By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

PADUCAH – It does not matter if their schedule takes them to the Jackson Purchase or the deep, dark hills of eastern Kentucky.

Few teams in the country, let alone the Bluegrass State, win as consistently as the Highlands Bluebirds football team. The Bluebirds may not have dominated like usual. But they did put away the pesky host Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado in the fourth quarter, 42-25 on Saturday.

“It was great to see the offense, defense and special teams come through when we needed them,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “Paducah Tilghman played a great game and is going to be a real force in the playoffs. Winning is important to our guys.”

Highlands stayed undefeated at 5-0 and improved to 92-3 since 2007 with the win and 847-225-26 in school history since the program began back in 1015. On the other side, the Blue Tornado (1-4) dropped their fourth in a row since opening the year with a 24-23 win on Aug. 24 at newly-formed county rival McCracken County.

“We don’t buy into moral victories,” said Randy Wyatt, Tilghman Head Coach. “But I’m extremely proud of how we fought against a team like Highlands rated the second-best team in the state in all six classes. They’re just a classic program. They answered every time. That’s the sign of a champion. They did everything right.”

Highlands played its second of three consecutive Saturday games. But the Bluebirds did not secure the game at John Hardin a week ago until senior Zach Harris recovered an onside kick with 43 seconds left.

Highlands elected to rest Harris. But the Bluebirds once again put up huge offensive numbers outgaining the Blue Tornado, 375-314. Highlands had 17 first downs to 10 for Tilghman.

But fellow senior Jaylen Hayes picked up the slack for Highlands rushing the ball 20 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Hayes scored once on a shotgun zone read play and the second one taking a direct snap in the Highlands full-house backfield.

Highlands senior quarterback Drew Houliston once again came through completing 16-of-26 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Jensen Feggins led the Bluebirds with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bluebirds had to make some adjustments against the Tilghman defense. The Blue Tornado recorded six sacks in the game. Houliston had been sacked just three times all season entering the contest.

“They were running delayed blitzes,” said Bryan Saunders, Highlands offensive lineman. “It’s hard to cover everyone.”

Tre Coleman led the Blue Tornado with 113 yards on 10 carries. He broke free for an 80-yard touchdown in the second quarter. But the Bluebirds made some adjustments on him after that.

“We made some linebacker adjustments,” said Joey Cochran, Highlands senior linebacker. “We put in some more aggressive guys and made sure that didn’t happen anymore. We clogged up the hole.”

Tilghman threw a lot of short passes with sophomore quarterback Jesse Dunigan. He completed 20-of-27 passes for 136 yards. Senior Mikey Davis led the Blue Tornado with seven catches for 56 yards.

Both teams lost one fumble. Jackson Bardo recovered a Tilghman fumble in the fourth quarter and Highlands lost one in the first quarter.

The Bluebirds did not score in the first quarter for the third time this season. They trailed 6-0 after the first quarter after two Logan Besaw field goals from 26 and 42 yards out.

Highlands took the lead for good at 7-6 when Houliston scored around the left side from six yards out and Jared Dougherty made his first of six extra-point attempts. Green returned a kickoff back to the Highlands 49 to start the drive.

The Bluebirds drove deep into Blue Tornado territory on their next possession. But the Blue Tornado blocked the field-goal attempt.

But Highlands scored on its next possession. Houliston rolled left and found Feggins open for an 8-yard score.

The Bluebirds then responded to Coleman’s quick score. On 4th-and-5 from the Tilghman 7 with 53 seconds left in the half, Houliston found Jake Whitford in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. The Bluebirds led 21-12 at halftime.

“It was a big play,” Whitford said. “It got us going at halftime. After that, Drew (Houliston) just took over. They couldn’t stop us after that. Once we get in a rhythm, we’re hard to beat.”

Tilghman ate up a lot of the clock on a long drive to start the third quarter. Instead of throwing the short sideline routes, they threw 10-15 yards down the field to keep the Bluebird defense guessing. Dunigan scored on a 1-yard run to cut the margin to 21-19 with just more than three minutes left in the third.

“We played off (the Tilghman receivers) because they’re good athletes,” said Alex Shadle, Highlands senior defensive back. “That left things open for the out routes and comebacks.”

The Bluebirds then scored with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Hayes scored from eight yards out after Houliston completed a 26-yard pass to Alex Veneman.

But the Blue Tornado marched back down the field. Out of the Power-I formation, Dunigan faked a handoff then found Jordan Tyler for a 22-yard touchdown reception. The two-point pass failed as Highlands still led 28-25.

“When you have a team like that down, you have to close the door,” Wyatt said. “A tough team like that is going to fight back. They’re conditioned to win close ballgames. We just need to get that way.”

The Bluebirds then put the game away with two touchdowns. Houliston found Feggins for a 9-yard score. That came after Tilghman sacked Houliston on third down, but the Blue Tornado committed a defensive holding penalty giving the Bluebirds another chance. Hayes then scored his second touchdown on a 41-yard scamper.

Highlands concludes its three-game Saturday road swing this week at Covington Catholic (3-1). Game time is 1 p.m. in Park Hills.

 

Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands pulls away from pesky Paducah Tilghman, 42-25

Just pulled in to Ft Thomas. Wow that was a long day. More in a few hours.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It takes about five and a half hours to get from Fort Thomas to Paducah.

But the Highlands Bluebirds football team made sure they used their time on the bus really well. Road trips often build team chemistry.

That proved to be the case in Saturday’s 42-25 win over the Blue Tornado. Highlands improved to 92-3 since the start of 2007 with the win.

Some teams struggle on the road for various reasons such as not playing in front of friends and family. The Highlands student section is known as the OZone. But the Bluebirds bring their own intensity no matter where they play.

“I like the trip because for me, it is just one big offensive coaches meeting,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “I think the players like the rides too. Of course, I wouldn’t mind it if more local teams would schedule us.”

This will mark the longest trip of the regular season. The final road games are Saturday at Covington Catholic at 1 p.m. and Oct. 25 at Cincinnati Elder. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Highlands and Paducah Tilghman met five times between 1989 and 1994. But none of the games took place in either Fort Thomas or Paducah. Highlands extended its series lead to 5-1 all-time against the Blue Tornado. Highlands beat Tilghman for the Class 3A state championships in 1989 (27-3) and 1992 (15-6).

Highlands does not travel to western Kentucky much. But the Bluebirds had success on their last trip there in 2008. They beat Hopkinsville, 48-21 in October of that year.

If Highlands wins another district championship, it will not have to hit the road until the state semifinals. It takes about 3.5 hours to make it to Bowling Green for the state championships. Class 4A plays on Saturday, November 30 this year unlike the Friday night game last year.

Cheerleaders, fans also use road trip wisely:

The Highlands supporters continued to travel well as many made the trip west.

The cheerleaders also came on the trip. They had some previous adventures on road trips. They came to Louisville Western last year on a bus without air conditioning.

“The parents that travel are kind of the tried and true fans,” said Carly Leopold, Highlands Head Cheerleading Coach. “They cheer along with us and it’s nice to have the support of a high school that allows us to travel with the team. A lot of high school cheerleaders don’t get to travel with the team.”

The cheerleaders play a big role in helping the team build some intensity. They also traveled to John Hardin last week. The Highlands band and dance team generally do not go to road games.

“We just try to keep our voiced up and try to involve the crowd in cheers,” said Taylor Mitchell, Highlands cheerleading captain. “We have them repeat what we say.”

The road trip consisted of coming down Interstate 71 to Louisville then taking I-65 to exit 91 to the Western Kentucky Parkway. The Western Kentucky Parkway ended at Interstate-24. Highlands then took it west to Paducah.

“We really like to support the football team,” said Ashley Bergmann, Highlands cheerleading captain. “We go to all the games. It does not matter if it is close or far away. We’re always there for them. We think that when we’re cheering, they do play better because they like our support.”

The trip did not come without issues. Three buses came to the game and one malfunctioned so the team traveled back on two buses.

Record vs. Jackson Purchase teams:

Tilghman is the lone team the Bluebirds have faced from the Jackson Purchase.

The Jackson Purchase part of Kentucky borders Tennessee and is surrounded by the Ohio River to the north, the Mississippi River to the west and the Tennessee River to the east. It is comprised of Fulton, Hickman, McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Graves, Calloway and Marshall Counties.

The main power in western Kentucky is 1A power and Tilghman rival Mayfield. The Cardinals and Bluebirds entered the season as one of just six programs in the country with 805 or more wins in school history. But the two have never met on the gridiron.

Highlands ranks first in Kentucky with 847 wins in school history only behind 880 wins by Valdosta (Ga.). Mayfield ranks third in Kentucky with 810 wins and Louisville Male is second with 825. All three teams are a combined 14-0.

Let the #BeatColonels tweets begin:

Highlands can now focus on the team that is constantly a threat to its dominance.

The undefeated Bluebirds travel to Park Hills for the annual district showdown with 3-1 Covington Catholic. The Twitter accounts exploded on both sides of the week leading up to the game. But Mueller wants the players to be smart when posting things on the Internet.

CovCath had its bye week this week. The Colonels beat Boone County and Dixie Heights to open the season before losing 45-7 to defending Ohio largest-class Division I champion Cincinnati Moeller. Moeller is the alma mater of Colonel Head Coach Dave Wirth.

CovCath also played in western Kentucky on Sept. 13. The Colonels knocked off Henderson County, 18-0.

Highlands leads the all-time series with Covington Catholic, 43-17. This includes nine straight wins dating back to 2006 during its run of six straight state championships.

Class 4A, District 7 notes:

Covington Holmes also had the weekend off. The Bulldogs are 3-1 under first-year head coach Ben Nevels.

But Harrison County did play Friday. The Thoroghbreds (2-3) lost 64-21 at Bourbon County. Class 3A Bourbon County was undefeated last year before losing 35-10 at Belfry in the state semifinals.

Class 4A Notes:

Highlands is one of just three teams in Class 4A that are still undefeated. The other two are familiar opponents.

The Boyle County Rebels are 5-0 and the Johnson Central Golden Eagles 4-0. Boyle County beat George Rogers Clark, 34-17 on Friday. The Rebels recently escaped a close call, 30-27 against Anderson County on Sept. 13.

Johnson Central opened the season against two non-Kentucky opponents. The Golden Eagles demolished Holy Trinity (67-7) of the Canadian province of Ontario and Noblesville (Ind.), 72-28. Noblesville is located just north of Indianapolis.

The Golden Eagles then beat Perry County Central (53-7) and Harlan County (36-14). They have not left Paintsville and won’t until an Oct. 4 trip to Ironton (Ohio).

Both teams could finish the season undefeated. Boyle County’s biggest test left is Oct. 4 at home against Lexington Catholic (3-2). The Knights’ two losses came to Bowling Green (48-21) and Louisville St. Xavier (49-28).

The Golden Eagles often battle Ashland Blazer for the District 8 championship. The two meet Oct. 25. Johnson Central then meets Belfry on Nov. 1 to end the season.

 

Fort Thomas Sports: Bluebird Notebook: Highlands use road trip to advantage

[QUO

TE=tdyballgame;4790087]Pretty sure that fella that predicted 6-7 tds win with reserves is a JH fan.

 

Just saying!

 

That JH fan who predicted that was me. I will eat a full plate of crow this morning and for dinner. I based that off of seeing Highlands last week at PT during their scrimmage. PT has very good athletes but did not seem overly physical when I saw them so that's why I made that prediction. Anyway, congrats to Highlands. And for PT, if they played up to their potential every week I am sure they would be competing for a 3A State Title this year.

Trust me.. I could care less when Highlands loses a game and I doubt I'll gloat but it's funny to get on here after most were predicting this huge victory for HHS. I believe PT was right in this game most of the way. I now hear these excuses why the margin was not so big ( rested players). Never heard of coaches keeping players out in a tight game , maybe after the outcome was settled. Highland's has a great program and some would say the best program in the state so I thought PT should be given more credit after this game and not to hear excuses why this was not the blowout that Most HHS fans on here predicted.

 

Fist time I've heard somebody being upset that Highlands DIDN'T put a running clock on their opponent. :lol2:

 

Keeping players out is not an excuse because of the depth at every position. The backup running back had 20 carries for about a buck fifty. :thumb:

TEAM STATISTICS

Highlands — First downs: 14.

Rushing attempts-yards: 28-100.

Passing-yards:16-27-0-245.

Total yards: 345.

Penalties yards:5-25.

Fumbles-lost: 1-1.

 

 

Tilghman — First downs: 7.

Rushing attempts-yards: 31-204.

Passing-yards:19-23-0-123.

Total yards: 327.

Penalties yards:9-65.

Fumbles-lost: 2-1.

 

 

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing — Highlands: Hayes 19-145,

Houliston 9-(-45).

Tilghman: Sherrill 13-43,

Coleman 8-126, Dunigan 10-35.

 

 

Passing — Highlands: Houliston 16-26-

0-245, Hayes 0-1-0-0.

Tilghman: Dunigan 19-23-0-123.

 

 

Receiving — Highlands: Hergott 2-16,

Feggins 6-50, Hoge 1-8, Brockett 2-56,

Whitford 1-7, Greene 1-14, Veneman 1-26,

Weyer 1-14.

Tilghman: Spivey-Nunn 9-42,

Davis 6-55, McEwen 2-4, Tyler 2-28.

Seth Hope sent out a solid tweet last night showing much respect for the Blue Tornadoes.

 

Sounds like they played a heckuva game.

Things could be worse than a 17 point win against a historically strong team. At least no one in bird land is complaining about how our opponent didn't show mercy on us and tacked on an extra score.

Seth Hope sent out a solid tweet last night showing much respect for the Blue Tornadoes.

 

Sounds like they played a heckuva game.

 

Sure does.

Did Houliston get sacked a few times? -45 yards rushing.

Did Houliston get sacked a few times? -45 yards rushing.

 

The article posted said six times.

Oppps, looks like another coach thinks "Highlands is the 2nd best team in the State in all 6 classes"

 

IDK, just seems odd to me that when Coaches speak nobody listens...Just sayin

PT was awesome imo.

 

They had one heckua of a game plan and they made fantastic adjustments throughout the game.

 

Ole Sweep had one very long weekend covering 5 States in just 48 hrs...Got to do what a Dad has to do though, support your kids regardless of the tasks at hand...:thumb:

 

FWIW, PT folks were very welcoming and accommodating and showed a lot of class last nite. Good luck to PT

How often does Highlands play on grass? I know there are more turf fields up North.

Did Houliston get sacked a few times? -45 yards rushing.

 

DBob showed some serious perseverance last nite. Lots of pressure and never rattled or faultered despite the serious pressure from a very athletic PT defense.

 

By far the fastest D Highlands has seen in some time and DBob didn't flinch, a very, very smart QB imo...:thumb: