Covington Catholic at Highlands Predictions/Updates

[Kenny Powers]

3 hours ago, Royal Blue said:

Zero chance it sells out. 

I tend to agree. I can't remember the last time there was a sell out at HHS. 

[TheConch]

1 hour ago, Kenny Powers said:

I tend to agree. I can't remember the last time there was a sell out at HHS. 

The “sell out” is misleading when it comes to high school football games.

My feeling, especially most HHS v. CovCath games, not much seating left, if any, but they will load up that fence line in the end zones. CovCath does the same thing, are they going to stop selling tickets & turn people away? No, but behind the end zones are jam packed. 

So I hope you enjoy standing! I’d expect the same thing Friday, lot of people standing along the fence line, just stay away from the big drop off behind the stadium! 

Second game of the year, miserable heat, 8pm kickoff, we will see how this rivalry will look next couple years. 

[FirstTimeLongTime]

3 hours ago, CCHFC said:

How many guys for Highlands start both ways? I counted 6 for Cov Cath week 1, which is a ton even if there is a lot of rotating in and out. 

Depending on the night, 3-4 players may start both ways but many more than that will play. Many on the line. Last week was an 8-9 man rotation on Dline and 6 or so man rotation on Oline with many of them playing both sides. Sounds pretty similar. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

On 8/21/2023 at 9:58 AM, AgainstTheGrain said:

Highlands beat CovCath in a playoff game in 1995

On 8/21/2023 at 10:49 AM, bluecolonels95 said:

CWB will fact check you on that one. 

No need for fact checking...@AgainstTheGrain is definitely right. I was at the game 😂 It was pretty miserably cold and a overcast in Park Hills. The Birds won 3-0.

I have the series record saved to a Microsoft Word document and the '95 playoff game was at the bottom of the first column. I must have missed it when I copied/pasted.

Thanks for catching that, ATG!

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

1 hour ago, TheConch said:

The “sell out” is misleading when it comes to high school football games.

My feeling, especially most HHS v. CovCath games, not much seating left, if any, but they will load up that fence line in the end zones. CovCath does the same thing, are they going to stop selling tickets & turn people away? No, but behind the end zones are jam packed. 

So I hope you enjoy standing! I’d expect the same thing Friday, lot of people standing along the fence line, just stay away from the big drop off behind the stadium! 

Second game of the year, miserable heat, 8pm kickoff, we will see how this rivalry will look next couple years. 

It's not an everyday kind of thing, but they definitely have sold out games at David Cecil Memorial Stadium before, and my assumption is that the Cov Cath/Highlands probably accounts for a very large number of those games. Last time I recall it happening was in 2014. There was only a regular season game that year. Beau Hoge was QB for the Birds and the Colonels had the Dressman duo in their backfield. I drove up from the Ville for the game and then headed over to Ft. Thomas with one of my brothers, who'd bought us presale tickets. I was offered $25 for my ticket at the gate by someone who'd been turned away.

Cov Cath has a significantly different situation than Highlands since they have a track around their field, plus plenty of standing room behind the endzones and to the sides of the stands on the visitors side and home side, both. The only time that comes to memory where Cov Cath was turning away ticket sales at the gate was in 1993 when the Colonels hosted Moeller. Cov Cath had upset Moeller the year before up at Galbraith Field in their first-ever game against the Crusaders, so it was a major event the next year in Park Hills - plus it was back in the days of Saturday home games for the Colonels, so everyone in town was there. I remember seeing probably 15 or 20 players each from Beechwood and Highlands there in their letterman jackets, plus handfuls of guys from most every other GCL South and NKAC team. That crowd was BANANAS.

[Royal Blue]

5 hours ago, theguru said:

Why do you say that?

It seems like every year people think it’s going to sell out. I’ve never ever seen anyone turned away at a Highlands game. Did Highlands vs Cincy X or Elder ever sell out? Not that I’m aware. There’s plenty of room to stand. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I noticed that the Highlands Film & Broadcast page on YouTube has been renamed to Fort Thomas Film and Broadcast, and they archived all of their past game broadcasts. I'm assuming they will still be broadcasting their home games this season?

Anyone from over in the Fort with any better knowledge than mine?

[theguru]

9 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

I noticed that the Highlands Film & Broadcast page on YouTube has been renamed to Fort Thomas Film and Broadcast, and they archived all of their past game broadcasts. I'm assuming they will still be broadcasting their home games this season?

Anyone from over in the Fort with any better knowledge than mine?

I sure hope so, Highlands is a pioneer in student broadcasting and they have set the bar high. 

[1963 BIRDS]

Play by play with nothing but the facts.

[DevilMayCare]

Question for the FTH contingent here:

Should we expect to see Benke lined up anywhere other than behind center?

Handing the reins to Litmer against LexCath was one thing, but this is our equivalent of Ohio St./Michigan. And I wonder how big a role the lack of district or post-season implications will play in that decision making process. It may lighten things up enough that we see Litmer extensively involved in the game plan, or maybe that's the plan this season regardless. 

[1Forrest1]

CovCath by two Scores.

Edited August 23, 2023 by theguru

[El Diablo]

I kinda like mixing it up with Rio at QB and Benke playing WR. It’s effective. Benke running behind that OLine is their best thing on offense. Then you sling it to Class and Mateo every once in a while. Run it with Geisler once every four plays. But Benke running it like half the time. Rio gives him a break. 

[Nitro Knows]

16 hours ago, theguru said:

Why do you say that?

I'd say because of the immense standing room. 

[Kenny Powers]

9 hours ago, DevilMayCare said:

Question for the FTH contingent here:

Should we expect to see Benke lined up anywhere other than behind center?

Handing the reins to Litmer against LexCath was one thing, but this is our equivalent of Ohio St./Michigan. And I wonder how big a role the lack of district or post-season implications will play in that decision making process. It may lighten things up enough that we see Litmer extensively involved in the game plan, or maybe that's the plan this season regardless. 

I would expect to see the package of Rio at QB and Brody elsewhere used as a wrinkle package all year. I would not anticipate Litmer being used extensively unless the game is in hand or an injury. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that H. Sphire wants to get Rio some seasoning/reps under his belt this year and will pick and choose when based on how he sees things going. Then Litmer will have the keys to the castle next year. 

I personally like using the package as wrinkle as it makes defenses prepare for it ahead of time and Brody on the outside is a mismatch against just about everybody. Just ask the Lex Cath DBs.

[BirdDaddy]

56 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

I would expect to see the package of Rio at QB and Brody elsewhere used as a wrinkle package all year. I would not anticipate Litmer being used extensively unless the game is in hand or an injury. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that H. Sphire wants to get Rio some seasoning/reps under his belt this year and will pick and choose when based on how he sees things going. Then Litmer will have the keys to the castle next year. 

I personally like using the package as wrinkle as it makes defenses prepare for it ahead of time and Brody on the outside is a mismatch against just about everybody. Just ask the Lex Cath DBs.

I'm hearing Freshman Tayden Lorenzen will have something to say about that. I'm sure it will be Litmer's to lose but don't count out the Two Freshman QB's coming behind and especially #22. He has some of Daddy's talent in him and I personally can't wait to watch him grow. The difference in the program now then from a few years back. The best players are on the field.