Highlands Thursday Results

Highlands Volleyball Handles NewCath

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Jade Rehberger (19) and sophomore Lindsay Stein (13) get in position in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team (16-3) came into this rivalry game with a much better record.

But the Bluebirds did not give the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (6-10) any hope dispatching them 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-11). Highlands has won seven of the last eight meetings.

"Over the last couple years, it's been good that they have been able to still keep that rivalry to a degree and not put too much energy to that because I think that just loads too much pressure into the match," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "Really, we kind of prepared for this match the way we did the rest of the season just really talking about our side of the net, talking how we handle us. Then as we see things come up, we deal with the opponent."

That lone loss came during the regular season last year. But NewCath graduated five players off that team including Madison McCloskey. Her younger sister Riley McCloskey transferred to defending state champion Notre Dame.

Highlands had 39 kills and assists, three solo blocks, 73 digs and 11 aces in the victory. Senior Sophia Sarakatsannis had 20 digs, six aces and a kill. Senior Honor Valentine had 13 digs and an ace and senior Madison Clore had 10 digs and an ace.

The solid serve reception allowed the setters to do their thing. Senior Madison Opitz had 25 assists and 11 digs with junior Kenzi Vennefron recording 14 assists and seven digs.

Senior CC Shick led Highlands with 18 kills and added five digs. Senior Avery Cavacini followed with seven kills and senior Nicole Ossege had six kills. Senior Lauren Buemi had five kills and two solo blocks.

"This is always going to be a big game to us," Buemi said. "Keeping calm is always our thing. Coach (Sallee) always says to play Highlands volleyball. To us, that means full effort all the time. Go for any ball. Just do as much as you can no matter what. Always look ahead, not behind."

The Bluebirds continue 36th District action Tuesday at Newport. Game time is 6 p.m.

Soccer, Girls:

East Central (Indiana) 1, Highlands 0:

The Bluebirds (5-2) could not penetrate the East Central back line in the loss.

Highlands managed seven shots with three on goal. East Central had seven shots on goal. Highlands senior goalkeepers Hailey Parks and Meg Gessner had two and four saves respectively.

The Bluebirds take on Eastern Brown from Sardinia, Ohio on Saturday. Game time is 6 p.m.

Soccer, Boys:

Summit Country Day 2, Highlands 1:

The Silver Knights (3-0-2) escaped with a win over the visiting Bluebirds (8-3-1).

Senior Jordan Frisk scored his sixth goal of the season for Highlands tying the team lead. Junior Peyton Helminiak had his fourth assist also tying for the team lead.

Highlands had seven shots on goal, 10 fouls, one corner kick and two yellow cards. Junior goalkeeper Connor Mathis had five saves and sophomore Jack Wilson had seven for the Bluebirds.

Highlands Volleyball Earns 15th Win of Season

Bluebirds Take on Newport Central Catholic on Thursday

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Lauren Buemi prepares to serve in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team (15-3 overall) experimented with a different line-up in the 9th Region match-up against the Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs (4-12) in a 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-8) win.

Holmes has lost 10 in a row. The Lady Bulldogs have won just one set during the losing streak.

"We did a good job. (The new line-up) in and of itself takes a minute to get into a groove then in general trying to find your own controlling the tempo kind of thing," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "Once we got through the first few points, we kicked into a rhythm. I was proud of the team for doing the job. I was encouraged to see everyone contribute and to remember the depth we have."

Highlands landed an astounding 23 aces in the win. Junior setter Kenzie Vennefron led the way with seven to go with 14 assists and five digs. Senior Josie Steppe had five with senior Lauren Buemi landing four to go with 10 kills, one assist and one dig. Eighth grader Hayden Gessner had three to go with one assist and five digs.

The Bluebirds also had 29 assists and kills to go with three solo blocks and 38 digs. Senior Honor Valentine had 10 digs and one ace. Senior Madison Clore had six digs, two aces and an assist. Senior Madison Opitz had 11 assists.

Seniors Avery Cavacini, CC Shick and Nicole Ossege had four kills each. Shick and Cavacini had two digs each. Junior Emma Daly and sophomore Rachel Ossege had three kills each.

"I think (the coaches) gave everyone an equal opportunity and when it's my turn, I really like to prove what I can do," said Carly Cramer, Highlands junior. "We like to come out and play the same game against every opponent."

Saturday Highlands Results

Highlands Soccer, Volleyball Teams Victorious

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham. Highlands sophomore forward Ava Meyer (13) and sophomore forward Lindsay Stein get (17) get in position in the win at Campbell County on Friday.

The rivalry week for the Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team (5-1 overall) concluded with a nice road win.

Highlands ventured south to take on the county rival Campbell County Camels (7-3-1). The Bluebirds built a 5-1 lead and did not let it slip away in a 5-2 victory in a game featuring two head coaches with a common mentor early in their coaching careers. Chuck Norris mentored his son in Highlands Head Coach Chris Norris and Campbell County Head Coach Dave Morris years ago.

Highlands did better in a battle of ball-possession teams doubling the amount of shots against the Camel. The Bluebirds had 22 shots with 16 on goal to 11 shots and eight on goal for the hosts. Highlands won a lot of the 50/50 balls near midfield. Highlands midfielders such as seniors Julia Heck, Lucy New and sophomore Ava Meyer held strong there.

"It's pretty much a mentality thing just being first to the 50/50s that way we can just play it to our other teammates' feet," Heck said. "We've learned that it's really not about location. It's about who we're with and our team. We just push through no matter if it's grass or turf."

Highlands did commit eight fouls to four for Campbell County. But both teams had two corner kicks.

The Bluebirds knew they had to contain Campbell County junior forward Ruby Dunlevy. She scored two goals off two free kicks. Dunlevy has a team-high 15 goals and five assists for 35 points and has a school-record 41 career goals.

"We anticipated that it was going to be more long balls so we changed up our back four one more time because we wanted to add a bit more speed and I thought we were able to contain the long ball like that," Chris Norris said. "We kept forcing Dunlevy to the side and not letting her get into the middle. Her free kicks are fantastic. We mentioned that we can't foul anymore in the back 30. I'm glad that we shut her down for the most part in play."

Highlands did continue to play some young players in the defensive backfield because of injuries. But the likes of senior defender Jade Rehberger and freshmen Kate Fausz and Kendall Graves held their own back there.

Highlands senior goalkeeper Hailey Parks had five saves before junior goalkeeper Angelica Jackson came in late to make one. Campbell County junior goalkeeper Morgan Rawe had nine saves.

Highlands sophomore forward Laney Smith had a hand in all five goals in the victory. She scored on a corner kick and had four assists for six points. Smith has five goals and a team-high six assists on the season for a team-high 16 points. Smith and senior midfielder Faith Broering are tied for the team lead with five goals.

"We've been working on quick releases in the offensive third and allowing other players to get involved vs. always trying to rely on Faith and Laney," Chris Norris said. "They're amazing players in their own right. They're being hammered. We saw how many times Faith got hit in the middle of the field. We saw how often Laney had two players on her."

Smith found Broering for a score just four minutes, 13 seconds into the game. But after Dunlevy tied it less than a minute later, Smith found fellow sophomore forward Claire Cavacini for the score to put Highlands up 2-1 at halftime. Minutes before, Smith just missed a solid shot off the left post. Cavacini has four goals on the season.

"I think it gave us a lot of intensity and urgency to push us to want to score more and more," Cavacini said. "I think when we play (the ball) to feet, we play a whole different game and it benefits us 100 percent. I think it's a good win for us and it's going to push us to want to not get close games like (the 4-3 win at Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday) again."

The Bluebirds built the 5-1 lead in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Smith scored on a corner kick from Rehberger with 36:40 left in the game.

Senior forward Chloe Bramble scored twice with 24:24 and 20:02 left in the game. Bramble has three goals and three assists on the season for nine points. 

"Chloe Bramble was finishing strong," Chris Norris said. "We can't do that without everybody getting involved. I think everybody's starting to learn their role a little bit more and they're starting to really support each other both offensively and defensively. You can see their confidence and communication growing. They have a great sense of team right now. So if we can just continue that mentality over the next month, I think we'll be a force to reckon with in October."

Dunlevy scored her second goal with 15:35 left in the game. But the Camels did not score again allowing Highlands to put in some reserves.

"It's very difficult to prepare for," Morris said of the Highlands scoring balance. "I watched them play on film and knew they had a turn, play long speed up top. It was going to be very difficult to contain them. I was hoping we'd do better. But we made a few mistakes in the back and gave up the two early goals. We had to be aggressive at midfield and contest every ball. That was our goal for the game. We had periods where we did that. As soon as we didn't do that, then they would get the ball all over the field. It made for a long day."

The Bluebirds take on East Central (Indiana) on Thursday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Soccer, Boys:

Highlands 2, Lexington Henry Clay 0:

The Bluebirds (7-2-1 overall) earned their first Saturday win of the season against a familiar opponent in the Blue Devils (5-5) in Lexington. This marked the third shutout of the season for Highlands.

"We like coming to Lexington for these trips," said Chad Niedert, Highlands Head Coach. "We hope that have multiple (trips to Lexington) because it's a good sign of a deep postseason run. It's a little bit different when you have these long trips in getting game ready when you get in the lull in an hour and a half-plus drive. But we came out and started well. We played really well. We've been working on various things like individual and team defending things. A lot of that translated well with what we did (Saturday)."

Highlands had 16 shots with 13 on goal to five shots on goal for Henry Clay. Junior goalkeeper Connor Mathis had three saves and sophomore Jack Wilson had two.

Highlands junior midfielder Caden Schroeder scored an olympico goal directly off a corner kick in the first half. That marked his third of the season.

"We've been pretty solid on our set pieces," Niedert said. "The wind was quite extensive. We don't normally get a lot of wind at our field (Tower Park). In the first half, we had the wind at our backs going straight toward Henry Clay's goal. We hit the right spot and got a goal from it."

The Bluebirds added a goal in the second half. Junior defender Luke Fedders threw the ball in to senior midfielder/forward Jordan Frisk. Frisk took a touch in the middle and scored for his fifth goal of the season.

Highlands last played Henry Clay in the state quarterfinals at Tower Park on Oct. 26, 2019. The Blue Devils won 2-1 (4-3 on penalty kicks) on their way to the state championship.

"We all that it was a good feeling to come back and beat them after they knocked us out of the state tournament," said Chad Gesenhues, Highlands sophomore forward/midfielder. "I think it's mostly going into headers and tackles fearless almost wanting to run through and win the ball then making a play out of it and not just hold onto it."

Highlands travels to Covington Catholic (1-4-5) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Volleyball:

Highlands Places Third at September Slam:

The Bluebirds (14-3 overall) hoped to play for the September Slam championship in the afternoon. But they had to settle for third after finishing 3-1 in pool play.

Highlands took down Dixie Heights, 2-0 (25-20, 25-18) before losing 2-0 to eventual tournament champion Covington Holy Cross, 2-0 (25-18, 25-18) in pool play. The Bluebirds took out Southwestern located in south central Pulaski County by a 2-1 score (17-25, 25-19, 15-7).

"I think we would have liked to have performed better against Holy Cross. Obviously that dropped us to this match," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "We didn't have the chance to fight for first place. But for us to come off a loss and finish strong was good. I'm pleased with that."

Highlands found its groove against Southwestern in the second and third games. Seniors Avery Cavacini and CC Shick dominated the nets. Shick had 12 kills and eight digs with Cavacini recording two kills, two solo blocks, one assisted block and four digs.

"As always, every aspect of the game is super important," Cavacini said. "But being consistent up at the net and being able to read the other team is vital to help our back row play."

The Bluebirds had 30 kills and assists, three solo and two assisted blocks, three aces and 51 digs against Southwestern. Senior Sophia Sarakatsannis had three kills, one ace, one assisted block and eight digs. The Bluebirds figured out Southwestern's tapping game in the second and third games.

"We've played a lot of volleyball this past week so we were trying to squeeze it out and I think we did that well," Shick said. "We just try to focus on grit and what's ahead of us - the next game and the next point all the time."

Junior setter Kenzie Vennefron had 24 assists and sophomore setter Madison Opitz had four. Senior defensive specialist Madison Clore had 13 digs with senior Honor Valentine recording seven.

Highlands had two aces, 19 kills and assists, one solo block and 35 digs against Holy Cross. Shick had nine kills, one solo block and six digs. Vennefron had two aces, 17 assists and six digs. Sarakatsannis had two kills and 10 digs.

The Bluebirds had three aces, 30 assists and kills, three solo blocks, two assisted blocks and 13 digs against Dixie Heights. Shick had 12 kills and eight digs. Vennefrom had 24 assists, four digs and one kill. Clore had 13 digs. Senior Lauren Buemi had six kills, one ace, one solo block, three digs and one assist. Sarakatsannis had eight digs, three kills, one solo, one assisted block and an ace.

Highlands takes on Covington Holmes (4-10) on Wednesday. Game time is 6 p.m.

Football, Junior Varsity:

Highlands 36, Campbell County 0:

Highlands moved to 2-0 with another shutout win.

Sophomore quarterback Cam Bottom threw four touchdown passes. Sophomore Cam Giesler had one rushing and one receiving touchdown. Junior wide receiver Jack Hendrix and sophomore wide receivers Davis Hinegardner and Matteo Matteoli had one touchdown catch each.

Highlands plays Cincinnati McNicholas at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Highlands-Campbell County Notebook

Highlands Volleyball Wins Twice

PHOTO: Ed Harber. Highlands senior Jake Welch returned a punt for a touchdown in the win Friday.

The first home football game saw a filled student section for the first time since 2019.

The Highland O-Zone typically does theme days for football games. They dressed in country themes.

"I think it's amazing to see the student body. I think that goes a couple ways," said John Darnell, Highlands Principal. "It's not just necessarily at ballgames. But we're seeing it throughout the school day as well. We have students that are excited on game days that aren't athletes. But to have a student section out there that's supporting our team and our entire community, that's what you hope for."

Senior Benjamin Vaught attended the game sitting close to the front as seniors typically do. Vaught swims the 200 intermediate.

"It's a great environment out here in the O-Zone," Vaught said. "We're here in full force and we're here to have some fun. It's great to see everyone win. It makes the experience a whole lot better."

Captains for Game:

Four seniors took the field with Head Coach Bob Sphire for the coin toss. They were wide receiver Aiden Halpin, defensive lineman Henry King, linebacker Isaac Surrey and wide receiver Jake Welch.

Pre-Game Introductions:

The Bluebirds still introduce players on the scoreboard. Players state their names then say the Elementary School the came from.

State Championship Basketball Team Honored:

Members of the state championship basketball team were honored at halftime. Head Coach Kevin Listerman and the Bluebirds received their rings earlier in the week.

The Bluebirds earned the first state championship in school history in April. Led by seniors Sam Vinson and Luke Muller, Highlands defeated Elizabethtown, 79-60 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Vinson is playing college basketball at Northern Kentucky University and Muller is golfing at NKU.

Series Against Campbell County:

The Bluebirds won their fifth straight against Campbell County and eight of the nine meetings since the series resumed in 2013. The only loss during that time came 24-21 on a last-second field goal in Alexandria on Aug. 26, 2016.

Highlands is 58-10 all-time against Campbell County. The teams did not play between 2005 and 2012.

All Four Class 5A, District 5 Opponents Lose on Friday:

The district finished 1-4 Friday as all four district opponents for the Bluebirds lost. Lexington Catholic came to Park Hills and knocked off Covington Catholic, 34-27. The blue Colonels are 1-2 on the season.

The Cooper Jaguars (2-1) lost 14-7 for the first time this season at home against Ryle. Conner and Boone County are 1-2 on the season. Conner lost 42-26 at Dixie Heights and Boone County lost 28-14 to Covington Holmes in Florence.

Scouting Cincinnati (Ohio) McNicholas:

Highlands travels across the river to face the Rockets (3-0) in the first meeting in school history Friday at 7 p.m. It is the annual Skyline Crosstown Showdown game.

The Rockets knocked off Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, 41-0 on Friday. McNicholas opened the season with a 28-13 win over Cincinnati Indian Hill before beating New Richmond, 34-14.

Scheduling Guidelines:

A lot has come out about the online charter school in Columbus (Ohio) known as Bishop Sycamore, which lost 58-0 to Florida powerhouse IMG Academy in Canton on Sunday two days after playing a team from Pennsylvania. Bishop Sycamore had a game scheduled at Johnson Central forfeited on Friday.

Highlands Director of Athletics Wes Caldwell said it is up to the coaches to check openings and make schedules. But he said he personally would not schedule a game against a team he has never heard of.

Highlands Volleyball in September Slam:

The Bluebirds (12-2 overall) won both games in the September Slam soundly Friday.

Highlands recorded a big win over Dixie Heights on Thursday. The Bluebirds hoped to carry it into the tournament.

"It was really intense. We had a big O-Zone and we were being really loud on the bench," said Josie Steppe, Highlands senior. "That was a very happy moment. We took our energy and our attitude from that (game) and we brought it to Scott (Friday). We started slow. But I think eventually we picked it up and we got the job done."

Highlands took care of Boone County, 2-0 (25-15, 25-16) for its first win in three tries against a team from the 33rd District. Highlands had five aces, 19 kills and assists, two solo blocks and 50 digs.

Junior setter Kenzi Vennefron had 17 assists and nine digs for the Bluebirds. Senior setter Madison Opitz had two aces.

Senior CC Shick led Highlands with 10 kills and four digs. Senior Avery Cavacini had four kills and four digs with senior Sophia Sarakatsannis making eight digs and one kill.

Senior defensive specialist Madison Clore had 10 digs and two assists. Senior Honor Valentine recorded seven digs.

The Bluebirds then defeated Campbell County for the second time this season 2-0 (25-19, 25-14). Highlands had 27 kills and assists, one ace and 34 digs.

The Bluebirds used two setters in the game. Opitz had 13 digs and Vennefron had 12.

Sarakatsannis had seven kills and seven digs. Senior Lauren Buemi had six kills and two digs. Shick had five kills and three digs. Clore again led Highlands with 13 digs.

Highlands faces Dixie Heights for the second time in three days at 9 a.m. before completing pool play against Covington Holy Cross at 11 a.m.

Highlands Thursday Results

Bluebirds Volleyball, Boys Soccer Defeat 9th Region Opponents

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Madison Opitz gets in position in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team (10-2 overall) knew it would face a familiar 9th Region opponent several times this season after the two did not meet last year.

Round one belonged to the Bluebirds in convincing fashion. Highlands took care of the Dixie Heights Colonels (2-2), 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-13) in Fort Thomas. The Bluebirds moved to 2-2 against region opponents.

"Anytime you play someone you have a long-standing history with and take care of business like that quickly, it's a good sign of our mental fortitude and preparation for the game," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "I told the girls I don't think I have seen them firing on all cylinders like that all year. It all came together and it was a pretty fun night."

Highlands had 30 kills, 29 assists, five solo and four assisted blocks, 37 digs and 15 aces. Senior CC Shick led the way with 11 kills.

Senior Lauren Buemi had six kills, one solo block, two assisted blocks, five digs and six aces for the Bluebirds. Senior Sophia Sarakatsannis had six kills, one assisted block, six digs and five aces. Senior Nicole Ossege had four kills, one solo block and one dig.

Senior defensive specialist Honor Valentine led the Bluebirds with seven digs to go with two aces and two assists. Senior Madison Clore had six digs, one ace and one assist.

Highlands used both setters in the victory. Junior Kenzi Vennefron had 15 assists, six digs and once ace. Senior Madison Opitz had 10 assists and four digs.

"The team was very focused," Vennefron said. "I think Dixie is probably one of our biggest rivals so we really wanted to win. The team just really clicked."

Highlands focused on Dixie Heights junior Maia Long. Long led the Colonels with 27 kills after two matches.

"She's really talented. We just had a really incredible blocking and defensive night together," Sallee said. "Our serve-receive was just on point. Offensively, everyone did a really great job. Sophia took a ton of swings from the outside. Did great. Nicole did a great job. CC was pretty untouchable. They couldn't get her. It was fun to see the defense and offense come together like that."

Highlands takes on Boone County and Campbell County at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively in the September Slam at Scott on Friday. The Bluebirds finish pool play against Dixie Heights and Covington Holy Cross on Saturday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Soccer, Boys:

Highlands 2, Cooper 1:

The Bluebirds (6-2-1) stayed undefeated in weekday games at 6-0 and moved to 5-0 against 9th Region opponents with the victory over the Jaguars (5-3-2).

"We feel like we finished out that first half pretty strong," said Chad Niedert, Highlands Head Coach. "We gave up a goal on a little bit of a slip-up. We felt that even though the score didn't indicate it, we were the better team in the first half. We were doing really well with connecting passes and building up from the back. It was hard for Cooper to have any idea where we were coming from. We put them on their heels. Our emphasis at halftime was to pick up where we left off because we were pretty sure we could get the job done. We got after it right away."

Highlands had 12 shots with four on goal to go with 12 fouls, one corner kick and a yellow card. Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Wilson saved all five shots on goal and junior Connor Mathis made one save.

"I think our defense took a step forward by just putting more pressure on Cooper," said Evan Jones, Highlands junior defender. "Our center backs did a good job stopping anything that went passed and our goalies had some really good saves. We just really stepped up our energy level in the second half to score two goals."

The Bluebirds trailed 1-0 at halftime. But junior forward Colin Pieper scored his team-high sixth goal of the season off a free kick to tie the game.

Highlands took the lead for good when senior Joel Kendall booted a free kick from midfield and senior Jordan Frisk finished it. That marked Frisk's fourth goal of the year and Kendall's third assist.

Highlands Volleyball Takes Care of Walton-Verona

Bluebirds Face Dixie Heights on Thursday

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Lauren Buemi gets in position during a recent match.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team may have a huge upcoming 9th Region game.

But the next game on the schedule listed a visit from the Walton-Verona Bearcats from the 8th Region. Highlands (9-2 overall) still took care of the Bearcats by a minimum 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19) win.

"I think a lot of high school teams have a tendency to overlook opponents. That's not a good thing to get into," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "We do have to keep our eyes on what is in front of us. I think we were able to reset and do that. The Walton program as a whole has really grown. They have some really tough athletes. There were a couple sections where we were like, 'Okay. Get your hands back on the wheel. Let's steer this thing home.' You can't really mess around with many teams in our area."

Sallee liked how all 16 players on the bench received action. This includes sophomore defensive specialist Annie Ellison and junior middle blocker Carly Cramer.

"I say in my head, 'Don't get nervous. You can do it and I usually end up doing fine," Ellison said. "For club, I've played at that (higher-speed varsity) level so I'm used to it. For varsity, you have to be more prepared and step it up instead of just taking it slow on (junior varsity)."

Highlands had 37 kills and assists, 12 aces, three solo blocks and 53 digs. Senior middle blocker/right side hitter CC Shick again led the Bluebirds with 15 kills, one solo block and seven digs. Senior outside/right side hitter Sophia Sarakatsannis had three aces, four kills, one assist and a team-high 12 digs. Senior middle blocker Avery Cavacini had seven kills, one solo block and one dig. Senior middle blocker/right side hitter Lauren Buemi had seven kills, one solo block and one dig.

Senior setter Madison Opitz had most of the saves with 31 to go with four digs, one kill and one ace. Senior Honor Valentine had 11 digs and five aces with senior defensive specialist Madison Clore recording eight digs, two assists and two aces.

Dixie Heights (2-1) comes to Fort Thomas for a 7:30 p.m. game. Highlands is 1-2 against 9th Region opponents with both losses coming against teams from the 33rd District.

Highlands Boys Soccer Defeats Holy Cross

Bluebirds Move to 4-0 in Region Play

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. The Highlands boys soccer team knocked off Holy Cross, 5-3 on Tuesday at Tower Park.

The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team (5-2-1 overall) stayed undefeated in 9th Region action with a 5-3 win over the Covington Holy Cross Indians (4-4) on Tuesday.

Highlands is 4-0 in region play and also moved to 5-0 in games not played on Saturdays. The Bluebirds had 14 shots to nine for the Indians. Highlands also had 14 fouls and four corner kicks.

"In the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of the first half, we just weren't doing the little things right. We were getting outworked and all that," said Chad Niedert, Highlands Head Coach. "Then we had this run in the middle of the first half where we scored our stretch of four goals. We did some things sharper like set pieces. They were very nice goals. We played how we should have been playing the whole game in that second half. Now we have to come with that same physicality and energy game in and game out."

Junior goalkeeper Connor Mathis and sophomore Jack Wilson again split halves for the Bluebirds. Mathis had two saves and Wilson had four.

Highlands led 4-3 at halftime. Senior Joel Kendall played one to sophomore Chad Gesenhues for an insurance goal for the lone goal of the second half for the Bluebirds. Gesenhues has four goals and Kendall two assists on the season. Gesenhues added his first assist of the season for three points.

Senior Jordan Frisk led Highlands with two goals and an assist for five points. Frisk has a team-high three goals and four assists on the season for 10 points.

Junior Caden Schroeder had one goal and one assist for three points. Schroeder has two goals and two assists on the season for six points.

"I believe as a team our passing greatly developed in that game and I hope we can keep improving as a team," Schroeder said. "If we can keep on improving, I think we will have a very good run this season."

Senior Sam Jones had the other Highlands goal and junior Colin Pieper had an assist. That marked the first goal for Jones and Pieper first assist. Pieper has a team-highs of five goals and 11 points.

Highlands travels to Cooper on Thursday. Game time is 8 p.m.