County head coach of the Highlands game. “Our kids are intently focused on correcting our mistakes. Our kids are used to having short memories and not dwelling on the past.”

The Thoroughbred 4-4 defense knows it needs to tighten up against the run as teams have rushed for 498 yards against them. Ashland’s Quentin Baker ran for 236 yards and Cooper’s Avery Bricking ran for 125.

The Thoroughbreds are rotating in a lot of players on the defensive line. But there is some youth and inexperience on the defensive side for NewCath. Opponents have passed for 261 yards against the Thoroughbreds.

“We just need to make plays,” Wagner said. “We’re missing tackles. Kids come through unblocked and we don’t make the play. We’ll go back to working hard containing and tackling. We have a lot of work to do defensively.”

Sutkamp leads NewCath with 32 tackles defensively and Stephen Brooks ranks second with 20. Kole Zenni and Brandon Gray have recovered two fumbles each for NewCath.

The Thoroughbreds have run the ball for 378 yards and passed for 191 yards offensively. Quarterback Mac Franzen and running back Jacob Smith lead the way with 137 and 102 yards rushing respectively. Franzen found a lot of real estate against Ashland in the middle of the field.

“Franzen is an impressive athlete who can beat you with his arm and his legs,” Lickert said. “We must be very disciplined in doing our jobs and making sure we contain him.”

Franzen has completed 11-of-22 passes for 191 yards. Tommy Donnelly, Smith and Michael Runyon have three catches each for 75, 52 and 36 yards respectively.

Campbell County showed some vulnerabilities defensively in its 3-3 stack defense against Highlands. The Bluebirds gashed the Camels for 399 yards of total offense, including 318 through the air.

Senior defensive lineman Patrick Berkemeyer leads the Camel defense. He recorded the lone sack for Campbell County in the loss at Highlands.

The Camels have a new home stadium this year by the high school just outside of Alexandria. Last year’s game took place at the Pyramid at the Campbell County Middle School. Game time is 7 p.m.

Meek not on Roster:

Would-be senior defensive lineman Ross Meek did not return this year for the Thoroughbreds. Meek finished second on the team last year with 103 tackles.

Wagner did not elaborate on the situation. He just pointed out that Meek is no longer with the team, but pretty much everyone else returned.

Lady Breds shut out Lady Indians

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Lady Breds soccer team won its third straight with a 3-0 shutout of the host Covington Holy Cross Lady Indians on Wednesday at Farris Park.

NewCath (4-1) has shut out three straight opponents by a combined 9-0. Goalkeeper Meg Martin had to save just one shot for the Lady Breds.

Freshman forward Taylor Tolle led NewCath with two goals to up her total to five scores in two games. Teammate Allie Otten scored the other goal for the Lady Breds.

NewCath plays at St. Henry on Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m.

Tuesday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team earned its first win of the year at Newport on Tuesday, 2-0 (25-13, 25-17).

Highlands is 1-5 overall, but 1-0 in 36th District competition. Kaylan Frisch led the Bluebirds with six kills. Teammate Kaitlin Hall added 17 assists with Mallory Seidel talling five aces.

The Bluebirds return to action Thursday at home against Bishop Brossart. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Volleball:

Newport Central Catholic 3, Covington Holy Cross 2:

The Thoroughbreds moved back to .500 at 3-3 with a three-game win over the Lady Indians, 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-12). NewCath has won two in a row.

Alyssa Maier again led NewCath with 13 assists and five aces. Teammates Rachel McDonald added five kills and nine digs with Nikki Kiernan tallying four kills and four aces.

NewCath travels to Boone County on Thursday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Soccer, Girls:

Bishop Brossart 3, Highlands 1:

The Lady Mustangs came to Fort Thomas and escaped with a win.

Highlands (1-2-2) has lost two in a row after starting the year at 1-0-2. Kiersten Clukey scored the lone goal for the Bluebirds and goalkeeper Sarah Owen had three saves.

The Bluebirds play again Thursday at Simon Kenton. Game time is 8 p.m.

Soccer, Boys:

Boone County 4, Highlands 2:

The Bluebirds (2-3-1) could not knock off the defending 9th Region champion Rebels.

Chris Garbig and Cole Davis-Roberts scored the goals for Highlands. Goalkeepers Nick Breslin and Nathan Tippenhauer recorded five saves each for the Bluebirds.

Highlands plays host to Campbell County on Thursday. Game time is 8 p.m. at Tower Park.

Newport Central Catholic 11, Cooper 2:

NewCath won its third straight contest handily Tuesday.

Matt Tolle recorded a hat trick of three goals in the win for the Thoroughbreds. Teammates Gualt Nolan and Seth Freppon followed with two each. Noah Connolly, Ben Tierney and Brian Anderson scored the other goals. Goalkeeper Paul Grosser recorded six saves.

Cooper (1-5-1) has gone winless in six straight contests after beating St. Francis, 4-1 to open the season. Chris O’Brien and Zane Ross scored the Jaguar goals.

The Thoroughbreds (4-1-1) travel to North Hardin on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m.

Soccer: NewCath girls win 9th All "A"; Bluebird boys handle Bearcats

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic's Michaela Ware (white) and Beechwood's Madison Williams go after the ball in Saturday's game while teammates converge. NewCath won 5-0 to win the All "A" 9th Region crown at Farris Park.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

COVINGTON – It has been a while since the Newport Central Catholic Lady Breds soccer team has been to the All “A” State Tournament.

NewCath took a step closer to making it to Elizabethtown with a 5-0 victory over Beechwood at Farris Park on Saturday. NewCath advances to the Sectional contest against either Paris or Bishop Brossart after the regions were separated this year. The two play for the 10th Region crown on Sept. 7. NewCath captured three straight All “A” state titles from 2005 to 2007.

That is mostly because NewCath has played in the same region with the St. Henry Lady Crusaders. St. Henry had won the previous five 9th/10th Region All “A” Tournaments and even captured the All “A” state titles in 2008, 2009 and 2011 in addition to winning the overall state championship in 2010 to go with All “A” State runner-up finishes in 2010 and last year to Lexington Christian.

But St. Henry chose not to partake in the All “A” Tournament this year. Scheduling may have been the big issue.

“The All ‘A’ is tough to schedule because you have to keep three games open for Elizabethtown if you feel like you have a team that can go deep,” said Kevin Turnick, NewCath Head Coach. “You can get the three games, lose the three games or try to finagle a schedule where you can work it out with another school that says, ‘I’ll play you later on down the road if I don’t get to the All ‘A.’ You just somewhat manage your schedule. I think we’re going to keep our game with Beechwood and we hope Villa Madonna does the same just in case we don’t get down to Elizabethtown. It all depends on what you want to do. In my experience, we’ve gone down there and beaten teams 6, 7 or 8-0. In the end of the year, what is that really doing?”

Freshmen forward Taylor Tolle led NewCath with a hat trick of three goals and junior midfielder MiKayla Seibert scored the other two. Tolle credited her teammates for getting her in position to score.

“(My teammates) were making good through passes and switches (to the middle of the offensive box),” Tolle said. “You just have to get to an open spot, not get offsides, try to get past the defenders and punch it through.”

The Lady Breds outshot the Lady Tigers, 18-5. NewCath goalkeeper Meg Martin saved all five Beechwood shots and Cara Schwartz recorded 13.

NewCath did a good job defensively in front of Martin. The Lady Breds booted out all the balls that entered their defensive box.

“We make sure we have our marks on the outside,” said Erin Ackerson, NewCath junior defender. “If (opponents) have a person in the center, we make sure we stay on them so they can’t any through balls over. It’s about keeping tight in the defensive third (of the field).”

The Lady Breds played without six key players Saturday. Three seniors were already out in Sam Bunzel, Amanda Schabell and Caroline Kinnett. Kinnett is out for the year with Bunzel and Schabell possibly returning soon.

Then during the game, Chandler Cain, Allie Otten and Donnelly Simmins came out because of either injuries or heat exhaustion. All could return soon.

The temperatures hit the 90s Saturday. But NewCath covered its bench to give the players and coaches shade while Beechwood’s bench was shaded by trees. The teams played four 20-minute sessions because of the heat.

“I was definitely concerned about the safety on both sides,” Turnick said. “The younger kids stepped up. We tried to get into a rhythm of keeping possession and not running all over the place. We also tried to get as many subs in as we could in critical spots to keep people fresh.”

Tolle scored her first two goals a minute into the game and with 22:15 remaining in the first half. Seibert received her first goal toward the end of the half by booting a corner kick that Schwartz tried to play. But it went off her into the goal.

NewCath put the game away in the second half. Seibert scored her second goal with 16:45 left in the game and Tolle added her final one with 8:15 left.

“That (second-half run) was critical because in our semifinal game against Villa (Madonna) and even going back to our game against Ryle on Monday, the confidence somewhat dropped when we started losing some starters,” Turnick said. “Things fell apart. On Thursday, we took a different approach to practice and kind of shocked the players some. We wanted to make sure the reason they’re here to play soccer is the energy and passion of playing. Beechwood is not a bad team. We kept things simple and we played the way we’re used to playing.”

NewCath travels back to Farris Park to face Holy Cross on Wednesday. Game time is 5 p.m.

Boys Soccer:

Highlands 6, Walton-Verona 0:

The Bluebirds (2-2) held the Bearcats without a shot in a Saturday afternoon contest at Tower Park.

Andrew Barnes, Cole Davis-Roberts, Nathan Tippenhauer, Jimmy Penrod and Vadim Lightner all scored for Highlands. Teammate Jordan Jarvis tallied two assists with Penrod, Logan Groneck and Eric Schurr making on each.

Highlands travels to defending 9th Region champion Boone County on Tuesday. Game time is 8 p.m.

Highlands hammers Campbell County, 50-8

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

This in-county game might become a great rivalry one day.

But on Friday, it was all Blue and White after the first quarter. The Highlands Bluebirds rolled to a 50-8 victory over the visiting Campbell County Camels in the 60th overall meeting between the two teams, but first since 2004.

Highlands ended up outgaining Campbell County, 402-196 in total offense. Quarterback Drew Houliston led the way completing 18-of-26 passes to nine different receivers. Zach Harris tallied 72 yards rushing on 10 carries and three catches for 90 yards for four touchdowns to lead Highlands and Alex Veneman had three catches for 97 yards.

The Bluebirds took the lead for good when Houliston completed two shovel passes to Zach Harris for 48 and 35 yards respectively. Highlands led 14-0 with 6:32 left in the first half and 22-0 at halftime after Harris scored on a 7-yard touchdown run and Ryan Greene scored the two-point conversion on a reverse.

“It’s a new play we put in this past week,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Football Coach/Offensive Coordinator, of the shovel pass. “They executed it pretty well. The line opened up huge holes. Zach has such great vision down the field.”

The Highlands offensive line once again blocked well. The Camels sacked Houliston just once.

“The (offensive) line is really stepping it up,” Mueller said. “We kept Scotty Turner out of the game because he was bumped up. Kyle Thurson didn’t play this week also. We probably played 10 different guys on the offensive line.”

Quarterback Avery Wood led Campbell County completing 13-of-27 passes for 131 yards. He also rushed for 50 yards on 12 carries.

The Camels drove inside the Bluebird 20 twice in the first quarter. But the Highlands defense held Campbell County to no points in the Red Zone.

“If we finish a few drives, it’s a different score. We’re going watch the film,” said Stephen Lickert, Campbell County Head Coach. “We didn’t make (plays on Friday), but we will make them. You have to execute and you can’t turn the ball over when you play them. You also have to wrap up and tackle. They have some great athletes.”

Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Brian Weinrich was not pleased with the Bluebird defense despite allowing just the one Camel score in the fourth quarter. It came when Wood found Nate Hess for a 45-yard touchdown with 6:20 left in the game.

“I feel like they were doing what they wanted to at will,” Weinrich said. “We kind of lost our focus from last week. We have to do better. We put ourselves in some situations we should not have.”

The Camels tried to throw a lot of out routes to Jake Zabonick. Zabonick finished with six catches for 62 yards.

“We used one of our best (defensive backs) in Jackson Bardo,” said Braden Hicks, Highlands senior defensive lineman. “He did a good job playing off (Zabonick). When they threw the ball out to him, (Bardo) came up and made the play.”

Highlands played without senior defensive lineman Seth Hope. The Cornell commit decided to rest because of a left ankle sprain.

“We have a lot of great (defensive) linemen,” said Jake Parker, Highlands senior defensive end. “That’s going to help us later on in the season.”

Highlands added two touchdowns in the third quarter. Harris had a 9-yard touchdown run and Veneman caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Houliston. Ryan Greene set up the play running a reverse the first time and faking it the second time and the offensive line gave Houliston plenty of time on the play.

“It has a lot to do with conditioning,” said Matt Farney, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “We started in January and went all summer to be able to run, get down and get your hands up to make a block on (opponents). When we get out there fresh, it’s a big help.”

The Bluebirds extended the margin to 43-0 when Jaylen Hayes scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass. After Hess’score made it 43-8, sophomore running back Nicholas Kendall returned the ensuing kickoff back 93 yards for a touchdown.

“At first, I wasn’t really seeing the end zone at all,” Kendall said. “Then I made a cut, saw the wide-open field and ran (hard). I had great blocking. That’s going to help us out a lot.”

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association moved the mercy rule down to a 36-point margin as opposed to 45 last year. The running clock does not stop if the opponent cuts the margin below 36 points like Campbell County did in the fourth quarter. The running clock begins at any time during the game as opposed to the second half like the orginal rule made in 2001.

Other states have the mercy rule lower. Florida sets its rule at 35 and Georgia goes even lower at 30.

That will make it difficult for Highlands to match the 2011 team’s state record of 849 points in a season. The Bluebirds put up 781 points last year.

Highlands continues action Friday against Lexington Bryan Station (1-0). The Defenders take on 2012 Class 5A champion Bowling Green at Lexington Catholic at 5 p.m. today.

Notebook: Bluebirds handle heat well

 

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands running back Zach Harris (center) takes the handoff in the Bluebirds' 50-8 win over Campbell County on Friday. The Bluebirds improved to 51-9 all-time against the Camels with the win.

 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Hydration is a big thing during the early warm months of the season.

Games have been played in 80-degree temperatures to start the season. But that does not bother Highlands Bluebirds football team because of its depth. The Bluebirds are 2-0 after a 50-8 win over Campbell County on Friday.

“The guys do a good job of getting water,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “They start all through the day. You see them in classes drinking water or Gatorade. Then they get to the game and they’re already ahead in the game.”

The Bluebirds have a new water system this year. Bluebird defensive end Jake Parker also said drinking a lot of Gatorade helps prevent cramps.

“It’s really important, because if not, you’re going to go out there, be lazy and miss blocks,” said Matt Farney, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “You’ll give up a sack. Then you’ll want to do better and you’re going to make mistakes.”

Tough First Quarters, Strong Finishes:

Highlands has not scored any points in the first quarters of either game this year.

But the defense has come through holding University Christian (Florida) and Campbell County to a combined three points in that quarter.

“They were playing us well,” Mueller said of the Camel defense. “They were dropping great into coverage. They had a great game plan. They guys try hard. They’re playing good, reliable football.”

But it’s been different in the other three quarters. The Bluebirds outscored the Fighting Christians and Camels, 97-22 the rest of the way.

Highlands has scored at least 22 points in two quarters this year. The Bluebirds posted 27 in the third against University Christian and 22 in the second against Campbell County.

No Luck against the Alma Mater:

Campbell County Head Coach Stephen Lickert fell to 0-3 all-time against his alma mater. The former Bluebird running back and inside linebacker also coached against Highlands twice as head coach at Covington Holmes.

The Bluebirds dominated both of those meetings. Highlands won the 2007 and 2008 meetings, 52-14 and 70-8 respectively.

The 1997 Highlands graduate helped the Bluebirds to their first state championship under Mueller in 1996. The downed Hopkinsville, 21-14 in the 3A title game that year back when there were four classes.

Depth Factor:

The Bluebirds continue to develop players with nearly 100 on the roster.

Junior James Grau saw some action last night after the game was out of reach for example. This lets the coaching staff see them on film and evaluate them.

“It’s really important because if they get hurt, then you have to go in,” Grau said. “I have to keep the team alive and it’s always good to have good depth.”

Turnover Battle:

The Bluebirds had no turnovers against Campbell County, but did manage to take away two.

Both came in the second half. Highlands junior defensive back Griffin Urlage picked off an Avery Wood pass and Parker recovered a fumble on the second-half kickoff.

Series Results:

Highlands improved to 51-9 against Campbell County in the all-time series.

The Bluebirds have also played Dayton and Covington Catholic 60 times each in school history. They are 43-17 against the Colonels and 47-10-3 against the Greendevils.

The only other schools the Bluebirds have faced more than Dayton, Campbell County and Covington Catholic are Covington Holmes 71 times Dixie Heights with 70 meetings. The Bluebirds are 49-20-2 against the Bulldogs and 62-8 all-time against Dixie Heights.

Series vs. County opponents:

Highlands moved to 196-55-10 against opponents in Campbell County all-time with the win. The Bluebirds had not played any team within the county since 2004 prior to that game.

The Bluebirds have not played Dayton, Bellevue and Newport in a while and have not battled Newport Central Catholic since 1998. Highlands is 30-12-4 all-time against Bellevue, 46-17-3 against Newport and 22-7 against NewCath.

Continuing the series:

Many teams do not reschedule the Bluebirds after taking beatings like this. But Campbell County plans to do the opposite for now.

“That tradition has been here forever,” Lickert said. “It’s going to stay here. Our objective is to keep playing Highlands so we can get familiar with them and end up beating them at some point.”

Class 4A, District 7 Notes:

Highlands rival Covington Catholic did manage to hold off Dixie Heights, 21-13 to move to 2-0. The Colonels played without quarterback Adam Wagner (knee) and running back Luke Bir (shoulder).

The Colonels will be tested in a week when defending Ohio Division I champion Cincinnati Moeller comes to town. Game time will be 1 p.m. in Park Hills.

Covington Holmes (1-1) took one on the chin Friday as Scott pounded the Bulldogs, 40-14. Holmes travels to Lloyd Memorial on Friday.

Harrison County travels to Grant County today to play in the Commonwealth Counseling Bowl at 5 p.m. The Thorobreds (1-0) are trying to double last year’s win total.

Jaguars pull away from Thoroughbreds in second half

 

G. Michael Graham Photo. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds line up in their recent win over Ashland. NewCath fell to Cooper, 31-22 on Friday in the Skyline Crosstown Showdown at Dixie Heights.

 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Most teams who come out plus-four in the turnover department win football games.

But that did not happen for the Newport Central Thoroughbreds in the Skyline Crosstown Showdown at Dixie Heights on Friday. The Cooper Jaguars still moved the ball better in a 31-22 victory. Both teams are 1-1 on the season.

Cooper lost all six fumbles and the Thoroughbreds threw two interceptions. But the Jaguars outgained the Thoroughbreds, 376-209 in total offense. NewCath could not stop the balanced Cooper attack. Jaguar quarterback Will Ludwig completed 17-of-29 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

“I knew they were going to be a pretty decent, tough team and they were,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath head coach. “We had momentum early and lost it. Once they got it, they didn’t let it go.”

His top target was Corey Fussinger. Fussinger had six catches for 77 yards and Aaron Morgan had five catches for 41 yards. The Jaguars also saw running back Avery Bricking run the ball 17 times for 125 yards.

“We didn’t do a really good job with one particular pattern that we have to fix,” Wagner said. “We didn’t do a real good job with one particular run pattern that we have to fix. I think we have people getting there, but the technique is lousy so we have to get better at it.”

Defensively, the Jaguars made things tough for the Thoroughbred offense. Jacob Newumann recorded eight tackles and four sacks with Fussinger adding another two sacks.

NewCath quarterback Mac Franzen completed 8-of-15 passes for 135 yards. Tommy Donnelly led the Thoroughbreds in that department with two catches for 63 yards.

The Thoroughbreds led 7-0 after the first quarter. Michael Runyon hauled in an 11-yard pass from Franzen. But Cooper came back to tie the game when Bricking broke free for a 45-yard run in the second quarter.

NewCath took its final lead in the second quarter when Jacob Weiland recovered a Cooper fumble in the end zone. But Logan Turner hit a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-10 at halftime.

The Jaguars pulled away with 21 consecutive points in the second half. In the third quarter, Ludwig hit Fussinger for a 9-yard score and Morgan for three yards to give Cooper a 24-14 advantage. The Jaguars made the score 31-14 in the fourth quarter when Tanner Kissel hauled in a 21-yard pass.

NewCath’s lone score of the second half came when Jack Sutkamp scored on a 2-yard run. Donnelly hauled in the two-point conversion pass from Franzen.

The Thoroughbreds hit the road Friday for an in-county game at Campbell County. Game time is 7 p.m. in Alexandria.