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By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Over in Park Hills, the faithful fans constantly wonder if this is the year the streak ends. But the Highlands Bluebirds football team hopes to prevent that huge midfield celebration that has come in past years when the Covington Catholic Colonels won. That has not happened since 2006 as the Bluebirds have won 11 straight in the series on their way to six consecutive state championships. Highlands leads the all-time series, 45-17. “I know I’ve been saying this a lot,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “But it’s going to come down to us trusting what we do and playing fast. It’s not so much what they’re going to do. That’s what every game has been about. If they make plays, we have to stop them on the next play.” The teams enter the game in a somewhat similar situation to last year. The Bluebirds are undefeated at 4-0 and the Colonels are 3-1 with their lone loss coming at two-time Ohio Defending Division I state champion Cincinnati Moeller, 39-0 on Sept. 5. The Bluebirds enter the game off a 49-17 win over Paducah Tilghman on Saturday. Highlands entered last year’s regular season contest at 5-0 having played in the zero week. The Bluebirds dominated the contest over the injury-riddled Colonels, 42-6 in Park Hills before winning the playoff rematch, 28-13 in Fort Thomas in the regional finals. Highlands has beaten CovCath twice the last three years. Wirth said the Colonels have had some injuries, but they’ve been more with the linemen as opposed to the skill position players like last year. Dave Wirth is in his sixth season as head coach of the Colonels. They are 0-9 against the Bluebirds since he took that title. They beat Henderson County, 49-28 in their last game on Sept. 13 in Park Hills. “Moeller is as good as or probably much better than anyone we will play and they’re huge across the board with tons of Division I players so it only makes you better,” Wirth said. “They expose every weakness their opponents have. Henderson (County) is good too, but not quite Moeller. Each team presents different challenges. We like to schedule tough to make us get better. Scheduling teams that are weak doesn’t to us much good.” The Colonels had their bye week before the game Friday. Wirth said CovCath focused on fundamentals during that week. The game tends to get a lot of mention on the Internet. Highlands fans, students and players often post #BeatColonels on Twitter. The likes of former players like Mike Mitchell, Donovan McCoy and Tyler Schweitzer have tweeted it this week. The CovCath administration suspended Colonel students from attending the regular season game in Fort Thomas two years ago for going too far on Twitter. “I didn’t know anything about that from two years ago,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “I haven’t even thought about that. We hope their smart enough to realize it’s a game. You play the game on the field on the field on Friday Night. It has nothing to do with what you say on social media.” That’s where the senior leadership comes into play. The Highlands seniors have been through CovCath six times since entering high school. “We just have to make sure it’s still a football game no matter who we’re playing,” said Alex Veneman, Highlands senior wide receiver. “We need to focus on what we need to do to win the game.” Veneman and Highlands senior quarterback Beau Hoge have been huge pieces to the Highlands offense that’s averaged 42 points and 475.5 yards per contest. Hoge has completed 65-of-103 passes for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns to go with 278 yards rushing on 31 carries and eight touchdowns. “It’s very hard to prepare for Hoge. He is very good,” Wirth said. “They have a nice offense this year. Coach Weinrich has made some nice tweaks to the offense and they’re much better this year.” Veneman has been his top target terrorizing defenses with 25 catches for 444 yards and seven touchdowns. But 11 different Bluebirds have catches. Junior Mitch Cain has 12 for 162 yards and a touchdown. The Highlands running game has given the Bluebirds experience behind an improving offensive line led by Lou Bunning, Evan Richardson and Carson Haas. Senior Griffin Urlage leads the Bluebirds with 298 yards on 51 carries and two scores. Senior Josh Watson has 141 yards on 41 carries and two scores. Teams have rushed for 590 yards and passed for 689 against the Colonel 3-3-5 defense playing the middle linebacker primarily in the middle. Senior defensive back Ben Zumdick leads the Colonels with 29 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Chandler Brooks and junior linebacker Cason Wall have one fumble recovery each. Zumdick and senior defensive back Alex Wagner have one interception each. Highlands has seen the 3-3-5 stack defense twice this year. Campbell County and Cincinnati St. Xavier run it. “It depends on what you’re trying to do,” Weinrich said. “CovCath is going to be sound no matter what tweaks they do. They’re going to make you beat then. They’re not going to give up anything cheap. They’re going to keep the game in front of them and not give up the big plays.” The Highlands 3-4 defense will face a Colonel Spread offense. Highlands, CovCath doesn’t have anyone going both directions. The Bluebirds have allowed just an average of 20.2 points per game and 307 yards of offense per game. They have 20 tackles for a loss for a total of 50 yards and nine sacks. Highlands junior defensive lineman Tyler Robinson and senior linebacker Brady Murray lead the way with 3.5 tackles for a loss with senior linebacker Jacob Noe and senior defensive lineman Daniel Kremer recording two sacks each. Patrick Schoepf and Ben Ziegler have one fumble recovery each and senior defensive back Andrew Abner has the team’s lone interception that sealed the win over Lexington Bryan Station a few weeks ago. “Whatever the coaches decide to change, we have to follow through with that. We can’t go back to old habits,” said Rocco Pangallo, Highland senior linebacker. “They have some tricks up their sleeves. We have some tricks up our sleeves. It’s a matter of trying to see when it’s needed. When it comes down to it, if it’s 4th-and-10, they’re going to try a trick play. If we don’t get antsy or nervous and stay at the level Coach Weinrich talks about, we’ll be fine.” The Colonels have rushed for 478 yards and passed for 909 yards this year. Quarterback Adam Wagner has completed 66-of-103 passes for 860 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 222 yards on 43 carries and two touchdowns. Junior running back Ben Darlington is CovCath’s next leading rusher. He has 133 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Senior Logan McDowell has 20 catches for 259 yards to lead CovCath and seven touchdowns with senior Lee McClure recording 12 catches for 291 yards and four touchdowns. Game time is 7 p.m. in Fort Thomas. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: What Will It Take for Bluebirds to Record 12 Straight Wins Against Cov Cath?

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter ALEXANDRIA – The Highlands Bluebirds boys soccer team had been riding a defensive high in recent games. The Bluebirds had not allowed a goal going 3-0-3 in their previous six games. The host Campbell County Camels broke that string with a goal in the first couple minutes. The Camels made that goal stand in a 1-0 non-region victory over the defending 9th Region champions Wednesday. Campbell County had not beaten its former district rivals in six straight meetings dating back to a 2-1 win on Sept. 10, 2009 in Alexandria. “Defense has definitely been our strong characteristic lately,” said Matthew Winkler, Highlands Head Coach. “We’ve been working hard on it. People are starting to get healthy. We’re getting close to full strength.” The Camels are led by first-year head coach and former Highlands assistant Matt Ewald. Campbell County (5-5-2) suffered through a winless season in 2012. But they’ve won three straight. “This is really the first game all season where they played hard for 80 minutes,” Ewald said. “They wanted it and there was a fire in their ways. They stepped out and made it happen. To get a shutout against a team like Highlands that has had some success recently, it’s nice. It was that step in the right direction.” Highlands (3-7-5) outshot Campbell County, 12-7 including 7-3 on goal. The Bluebirds just could not finish. “It’s more difficult to score when you’re down than when you’re even or ahead for sure,” Winkler said. “Campbell packed it in a little tighter in the second half. I would have done the same thing had I had the lead. It was a good win for them. We’ll take some stuff from it, move forward and be ready for the second week in October.” The one goal of the game came with just 5:11 into the first half. Michael Dumaine booted a corner kick into the attacking zone that Troy Wolfzorn put into the goal. “I don’t know if that was more about clearing the ball than tighter marks,” Winkler said. “Early in the game, our marks were a little bit loose. I think we figured out their top-caliber players at that point. We just weren’t in our groove yet. The second half was much better for us.” Both goakeepers had good games between the pipes. Nick Breslin had three saves for Highlands and James Wilbers had six for Campbell County. The game was played clean. Neither team had either a yellow or red card. Highlands plays host to Pendleton County on Tuesday. Game time is 8 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Did the Highlands boys soccer team make it seven straight against Cambpell County?

Volleyball: Newport Central Catholic 3, Boone County 0: The Thoroughbreds moved back to .500 at 9-9 with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-14) home win Wednesday. Setter Mikah Freppon had 24 assists. Rachel McDonald had 12 kills and five aces with Amanda Ruwe contributing 18 digs. Jamie Lohr and Keyaira Lankheit had five kills each. The Thoroughbreds travel to Covington Holmes on Thursday. Game time is 6:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Did the Highlands boys soccer team make it seven straight against Cambpell County?

Soccer, Girls: Notre Dame 5, Newport Central Catholic 1: The Lady Breds (10-2-1) lost in the battle against the defending state champions. NewCath. Taylor Tolle scored the lone NewCath goal on a nice assist from Michaela Ware. NewCath travels to Scott on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Did the Highlands boys soccer team make it seven straight against Cambpell County?

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It does not look great on paper. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team fell to 0-4 on the year with a 34-13 loss to the 3-1 Dixie Heights Colonels on Saturday at Newport Stadium. But they went 0-4 against a brutal stretch of competition from Classes 5A and 6A last year and still finished Class 2A state runner-up. The Colonels had their way on both the offensive and defensive fronts. The Colonel defense sacked the Thoroughbred quarterbacks 10 times. The Thoroughbreds kept things closer pouncing on 4-of-6 Colonel fumbles. Peyton Davis, Nate Enslen, Spencer Pangallo and Ben Barbara recovered Dixie Heights fumbles for NewCath. NewCath junior defensive lineman Maleek Lawrence recorded several punishing hits on the Colonel running backs throughout the day. That led to some tackles for a loss. The Colonel offensive line paved the way for senior quarterback Drew Moore. He burned the Thoroughbreds a lot keeping the ball on read options. He rushed for 178 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. He also passed for the same amount completed 10-of-13 attempts to go with a touchdown. Cameron Barrett had 12 carries for 35 yards and two touchdowns for the Colonels. Teammate Luke Zajac had 10 carries for 67 yards. Seth Caple led the Colonels with two catches for 69 yards. Teammate Gunter Faeth added two catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. Dixie Heights outgained NewCath, 453-159 in total offense. The Colonels also out had 13 first downs to eight for the Thoroughbreds. NewCath quarterback Patrick Henschen showed more signs of good things at quarterback. He completed 11-of-20 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Enslen had four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Teammate Brandon Gray followed with two catches for 33 yards. The Thoroughbreds did rush for 32 net yards on 30 carries despite the sacks. Jacob Smith had 13 carries for 57 yards. Dixie Heights led just 14-0 at halftime. The Colonels scored on their first possession. On the second play, Moore ran right and cut back to the left for a 38-yard touchdown score. The Colonels extended the advantage to 14-0 with 6:51 left in the second quarter. Barrett scored from a yard out two plays after Moore completed a fourth-down 32-yard pass to Faeth. Dixie Heights pulled away in the third quarter. Moore had a 70-yard run with 6:14 remaining and Faeth hauled in a 19-yard pass from Moore. The Thoroughbreds hit the scoreboard 10 seconds into the fourth quarter. Smith used a stiff-arm to score from 23 yards out and Erik Anderson hit the extra-point attempt. Following Barrett’s second touchdown run with 8:30 left in the game, Henschen hit Enslen for a 25-yard score with 1:35 remaining. The two-point run failed. The Colonels lead the all-time series against the Thoroughbreds, 15-7. The teams have met for six straight seasons but are not scheduled to play each other next year. NewCath travels to Erlanger on Friday to face the undefeated Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts (4-0). Game time is 7 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Dixie Heights drops NewCath, 34-13

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The list of disadvantages the visitors had coming into the game was not a secret. The Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado football team still owns the fourth-most wins all-time in Kentucky history with 751. That’s behind only the host Highlands Bluebirds (859-227-26 overall in their 100th season), Louisville Male (837) and arch-rival Mayfield (823). But the Blue Tornado (1-4) are in a restructuring season under former Warren Central Head Coach Mike Rogers. The numbers are not where the staff would like to be from a depth standpoint so they have players going both directions. Add to that a sweltering day at Cecil Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, an overnight stay after a 5.5-hour bus trip on Friday and they faced a team with no players going both directions so it made for a long day. The Bluebirds handled the Blue Tornado, 49-17 to move to 4-0 and increase their all-time lead to 6-1 in the series as a non-surprising result. The teams had not played at either home field until last year. Highlands beat Paducah Tilghman in 1989 and 1992 for the two Class 3A state championships when Tom Duffy was head coach. Highlands outgained Paducah Tilghman, 467-298 in total offense. The Blue Tornado had no answer for the balanced and improving Bluebird offense. “The guys on both sides of the ball are starting to get the hang of what we’re doing,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “They’re getting some experience. The execution was pretty high (Saturday), which is what you want it to be in game four. We have to keep getting better.” Bluebird senior quarterback Beau Hoge showed his versatility once again completing 23-of-36 passes for 352 yards and rushing for 75 on five carries and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Alex Veneman torched the Paducah Tilghman secondary with eight catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. “The (offensive) line is blocking well,” said Nick Kendall, Highlands junior running back. “Beau (Hoge) is having all kinds of time. He throws awesome passes. The running backs are also running and blocking well.” A couple other Highlands wide receivers had big games as the Blue Tornado defense focused on stopping the Bluebird running game. Mitch Cain had five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown and Chandler New had four catches for 71 yards. Junior Eric Miller added two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. The Blue Tornado have improved since the season-opening 49-21 loss to McCracken County. Junior quarterback Jessie Dunigan completed 13-of-19 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. Seven of those passes went to junior Sayveon McEwen for 128 yards and a touchdown. The Blue Tornado rushed for 125 yards on 38 carries out of their traditional Wing-T offense. Senior Tyler Scarbrough led the way with 10 carries for 46 yards. “They cut on us a lot more,” said Drew Bravard, Highlands sophomore defensive lineman. “It’s hard to deal with the cutting. Coach (Shelby Jones) emphasized putting our hands on players. That way we can shove them to the ground instead of them taking out our knees.” The Bluebirds contained senior tailback D.J. Sherrill defensively and senior defensive lineman Daniel Kremer had a couple sacks on Dunigan. The Paducah Tilghman running backs had some first-down runs. But they did not go for long gains. “Defensively, that’s kind of our thing. You take away the big play and stay patient,” Weinrich said. “We gave up some drives. But at the end of the day, we didn’t give up many points. That’s our ultimate goal.” Highlands moved down the field on its first possession. Hoge hit Veneman for a 28-yard catch and run on the right sideline and Hoge scrambled for 18 more. Hoge swept left and scored from three yards out on third down with 6:49 left in the first quarter and Jared Daugherty hit the extra-point. The Bluebirds scored again three and a half minutes later. Josh Watson broke free for a 15-yard score on fourth down to put Highlands up 13-0 after the conversion run failed. The Blue Tornado tried to take time off the clock with long and sustained drives. They had a touchdown pass negated by a penalty. But Logan Besaw hit a 31-yard field goal with 7:09 left in the half. Highlands led 13-3 at that point. The Bluebirds moved the ball down the field and scored with 4:31 left in the half. Hoge found Cain for a 14-yard score and Highlands led 20-3. Highlands built even more distance from Paducah Tilghman with 1:19 left in the game. Hoge found Veneman on the left side of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Daugherty’s extra-point attempt put the Bluebirds up 28-3 at halftime. The Bluebirds went for the knockout punch to open the second half. Miller caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Hoge to increase the Highlands lead to 35-3 just 2:29 into the half. The Blue Tornado scored their first touchdown with 4:40 left in the third quarter. Dunigan scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper. Ben Ziegler set up another Highlands score just nine seconds into the fourth quarter. He recovered a Paducah Tilghman fumble at the Blue Tornado 42. Just more than a minute later, Hoge found Veneman for a 12-yard touchdown. That gave the Bluebirds a 42-10 advantage. Hoge enforced the running clock with another touchdown run with 5:45 left in the game. He scored on a six-yard run to put the Bluebirds up 49-10. Paducah Tilghman made the game closer with 2:40 left. Dunigan hit McEwen for an 81-yard touchdown. Highlands has six days to prepare for arch-rival Covington Catholic (3-1). Game time is 7 p.m. Friday in Fort Thomas. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebirds take wind out of Blue Tornado

Congrats to her. She picked a program of integrity. Muffet McGraw is a wonderful coach and she does things the right way.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Some of their own faithful did not see them posting many blowouts like previous teams have done. But they did just that in non-district play in their home opener at David Cecil Memorial Stadium on Friday. The Highlands Bluebirds displayed their versatile, balanced spread offense and played stellar defense in their 49-7 domination of the John Hardin Bulldogs. They scored 42 straight points in the win. Highlands (3-0) moved to 103-5 since the start of 2007 and 858-227-26 all-time in its 100th season. The Bluebirds have not lost to a Kentucky team at home since 2006 and have lost just once at home since then. That came 38-24 to Cincinnati Elder two years ago. John Hardin fell to 0-4 battling a lot of injuries in addition to youth and a tough schedule. The Bulldogs had not lost three in a row since 2006. “Once again, we were just outmatched,” said Chad Lewis, John Hardin Head Coach. “Highlands is a premier program in the state of Kentucky.” The Bluebirds outgained the Bulldogs, 515-171 in total offense. That included 307-0 through the air in their versatile spread attack. The Bulldogs had no answers defensively for the Beau Hoge-to-Alex Veneman connection in their 4-4 defense. Hoge completed 14-of-16 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Veneman had eight catches for 194 yards and two scores. Hoge did not run the ball as much as he did in the wins over Campbell County and Lexington Bryan Station. “I was so surprised with how we came into the game and started out,” said Brandon Lichtenberg, Highlands junior offensive lineman. “That first touchdown run we thought they had scared us for sure. We’re really glad it came back. We felt like we did our job and can do even better.” Seven different Bluebirds had receptions. Cashel Coughlin and Mitch Cain had two receptions for 20 and 10 yards respectively. Highlands rushed for 208 yards on 39 carries. Griffin Urlage led the way going for 129 yards on 15 carries. He also had a reception for 29 yards. “Our offensive line blocked fantastic,” said Jason Lynch, Highlands assistant coach. “The biggest thing we saw (Friday) is they’re starting to come together and understand the scheme. The kids hit the holes fast and we caught the ball well. It was our best all-around performance this year.” John Hardin had been throwing the ball more this year. But junior quarterback Shay Stone did not complete any of his five passes. Josh Miller led the Bulldogs with 65 yards rushing on 15 carries in their double-slot Wing-T sets. The Bulldogs had one drive where they moved the ball a lot against the Highlands 3-4 defense. But the Bluebird defensive line led by the likes of linemen such as Daniel Kremer and John Abner dominated the line of scrimmage. “One of the great things about this game is it came down to trust,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “A couple times when we didn’t do that, they were able to get some things on us. When we trusted what we’re supposed to trust and did what we’re supposed to do, that was the difference. One of the things we focused on this week was getting to the ball and driving them backwards.” The Bluebirds have been playing without injured senior defensive lineman D.J. Mills. Mills recently had surgery and had a cast around his left arm and hand Thursday. He is attempting to recover from an injury suffered in the win at Campbell County. The Highlands linebackers also did their parts to contain the Bulldog offense. Senior defensive back James Hinkle recently returned from a concussion. “If you don’t read your key, you’re going to do it wrong and it leads to an easy touchdown,” Hinkle said. “For me, I have the second receiver, which is usually a slot. I just have to make sure he’s not running a pass (route). If he blocks down, I have to get outside and force (the running back) back inside to my teammates.” Elijah Smith returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown for John Hardin. But a penalty negated the play. The Bluebirds drove into Bulldog territory on their first possession using an empty backfield. But they lost their first of two fumbles. But Highlands made up for it on the second series. Hoge rolled right and hit Veneman behind two Bulldogs for a 46-yard touchdown and Jared Dougherty hit his first of seven points after a touchdown. John Hardin came back to tie the game at 7-7 with 2:04 left in the first quarter. Stone ran the ball up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown. “I thought our kids fought hard in the first half,” Lewis said. “We just have to continue to work and get better. We had more injuries again (Friday). We’re not deep to begin with. It forced more young kids to play. They’re leaning under the fire.” Urlage gave the Bluebirds ahead for good going around the left side for a 3-yard score as time expired in the first quarter. That started the Highlands run and put the Bluebirds up 14-7 entering the second quarter. “We just kept doing what we were doing (against the Wing-T),” said Joseph Dressman, Highlands junior linebacker. “We played our base defense. We had to keep reading our keys and fly to the football. We tried to beat them to the spot. If everyone plays it right and doesn’t get up-field, we stop them at the line.” Highlands put the game away with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to go up 35-7 at halftime. Urlage ran it in from two yards out. The other two Highlands touchdowns came when Hoge hit Veneman on the right side of the end zone for an 11-yard score and Hoge scored from a yard out. Hoge threw his final touchdown pass in the third quarter. He hit Chandler New on a fade to the left with 10:03 left. Junior Austin Hergott took over at quarterback later in the half. Hergott rolled right and hit a diving Eric Miller on the right sideline for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 11:17 to go in the game. John Hardin had been struggling with turnovers. But the Bulldogs had none in the game. The Bulldogs did have more penalties. They had seven for 44 yards compared to two for 20 yards for the Bluebirds. John Hardin continues its tough stretch this Friday at home against Pleasure Ridge Park. Game time is 7:30 p.m. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebirds 'outmatch' Bulldogs, 49-7

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The two-year series between two teams that have been at or near the top of Kentucky for seven years ended Friday. It might be a while before the John Hardin Bulldogs and Highlands Bluebirds football teams meet again. Aside from travel distance, the two programs will be in different classes unlike between 2007 and 2010 when both resided in Class 5A. Highlands is moving back to Class 5A next year and John Hardin is dropping to 4A. The Bluebirds have won all three meetings between the two teams. They beat the Bulldogs, 33-26 in Elizabethtown last year and won the 2009 5A state championship over them, 35-7. When now-retired Highlands Head Coach Dale Mueller made the schedule two years ago, he had to reach out to other teams across Kentucky because nearby Northern Kentucky teams would not schedule them. But that changes next year when Highlands plays seven teams from the northern three Kentucky counties as opposed to just three like in recent years. Up next from across the state: John Hardin had to drive up Interstate 65 to Louisville then hit Interstate 71 to come north to Fort Thomas. That may be a longer-than-usual drive for teams. But Paducah Tilghman will be making a longer trip next week. The Blue Tornado (1-3) have to head east on Interstate 24 before spending a few hours on the Western Kentucky Parkway. They hit Interstate 65 just south of Elizabethtown. It is about 5.5 hours to Fort Thomas from Paducah. Scouting Paducah Tilghman: The Blue Tornado (1-3) started the season rough with three straight losses to McCracken County (49-21), Evansville (Indiana) Reitz (35-23), and Mayfield (47-21). But they took down Graves County, 36-22 on Friday in Paducah. The Blue Tornado are implementing the Wing-T offense after running the spread last year. Former Warren Central Head Coach Mike Rogers came over last year after Randy Wyatt resigned in the offseason. Paducah Tilghman junior quarterback Jessie Dunigan struggled against McCracken County but has picked things up. The Blue Tornado graduated wide receivers Mikey Davis and Darius Spivey-Nunn. They like to put running backs like senior D.J. Sherrill in motion and hand the ball off to them a number of ways. Sub-Varsity reports: The Highlands junior varsity team has played just once so far losing 14-8 to Campbell County in overtime. Their next game is Monday against Covington Catholic at 7 p.m. The Highlands freshman team is 1-1 after losing 22-12 to Campbell County on Thursday. The Bluebirds opened with a 12-6 victory over Cooper. The Highlands freshmen take on Simon Kenton on Wednesday. Game time is 6 p.m. at Cecil Memorial Stadium. Class 4A Report: Boyle County remained undefeated at 4-0 with a 48-26 win at Anderson County on Friday. Chuck Smith returned to coach the Rebels this year after a stint as an assistant coach for the University of Kentucky ended two years ago. He guided them to a then-record five straight state championships between 1999 and 2003. Highlands ended that run with a 22-6 win in the 3A state championship in 2004. Five teams in 4A remain undefeated. The other three 3-0 teams are Johnson Central, Franklin-Simpson and Knox Central. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebird Notebook: John Hardin, Highlands to switch classes next season

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter No team has been able to slow down the Simon Kenton Pioneers so far. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team was the latest one in a 46-13 loss at Newport Stadium on Friday. Undefeated Simon Kenton (4-0) outgained NewCath, 484-78 in total offense. The Pioneers ran for 257 yards and passed for another 227. On the other side, NewCath (0-3) continues to struggle running the ball. The Thoroughbreds ran for a minus-33 yards against the Pioneers. They collectively have 76 carries for no yards on the season. Sophomore quarterback Patrick Henschen completed 15-of-27 passes for 111 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Brandon Gray led the way with seven receptions for 41 yards. Sophomore quarterback Cameron Racke completed 16-of-20 passes for 213 yards to lead Simon Kenton. Logan Winkler had six catches for 84 yards and two scores and Logan Scott had three for 65 yards. Price Burge had 11 carries for 91 yards to lead Simon Kenton. Teammate Kyle Heflin ran for 69 yards on seven carries and Dillion Powell had 17 rushes for 56 yards. Simon Kenton scored one touchdown in the first quarter. Racke hit Winkler for a 46-yard touchdown pass and Winkler ran in the two-point conversion to put the Pioneers up 8-0. The Pioneers exploded for 22 points in the second quarter. Powell and Racke had 1-yard touchdown runs before Hefflin ran it in from five yards out. Hrusto Selimovic hit all five extra-point tries in the win. NewCath got on the board with 36.8 seconds left. Henschen hit Clint Bartels for a 30-yard touchdown strike and Ryan Hans made the extra-point try. The Pioneers put the game away in the third quarter. Racke hit Winkler for a 12-yard touchdown and Racke broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run with 7:22 left in the third. Simon Kenton led 43-7 at that point. NewCath scored its second touchdown with 3:53 left. Henschen hit Nate Enslen for a 10-yard scoring strike. Simon Kenton added a field goal with 5:16 left in the game. Selimovic made a 20-yard field goal to make the final score. NewCath plays host to Dixie Heights (2-1) on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NC football, volleyball teams fall

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The first half belonged to the Newport Central Catholic Lady Breds while the second one belonged to the host Highlands Ladybirds on Friday at Tower Park. But in this case, NewCath’s better half stood up in a 2-1 36th District win. The Lady Breds stayed undefeated at 8-0 after withstanding a number of Highlands chances to tie the game in the final two minutes. “The team chemistry is great,” said Kevin Turnick, NewCath Head Coach. “It’s a mixture of seniors through freshmen who contribute. They all get along really well. That’s been a big part of our success these last couple years. It gives you that extra lift.” Highlands fell to 3-6 on the year with its second loss in as many days. The Ladybirds have dropped five one-goal games this year. Taylor Tolle scored both NewCath goals. They came in the first half as the Lady Breds took a 2-0 advantage into halftime. “If you look at the buildups on the goals, they won the battle in the middle in the first half,” said Brian Wiefering, Highlands Head Coach. “We weren’t marking in the middle. Our girls decided they weren’t going to talk to each other so there was always someone open in the middle who was distributing the ball well. Then you have someone like Taylor Tolle who finishes well.” Tolle scored her first goal just 20 seconds into the game. Senior Loren Zimmerman recorded a long throw-in that Tolle punched into the net. “In the beginning of the game, it just brings everyone together and shows the intensity from the start of what we can bring to the table,” Zimmerman said. “Everyone can get better at some point. We’re hoping we all come together and get done what we need done.” That marked career assist number 28 for Zimmerman. She added to the school record for most assists in a career. “Obviously, I did not do something right because the girls came out flat,” Wiefering said. “The last thing we told them before we took the field was to be ready for the long throw from Loren Zimmerman. They came out and played with heart in the second half. In the first half, I didn’t see it.” Tolle’s second goal came with about a minute left in the first half. It came on an odd rush after a Highlands turnover. The Ladybirds scored their only goal just about five minutes into the second half. Taylor Vaughn turned near the out-of-bounds line to the right of the goal and made a nice pass to Kayla Nehus for the score. Highlands outshot NewCath, 9-5. The Ladybirds even had seven corner kicks to four for the Lady Breds. NewCath goalkeeper Meg Martin had five assists and Highlands goalkeeper Olivia McQueary had two. “In the first five minutes of the second half, we marked terribly,” Turnick said. “In the last five minutes, we withstood everything they gave us. That was a matter of us not clearing the ball and being able to keep possession. We got lucky at times so that needs to improve and then.” The game was clean. Neither team received any yellow or red cards. NewCath plays St. Henry on Monday at 6 p.m. Highlands plays in the Lexington Catholic Invitational starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Louisville Assumption. Fort Thomas Sports: Lady Breds stay undefeated with win over Ladybirds

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The game started off on the usual great note for the visitors Friday. The tradition-rich Highlands Bluebirds scored 23 points in the first quarter and appeared headed for another blowout win. But that didn’t happen. The defenses took over and the Campbell County Camels made a late run before Highlands escaped with a 23-16 win. “We came out and executed well. (Campbell County) didn’t make any adjustments,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “They were just sound with what they were doing. They took away some stuff. Give them credit. They played hard until the very end. It could have gone either way at the end. We’re happy that we came away with the win. That’s what you have to do.” Highlands unleashed senior quarterback Beau Hoge and he gave the Camels fits with his arm and feet in the Bluebird spread offense. Hoge completed 15-of-29 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 12 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Hoge hit his top target in senior wide receiver Alex Veneman five times. Veneman finished with 66 yards and a touchdown. “(Hoge) gives us another option to extend plays,” Weinrich said. “There are going to be some big plays at some point.” The offense drove inside the Campbell County 10-yard line three times during the game, but came away with no points. The Bluebirds lost a fumble at the Camel 3 on the opening drive. They also had 14 penalties for 112 yards compared to six penalties for 64 yards on the Camels. Highlands still outgained Campbell County, 356-254 in total offense. The Camels ran quarterback draws and sweeps with junior quarterback Carson Plessinger just more than 60 percent of the time on 35-of-58 plays behind their offensive line that averages 6-feet and 235 pounds. Plessinger completed just 3-of-9 passes for 80 yards. One went for 57 yards to Matt Mayer in the fourth quarter. “We lost a little bit of intensity in the third quarter,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “(Plessinger) is just a really good back. He just continues to move his feet, get his legs going and gains extra yards. One thing he does well is fall forward. We didn’t keep driving him back. We felt like we were doing pretty well (getting to him), then he would get an extra yard or two.” The Highlands offensive line gave Hoge plenty of time. He sometimes stood in the pocket for five seconds before running or throwing the ball. The Bluebirds moved senior Matt Gall and junior Bo Hebel to the offensive side of the ball after they played on the defensive line last year. “I think we’ve improved every week,” Hebel said. “We just shot ourselves in the foot a lot. We need to get rid of all the penalties. We’ll need to be sharper the next time we come out.” After the lost fumble in the first quarter, Highlands senior defensive lineman D.J. Mills sacked Plessinger in the end zone for a safety with 7:54 left in the quarter. The Bluebirds struck quickly after Veneman returned the free kick to the Campbell County 40-yard line. Veneman burned the Camel defense for a 40-yard score just 18 seconds later to put Highlands up 9-0. “We definitely wanted to start off in a positive way,” Jones said. “I felt like we came out and played well for the first game. There is obviously some things we need to do better. So we’ll continue to work on that and look at the things we do well and get ready for next week. It’ll be a whole different story.” Highlands had a good mix of running and passing. The Bluebirds ran for 173 yards total. They tried to get senior running backs Josh Watson and Griffin Urlage involved in addition to junior Nick Kendall. Watson and Urlage did not play in the scrimmage at Cincinnati St. Xavier a week ago. “We’ll get better. We’re still figuring out the rotation,” Urlage said. “It changes day-to-day. We need to step it up a little bit and we’ll be fine.” The Bluebirds struck again with 3:52 to go in the first. Hoge faked the sweep right and ran the option left. He found daylight for a 15-yard touchdown run. Junior kicker Jared Dougherty made his second of three extra-point attempts to put Highlands up 16-0. Hoge scored his second touchdown with 32 seconds left in the first. He ran around left end for a 27-yard score. That put the Bluebirds up 23-0. They held that lead until 11:58 remained in the fourth quarter. Plessinger scored from a yard out and added the two-point conversion run. He added another 1-yard score and conversion run with 2:06 left in the game. “We just have to stuff them up front and stay contained,” said Brady Murray, Highlands senior linebacker. “That’s about it. They ran the ball just about every play.” Campbell County tried an onside kick. But Highlands senior Grayson Heck called for a fair kick on the bounce and the Bluebirds ran out the clock. Highlands travels to Lexington Bryan Station on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands escapes Campbell County, 23-16

Highlands Softball Note: Graybill verbally commits to Bowling Green: Highlands junior standout Shelby Graybill recently verbally committed to Bowling Green State University (Ohio) of the Mid-American Conference. The 5-foot-8-inch catcher and third baseman helped Highlands to its first 9th Region title last spring. The Ladybirds finished a school-record 27-13 including a 19-game winning streak. They went 1-2 in the state tournament. Graybill batted about .529 (55-for-104) with 52 runs batted in, 32 runs scored, 19 doubles, nine home runs, three strikeouts and 13 walks. She hit two home runs in the state tournament including a two-run blast to open the state tournament in a 4-1 against Estill County. “They are looking for me to come in and start as a freshman to be in what they say is Murderer’s Row,” Graybill said. “That’s the three, four, five (hitters). I’m looking to be at least hitting my freshman year.” Graybill wants to become a history teacher. Her favorite time period is Early American History. She said Bowling Green is one of the top schools in the country for teaching. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebird Notes: Highlands moves to 101-5 since 2006; Graybill verbally commits to BGSU

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Last year, Campbell County Head Coach Stephen Lickert said the Camels would continue to play the Bluebirds and he hopes to beat them at some point. Friday’s 23-16 Highlands win marked the closest Campbell County has come to beating Highlands in the Bluebird 13-game winning streak in the series dating back to 1991. That’s when the Camels last beat the Bluebirds, 12-6. Highlands leads the all-time series, 52-9. Prior to last year, Highlands and Campbell County last played in 2004. The teams met on an annual basis between 1995 and 2004. The Bluebirds won all 10 meetings. Highlands finished 11-0 against Campbell County in Dale Mueller’s 20-year tenure as head coach including a 50-8 verdict last year. Prior to last night, Campbell County had not come within 10 points of Highlands during the streak. That close score came in 1997 in a 29-19 Bluebird victory. Highlands had beaten Campbell County by an average of just more than 39 points in the previous 12 meetings. The Bluebirds have averaged point totals in the 50s in the last few years including 56.6 points per game in their last undefeated season of 2011. That team scored a state-record 849 points. The win over Campbell County marked Highlands’ lowest point total dating back to 2010. The Bluebirds won 21-14 at Johnson Central on Nov. 19 of that year in the regional finals of the 5A playoffs that year. Their lowest point total last year was 27 in a loss at Cincinnati Elder and 24 in 2012 to the same Panther squad. Campbell County is the Bluebirds’ fourth most common opponent in school history with 61 meetings. Highlands has only played Covington Holmes (72 times), Dixie Heights (70) and Covington Catholic (62) more times in school history. That total surpassed Dayton. The Bluebirds and Greendevils have met 60 times with Highlands leading the all-time series, 47-10-3. But Highlands and Dayton have not played each other since 1986. The Bluebirds beat the Greendevils, 39-0 that year. New Helmet Look: Friday marked the start of the 100th season in Highlands football history. The Bluebirds are commemorating it with a 100-year graphic on the right sides of their helmets. They have the usual Blue H on the left side. The Bluebirds moved to 856-227-26 all-time with the win. They have not had a losing record since going 4-5-1 in 1955. That total is the second-most wins in program history in the country. They only trail the 884-214-34 of Valdosta (Ga.) High. The host Wildcats (2-0) beat neighboring Thomas County Central on Friday. Next Opponent Report: The Bluebirds travel to Lexington to face the Bryan Station Defenders (1-1) on Friday. Bryan Station is 1-1 on the young season. The Defenders opened with a 56-22 win over Harlan County on Aug. 23 in the Roy Kidd Bowl at Madison Central. They lost 28-13 to Louisville St. Xavier in the Bluegrass Bowl on Friday recording five turnovers including four interceptions. Highlands beat the Defenders, 62-44 last year in Fort Thomas. Bryan Station finished 5-6 last year losing 55-7 to eventual 6A champion Scott County in the second round of the playoffs. The Bluebirds are 4-1 all-time against Bryan Station. Only Northern Kentucky non-district opponent this season: The Camels are Highlands’ lone non-district opponent from Campbell, Boone and Kenton Counties this year. That has been the case for the last couple years as local teams had been reluctant to schedule the Bluebirds. Highlands improved to 101-5 since the start of 2007 with the win Friday. The Bluebirds have lost to only two Kentucky teams during that time. One came in last year’s 4A state championship to Collins (37-34) and the other came 28-26 at Ryle to finish the 2010 regular season. That changes next year. The Bluebirds take on five non-district teams from the northern three Kentucky counties. They battle Simon Kenton, Cooper, Boone County, Campbell County and Ryle in non-district action. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebird Notes: Highlands moves to 101-5 since 2006; Graybill verbally commits to BGSU

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The new season did not get off to the start the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbred football team hoped for. The host Cooper Jaguars (2-0) shut out the Thoroughbreds, 31-0 in their season-opener in Union. NewCath’s originally scheduled game was on Aug. 23 at Ashland. But it was rained out. Cooper outgained NewCath, 341-147 in total offense. The Jaguars, led by 1996 NewCath alum Randy Borchers, have allowed just three points in their first two games. They opened the season with a 12-3 win over county rival Ryle. “We were putrid,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “I can’t think of any other word to use. We have a long way to go from personnel to coaching to everything. I know it’s the first game and you have to be realistic. But you have to be able to do something offensively. We’ll watch the tape and get better.” The Thoroughbreds finished Class 2A state runner-up last year after winning the state championship in 2012. The Jaguars finished state Class 5A runner-up to Bowling Green in 2012. The Thoroughbreds ran for just 34 yards on 27 carries and quarterbacks Erik Anderson and Patrick Henschen combined to complete just 11-of-26 passes for 113 yards and two interceptions. Senior wide receiver Brandon Gray had six catches for 53 yards. Cooper also beat NewCath last year scoring the same amount of points. The Jaguars won it 31-22 in the Skyline Crosstown Showdown at Dixie Heights. NewCath knew it had to contain Cooper junior running back Torey Cordell-Armstrong. Cordell-Armstrong rushed for 124 yards on 15 carries for an average of about 8.2 yards per touch. But the Jaguars showed balance in the win. Senior quarterback Billy Prickett completed 13-of-15 passes for 178 yards, three touchdowns and rushed for another. Junior Chad Michels had five catches for 69 yards and a score. Cooper scored once in the first quarter. Prickett completed a 49-yard touchdown pass to Michels with 37 seconds left and the kick failed leaving the Jaguars up 6-0. “I thought we played decent defensively,” Wagner said. “We had them in third-and-long. They were getting ready to punt. We had kids in position. Suddenly, (Michels) comes down with the ball. You can’t give up big plays.” The Jaguars extended their lead to 17-0 at halftime. Prickett completed a 5-yard pass to Dante Hendricks with 4:18 left before completing the two-point conversion to Clay Centers to put Cooper up 14-0. Mitchell Hollifield then hit a field goal as time expired. The Jaguars did not score again until the fourth quarter. Prickett completed a 34-yard touchdown to Cole Willging with 11:45 left in the game before scoring from nine yards out with 4:21 left. Hollifield added both extra points. Cooper did have one turnover. The Jaguars lost 1-of-2 fumbles and the Thoroughbreds did not lose any. NewCath will try to rebound Friday at Newport Stadium against the rival Campbell County Camels (1-1). Game time is 7 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Cooper shuts out NewCath, 31-0

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter CINCINNATI – The Highlands Bluebirds football team showed major improvement in the “glorified practice” Friday at Cincinnati St. Xavier’s Ballaban Field. The varsity played for 2.5 quarters and won 15-10. The junior varsity played the last 1.5 of the four quarters and was outscored 20-0 making the final score 30-15 in favor of St. Xavier. This marked the second of two scrimmages for Highlands. The Bluebirds did not have a game scheduled for the zero week so they played two this year. The Bluebirds moved the ball better this week. They passed for 217 yards and rushed for 21. “There were some things we worked on last week and there were some things we wanted to work on this week,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “Now we have to start figuring out what we want to do in games against certain teams. We have to pick out what we do best. We’re going to do what we have to do to win games.” The Bombers had problems defending senior wide receiver Alex Veneman. Quarterback Beau Hoge completed 12-of-16 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Veneman had seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Highlands is generally a balanced team. But the Bluebirds played without seniors Griffin Urlage and Josh Watson so they gave junior Nick Kendall a few carries. Watson and Urlage hope to return Friday in addition to senior defensive back James Hinkel. Hinkel was out with a concussion in the scrimmage. “We were missing some guys so we were cautious with our backs,” Weinrich said. “We worked on othter things. We didn’t run the ball as much as we’d have liked to run.” St. Xavier rushed for 176 yards and passed for 132 for 308 yards. The Bombers played without their top returning running back in Ben Glines. The Bluebirds played a lot better defensively compared to the scrimmage against Louisville Trinity. Senior linebacker Patrick Schoepf combined with junior Tyler Robinson to record a 13-yard sack in the second quarter and Schoepf had a fumble recovery later in the quarter. “It’s just a matter of getting out and playing,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “Our whole goal was to line up, play and have fun. We got after it and all we’re trying to do is get better. We felt like we got better.” Junior defensive back Austin Beal made a key defensive play later in the second quarter. He returned an interception back 100 yards for a touchdown when the Bombers drove inside the Highlands 10. That cut the lead to 10-9 St. Xavier. “Coach (Jones) told me to play over the top,” Beal said. “I knew it was coming to (Bomber wide receiver Andrew Homer). When I saw it come over, I got in front of it and knew I had to get something going for the team. I took it to the house. It got us pumped up. We got back into rhythm and started going from there.” St. Xavier converted several third downs on the opening drive and Sean Prophit scored from four yards out. Myles Homan hit the extra-point to put the Bombers up 7-0. The Bluebirds came back and drove down the field. Eric Miller hit a 21-yard field goal with 8:39 remaining to trim the margin to 7-3. Highlands took the lead with 9:19 left in the third quarter. Hoge completed a 7-yard touchdown strike to Veneman. The Bluebird offensive line protected better in the game. “We lost (12) seniors last year (on the offensive line),” said Kyle Finfrock, Highlands sophomore offensive lineman. “We’re trying to regroup and do the best we can. I think we need to get the steps down and we’ll be good.” Temperatures hit 82 degrees during the game. But the Bluebirds have always taken care of the hydration aspect of football. “Coach Weinrich preaches it every day,” Jones said. “It doesn’t matter how hot it is. Sometimes you get dehydrated when it is cold outside because you don’t think about drinking water. We constantly say you have to be drinking so many ounces per day. If you’re constantly hydrating yourself, you generally don’t have those problems.” Highlands heads south Friday to take on the Campbell County Camels (1-0). Game time is 7 p.m. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands improves in second scrimmage; NC-Ashland game rained out

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team showed how far it has come in terms of mental toughness Monday. Highlands found itself down by a goal at various points on the first half. But the Ladybirds came back to post a 3-2 win over the visiting St. Henry Lady Crusaders in the season opener for both teams at Tower Park. “It’s great to see the girls play like that,” said Brian Weifering, first-year Highlands Head Coach. “A lot of that starts with the bench. We have 10 girls up on their feet the entire game. That’s what I was the most proud of.” Highlands had not beaten St. Henry since 2011. The teams battled to a scoreless tie in their lone meeting last year. Highlands sophomore defender Annie Schneider said the team chemistry helped out in the win and should be valuable throughout the season. The Ladybirds have at least five players representing the top three grades on the varsity roster. “This team is just great. We all love each other,” Schneider said. “We’ve been with each other the entire summer. We just have bonded. We give each other positive attitudes.” The game-winning goal came from an unlikely position in the middle back. Senior Lydia Graves put in a rebound with 1:39 left in the game. “That means a lot because that’s what we’re looking for – to see our outside backs up high on the attack,” Wiefering said. “It’s tough to sell that to these girls. But them scoring like that is a way to sell it to them.” It marked a good start to a tough week for the Ladybirds. They take on Lexington Catholic on Thursday at 7 p.m. and defending state champion Notre Dame on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Those games also take place at Tower Park. St. Henry outshot Highlands, 9-8. In her varsity debut, Highlands freshman goalkeeper Olivia McQuery made six saves and Lady Crusader junior goalkeeper Abby Ziegelmeyer made five. Neither team scored in the first half until Sydney Auteri made a nice move and put St. Henry on the board first with 14:36 left in the half. That lead lasted until 3:04 remained in the half. Highlands sophomore made the most of its lone corner kick when sophomore Kayla Nehus made a perfect kick to junior Ellie Farley just to the left of the goal for the score. The teams entered halftime tied at 1-1. “(Wiefering) always tells us we have three options – either get the ball and make a shot, get the ball and hit it out or get the ball and make a foul,” Farley said. “That’s all we were trying to do – get to the ball and crash on it.” The Lady Crusaders did not take long to retake the lead just 6:20 into the second half. Kelsey Cline beat a few Highlands defenders to score with 33:40 left in the half. Highland stayed composed and tied the game with 14:31 left in the half at 2-2. Senior Taylor Vaughn took a centering pass, made a great turn and scored. Before Graves scored the game-winner, both teams missed excellent scoring opportunities. Highlands senior Allyson Bridewell drove to the right and put up a shot that Ziegelmeyer blocked before she stopped a rebound. A few minutes later, St. Henry had transition numbers but Victoria Silvati’s shot flew high over the goal. Highlands dominated the junior varsity contest. The Ladybirds shut out the Lady Crusaders, 3-0. Volleyball: Beechwood 2, Newport Central Catholic 0: For the second straight year, the Lady Tigers eliminated the Thoroughbreds from the All “A” Regional Tournament. Beechwood won 2-0 (25-23, 25-14). The Lady Tigers also won 2-0 in last year’s tournament. But the Thoroughbreds came back and beat Beechwood, 3-0 in the 9th Region quarterfinals. NewCath plays its first home match Thursday. The Thoroughbreds play host to Mother of Mercy (Ohio) at 5 p.m. before taking on Lexington Henry Clay. Fort Thomas Sports: Ladybirds nip Lady Crusaders, 3-2

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The two teams tend to expose opposing weaknesses like crazy. That’s why the Highlands Bluebirds and Louisville Trinity Shamrocks own Kentucky-record 22 state championships each and are aiming to bring gold trophies back to their respective campuses this year. Trinity lost to Louisville Male in the Class 6A regional finals last year and Highlands fell to Collins in the 4A title game. The Shamrocks have done that to the Bluebirds for five straight years in scrimmages. They won the three-quarter scrimmage, 31-6 Friday at David Cecil Memorial Stadium. “We could have scrimmaged somebody else, scored more points than they did and left here feeling pretty good about ourselves,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “When you play a team like that, you’re so good isn’t good enough. We found weaknesses (Friday) that we thought we were better at. We’re trying to get to where we can have a lot of success against those guys.” Highlands is breaking in many new faces on the offensive line this year after graduating 12 offensive linemen. That showed at times with some fumbles and pressure on quarterback Beau Hoge. Trinity played a 4-3 defense for many years. But the Shamrocks switched to a 50 defense under new Defensive Coordinator Jay Cobb. Cobb previously served as head coach at Somerset and Campbellsville. “It might not look like it as a fan. But (the offensive linemen) played well,” Weinrich said. “From our standpoint, they got better at what we need to get done. We had no idea what to expect from them. We had no game plan. We’ll work like crazy to get better.” Hoge did make some plays with his feet. Hoge hit Alex Veneman for a 38-yard touchdown with 2:42 left in the third quarter for the lone Highlands touchdown. “(Beau) was harnessed to keep him healthy,” Weinrich said. “We told him to stay in the pocket as long as he could. We worked on a lot of things that we were struggling with in practice.” Highlands ran some read-option plays on the opening offensive series. Senior Griffin Urlage and junior Nick Kendall had some carries on that series. Hoge threw most of the deep passes to Veneman. But other receivers like junior Chandler New and senior Jack Telek also made plays as well. “Our routes are different this year,” New said. “We’re running a lot of shorter routes instead of trying to hit the home run every play. Going against Trinity will help because that’s the best corners we’ll see all year. They’re fast and athletic.” Trinity scored quickly to open the scrimmage. The Shamrocks led 17-0 after one quarter and 31-0 entering the third quarter. Highlands missed some scoring opportunities in both quarters. “We have an awful lot of work to do. For two quarters (Friday), I thought we played downhill really well,” said Bob Beatty, Trinity Head Coach. “In the third quarter, we lost our momentum a little bit. I like where we are. They’re kids are well-coached. They’re going to do well in their class. I hope we can continue to scrimmage.” The Highlands defense also made some plays. Senior defensive lineman D.J. Mills had a couple quarterback sacks and senior defensive back Grayson Heck had an interception. “The purpose of this is a practice for us,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “A lot of guys got an opportunity to play. When you’re playing a really good team, they’re going to make some plays. It’s going to take a little time for us to get going. We’ll take a look at what we did well and build on it.” Trinity started a sophomore quarterback in Larry Harper III. Highlands made Trinity earn its points not allowing big plays for the most part. “This is good for us because it gives us an opportunity to go against someone other than ourselves,” said Patrick Schoepf, Highlands senior linebacker. “A lot of it was nerves because it was the first game. Other than that, I think we’ll be fine.” Highlands has another scrimmage Friday at Cincinnati St. Xavier. It is the Week Zero for Kentucky teams, but Ohio teams do not start regular season play until the week of Aug. 29. Newport Central Catholic 12, Covington Holmes 0: The Thoroughbreds defeated the Bulldogs in their annual scrimmage Friday. Neither team scored until late in the scrimmage. Sophomore Kole Carmack scored for NewCath. “You always want a shutout,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “It’s not always possible. They’re like us – still figuring things out. We have things to work on like everyone else.” NewCath did hit a field goal earlier in the contest by junior Ryan Hans. The Thoroughbreds missed some other scoring opportunities throughout the scrimmage. Wagner said the starting quarterback competition is down to two players after senior Grant Schilling went down with an injury Friday. Junior Erik Anderson and sophomore Patrick Henschen are vying for the spot. NewCath opens the season Friday in eastern Kentucky. The Thoroughbreds travel to Ashland Blazer for a 7:30 p.m. contest. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands, NC find area for improvement in scrimmages

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It’s the feeling of joy teams receive when they play great soccer at the right time of the year. The Highlands Bluebirds soccer team put things together in the 9th Region Tournament and embarked on a memorable run. They shut out their three region opponents by a combined 9-0 on their way to their first region championship since 2010. The Bluebirds edged Newport Central Catholic, 1-0 when Mitch Gesenhues scored on a ball that bounced in the box following a Cole Davis-Roberts free kick about a minute into overtime. Highlands then beat West Jessamine by the same score in the first round of the state tournament before falling 3-1 to eventual state champion Lexington Paul Dunbar in the state quarterfinals. Highlands finished 17-8-1. The Bluebirds hope momentum carries over from that season despite graduating 10 seniors. Last year’s leading goal-scorer with 16 in Chris Garbig signed to play at Ohio Northern University and Colin Dean will be playing at nearby Thomas More College. Davis-Roberts signed with Earlham College in Richmond (Indiana). Highlands Head Coach Matthew Winkler is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Bluebirds. He said the team’s work ethic has been great in the offseason knowing Highlands is not far away from challenging for the ultimate goal of a state championship. “They were up (at Tower Park) training the day school got out. It went really well,” Winkler said. “They had good attendance throughout the summer. The boys came in eager to see how far they can push it this year. There are enough of them on the squad who got a taste of it last year. They still want. It’s a different mix than we had last year. When we put it together, we hope to be a competitive team in this area good talent and.” Senior Nick Breslin returns at goalkeeper for Highlands. He split games with Nate Tippenhauer in between the pipes last season after spending most of the time there his sophomore year. There are no plans to split time there this season. Breslin and senior Devin Dupont will be among the leaders on defense. The Bluebirds outscored opponents, 69-33 and recorded 10 shutouts. “The defensive philosophy has been to give 100 percent,” Breslin said. “If you don’t give 100 percent, you’re not made to run things. We don’t want anyone coming in and giving 50 percent. We want a good defenseman who is going to come in and take care of business.” Highlands has normally played a 4-4-2 (defender-midfielder-forward) set. But Winkler said strategies change not just year-to-year but also day-to-day depending on aspects like opponents and injuries. The good news is most of the players play club soccer. “It’s always the hope on the first day of tryouts that the team is in shape that way you can get technical and tactical right away,” Winkler said. “We try to build the conditioning into our training as opposed to doing just static running. We train two times three days a week so there’s time for running and time for training. It’s a good balance.” Highlands hopes to again have solid senior leadership. The other six listed seniors are Adam Barbro, Brady Dean, Logan Groneck, Vadim Lightner, Eric Schurr and Dakota Tate. “We’re just trying to lead practice and make sure we’re giving effort,” Dupont said. “We’re trying to work more as a family than a team this year. I think that will help us go far in the postseason.” The Bluebirds have had to make cuts in year’s past. Highlands generally carries 18-20 on the varsity roster during the regular season before pulling players up from the junior varsity. Teams can carry 24 on the postseason roster and play 21 games during the regular season. Highlands needs to mostly find players to fill in the roles offensively. Highlands could also see contributions from players like junior Mark Baron, Brady Gesenhues, Jason Schreiber, Noah Sellers, Ben Schweitzer and sophomore Colton Wagoner. “The talent pool is different,” Winkler said. “But we have some guys that might surprise some people with the talent they’ve developed over the last year. We have some guys who are fast up top. I think that will work to our benefit.” Highlands takes on St. Henry in a SocceRama at Tower Park this weekend at 8 p.m. The Bluebirds open the season Aug. 19 against Scott at Tower Park at 8 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Bluebirds hope to put together another solid postseason run

That's my alma mater!!

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The offense put up its high-octane numbers last year. But the defense did not dominate at the high level the Highlands Bluebirds football team is used to despite its depth. Injuries played a huge part of that. Many guys played, but not at full strength. “When you play a game where you run and bang each other, you get some bangs and bruises. That’s part of it,” said Brian Weinrich, New Highlands Head Coach. “That’s why you hope to develop some depth. That way if that ever happens, guys can fill in for them.” The Bluebirds look to again see about 100 players on the sidelines in the fall. Most will play just one direction. Some players have switched positions and others will go both ways on certain plays. That is a big thing Highlands learned from Collins last year after losing 37-34 in the Class 4A state championship game. The staff’s big philosophy has been to keep things simple in recent years. “We try to implement our base foundation as early as we can so the guys can be doing it over and over and over and become comfortable with what we’re doing,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “(That way) a bunch of guys in practice don’t just sit on the sidelines. We always say mental reps are important. But we also want to get them the opportunity to get those reps.” The Bluebirds graduated 32 seniors from last year’s team. They also saw longtime Head Coach Dale Mueller retire and wide receiver Jensen Feggins move to Warren Central to play for his father Howard who became the head coach there. The Bluebirds averaged 50.6 points per game scoring in the 70s four times last year. The vaunted Highlands offense averaged 444.5 yards per contest. Senior Beau Hoge will move from wide receiver to quarterback this fall in place of the graduated Drew Houliston and junior Austin Hergott will back him up. Hoge completed 35-of-56 passes for 735 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Hoge started the season finale against Warren Central and led Highlands to the 71-69 victory. Hergott completed 9-of-24 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown last year. The Bluebirds return a number of wide receivers in their one-back spread formation. The leading returning wide receiver is senior Alex Veneman. Veneman had 35 catches for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior Justin Weyer, Cashel Coughlin and junior Eric Miller also return. “We have a lot of guys who have stepped up this year,” Miller said. “In every aspect from catching the ball to blocking, this program really trains you well to be the best we can be.” Highlands will need some players to step forward and fill in for graduated running backs Zach Harris and Jaylen Hayes. Harris rushed for 1,121 yards and 24 touchdowns last year. The leading returning rusher is junior Nick Kendall. Kendall rushed for 307 yards on 27 attempts and three touchdowns last year. Seniors Josh Watson and Griffin Urlage could also help out there. Watson missed last season because of a torn Anterior Cruciated Ligament. Griffin played defensive back last year and led the team with three interceptions. The biggest question mark offensively will be on the offensive line. Twelve offensive linemen graduated from last year’s team including Tyler Schweitzer, Scott Turner, Bryan Saunders and Sean Lemmons. Only senior Kyler Dalton returns with extensive varsity experience there. Bo Hebel could help there as well as the defensive line. Junior Carson Haas, Nathan Raleigh and Evan Richardson could also fill in those key roles. “Last year, the offensive line had a lot of size,” Haas said. “Now, we’re trying to make up for how we lost a lot of that. We’re trying to get stronger, faster and smarter than we were last year. We hope to outmaneuver (opponents) essentially.” Defensively, Highlands allowed 22.4 points per game and an average of 323.1 yards a contest. The Bluebirds struggled some against balanced offenses. They will still run the 3-4 set. “We’ve got some new concepts somewhat with it,” Jones said. “But we’re going to take the base foundation of what we’ve been building on because it’s basically how we’ve been developing our players to play the defense that we want to play. We’ll obviously have some new wrinkles. We’ve moved some guys around and put them in different positions.” Seth Hope, Nathan Merkle and Braden Hicks graduated on the defensive line. But players like seniors D.J. Mills, Matt Gall and John Abner return there. “Basically, we’re just doing the same thing we did last year,” Mills said. “We’re doing the same drills. All the younger guys are stepping up and doing what they need to do so we can be as good as we were last year or better.” Thomas Wrobleski, Michael Ayers, Joey Kruse, Jake Parker and Joey Cochran graduated at linebacker. But players like senior Rocco Pangallo, Jacob Noe and junior Connor Welsch are vying for playing time there. Pangallo finished second on the team with two fumble recoveries last year. The secondary also returns a lot of experience. Jackson Bardo and Alex Shadle graduated there. But Andrew Abner, Grayson Heck and James Hinkel return with experience from last year. “We just try not to give up the big play,” Heck said. “We watch (opponents’) feet and waist. When they come off the ball, we need to (react) come off fast and stay with them.” Highlands takes on Louisville Trinity in its annual scrimmage on Aug. 15. Game time is 7 p.m. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands hopes to again use depth to its advantage

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Some may be wondering if the Blue and White will go through a Viva La Vida. That is a 2008 song by the British band Coldplay about a king who falls from his throne to an average citizen. But the Highlands Bluebirds football team hopes tradition proves otherwise. The Bluebirds enter their 100th season in school history hoping to reclaim the gold trophy after a runner-up finish last season. Highlands lost to the Collins Titans, 37-34 when back-up quarterback Browning Bercherer found Nathan Sames over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown on fourth down with seven seconds left in the game. That marked an end to state-records of 34 straight playoff wins and six consecutive state championships. A few days later, veteran Highlands Head Coach Dale Mueller announced his retirement to spend more time with family. Highlands had gone 250-36 in those 20 seasons with 11 state championships and three runner-up finishes. But the new head coach is no stranger to the program. Highlands promoted 19-year assistant Brian Weinrich to Head Coach in early January. Weinrich had a hand in those 11 state championships and played wide receiver on the 1989 Class 3A championship team. “These guys get one shot at a senior year,” Weinrich said. “Whatever happened last year, what happens next year or what happened 20 years ago, it matters, but not today. We want to make sure we put those guys in position to have that opportunity (to play for a state championship).” The returning players and coaches went back to work in January. They’ll tell you they’ve tried to put that game on Dec. 7 in the rear-view mirror quickly. “It’s about working hard on fundamentals and listening to the coaches,” said Jacob Noe, Highlands senior linebacker. “It’s what we’ve always done. We’re not thinking about last year. We’re moving on. That’s pretty much it.” Weinrich had been the defensive coordinator since 2002. He’s spending most of his time with the offense this year. “It gives us a lot of motivation because a lot of people say we can’t,” said Tyler Robinson, Highlands junior defensive lineman. “But the change is not really a big (head coaching) change for me because (Weinrich and Mueller) somewhat co-owned the team.” The Bluebirds rank first in Kentucky and second in the country for the most wins in school history. They are 855-227-26 ranking only behind the 882-214-34 record of Valdosta (Georgia). Highlands has not had a losing season since going 4-5-1 in 1955. Consistency is the big reason for that. Not only has Weinrich been on staff for a while, many of his assistants have as well. That’s a trait similar to Weinrich’s favorite National Football League team in the New England Patriots. Head Coach Bill Belichick is entering his 14th season as head coach of the Patriots and 40th as a coach in the NFL. “In the NFL where there’s so much parity, the Patriots have won the (AFC East) 11 years in a row,” Weinrich said. “They’ve done it with back-up quarterbacks and no-name defenses. Every guy you hear from that plays for the Patriots for Coach Belicheck, it’s about how they have a system and believe in doing things a certain way. You have to admire what they stand for.” Like any team, there are some unknowns as to which players will rise up this year. But many players partake in the offseason programs and even go to camps to improve. Robinson learned some new techniques on the defensive line at the Blue-Grey Super combine held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton (Ohio). Highlands will play two scrimmages this year to help determine roles. The Bluebirds take on Trinity at home on Aug. 15 and at Cincinnati St. Xavier on Aug. 22. “We’re just trying to continue to build that depth and play a lot of players. We’ll continue to do that early in the season,” said Shelby Jones, Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “That’s been our philosophy in scrimmages and everything until we get into district play. A lot of times, some guys you didn’t really expect to play a lot have a huge impact. Some guys in other scenarios would have been stuck behind other people. But when give the opportunity, they kind of show us they can be the next person to play.” Schedule: Highlands plays the same nine regular season opponents as last year in opposite locations. The only exception is the Florida opponent. Miami Christopher Columbus High comes to Fort Thomas on Oct. 11. Covington Catholic, John Hardin, Paducah Tilghman and Cincinnati Elder come to Fort Thomas this year. The Bluebirds venture to Harrison County, Covington Holmes, Campbell County, Lexington Bryan Station and Warren Central. They play all but two games against teams from Northern Kentucky starting in 2015. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands aims to bring gold ball back home

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter If the end of last season showed a major indication, the Highlands Ladybirds soccer team is in store for great things. Highlands finished 8-8-5 last season, but caught fire in the postseason. The Ladybirds captured their seventh district championship in eight years and lost 3-0 in the 9th Region finals to eventual state champion Notre Dame. Highlands would love to get back to the level seen between 2005 and 2008. The Ladybirds finished 80-11-11 during that time winning two state championships and garnering another runner-up finish. They also outscored opponents 238-44 during that run. That’s the challenge facing new Head Coach Brian Wiefering and staff. The Highlands administration promoted Wiefering from his assistant role in the offseason after five-year Head Coach Tommy Kearns resigned because of an increased workload at Fidelity. Neither Kearns nor his wife Nina will be on the Highlands sidelines this fall for the first time since 1997. Wiefering brought back former assistant Stephanie Sandfoss-Graves. Graves tallied 64 goals and 39 assists in her career before graduating in 1999 and is still the school’s all-time leading scorer. The other two assistants are Josh Hartung and Mark Farley. “Some of the girls who were on the team last year were surprised,” Wiefering said. “I had to take a completely different role. It’s very black and white. They know what I will accept and what I won’t accept. Probably many of them will tell you I’m a lot more serious and determined than what they’ve known in the past. But being the leader of the program, that’s a hat I have to wear. I didn’t know how many girls would buy into that. But after the Bluegrass Games, I can tell you they have.” Highlands performed well in the Bluegrass Games. They won both games against Louisville Male and Bardstown. Highlands knows that catching Notre Dame might mean a state championship. The Ladybirds handed them one of their two losses last year in the Lexington Catholic Cup. The Pandas shut out the nine opponents, 38-0 on their way to their third state championship in school history. Highlands will employ a 4-3-3 (defender-midfielder-forward) strategy. Wiefering is big on controlling the midfield. The strategy could change depending on the opponent. “We’re very, very positive in the way we coach,” Wiefering said. “At the same time, if they’re not going to work and be where we want them to be, we have junior varsity girls that would love to be varsity. If they’re going to be on the Highlands varsity, they’re going to be where we want them to be. It’s going to be a lot of work. But they also need to understand their role at each position.” The Ladybirds have 22 listed on the varsity. They are five seniors, 10 juniors, six sophomores and a freshman. Highlands had to make some cuts. “I hate that,” Wiefering said. “But where other programs are begging girls to come out and play for their team and might not have numbers to have one team, we have so many girls coming out. We’re able to keep rosters of 20 girls on three teams and still cut girls. More than anything, that excites me about soccer.” Highlands graduated eight seniors off last year’s team including goalkeeper Sarah Owen. Also, a leading goal scorer in Brooklynn Rivers decided not to return this year. Things start with the defense. Highlands hopes to beat teams up the field for some transition goals. The seniors are Taylor Vaughn, Peyton Bankemper, Brooke Dougherty, Allyson Bridewell and Lydia Graves. They will be counted on to lead and build team chemistry. “I think the main key is staying positive, having a good attitude and staying organized on the field,” Bridewell said. “We know we’re going to be friends off the field. It’s about working hard and doing the best we can.” A good number of juniors and sophomores saw action last year. The juniors are Kylie Schuerman, Hannah Culyer, Madalyn Wiefering, Ellie Farley, Haley Crothers, Kamryn Balson, Maddie Hope, McKenzie Messmer, Lauren Ossege and Megan Reynolds. The sophomores are Kiersten Clukey, Annalee Brewer, Claudia Hills, Shannon Eaton, Annie Schneider and Kayla Nehus. Freshman Olivia McQuery rounds out the roster. “I think we have a lot of good younger girls who have stepped up to play those offensive roles,” Vaughn said. “Our teamwork has been great this year. I think if we keep on that, we’ll do even better than last year.” Highlands opens the season Aug. 18 against St. Henry. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Ladybirds aim for return to glory days

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The mountain may be long and tough. But new Highlands Ladybirds head volleyball coach Katelyn Sallee and staff have been gearing up for the challenge. Sallee, a former Simon Kenton and Morehead State University standout, took over the program after Whitney Mulroney resigned in the spring. Mulroney and husband Kevin, a former Highlands football player, are expecting their first child. The Ladybirds have struggled in recent years posting consecutive 13-23 seasons. They lost to eventual state runner-up Notre Dame, 3-0 (25-11, 25-6, 25-7) in the 9th Region quarterfinals last year after losing to Newport Central Catholic, 3-0 (25-6, 25-19, 25-17) in the 36th District championship game. Their last winning season came in 2010 when they finished 10th Region runner-up and their last state tournament appearance came in 2004. Statewide, private schools have dominated the volleyball scene. Notre Dame has won the majority of the 9th Region tournaments with St. Henry claiming some. Private schools have won all 35 state championships since the tournament began in 1979. A public school did not play for a state championship until 2011 when Greenwood finished runner-up to Assumption. But Sallee and assistants Beth Pelgen and Molly Wehage, 2009 Highlands graduates, have wonderful places to start. The first is solid community support. “I was always told the parents would be 110 percent behind me,” Sallee said. “They truly are. They’re excited about what we’re doing, what we’re about. They want to fund things. They want to see things get bigger. They’re behind their girls so that’s really cool.” The Ladybirds also return an experienced team of three seniors and eight juniors. Only Abby Schweitzer and Mallory Seidel graduated from last year’s team. Sallee said the majority of the players on all three squads play volleyball in the offseason. “I really like what I see,” Sallee said. “Our varsity program is not young and that’s exciting to me. I see some things we can improve on in terms of our blocking and things at the net. We have the tools. It’s just a matter of sharpening them.” The three seniors are outside hitter Jessica Ginter, setter/right side hitter Kaitlin Hall and right side/outside hitter Lauren Maines. Ginter and Hall have started on varsity at least the last two years. The three will be expected to provide solid leadership. “We need to keep our heads above water at all times,” Ginter said. “To me, a bad attitude is infectious. So if we keep everyone positive at all times, then we’ll keep steady and positive the entire year.” The juniors give Highlands depth. They are middle blocker Kaylan Frisch, defensive specialist/libero AJ Guth, outside hitter Malorie Hegge, middle blocker Maria Hockney, middle blocker/right side hitter Anna Marie Houliston, defensive specialist/libero Sydney Kroger, defensive specialist/right side/outside hitter Izzy Schultz, setter/defensive specialist Ellie Van Curen. Highlands has also been working on the mental part of the game. Games often went downhill once mistakes started piling up last year. “A huge philosophy I have is we have to control the controllable,” Sallee said. “There are going to be things you can’t control in the gym. But communication, effort, hustle and things like that, you can control. I expect the seniors to treat the freshmen like they like to be treated. There is an expectation there from the coaching staff that helps the chemistry stay healthy. We haven’t had to intervene because the girls have bought into that.” Highlands opened the season with a scrimmage against Harpeth Hall from Nashville (Tennessee). The Ladybirds have another scrimmage at North Oldham on Aug. 5 before playing at Cincinnati Anderson on Aug. 19 to open the season. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands volleyball gearing up for new era

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It is a situation any high school athletic program hopes to avoid, let alone Highlands and Newport Central Catholic. Former Kentucky Wildcat basketball player Rodrick Rhodes took over the Cordia Lion boys basketball program in 2011 and the Lions quickly rose to unprecedented heights. Newport Central Catholic beat Cordia twice last winter including a 72-61 victory in the All “A” State championship on Feb. 2 in the Frankfort Civic Center. But with the rise in victories came a lot of suspicion because many in-state and out-of-state players found their way to the eastern Kentucky school with a Hazard address located in Knott County. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association confirmed those suspicions Monday slapping Cordia with severe penalties after concluding nearly a year-long investigation. The investigation concluded Cordia violated a number of Kentucky bylaws including Bylaw 1 (Responsibility of Eligibility), Bylaw 4 (Enrollment Requirements), Bylaw 6 (Transfer Rule-Citizens of the U.S. or U.S Territories), Bylaw 7 (Transfer Rule-Foregin Exchange Students), Bylaw 11 (Financial Aid), Bylaw 16 (Recruitment/Undue Influence), Bylaw 23 (Limitation of Season) and Bylaw 25 (Requirement for Coaches). Cordia will not be able to play any scrimmages or games in either the regular or postseason next year. The Lions are also banned from the 2016 KHSAA-sanctioned postseason. Players with eligibility remaining can transfer to various KHSAA member schools without problems. Cordia finished 23-9 last year. The scores from the nine losses including the two to Newport Central Catholic will stand. But the 23 victories will go down as 2-0 losses including All “A” Tournament wins over Carroll County, Paducah St. Mary and Betsy Layne. “We try to follow (the rules) to the letter of the law. I think most schools do a good job of keeping within the guidelines,” said Ron Dawn, Newport Central Catholic head boys basketball coach. “The rules are there to help the schools.” NewCath finished 29-4 last year claiming its sixth straight 36th District crown. Highlands finished 9-15 in Kevin Listerman’s first year as head coach. The Bluebirds made it to the 9th Region Tournament for the first time in two years. Listerman has vowed not to cut corners in building the Bluebirds back into a region contender. “It’s high school sports,” Listerman said. “We’re not in the business of (NCAA) Division I scholarships and professional athletes. If we’re lucky enough to get one or two of them in our lifetime as a coach, that’s by the luck of the draw. There are a lot of schools that are more interested in championships than developing people. If you do things the right way and treat people the right way, the success will come.” Cordia will also be placed on probation until 2019 and two members of the Cordia coaching staff will be suspended from the KHSAA-sanctioned postseason tournaments for next season. It is not known if Rhodes is one of those coaches. In addition, the school must pay an aggregate fine of $25,980. “The majority of the aforementioned violations are clearly indicative of a school without any appreciable level of institutional control over its athletic program. While some violations date back to the 2010-2011 school year, the major violations occurred during the past twelve to twenty-four months. The violations in previous years, however, add context and it is my conclusion that they illustrate an undeniable pattern of practice and culture of noncompliance that has been allowed to evolve at Cordia,” Tackett said in his communication to the school. “Unfortunately, after this long and careful review, this series of events may well represent the most wanton and blatant disregard for Association rules in its 97-year history. There is apparently no person within the school or school system willing to actively and aggressively control and manage the athletic program. Therefore, students have been allowed an unrestricted privilege of participation without compliance with applicable and appropriate rules.” The KHSAA listed 14 different violations as a result of the investigation in the release. They were as follows. • Falsifying records, or maintaining inaccurate records with regards to living arrangements of transferring student-athletes; • Allowing a staff member to lease housing to the family of a student-athlete without ever receiving payment; • Impermissible contact with multiple student-athletes with the intent to sway them to enroll at Cordia for the purpose of competing in athletics; • Providing free transportation to relocate a student from an out-of-state school; • Providing plane tickets on two separate occasions to a student-athlete so he could travel out-of-state; • Facilitating housing for a student-athlete at no cost to him or his family; • Providing money and clothes to student-athletes; • Conducting tryouts for non-enrolled students; • Paying the entire cost of education for two students on an F-1 exchange VISA to attend Cordia; • Providing housing to numerous students that participated on the boys’ basketball team, as well as housing for their families; • Allowing ineligible players to practice and compete in contests before they were cleared to participate; • Requiring players to attend practice prior to the official start date for preseason practice (October 15), and disciplining students who missed these practice sessions; • Holding “open gym” practices that were limited to the boys’ basketball team and thus mandatory, following the elimination from the postseason; and • Failing to properly monitor the coaching requirements for individuals coaching in the boys’ basketball program, including the obligation to complete the legislatively mandated Sports Safety Course. These violations included a 30-day period during the 2013-14 season when no member of the coaching staff met the requirements of Bylaw 25. The Lions saw Josh Ortiz move in from Harlem (New York) and Richard Chapman from Newalk (New Jersey) over the summer. The KHSAA declared both ineligible. But a Franklin County Circuit judge reversed the decision on the day of the All “A” State quarterfinals. Cordia can appeal to the KHSAA Board of Control within 30 days. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands, NC continue to emphasize integrity in wake of Cordia sanctions