The
Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team (1-0-2) tied the host Campbell County
Lady Camels, 2-2 on Monday.
Taylor
Vaughn scored the first goal for Highlands in the first half before Kelsey
Etherton scored the second. Kristin Venneman and Kayla Nehus tallied assists.
Campbell
County only took shots. Highlands goalkeeper Sarah Owen saved two of them.
The Bluebirds
play host to the rival and 2012 runner-up Notre Dame Pandas on Thursday. Game
time is 8 p.m.
Girls Soccer:
Ryle 1, Newport Central Catholic 0:
The
Thoroughbreds (1-1) lost in Union on Monday.
Freshman
Meg Martin is playing goalkeeper this year. She made five saves for NewCath.
The
Thoroughbreds play at Covington Holy Cross in the All “A” 9th Region
semifinals on Wednesday against Villa Madonna. Game time is 5 p.m.
Volleyball:
Scott 2, Highlands 1:
The
visiting Lady Eagles edged the Bluebirds, 2-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-17) on Monday.
Kaitlin
Hall and Jessica Ginter led Highlands in every statistical category. The
Bluebirds (0-3) are still looking for their first win of the year.
Highlands
will try for it again Tuesday. The Bluebirds travel to Kings (Ohio) for a 7
p.m. contest.
The Newport
Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys soccer concluded the Visitnich.com
Soccerama with a dominating win Sunday.
The
Thoroughbreds handled the East Jessamine Jaguars, 6-2 to improve to 2-1-1 on
the young season. They’ve outscored opponents, 14-2 since opening the season
with a loss at Highlands.
Matt Tolle,
Evan Brannon, Jacob Hensley, Nick Huesman, Gualt Nolan and Patrick Louis scored
goals for the Thoroughbreds. Louis had three assists with Tolle recording one.
Paul
Grosser and Brian Anderson spent time in goal for the Thoroughbreds. Grosser
made three saves and Anderson had one.
NewCath
faces Villa Madonna in the All “A” 9th Region tournament on Tuesday. Game time
is 6 p.m.
A lot of
the nation now knows why this football team is the deeply talented Highlands
Bluebirds.
The
Bluebirds took some big punches early on against the feisty University
Christian Fighting Christians. But the Bluebirds once again responded with a
huge counterpunch scoring 47 straight points to beat the Jacksonville (Fla.)
visitors, 47-17 Saturday afternoon in the season-opener for both teams on ESPNU.
“We always say, ‘If we’re down two
touchdowns in the fourth quarter, that’s our game,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Co-Head Coach/Offensive
Coordinator. “We’re going to win that
game because we’re going to battle until the end. It started off really slow
for us but we didn’t miss a beat.”
Both teams entered the game fresh off state championships. The
Bluebirds have won six in a row and 22 overall in improving to 88-3 since the
start of 2007 and the Fighting Christians won the Florida 2A (second-smallest
of eight classes) title last year and seventh overall.
The Fighting Christians had 21 new faces on the roster. But unlike
Highlands, they are not a two-platoon team.
“We knew they were eventually going to wear down,” said Ryan Greene, Highlands senior wide receiver. “You could see it in the start of the
second quarter.”
UC Head
Coach David Penland said he knew depth would be an issue for his team. But he
was mostly disappointed in the team’s effort, especially after the Bluebirds
pulled away in the third quarter.
“There’s this thing inside your chest that pumps –
your heart,” Penland said. “We had some guys that laid down. We’ll
learn from this and get better from this. That’s a great football team. We’re a
good football team. We just have to get better.”
The start
of the game seemed similar to the season-opener last year. Boyle County threw
its best jabs at the Bluebirds leading 24-15 at halftime before Highlands came
alive and won 52-31. Highlands recovered sooner in this game grabbing a 13-10
halftime despite having the ball just six minutes, 15 seconds of the first half
and garnering just 29 yards of total offense with 5:49 left in the half.
Highlands
outgained UC, 518-311 in total offense. Senior quarterback Drew Houliston lead
the way completing 21-of-30 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Tailback
Zach Harris had 115 yards on 12 carries for an average of about 9.6 a carry and
three touchdowns for the Bluebirds.
Highlands
once again distributed the ball well. Greene and Jensen Feggins led Highlands
with five catches each. Green had 73 yards receiving and two touchdowns and
Feggins had 65 yards. Brandon Hergott followed with four catches for 96 yards
and with Justin Weyer hauling in a 61-yard reception and Evan Allen scoring on
a 39-yard catch.
Houliston
overcame an interception and lost fumble to lead the Bluebirds to victory.
Those turnovers led to 10 points as Preston Clark hit a field goal for UC with
three minutes left and Stone Lakey scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 11:55
left in the second.
But the
Bluebirds erased the 10-point advantage in the final 5:01 of the half. Harris
scored on a 22-yard touchdown run and Greene hauled in an 11-yard touchdown
with 44.5 seconds left after Highland had two scores negated by penalties.
“(Houliston) threw an interception and fumbled and
didn’t bat an eye,” Mueller said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a guy
that has that poise. He’s so tremendous to coach.”
The
Highlands offensive line continued to protect Houliston and the skill players
well in the second half. The Bluebirds pulled away scoring four touchdowns on
all four possessions of the third quarter. Harris had runs of two and 37 yards
before Weyer did a d double move and scored his touchdown and Greene scored his
second touchdown on a 24-yard reception.
The
Bluebirds finished the scoring run with 7:06 left in the fourth quarter. Allen
had his 39-yard touchdown score at that point.
“We really prepare all year to win late in games,” said Kendall Kramer, Highlands senior offensive
lineman. “The first quarter saw two
fresh teams. But we both condition really hard to be able to stick it out and
play as well in the fourth quarter as we do in the first quarter. As soon as
the second quarter came, we kicked it into gear and scored two touchdowns
before (halftime). We were ready to go for the second half.”
The
Highlands defense held its own the entire game against the UC Wing-T attack.
The Fighting Christians ran a lot of traditional and spread Wing-T sets. Penland
played at Georgetown College with former Bluebird T.J. Kramer.
“They lined up the way we thought they were going to
line up,” Penland said. “They had one set that was different, but
we adjusted well to it. If we had a couple more players, we’d have been
alright. We had some opportunities in the beginning. Not being able to
capitalize on them hurt us.”
The
Fighting Christians outgained the Bluebirds, 244-145 in total offense. Tamarius
Bowe led the way with 115 yards on 14 carries and Hussein Howe had 91 yards on
17 carries. The three UC quarterbacks combined to complete just 4-of-12 passes
for 67 yards.
“There were already guys hurt,” said Kyle Martin, junior defensive back. “We switched the outside linebackers
hitting the corner. We (first-team defense) didn’t let them score after the
first quarter.”
UC took the
first 6:40 of the game off the clock converting several first downs. That
included a 3rd-and-20 conversion. But after the first quarter, the Fighting
Christians did not score again until Billy Cobb completed a 57-yard touchdown
to Ke’shan Pennamon with 4:39 left in the game.
Highlands
faced a couple Wing-T teams last year. Scott County ran the traditional set and
Boyd County ran the double-slot version. Scott County had some backs with
similar speed to Bowe and Howe. But when Highlands garnered a big lead, the
Cardinals had to leave their comfort zone and pass the ball like the Fighting
Christians did. That was not the strength of either team in those games.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” said Brady Murray, Highlands junior linebacker. “That was the key factor in the game. It’s
a matter of reading your keys and doing your job. We were concerned about the
buck sweep and pitch.”
Highlands
returns to action Friday against Campbell County (1-0). Game time is 7 p.m.
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.
NEWPORT –
Friday’s victory gave great signs toward another big year based on the way they
tend to improve as the season progresses.
The Newport
Central Catholic Thoroughbreds held off the visiting Ashland Blazer Tomcats,
37-26 to open the season. The two teams had not met since NewCath Head Coach
Dan Wagner’s senior year in 1976 – a 21-7 Tomcat win.
“They had trouble stopping us, which I didn’t really
think they could stop us after the second or third series,” Wagner said. “But
then by the same token, we had trouble stopping them. In Mac (Franzen’s) first
football game (at quarterback), we’re not going to come out and play perfect
football. It doesn’t work. But we stopped when we had to. I just told them that
was the worst we’ll play all year.”
It marked
just the second win in the series against eight defeats for the Thoroughbreds.
The other NewCath win came 19-0 in the Class AA playoffs in 1965.
The defending
2A champion Thoroughbreds appeared to be in better condition, especially in the
second half. Temperatures reached the 80s.
“It doesn’t matter if you are there at 6:30, quarter til
7 or 7 p.m., it’s still muggy,”
Wagner said. “They said the humidity was
supposed to go away. It didn’t. We had some kids go down. But they had someone
go down every other play, which seemed to benefit us in the long-run because it
let us rest.”
It also
marked the debuts as head coaches for both teams. Wagner and Ashland Head Coach
Tony Love served as defensive coordinators last year before the schools
promoted them. Love took over when longtime Head Coach Leon Hart retired and
Wagner took over when three-year Head Coach Eddie Eviston took the Offensive
Coordinator job at Georgetown College.
Ashland did
outgain NewCath, 380-360 in total offense. But a lot of that came because the
Thoroughbreds recorded four turnovers to two for the Tomcats. Both teams lost
two fumbles each and NewCath threw two interceptions.
The inexperienced
Tomcat defense that returned just two starters from last year’s 9-3 squad could
not stop the balanced Thoroughbred Spread offense. NewCath ran for a combined
304 yards on 40 carries for an average of 7.6 yards a carry and five
touchdowns. Franzen had 11 carries for 103 yards with Jacob Smith going for 86
yards on nine carries. Teammates Jack Sutkamp had 66 yards on nine rushes and
Kalvin Moore had 40 yards on seven touches.
“Mostly what we do is have alley protection,” said Jacob Wieland, junior offensive lineman. “We’ll usually do that to the weak side of
the ball. That gives Mac a lane to run through if the play is busted.”
The NewCath
defense knew it had to stop Ashland sophomore standout tailback Quentin Baker
on offense. Baker ran for 238 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns out of
Ashland’s Diamond formation attack.
“We had a game plan for (Baker) going in,” said Luke Kues, NewCath sophomore defensive end. “The only reason he had any good plays is
we missed tackles. We have to work on that. He’s a good athlete so we all
needed to fly around to him because you don’t know if one person is going to
take him down because he’s that good. We also need to wrap up, which I was
guilty of not doing once or twice.”
Neither
team passed a lot except for late when Ashland had to pass to try to get back
into the game. Franzen completed 3-of-7 passes for 56 yards and Ashland’s
Hunter Prince completed 7-of-15 for 42 yards. No receivers on either team had
more than one reception.
The
Thoroughbred defense may have bent some, but did come up with some crucial
stops. Stephen Brooks came up on 4th-and-1 with 1:49 left in the third quarter
and NC held Ashland on downs after the Tomcats drove into scoring territory
late in the fourth quarter. Sutkamp landed a jarring hit on a screen on fourth
down with 27 seconds to give NewCath the ball back.
“I saw more things we need to fix on defense than
anything else,” Wagner said. “We’ll just keep working to get in better
shape.”
NewCath
took the lead with 9:30 left in the first quarter. The Thoroughbreds lined up
trips left. Franzen swung the ball to Smith. Smith broke through several
tackles and scampered 53 yards to the end zone to put NewCath up 7-0 after John
Caudill made the extra-point attempt.
Ashland
responded when James Queen scored from 13 yards out with 6:06 left in the
quarter. The Thoroughbreds led 7-6 after the PAT failed.
NewCath
drove down the field late in the first quarter and scored six seconds into the
second when Jack Sutkamp. That gave NewCath a 13-6 lead before Baker broke free
for an 80-yard scamper to tie the game at 13 with 9:38 left in the half.
But the
Thoroughbreds promptly responded when Franzen scored from 22 yards out. NewCath
worked the clock well in the final minute of the first half. Caudill hit a
26-yard field goal with 1.1 seconds left to put NewCath up 23-13 at halftime.
Baker broke
free again for a 46-yard touchdown run with 9:25 left in the third. NewCath
still led 23-19 after Moore blocked the PAT.
The
Thoroughbreds came back with a touchdown drive of their own. Moore scored from
three yards out with 5:08 left in the third quarter to put NewCath up 30-19.
Smith
scored his second touchdown from 18 yards out with 10 minutes left in the game
to put NewCath up 37-19. But Ashland did not quit as Prince completed a 13-yard
touchdown pass to Queen with 7:33 left in the game to make the final score of
37-26.
The
Thoroughbreds return to action on Friday at 6 p.m. at Dixie Heights. They take
on the defending Class 5A champion Cooper Jaguars. Cooper and head coach Randy
Borchers, a 1996 NewCath alum, lost 17-10 at Ryle to open the season.
The
Highlands Bluebirds girls soccer team seems to have found that scoring punch
that lacked last year.
Highlands
recorded its first win of the year, 5-0 at Covington Holy Cross on Thursday.
The Bluebirds (1-0-1) have scored seven goals in their first two games after
tallying just 14 last year. The most they scored in a game last year was four
goals, also against the Lady Indians (0-3). The Lady Indians have been
outscored 12-0 so far this year.
Highlands
took all the shots in this game leading 2-0 at halftime after McKenzie Goyert
and Allyson Bridewell goals. Bridewell added her second one early in the second
half with Taylor Vaughn and Allison Nienaber scoring the other two.
Highlands
travels to Campbell County on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Boys Soccer:
St. Henry 3, Highlands 1:
The
Bluebirds (1-1) failed to follow up Tuesday’s huge win over Newport Central
Catholic with another big win Thursday.
Highlands
plays host to Montgomery County at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
NCC 8, Conner 0:
The
Thoroughbreds (1-1) dominated the Cougars in 9th Region action Thursday.
Patrick
Louis led NewCath with two goals with Connor Hanneken, Matt Tolle, Noah
Connolly, Kyle Bleser and Brian Anderson scoring one each. Ryan Randle had two
assists with Evan Branon, Mitchell Murphy and Gualt Nolan adding one assist
each.
Paul
Grosser recorded four saves at goalkeeper for NewCath.
The
Thoroughbreds travel to West Jessamine on Saturday. Game time is 11 a.m.
Volleyball:
Cincinnati Anderson 3, Highlands 1:
Nearby
Anderson edged the Bluebirds, 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 25-15) on Thursday.
The
Bluebirds did see junior standout hitter Jessica Ginter return. She missed
Tuesday’s season-opener against Simon Kenton.
Highlands
(0-2) travels to Scott on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Lexington Henry Clay 2, Newport Central Catholic 0:
Cincinnati Mercy 2, NewCath 0:
The
Thoroughbreds (1-3) dropped both matches in the tri-match at Cincinnati Mercy
on Thursday.
Both were
best-of-three matches. Mercy beat NewCath, 2-0 (25-12, 25-17) and Lexington
Henry Clay beat NewCath, 2-0 (25-16, 25-16).
NewCath
plays again Tuesday. The Thoroughbreds travel to Campbell County to take on the
defending 10th Region champion Lady Camels. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
