Highlands 4 Cooper 1 (9th Region Quarters)

[The Double Deuce]

I can provide a first-hand account of this one, and honestly, as pretty as the night was in Tower Park (I love that setting), I expected a LOT more out of this game than I got.  Credit to the Birds, they came out fast, aggressive, and made it clear from the very beginning they were intent on advancing in the 9th, and were the MUCH more urgent team to start the game.  Cooper just looked out-of-sorts, nervous, uneasy, hesitant, pick your term, to start the game.

Highlands draws the foul about 25 yards out in the 4th minute and Colin Pieper buries it past the keeper to put the Birds ahead 1-0.  Not five minutes later Pieper slots a beautiful ball through the Jags' defense to Jordan Frisk who doubles the Birds' lead at 2-0.  The Cooper fans sitting around me at that point could feel that the night was not likely to be ours, but they definitely tried to inject some energy and encouragement to their Jags' players who looked gut-punched down 0-2 so early in the contest.  

Gavin Green got the Jags within one in the 22nd minute, and you thought perhaps the Jags had a big comeback in them, and the Cooper crowd certainly was trying to will that into existence.  However, just before halftime, Highlands draws a foul about 30 yards from goal and again, Colin Pieper made them pay with a fantastic free kick buried into the net past the keeper.  The Cooper fans HATED the foul call, and especially after Pieper cashed it in, and while it may have been a little suspect, certainly looked like it could have been the right call.  

Halftime 3-1 Birds.

Any chance the Jags had of crawling back into this one was erased when Gesenhues finishes after a Stiles header on the end of a free kick played into the box.  4-1 Birds at that point, versus a Cooper team that had been VERY hard to score on all year.  Pieper scoring off two free kicks, and then Chad G. finishing one off a free kick served into the box, left the Cooper faithful VERY unhappy with the center last night, but truly, credit should go to Highlands for taking advantage of their opportunities on set pieces.  That was, obviously, the biggest difference last night in Fort Thomas.

Cooper, clearly (in my opinion) the 3rd best team in the 9th and NKY this year, end their season on Highlands' home field with a record of 13-6-3, and bring back nearly everyone from this terrific season.  Coach Flesch's and his tight-knit Jaguars will be the favorites in the 9th next season, and I'm not sure it will even be close.  They'll remember the bitterness they felt walking off last night, and I know that will drive them to go much further in the post-season in 2022.

Highlands gets a date with CovCath at St. Henry on Thursday night (7:30), and like St. X v Trinity in the 7th, a clash of long-time rivals will decide who makes a regional final.  As referenced in another thread, the Birds and Colonels also play football the next night in Fort Thomas in their annual bitter rivalry, so expect HUGE student sections on Thursday, tons of emotion, and good luck getting a seat in the limited seating at St. Henry.  Highlands won the regular season 1-0 at CovCath back on September 7th. 

[FrankNicodemus]

Very nice write up.  Watched the game also and totally agree with everything you said.

The only thing I will strongly DISAGREE with is your assessment that Cooper will be the top team in the 9th Region and it won’t even be close.  I am not close to the Cooper program so I don’t know what they are graduating or bringing back but I know that the return of Jr Pieper and Sophomores Gesenhues and our keeper Jack Wilson will have Highlands near the top (if not the top) of the 9th Region ranks again next year and more  The departure of Cole Lorenzen in the middle will hurt but Highlands has a pretty good young talent to fill in the pieces graduating.  Don’t count them out……

GO BIRDS!!!

#BEATCOLONELS

[The Double Deuce]

23 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

Very nice write up.  Watched the game also and totally agree with everything you said.

The only thing I will strongly DISAGREE with is your assessment that Cooper will be the top team in the 9th Region and it won’t even be close.  I am not close to the Cooper program so I don’t know what they are graduating or bringing back but I know that the return of Jr Pieper and Sophomores Gesenhues and our keeper Jack Wilson will have Highlands near the top (if not the top) of the 9th Region ranks again next year and more  The departure of Cole Lorenzen in the middle will hurt but Highlands has a pretty good young talent to fill in the pieces graduating.  Don’t count them out……

GO BIRDS!!!

#BEATCOLONELS

I stand corrected, I thought Colin Pieper was a senior.  Having him, Chad, Jack, and the other juniors back will certainly put Highlands right at the top with the Jags, who return almost everyone.

[FrankNicodemus]

1 minute ago, The Double Deuce said:

I stand corrected, I thought Colin Pieper was a senior.  Having him, Chad, Jack, and the other juniors back will certainly put Highlands right at the top with the Jags, who return almost everyone.

Much better, I will agree with you on that correction!  

Going to be a fun few days……