Does Highlands Have Boyle County to Thank???

[Birdsfan]

Here's who you should thank; The parents that I just drove by tonight teaching the little ones the game of football in the pouring rain. There are some folks that like to grandstand and say they did this and that' date=' but the folks on the frontlines earn my respect. You should also thank guys like Jared Lorenzen who give back to the program and it also doesn't hurt to have other pro football players like Cris Collinsworth and Merrill Hoge. Without these, the Highlands football program doesn't leap forward no matter what the "others" may lead you to believe.[/quote']

I believe if we started "thanking people " for the success of the Highlands football program , that we would all go to our grave and still have people to thank . (Think about it !)

 

You are BOTH absolutely correct. :thumb:

[PurplePride92]

I agree with Hoosier on this one...There are too many ppl that deserve credit. More than big names or a certain class like the 2004 group there are the FAMILIES who sacrifice time, vacations, etc. To get their kids to practice, pack the lunches, support their son who isn't the star anymore or encourage them when they think abt giving up, or are there for them when their position has been changed or the sophomore who rarely gets in unless it's a blowout or JV game.

 

There is also a cradle of coaches led by Mueller who spend more hours that can be counted planning, practicing, meeting, breaking down film every week. It is as if they get together as soon as Friday's game is over & start all over again putting together a new game plan for the next opponent. These coaches are names that rarely get mentioned. Weinrich, Turner, Jones, Hall, Swope, Dill, Leopold, Behymer, Murray, Evans, and more. Of course, Collinsworth is an incredible person/coach to have on staff too!

 

Finally, IMO the Birds do a large part of winning in the offseason beginning the first day back after Christmas break, through spring football, all the way up to the summer. There are countless 3 hour long workouts all with 1goal...Get better everyday, while being a high character person & the best student you can be.

 

 

Great post. I always wondered who some of the other Highlands coaches are.

[Sandbagger]

Thx! It's not only HHS grads contributing either...

Mueller, Weinrich, Dill, Behymer, Murray, & Evans are HHS grads

But...

Turner-Newport

Jones- Frankfort Western Hills

Hall, Swope, Meadows all Bellevue grads

Leopold-??

 

Also, John Murray was a long time Beechwood asst under Mike Yeagle.

 

I'm sure I forgot a couple coaches too...Sorry to them

[Sandman]

Many people who have followed the Highlands football program seem to think that the program has taken a big leap forward over the past 5-6 years.

 

Earlier on, Highlands, thanks in large part to a very, very talented group of athletes (guys who come along very rarely), went on a big run from the mid-1990s through 2000, winning state titles in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Bluebirds then graduated one of the program's best football classes ever following the 2000 season. In 2001, Boyle County entered Highlands' football class and proceeded to dominate the class from 2001-2003, culminating in a Boyle County beatdown of Highlands in the 2003 state title game. I remember reading a quote from Coach Mueller some time around the 2003 or 2004 season, when asked about the Boyle County threat to Highlands' football dominance. He said something to the effect of "Boyle County has learned how to 'out-Highlands' Highlands, and now we (Highlands) must learn how to 'out-Boyle County' Boyle County," which I took to mean that Highlands must adapt to the challenge and significantly upgrade how the program goes about preparing for and playing football. Highlands then beat Boyle County for the title in 2004, and a couple of years later became absolutely dominating in football.

 

So, in light of all this, does Highlands have Boyle County to thank for the kind of success the program has experienced over the past few years? Did the challenge posed by Boyle County a decade ago force Coach Mueller and the Highlands football program to make some significant changes?

 

Every program makes subtle changes to their system, but Dale already had the engine running on all gears. The off-season stuff, connection to the FTYFL, etc. were already in place. Highlands just went through a cycle of talent that wasn't great while Boyle went through a great talent pool (and also really coached them up). Remember, Highlands lost a fair amount of games during those years (by Highlands standards). Male crushed them, Rockcastle County hammered them, Dixie beat them. Highlands just had a couple of "down" (by their standards) years.

 

It appears to me that the key thing that has led to Highlands' dominance is the total commitment to platoon football. I would give credit to Dale Mueller for making that leap. Boyle County may have pushed Mueller to make that move in an effort to gain an edge but that is the move that has made the difference. I don't think anyone in N. Ky. was doing that till Mueller did it. Now other teams are doing it in an effort to catch the Bluebirds.

 

No question this is the biggest change I've seen in the last several years from HHS, and I agree it's a move that's paid dividends. I'm not sure Boyle spurred the move, as much as wanting to beat GCL type teams, but it gets more kids on the field which helps the program as well. Dale can get 35 to 40 kids on the field in the biggest of games, that'll keep everyone excited and working hard and keep the young kids and families involved. It's a system that feeds off itself now more than ever.

[thenamerobdigity]

Weinrich changed the defensive scheme, and it took him a few years to be one of the best, if the best defensive coordinators in the state. A very important person that joined the defensive staff was Dave Meadows. I believe he was the DC for Bellevue the year they beat Beechwood.

 

I dont know if Boyle deserves credit or was a huge turningpoint, but they did have an impact. After the 2004 season there were a few seasons where Highlands didn't win the state championship either. Highlands was good before Boyle was in the picture and after. With the 5 class system, it is tough to determine the impact of Boyle on Highlands.

[leatherneck]

JB, I remember Dale's quote and I spoke to Dale back then about the quote. He definitely felt that Boyle raised the bar and Highlands needed to respond.

 

Should Boyle get all the credit? Of course not. But if some people don't think the intensity surrounding Highlands football picked up after the 03 championship loss to Boyle, I think they are mistaken.

[jpa2825]

Here's who you should thank; The parents that I just drove by tonight teaching the little ones the game of football in the pouring rain.

 

If you want to "thank them," feel free to drop by Arnie's on the Levee tomorrow night for the FTJFL Fundraiser. Information available at http://www.FortThomasJrFootball.com.