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By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HEBRON – The wins are still not the prettiest. But the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team moved to 8-1 with its eighth straight win, 52-40 over the Boone County Lady Rebels (7-4) on Friday. Highlands finished 3-0 in pool play of the State Farm Classic at Conner. “We told the girls after Christmas it is a very tough stretch for us,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. “It is not necessarily about wins and losses. We have to stop making the same mistakes over and over. Each game, we have to get better. In the past two games, we’ve gotten better.” The Bluebirds take on the county rival Bishop Brossart Lady Mustangs (9-0) for the tournament title at 4:30 p.m. today. Highlands won the tournament last year. Highlands took the lead for good with 6:27 left in the game when McKenzie Leigh hit two free throws. Leigh scored seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter. Leigh made another big play down the stretch with Highlands clinging to a four-point lead. Boone County trapped all over the floor and teammate Haley Coffey found her open at the left wing. The sophomore put up a three-pointer as many Highlands supporters including her coaches shouted, “No.” But the shot swished the net to give the Blubirds a 46-39 advantage. Highlands then hit 5-of-6 free throws to ice the game. Alex Combs made 5-of-6 in the fourth quarter on her way to a team-high 15 points and 7-of-8 overall. Combs also made both three-pointers. “We do foul shots pretty much in between every drill in practice,” Combs said. “It helps us gain bigger leads at the end of a game when teams start to foul us.” Brianna Adler also had a big game for Highlands with 14 points. Adler made all four free-throw tries and grabbed six rebounds. The Bluebirds have had two or three players reach double-digits most of the year. Free throws made the difference in the game. Highlands made 16-of-19 for 84 percent. Boone County made 7-of-11 for 64 percent. The Bluebirds shot better from the field. Highlands made 15-of-33 shots for 46 percent including 6-of-11 from three-point range for 55 percent. Highlands needed to hit some outside shots because Boone County constantly doubled and tripled the posts knowing the Bluebirds made a size advantage there. The Lady Rebels made 13-of-42 shots for 31 percent. That included 7-of-16 from outside for 44 percent. Dallis Knotts led Boone County with 17 points making five three-pointers and Alexis Switzer had 15. “At halftime, we showed the girls the stats,” Richey said. “They were 5-of-9 from threes. We wanted them to shoot lay-ups instead of threes. Alex Combs did a great job guarding Dallis Knotts in the second half and make it hard for her to get clean shots.” The game stayed close until that fourth quarter. Highlands led 27-22 in the third after Lydia Graves recorded a fast-break lay-up. Boone County led 35-33 after three quarters. Highlands is trying to develop some depth. Freshman Kiersten Clukey showed some promise scoring her five points in the final 1:12 of the first half. She made an old-fashioned three-point play and hit two more free throws during that stretch that gave Highlands a 23-19 advantage with 28.1 seconds left in the half. “I just try to step up the best I can coming off the bench,” Clukey said. “(The starters) set a good example so I try to follow what they’re doing. I drive to the basket to try to get good shots.” The Bluebirds led 23-22 at halftime. They’d trailed by four early in the game. Highlands 47, Lexington Henry Clay 31: Highlands started the day winning the defensive struggle over the Lady Devils (4-7). Adler led Highlands scoring 16 points. She was the lone player on either team to reach double-digits. “We cause a lot of mismatches because not a lot of teams can match up with us at all five spots,” Richey said. “If a team tries to stop Brianna, then someone picks it up.” Highlands will have some time off after today’s game to prepare for 36th District rival Newport Central Catholic. The Bluebirds ended the Thoroughbreds season last year in the district semifinals. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands captures eighth straight win

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds boys basketball started the King of the Bluegrass Tournament off on the right foot Thursday. The Thoroughbreds (4-0) defeated the Memphis (Tenn.) Mitchell Tigers, 68-47 at Louisville Fairdale. This marked their first game against a non-Kentucky team this year. Tanner Moeves led the Thoroughbreds with 19 points. Teammates Drew McDonald and Jake Schulte scored 16 and 12 respectively. Both teams took 44 shots. NewCath made 27 for 61 percent and Mitchell hit 16 for 36 percent. The Tigers shot better at the free-throw line making 12-of-15 for 80 percent. The Thoroughbreds hit 11-of-18 for 61 percent. NewCath continues tournament action Saturday at 4:30 p.m. back in the West Gym. The Thoroughbreds will play either Hopkinsville or Fort Meyers (Fla.). Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath wins KOB Tournament opener

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team hit the road to Crestwood on Saturday and brought back a 57-47 win over the South Oldham Lady Dragons. Highlands has won three in a row to move to 3-1 overall and South Oldham fell to 2-1. This marked the first road game of the season for Highlands. Brianna Adler exploded for 19 points and fellow sophomore Haley Coffey followed with 15. Adler made two three pointers and 7-of-13 shots overall. Highlands post McKenzie Leigh almost hit a double-double tallying nine points and nine rebounds. Highlands hit 19-of-44 shots for 43 percent including 3-of-17 three-point shots for 18 percent. The Bluebirds also made 16-of-23 free throws for 70 percent. South Oldham made 18-of-46 shots for 39 percent including 1-of-9 three-point tries for 11 percent. The Lady Dragons also made 10-of-14 free throws for 71 percent. The Lady Dragons also saw two players reach double-figures. Emma Sedoris scored 15 points and Rachel Platt had 12. Highlands takes on Dixie Heights (2-3) on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands Saturday Hoops Briefs

Walton-Verona boys 41, Highlands 36: The Bearcats (1-4) won the battle of rebuilding programs under the direction of first-year head coaches. Former Newport Central Catholic Head Coach Grant Brannen took over the Walton-Verona program in the spring. The Bearcats had just missed a win Friday by a 52-49 count against Williamstown. Highlands (0-2) lost for the second time in two days. The Bluebirds are still looking for their first win under the guidance of new Head Coach Kevin Listerman. Two players reached double-digits to lead the Bluebirds. They were Parker Harris and Ryan Greene with 10 each. Highlands plays host to Dixie Heights (1-2) on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands Saturday Hoops Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The first year in a coaching era starts with setting the foundation. New Highlands Bluebirds boys basketball Head Coach Kevin Listerman and staff hope to do that and more this year. Highlands hired Listerman after four-year Head Coach Mike Flynn resigned after the Bluebirds finished 12-18 and lost 48-37 to Newport Central Catholic in the 36th District semifinals last year. The Bluebirds just had their first full practice together Monday. The football players joined the team following another deep run in the playoffs. “Our kids have been very excited from the first day,” Listerman said. “Going back to the spring and this fall, we were able to get some workouts in on Sundays. The kids showed up and really did a good job working. For being our first three days, we have had three really good days (Monday through Wednesday). We’ve asked a lot of the kids and they’ve done a really good job of trying to take what we’re saying and put it on the floor.” Highlands graduated four players off last year’s team in Jake Gronotte, Luke Turner, Karl Hinkel and Bailey Witte. Turner averaged 11.3 points per game. Several other players decided not to come back this year such as Jensen Feggins and Nick True. The 6-foot-6-inch True led the team averaging six rebounds a contest. Shooting hurt the Bluebirds last year. They made just 478-of-1,283 for 37 percent including 100-of-345 for 29 percent from three-point range. They also hit just 285-of-453 from the free-throw line for 63 percent. Listerman wants to see those percentages increase to the upper 40s in field-goal percentage, 35-40 from three-point range and 75 percent at the free-throw line. “You are either good shooters or you’re not,” Listerman said. “We have spent time in the gym working on shooting and all of our skill work, but when it comes time for the game, players have to make plays. We have a very good group of seniors and it’s time for them to step up and make plays.” Those seniors are guards Drew Houliston, Brendan Buten, Ryan Greene, Luke Brockett and forward Brandon Hergott. Houliston tied Turner averaging 11.3 points per game last year. Listerman said the Bluebirds will be outsized pretty much every game. That’s where players like Hergott, junior forwards Parker Harris, Kenny Ball and sophomore Bo Hebel need to hold their ground in the paint. “It takes more discipline,” Harris said. “It will be even more important to be in the right position. Everything is more detail-oriented as far as what you have to do on the ball and off the ball.” The Bluebirds do have quickness and they plan to get up and down the floor the entire game offensively. Players like junior guard Justin Weyer and sophomores Nick Kendall and Mitchell Cain could also play a huge role in that. “It’s about playing under control and not letting (opponents) speed you up,” Buten said. “You have to play smart and make the right reads. We work hard on (the up-tempo game) every day.” Highlands will employ different strategies game-to-game. But Listerman said the Bluebirds will play more man-to-man defenses than zone concepts. Listerman knew about the challenges of coaching at a school that has won 22 state football championships. But he said it is possible to eventuallysee a return to the days where the Bluebirds dominated the 9th Region. They won four region crowns between 1997 and 2001 and finished state runner-up in 1997. “I think this community wants everything at Highlands to be successful,” Listerman said. “I believe that our kids have put in the time and if they continue to work, the success will come. What we probably won’t see is a lot of early-season success because behind significantly where other teams are. Basketball, like football, soccer and baseball, is all about what you do in the postseason. Our focus is going to be building toward being the best that we can be at the end of February and early March.” Highlands opened the season Friday with a 58-44 loss at St. Henry. Buten, Harris and Hergott led Highlands with 10 points each. Jordan Noble and Nick Rechtin led the Crusaders with 13 each. The Bluebirds play their first home game tonight against 0-4 Walton-Verona. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands Boys Hoops Preview: Bluebirds aim to lay down firm foundation

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Many expected a rematch of last year’s epic Class 2A state championship game in Bowling Green on Saturday. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds downed the Caldwell County Tigers, 30-26 when Tyler Lyon caught a four-yard pass from quarterback Josh Cain with 26 seconds left in the game. Caldwell County received the nod as favorites with the return of the majority of those players including quarterback Elijah Sindelar. But the rematch will not happen. Murray upset the Tigers, 27-14 in the regional finals on Nov. 22. So the Thoroughbreds (10-4) will instead defend their crown against the Louisville DeSales Colts (13-1) at Noon on Saturday. The game takes place at Houchens Stadium on the campus of Western Kentucky University. “We’ve heard all year long that the west side of the state is going to win it,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “The east side doesn’t have a chance so the pressure is on (DeSales). We’ll just go down and see how it goes.” This marks the third appearance in the state championship game in four years of high school for the 12 seniors. NewCath also beat Owensboro Catholic, 42-0 to win the crown in 2010. “We’re stressing not getting ahead of ourselves in practice all week,” said Kalvin Moore, NewCath senior running back/linebacker. “Yes, it’s the state championship. But we still have to prepare like we do every week.” A win would mark arguably the best four-year run in program history. The Thoroughbreds appeared in four consecutive state title games between 2005 and 2008 winning it in 2005 and 2006 before falling to Fort Campbell in 2007 and 2008. NewCath is 5-6 entering its 12th state championship appearance with nine coming since 2000. NewCath enters the game on a nine-game winning streak. The Thoroughbreds have outscored opponents, 446-277 on the year. They’ve rushed for 2,238 yards and passed for 2,011. Defensively, they’ve allowed 1,760 rushing and 2,141 passing. They edged Somerset, 49-48 in double overtime in the state semifinals. NewCath saw the importance of special teams in that game. Senior John Caudill made all seven extra-point attempts while Somerset missed it’s kick in the second overtime and that turned out to be the difference in the game. “We’re going to work on (PATs in practice this week),” Caudill said. “Repetition makes perfect honestly. The snappers are getting good snaps and holders are getting good holds. It’s all there. You need all three to make the kick.” DeSales comes in on a six-game winning streak with its lone loss coming 27-24 to Louisville Christian Academy on Oct. 18. The Colts are led by second-year Head Coach Harold Davis, a 1982 DeSales alum. Davis served as defensive backs coach for six years prior to becoming head coach last year. The Colts lost 43-31 to Caldwell County in the state semifnals last year. They’ve outscored opponents, 633-132 with six shutouts this year. That includes wins over Class 5A schools Warren Central (40-27) and John Hardin (25-20) in consecutive weeks early in the season. Both those teams came within seven points of Highlands during the regular season. “Our seniors have demonstrated a desire to get better every day,” Davis said. “They have set great examples for the underclassmen to follow. Our offseason workouts have made a big difference in our success this season.” NewCath runs a Spread offense that could give the DeSales defense problems. The Colts do not have defensive backs to match up with NewCath 6-foot-5-inch senior wide receiver Tommy Donnelly. Donnelly has 33 catches for 624 yards and nine touchdowns. Brandon Gray leads NewCath with 35 receptions for 494 yards and three touchdowns. DeSales runs a 4-4 defense like NewCath. The Colts have allowed 1,130 yards rushing and 1,155 passing defensively. Senior linebacker Matt Bouchard leads DeSales with 88 tackles. Senior safety Conner Shipley has five interceptions and senior defensive lineman Mario Morales had three fumble recoveries to lead DeSales. “They’re a very aggressive defense,” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “They like to bring a lot of pressure so we have to be tuned in on our assignments and get off the ball and attack. They’re a very well-coached defense. We have to relax, see their defense, let them bring their pressure and get the ball to the right guy. If we do that, we’ll be fine.” NewCath senior quarterback Mac Franzen has completed 127-of-215 passes for 1,983 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and rushed for 599 yards on 143 carries and six touchdowns. Jacob Smith leads NewCath with 954 yards rushing on 175 carries and 13 touchdowns. “It’s difficult for us to prepare for a quarterback that throws the ball as well as (Franzen) does,” Davis said. “We don’t throw very much offensively, so it’s hard to simulate a quarterback in practice like Mac. We’ll work on our technique and zone drops. Hopefully, we can put some pressure on him with our front four.” DeSales runs a Wing-T offense that averages about 7.5 passes a contest. The Colts have rushed for 4,110 yards and passed for 1,066. They run a play called the tackle trap. “I used to coach the Wing-T when I was (coaching) at (Cincinnati) Indian Hill so I’m fairly familiar with it. It’s not new,” Wagner said. “It’s been around a long team. If you pay attention to what you’re supposed to be paying attention to, the linemen will take you exactly to the ball. We tell them all the time not to buy what they’re selling (in the backfield), but stick with your key and lineman because it’s designed to block a certain way. You can blow the play up before it ever starts if you do what you’re supposed to do.” Senior running back Dylan Byrd leads DeSales with 1,889 yards rushing on 231 carries and 34 touchdowns. Colt senior quarterback Nathan Rousch has rushed for 928 yards on 140 carries and 14 touchdowns and completed 58-of-104 passes for 1,055 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Byrd also leads the team with 17 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Jack Sutkamp has 195 tackles for NewCath and Lyon has 97. Lyon leads the Thoroughbreds with five fumble recoveries and Nate Enslen has three interceptions. “Jack may be the best linebacker we will have faced this season, and we’ve played against some good ones,” Davis said. “We may have to put two people on him. He’s a great player.” This will mark the fourth meeting between the two teams. NewCath leads the all-time series, 2-1 beating DeSales in 2007 (31-3) in the state semifinals and in 2008 (54-19) in the regional title game before DeSales beat NewCath, 23-10 in the 2009 2A Regional title game. DeSales is seeking its first state championship. The Colts lost 29-9 to Fort Campbell in the 2009 2A title game and 20-7 in the 1981 4A title game to Lexington Henry Clay. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: NewCath defends 2A crown against DeSales

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The new motto came about Nov. 30 last year. The Highlands Bluebirds football team completed the “Race for Seis (Six)” with a state record sixth consecutive state championship, 47-0 over the Collins Titans at Western Kentucky University that night. It was not long after the returning players started talking about adding onto that record with a “Stairway to Seven” theme. The Bluebirds earned that chance against the same team Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time back at Feix Field/Houchens Stadium at Western Kentucky University. Highlands (13-1) won its first four playoff rematches from a year ago and must do it a fifth time against the fourth-year program from near Shelbyville. The Bluebirds may be battling injuries. But that won’t stop them from laying everything on the line in what will be the final game for 31 seniors. “I saw (Highland senior linebacker) Thomas (Wrobleski) running (Monday),” said Nick True, Highlands senior tight end. “He was not in pads. But he looked like he’s ready to go. We want to win state no matter what. There are guys who want to play even if they have broken arms.” Highlands enters the game with an excellent 100-4 record since 2007. The Bluebirds have outscored the opposition by 1,144 points during their 34-game playoff winning streak. That’s an average of about 33.6 points per game. The Titans (12-2) have won 45 of their first 56 games as a program splitting off from Shelby County in 2010. They’ve also been to at least the Class 4A regional title game in each of those four years. Collins enters the game on a four-game winning streak. Collins’ two losses are to Simon Kenton (23-21) to open the season on Aug. 23 and at Central Hardin (36-32) on Oct. 11. Both made it the Class 6A regional finals. The Bluebirds have been two-platooning both ways with their depth for years and could have that same advantage Saturday. Collins started that process after the loss to Simon Kenton. “We had planned by midseason to platoon,” said Jerry Lucas, Collins Head Coach. “We have felt all along this is what we needed to do to grow our program. It wasn’t easy because we had several seniors who are outstanding on both sides of the ball.” The Titans have outscored the opposition, 587-190. They’ve rushed for 2,469 yards and passed for 3,080. Defensively, they’ve allowed 1,952 yards rushing and 1,634 passing. Collins returns the one-two senior punch of quarterback Lawson Page and Western Kentucky University commit wide receiver DeAndre Farris. Page has completed 198-of-316 passes for 3,036 passes, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Farris has rushed for 643 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 61 passes for 982 yards and 16 scores. But the duo has help. Ryan Watkins has rushed for 1,079 yards on 131 carries and 15 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Nathan Sames has complemented Farris with 55 catches for 930 yards and 12 touchdowns. “They’re spreading the ball out really well,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “They’re getting very creative with getting the ball to (Farris). He is just a phenomenal football player. We have our work cut out to be honest.” Highlands hopes to shore up its passing defense after allowing more than 300 yards in the semifinal win over Lexington Catholic. Griffin Urlage leads the Bluebirds with three interceptions and Jackson Bardo has two. Highlands has allowed 2,081 rushing and 2,315 passing defensively. “We’re working on something to draw more attention to their skill guys like (Farris) so we don’t get beat deep like we did last week,” said Alex Shadle, Highlands senior defensive back. “You just practice knowing how the routes look. We learn that by looking at film.” Highlands put a lot of pressure on Page last year. Senior defensive lineman and Cornell University commit Seth Hope sacked Page five times in that game. Collins runs a 4-3 base defense. Senior linebacker Masai Whyte leads the Titans with 178 tackles. “They’ve had some juniors step up and they’re playing good football,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “They adjust well in games. They’ll put different guys in different spots depending on what you’re doing and they’ll move guys around. It’s been really effective for them. I didn’t really expect them to be as good as they are. When we looked at the film Saturday, we said, ‘Son of a gun. This is a good football team.” Highlands has passed for 4,547 yards and rushed for 1,634 led by senior quarterback Drew Houliston and running back Zach Harris. Houliston has completed 212-of-304 passes for 3,660 yards, 48 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is five touchdown passes short of Gino Guidugli’s record of 53 touchdown passes set in 2000. Houliston, Beau Hoge and Austin Hergott have combined to throw a school-record 60 touchdown passes. Harris has rushed for exactly 1,000 yards on 140 carries and 21 touchdowns. He’s also caught 29 passes for 466 yards and nine touchdowns. The offensive line has protected well all season. Highlands has been especially lethal throwing deep passes. Junior wide receivers Jensen Feggins and Alex Veneman have caught 48 and 31 passes for 1,040 and 817 yards respectively. Feggins has 15 touchdowns catches and Veneman 10. “They run the ball just as well as they pass the ball,” Lucas said. “You are going to have to prepare to try to slow down both if you are going to have a shot to win the game.” Highlands would capture the state record of 23 titles all to itself with a win Saturday. The Bluebirds are still tied with Louisville Trinity for that record of 22 titles each. But the Shamrocks lost in the 6A regional finals this year. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Same opponent stands in way of another Highlands state title

Basketball, Boys: Newport Central Catholic 66, Dixie Heights 35: This one was thought to be a tight battle between two 9th Region contenders. But the host Thoroughbreds dominated from start to finish in the season opener for both teams. NewCath had balanced scoring with three players in double figures. Drew McDonald led the way with 18 points with Zach Pangallo scoring 14 and Ben Weyer 11 to go with eight rebounds. Senior Jake Schulte followed with eight points and 13 rebounds. The Moeves brothers also had good debuts for NewCath. Tanner Moeves scored eight and Grant Moeves had seven. NewCath held Dixie Heights senior standout Brandon Hatton to 14 points. The University of Vermont commit did not score any points in the first half. All was not perfect for the Thoroughbreds. They made just 18-of-33 free throws for 55 percent compared to 15-of-23 for 65 percent for the Colonels. NewCath does not play again for a week. The Thoroughbreds travel to Dayton to open 36th District play. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Tuesday Basketball Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team fell to the visiting Sacred Heart Valkyries, 59-51 to open the season Tuesday. Highlands led 12-9 after the first quarter. But Sacred Heart took a 36-31 halftime lead and never looked back. Sacred Heart made 19-of-44 shots for 43 percent and 9-of-19 from three-point range for 47 percent. The Valkyries also made 12-of-14 free throws for 86 percent. Highlands made 14-of-34 shots for 41 percent including 6-of-13 from three-point land for 46 percent. The Bluebirds also made 17-of-24 free throws for 71 percent. The Bluebirds did outrebound the visitors, 28-23. Alex Combs nabbed seven rebounds and scored a team-high 15 points for Highlands. Combs and the two sophomore returning starters reached double-figures for Highlands. Haley Coffey scored 14 and Brianna Adler added 11. Ashley Johnson hit all five free throws and 3-of-5 three-pointers for 18 points. Teammates Raven Merriweather scored 17 and Gretchen Samsel scored eight. Highlands opens 36th District action Thursday back in Fort Thomas against Dayton (0-1). Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Tuesday Basketball Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter They have been labeled 9th Region favorites once again. That’s because the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds have the size and depth to give teams problems in addition to adding some key players. A familiar face in Head Coach Ron Dawn returns to the sidelines this year after Grant Brannen took the same position at Walton-Verona last spring. Dawn takes over a team that returns three starters from last year’s 30-3 squad that won its fifth straight 36th District Tournament crown. The Thoroughbreds won the All “A” State Tournament and rode an 18-game winning streak into the 9th Region Tournament at the Bank of Kentucky Center on Northern Kentucky University’s campus. But eventual region champion Covington Holmes handed NewCath an early exit, 55-50 in the first round of the tournament. NewCath had lost to Boone County and Dixie Heights in the previous two 9th Region title games. Dawn said the region will be loaded again this year. “(Covington) Holmes, CovCath (Covington Catholic) and Dixie (Heights) are all really good teams,” Dawn said. “I think St. Henry is going to surprise some people. We’ll have four teams from our region ranked – probably more than any other region aside from Louisville.” NewCath graduated starters Nick Seibert and Michael Bueter in addition to several reserves. Bueter took his talents to Union College in Barbourville. Holmes exploited NewCath’s major weakness in that win. The Thoroughbreds struggled shooting from outside when Bueter was not in the game. Holmes keyed its defense in the paint after Bueter picked up some fouls and had to sit. That’s why the Thoroughbreds addressed it in the offseason. “If it goes like it’s been going here in preseason, we’ll be fine,” Dawn said. “We can shoot the ball really well. We have four guys who have been stepping out and shooting well from the three-point line so we hope it continues.” The Thoroughbreds already knew they’d be strong inside with the return of 6-foot-8-inch senior Jake Schulte and 6-7 junior Drew McDonald. Schulte just committed to the University of South Carolina-Upstate of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Northern Kentucky University has offered McDonald a scholarship. The Thoroughbreds could also start 6-5 sophomore Ben Weyer to really give opponents fits down there. As expected, the third returning starter in junior point guard Zach Pangallo also returns and is one of those players that has been shooting well from three-point range. Pangallo hopes to lead a transition to the fast-paced attack. McDonald is another one. “If I get (the outside shooting) going, (opponents) are not going to be able to sag off me, which will leave Jake one-on-one in the post,” McDonald said. “If Jake gets his outside shooting it will be vise versa. Then we have our guards who can knock down shots so they can’t sag off them either. You’ll have to pick your poison with us.” But the Thoroughbreds received a major boost when the Moeves brothers transferred from Walton-Verona. Senior 6-2 guard Tanner Moeves holds an offer from NCAA Division II Christian Brothers and is receiving interest from other schools. “Ever since we found out the Moeves were going to come to NewCath, we just included them in everything,” Schulte said. “They’ve been coming to open gym. We’ve been having a great time with them. We spent the night at each other’s houses. It’s like they’ve been here since (their) freshmen year. We just really like having them here.” The other two brothers are junior 6-2 Grant Moeves and freshman Luke Moeves. Tanner Moeves averaged 19 points per game at Walton-Verona last year and Grant Moeves averaged 14 as a sophomore. “We’ve been very, very, very blessed,” Tanner Moeves said. “We’ve been totally accepted into the environment and to all the football games and everything. It could not have been a better welcome for our family. We had to make a lot of hard decisions, but we’re glad that we did it and it has been great.” A number of other players could play a big role in adding depth to NewCath. Senior forwards Mac Franzen and Josh Verkamp also return for the Thoroughbreds. Sophomores Jacob Smith, Eric Anderson and Ryan Anderson could also contribute for NewCath this year. The Thoroughbreds begin their season Tuesday. The play host to the Dixie Heights Colonels at 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NCC Boys Hoops Preview: Thoroughbreds once again favored to win 9th Region

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Returning everyone from a year ago often amounts to great things. But that is only the case if those returning players sharpen their games in the offseason. Second-year Newport Central Thoroughbreds Girls Basketball Head Coach George Stoll and staff hope that proves true this season. NewCath returns all but one senior from last year’s 20-10 team. The Thoroughbreds won their seventh straight All “A” 9th Region champion and finished All “A” State Runner-up squad for the second straight year. That one senior in Jillian Hoover played in just one game where she scored one basket to open the game because of a torn Anterior Cruciated Ligament. “I think we had a really good team camp over the summer,” Stoll said. “They’ve really worked at it. The thing with NewCath is we have a lot of girls who play three sports. I think that’s a good thing because it gives them a break from basketball for a while. The girls have grown quite a bit more. We hope that pays off. We’re picking up from last year.” The Thoroughbreds lost 48-40 to Highlands in the 36th District semifinals missing out on the 9th Region Tournament for the first time since 2008. They won just twice after the All “A” Tournament. “We talked about that a little before,” Stoll said. “What didn’t help last year is we had a brutal schedule when we got back. It was a bunch of good teams before we turned around and beat Conner and Ryle. I hope this year we adjust a bit better.” NewCath starts in the middle with two solid post players in senior Nikki Kiernan and junior Alexus Mayes. Kiernan, a preseason region Most Valuable Player candidate, recorded a double-double of 17.9 points and 11.1 rebounds a year ago. Mayes averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds. The two received a lot of doubles and triples in the point last year and hope to find ways to counter that better this season. Kiernan made a team-high 196-of-416 shots for 47 percent including 18-of-55 from three-point land for 32.7 percent. Kiernan also made 130-of-167 free-throw attempts for 77.8 percent. “We’re basically trying to work together as a team,” Mayes said. “If the one is being double-teamed, they have to leave another open. If not, we can rely on our guards. Our skills are getting better. We’re in the gym every day.” NewCath outscored opponents 1,650-1,397 last year. The Thoroughbreds hope to shoot the ball better this year to free things up for Kiernan and Mayes. NewCath made 582-of-1,461 shots for 39.8 percent including 112-of-411 from three-point land for 27.3 percent. The Thoroughbreds also made 374-of-582 free-throw tries for 64.3 percent. “In preseason, you’re going to be a bit rusty,” Stoll said. “It will take a while to get your feet underneath you. But you can see improvement day by day. We hope that by the first game and the All ‘A’ role around, we’re getting better and better at it. I know teams are going to zone us so we have to do better with it. I think we’ll be more comfortable doing that this year.” Senior forward Stephanie Lewis, junior guard Loren Zimmerman and sophomore guard Ansley Davenport are among those the staff is counting on to knock down more outside shots. Junior guards Michaela Ware and MiKayla Seibert also return after playing a lot last year. Lewis averaged 6.6 points per game last year and finished third on the team with 4.7 rebounds a contest. Davenport took the most three-point shots making 26-of-96 for 27.1 percent and Ware averaged 5.8 points a game. “For me, I’ve been working (on the outside) shot all over the summer trying to be more consistent,” Davenport said. “I hope that if it’s off, I know how to fix it. We’re not a selfish team. We look for other players too.” A number of other players could contribute this year. Senior guard Imani Lankheit returns after seeing action in 27 games last year. Two other returning seniors are forward Nikki Matteoli and guard Chelsea Schack. Junior forwards Sarah Neace and Jamie Lohr also return for NewCath. NewCath opens the season Monday at Dayton at 7:30 p.m. The Thoroughbreds play every 36th District opponent this year to determine seeds and will play host to the tournament in February. Fort Thomas Sports: NCC Girls Hoops Preview: Thoroughbreds aim for another great season

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter LEXINGTON – This one turned out to be the closest state semifinal win in a while. During their state record 34-game playoff winning streak, no one had come within 21 points in the state semifinals. In their six consecutive state championship runs, no team had come within three touchdowns of the Highlands Bluebirds in the state semifinals. Highlands had won those six semifinal contests by an average of 29 points. The host Lexington Catholic Knights (10-4) cut the Highlands 42-7 halftime lead to 42-35 with 3:45 left in the game. But the Bluebirds made the plays to pull off the 49-35 win. “We won. That’s all that matters this time of year,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “We’ll take it. We’re playing next week.” Highlands has won 15 regional championships and 14 semifinal games since Dale Mueller became Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator in 1994. The only semifinal loss came 45-6 at Rockcastle County in 2002. The average margin of victory in those contests is 19.2 points. The Bluebirds have beaten the Knights three straight years in the same round. Lexington Catholic became the most common semifinal opponent since 1994 on Friday. Highlands beat LexCath, 61-28 in Fort Thomas last year and 42-21 in Lexington two years ago. The average margin of victory for Highlands is 22.6 points in those three games. “We can’t give in once we’re up,” said Drew Houliston, Highlands senior quarterback. “We need to keep going. When you get this far, these teams are not going to quit. We need to realize that and keep playing (hard) until the horn sounds.” Prior to Friday, Highlands had also faced the Rockcastle County Rockets and Bell County Bobcats twice on the road in semifinal contests. The Bluebirds beat the Rockets, 41-9 in Mount Vernon in 2000 and edged the Bobcats at Pineville in 1996 (16-14) and 2004 (15-10). Highlands moved to 8-1 in road semifinal games in the Mueller era and 6-0 at home. The average margin of victory for Highlands is about 11.7 points and 30.5 at David Cecil Memorial Stadium. Only one visiting team has come within 28 points in Fort Thomas. Highlands edged Mason County, 21-14 in the 2003 Class 3A semifinals. A huge Thanksgiving Day Visit: While the wins in those previous games did not guarantee a victory Friday, visits from players of those teams often helps. Current University of Kentucky quarterback and 2012 Highlands graduate Patrick Towles stopped by practice Thursday. “Each (team) just builds (on the tradition),” Mueller said. “The guys that played before are just such great supporters. There were other guys that came to practice just to support the guys and say some positive things to them.” A number of former players came to Lexington for the game. That includes three seniors off last year’s team in Mitch Dee, Reid Schroeder and Quentin Murray. Mueller earns 250th win at Highlands: Mueller moved to 250-35 in 20 seasons as Head Coach of the Bluebirds. That win moved him into 18th in Kentucky history. He passed Murray 43-year veteran Preston “Ty” Holland with the win. Holland’s record was 249-159-28. Bowling Green Head Coach Kevin Wallace is not far behind Mueller at 248-96 good for 19th in Kentucky history. Wallace began his career as head coach of Warren East. Finising off 2012 Playoff Rewind: The Bluebirds need to beat the same five opponents in the same five rounds as last year to win another state championship. They finish 2012 playoff rewind against Collins (12-2) in the 4A state championship at 4 p.m. at Western Kentucky on Saturday. Highlands beat Collins, 47-0 in the title game last year. The Bluebirds beat three opponents in the same rounds for the third straight year. Highlands also beat Boyd County in the first round, Covington Catholic in the regional final and LexCath in the state semifinals in 2011. The Bluebirds beat Johnson Central in the second round and Franklin-Simpson in the state championship that year. Another Highlands win would extend the longest current streak of football championships in the country. The Bluebirds and Honolulu ‘Iolani. But the Raiders lost in the Hawaii Division II semifinals, 28-7 to Lihue Kauai. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebird Notebook: Highlands moves to 14-1 in semifinal games since 1994

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter LEXINGTON – The Highlands Bluebirds football team once again forced the running clock. It may have saved them in the end of a 49-35 Class 4A semifinal victory against the host Lexington Catholic Knights on Friday. Highlands (13-1) won its state-record 34th consecutive playoff game. The Bluebirds have outscored those opponents by 1,142 points for an average of about 33.6 points per game. The Bluebirds built a 42-7 mostly through their vaunted deep passing game. They outgained the Knights (10-4), 398-204 in total offense in that half and enforced the running clock with 8:09 left in the half. But LexCath did not quit and cut the lead to 42-35 with 3:45 left in the game. But Highlands made the plays down the stretch to earn another Class 4A semifinal win. LexCath ended up winning the statistical battle, 457-449. “I think a lot of that was my fault. We were relaxing,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “We took Drew (Houliston) and Zach (Harris) out. We went into halftime feeling good about ourselves. Football is just not that kind of game. LexCath is an explosive team. You just can’t relax against a team like that.” But Highlands did win the turnover battle, 3-2. Junior Griffin Urlage had an interception and fumble recovery with Brady Murray recovering another fumble. Highlands followed with two quick touchdowns after the fumble recoveries and Urlage’s interception with 1:21 left in the game let the Bluebirds run out the clock. “That interception felt really good,” Urlage said. “They had some really good receivers. (Ryan) had a slinger on him. We unfortunately weren’t keeping our guys in front.” Brandon Hergott returned an onside kick to the Lexington Catholic 12 with 3:45 left in the game. Highlands lined up in its full-house backfield and Harris ran the ball to the LexCath 1 before plunging in to make the final score. “Before the play, everyone said to catch the ball and get down,” Hergott said. “But I saw the opening. I just made sure I didn’t fumble the ball. That’s just one big time play that everyone looks forward to making.” Hergott scored on a touchdown against Warren Central in the season finale. LexCath recovered an onside kick with about 6:30 left in the game. “On a rule change on an onside kick, they’re not allowed to hit you the first 10 yards,” Mueller said. “Brandon Hergott is just such a heads-up guy. He really attacked the ball. When they were roaring back, that was the play of the game.” Houliston finished with 357 yards passing completing 14-of-17 passes with four touchdowns. Jensen Feggins led the way with four catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns and Alex Veneman had three for 150 with one touchdown. “That was really key early on,” Veneman said. “They had Jensen (Feggins) one-on-one and Jensen had a couple big catches. They put more guys on him then I became open. They played some man on me, which is pretty nice. (The deep pass) worked every time.” The Bluebirds have 60 touchdown passes on the year and Houliston has thrown 48 of them. That breaks the school record for touchdown passes in a season of 59 set back in 2000. Gino Guidugli set the individual record at 53 for touchdowns in a season. Houliston completed 11-of-14 passes for 325 yards and all four touchdowns in the first half. The Highlands offensive line kept the Knight defenders off the skill position players. “I think offensive lines are underrated just because they’re not really seen as much on the field,” said Sam Little, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “The touchdowns are scored by the wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks. I don’t think we care (about the attention) as much. We know we are respected by our skill players.” Harris scored three touchdowns rushing 10 times for 94 yards. The first one gave the Bluebirds the lead for good on a 21-yard scamper just 1:24 into the game. He now has 1,000 yards rushing on the year. Harris is just the third back in the Mueller Era to record consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The other two were Eamon Mueller and Justin Frisk in the mid-90s. The Bluebirds led 21-0 after two quarters following two Knight fumbles. Houliston found Feggins over the middle with 4:38 left before Murray recovered a Knight fumble and returned it to the LexCath 41. On the next play with 1:47 left in the quarter, Feggins scored on a deep 41-yard route. On fourth-and-8 with 10:42 left in the second, Houliston found Beau Hoge in the left corner to put Highlands up 28-0. About three minutes later, Veneman ran a deep 86-yard play down the field and Harris scored the two-point conversion run to enforce the running clock. Highlands responded to a Reese Ryan 44-yard touchdown pass to Noah Mitchell with another score to make the halftime 42-7 advantage. Harris scored from a yard out. Ryan completed 22-of-31 passes for 369 yards. He had 145 in the first half. David Bouvier led LexCath with seven catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns and Sam Letton had 11 for 122. “We were shutting them down in the first half,” Murray said. “We got pressure on (Ryan) in the pocket. We play our best when (turnovers) happen.” Highlands will own the record to its lonesome on Saturday with a win. The Bluebirds and Louisville Trinity are tied for the most state championships in Kentucky with 22 each. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highalnds holds off determined LexCath, 49-35

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It turned out to be the “tooth and nail” game that first-year NewCath Head Coach Dan Wagner said it would be. But when the dust settled, the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds won their 12th straight semifinal contest, 49-48 in double overtime over the visiting Somerset Briar Jumpers on Friday at Newport Stadium. NewCath lost 8-7 to Somerset in its first state semifinal appearance in 1983 and has not lost in any since then. “(Victory) is what you strive for,” Wagner said. “I can’t take many of these. My heart won’t handle it, but it feels great.” Defending Class 2A champion NewCath (10-4) marches on to the state championship with its ninth straight win. The Thoroughbreds take on the Louisville DeSales Colts (13-1) at Noon on Saturday at Western Kentucky University. NewCath will be seeking its sixth state championship and third in the last four years. The Thoroughbreds moved to 5-1 all-time against the Briar Jumpers. They won state championships in 1984, 2005, 2006 and last year after beating Somerset in the state semifinals. The Briar Jumpers (8-5) won their fifth straight and 16th overall regional championship. This marks the closest they’ve come to winning in five semifinal contests since 2005 against Northern Kentucky teams. In the second overtime, Somerset received the ball first from the NewCath 10 and scored quickly when Bryson Jones ran it in from 10 yards out. But the extra-point kick sailed wide left and NewCath took full advantage of it. The Thoroughbreds drove to the Somerset 2 in two plays. Jacob Smith then scored the game-winner and John Caudill made the extra-point kick to seal the deal. Somerset outgained NewCath, 428-314 in total offense and had 16 first downs to 14 for the hosts. But the Thoroughbreds took advantage of two interceptions. “I thought we were in pretty good shape then,” Wagner said. “They couldn’t stop us either. We moved up and down the field on them. We stopped ourselves twice. John Caudill was 7-for-7 on extra points and the last one obviously made a big difference.” NewCath ran for 125 yards and quarterback Mac Franzen completed 12-of-22 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Jack Sutkamp had 53 yards rushing on 11 carries and Smith ran for 50 yards on 14 carries and two scores. Brandon Gray and Tommy Donnelly once again led NewCath with four catches each. Gray had 80 yards receiving and Donnelly had 25 yards and two touchdowns. Smith added three catches for 76 yards and a score. The Thoroughbreds had a hard time stopping the Briar Jumper passing attack. Sophomore quarterback Castle Hatcher completed 21-of-29 passes for 365 yards and six touchdowns. Cam Cheuvront recorded nine catches for 184 yards and three touchdowns with Will Lange making six for 130 yards. “They threw it more than we thought they would,” Wagner said. “We somewhat allowed that. We had a few missed tackles. (Hatcher) is pretty good. He throws the ball better than we saw on tape. We tried some different things to slow them down.” NewCath did hold Somerset to just 63 yards rushing on 32 carries. Lange led the Briar Jumpers with eight carries for 24 yards. The teams consistently answered one another throughout regulation. Hatcher completed a 16-yard pass to Lange for the game’s first score before Collin Hoover blocked the extra-point attempt for NewCath. The Thoroughbreds responded when Smith scored from six yards out. Caudill’s PAT gave NewCath a 7-6 lead after the first quarter. NewCath extended its lead to 14-6 when Donnelly scored on a 7-yard pass from Franzen. But Hatcher completed 29 and 3-yard passes to Lange and Cheuvront respectively. After Lange’s score, Hatcher hit Chandler Dobbs for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 14. The Briar Jumpers led 21-14 at halftime. NewCath tied the game at 21 after the third quarter. Sutkamp scored from a yard out. Somerset answered both NewCath scores. Sutkamp scored from three yards out before Hatcher hit Cheuvront for a 60-yard score to tie the game at 28. Franzen then hit Donnelly for a 7-yard touchdown pass later in the game. But Hatcher hit Brysen McWillams for a 6-yard score with 1:57 left in regulation to tie the game at 35. Both teams then scored on their first overtime possession. Franzen hit Smith for a 6-yard score before Cheuvront hauled in a 10-yard reception from Hatcher. Both teams had a lot of penalties. Somerset had 11 for 127 yards and NewCath made eight for 80 yards. NewCath is 2-1 all-time against DeSales. The Thoroughbreds beat the Colts in 2007 and 2008 on their way to state runner-up finishes before losing to them in the 2009 regional championship. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: NewCath eeks out "tooth and nail" semifinal victory

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter In many ways, it seems automatic, especially since 2000. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team wins a region crown and finds itself playing for a state championship two weeks later. That has happened eight times since 2000 and 11 times following their 12 overall regional championships. The defending Class 2A champion Thoroughbreds (9-4 overall) would love to make it 12 straight times in 13 state semifinal appearances and extend their eight-game winning streak. But they need to prove themselves to the most common state semifinal opponent in the 8-4 Somerset Briar Jumpers on Friday at 7 p.m at Newport Stadium. The schools meet for the sixth time in history – all in the state semifinals since 1983. Somerset won the first meeting, 8-7 in 1983 before losing to Fort Knox in the Class AA title game. But NewCath has won the previous four meetings on its way to four of its five state championships. The Thoroughbreds beat the Briar Jumpers in the AA semifinals in 1984 (17-0), 2005 (35-10), 2006 (40-24) and last year (27-18). “We fully expect to take their best shot,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “They were a lot like us earlier in the year. They’re starting to get healthy. That’s why they’re starting to play well so we know what we’re getting into. We had to go tooth and nail with them last year. It’s going to be that way this year.” Somerset enters the game against the District 6 champions on a five-game winning streak. The Briar Jumpers will hit the road for the fourth consecutive playoff game. They beat mountain teams Betsy Layne (29-20), District 7 rival Middlesboro (19-13 in overtime) and District 8 champion Prestonsburg (28-21) on their way to a fifth consecutive region crown and 16th in school history. The Briar Jumpers also lost to eventual 2A state champion Covington Holy Cross on the same field in the state semifinals two years ago. “The previous four years, we were at home (Clark Field) so this is a departure from the ‘norm,” said Robbie Lucas, Somerset Head Coach. “We have been in three consecutive tight games. Each of these games were not decided until the last few moments. Our kids have come from behind in the last two games to win. All that being said, We still haven’t put our best game together yet. We are certainly hoping that we put our best game together this week.” Somerset finished with the third seed out of District 7 after finishing in a three-way tie for the crown with Danville and Middlesboro. Like Louisville Trinity and Madison Southern, Somerset played just nine games in the regular season. “Our 10th game was canceled because of a miscommunication between myself and another coach,” Lucas said. “One of us got our dates mixed up. Not having a 10th game potentially cost us our home playoff games. We ended up third based on the point system.” The Briar Jumpers enter the game with a chip on their shoulders. They have 665 wins in school history good for eighth all-time in Kentucky. But Somerset is the lone team in the top 10 on that list that has never won a state championship. The Briar Jumpers have finished state runner-up several times, most recently losing 21-0 to Paducah Tilghman in the Class 3A state championship in 2009. Both teams run spread offenses. But NewCath quarterback Mac Franzen goes under center and Somerset sophomore quarterback Castle Hatcher lines up in the shotgun. NewCath has thrown for 1,822 yards and run for 2,113 behind its offensive line. Franzen has completed 115-of-193 passes for 1,794 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has also rushed for 577 yards on 131 attempts and six touchdowns. Sophomore Jacob Smith leads NewCath rushing for 904 yards on 161 attempts and 11 touchdowns. Junior Brandon Gray leads the Thoroughbreds with 31 catches for 414 yards and three touchdowns with Tommy Donnelly hauling in 29 catches for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. “They throw a lot of (schemes) at you so they do make you think,” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “They have a nice team. (Audibling) is something we’ve been doing well. We have a lot of confidence in that area so we hope it continues.” Somerset runs 3-4 and 5-2 multiple defensive schemes. The Briar Jumpers have allowed 2,088 yards rushing and 1,334 passing. Bailey McEnroe led the team with 141 tackles prior to the win at Prestonsburg. “They’re pretty big, but not as big as last year,” said Logan Neff, NewCath junior lineman. “It’s pretty much about getting low. You can’t take any play for granted. You have to play every play like it’s your last play. It could be the last game we play so you have to take advantage of what you have.” Hatcher has thrown for 1,740 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions completing 108-of-237 passes. Cam Cheuvront has been his top target with 58 catches for 968 yards and 12 touchdowns. “We’ll be familiar with (the spread offense),” said Kameron Winter, NewCath sophomore defensive lineman. “If they throw it long, we have guys that can get on (opposing routes). If they run up the middle, our defensive line can stop it. I think it will be a good game.” Somerset has rushed for 2,094 yards and passed for 1,877. Bryson Jones leads the Briar Jumpers with 430 yards rushing on 84 carries and 15 touchdowns. But Will Lange rushed for 60 yards and had 125 yards on four catches and two touchdowns against Prestonsburg. “They throw a lot of scissor (routes),” Wagner said. “(Cheuvront) is very fast. He is a tough receiver. (Bryson Jones) is a tough runner and (Will Lange) is a quick runner. We know we have our work cut out for us.” NewCath senior linebacker Jack Sutkamp leads the team with 179 tackles. The school record for most tackles in a season is 206 by Steve Smith in 1995. Tyler Lyon leads the Thoroughbreds with five fumble recoveries with Nate Enslen and Gray nabbing a team-high two interceptions each. NewCath has allowed 1,697 yards rushing and 1,776 passing. “(Sutkamp) jumped out to us as we watched film,” Lucas said. “He is an outstanding player. He is surrounded by 10 other outstanding football players that run to the ball with intensity. Like we do each week, we look for matchups we can win. We need to hopefully turn them over, match their intensity and put our kids in a position to win. (At) this time of the year, there is no team here by mistake.” The winner takes on either Louisville DeSales (12-1) or Murray (9-4) in the state championship game at 11 a.m. Central Standard Time on Dec. 7. NewCath also won the crown in 2010. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: NewCath prepares for another test vs. Somerset

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Now that they’ve beaten their arch-rivals for the second time this year, many around Kentucky have basically anointed another state championship to the Highlands Bluebirds. That is understandable considering the winner of the Covington Catholic Colonel-Highlands playoff game has finished as state champions or state runner-up 10 times since 1994 when Dale Mueller became Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. The Bluebirds hope to make it seven straight state championships overall and seven straight championships the same year following a playoff win over the Colonels. Highlands beat CovCath for the third straight year, 28-13 in the regional championship game in Fort Thomas. “Like Coach Mueller said earlier (Monday), it’s sometimes hard to get going on to the next game after you play your arch-rival,” said Scott Turner, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “We have to do that and continue to do the things we’ve been doing all year. That includes staying aggressive.” But 12-1 Highlands knows Friday’s opponent will not hand over a free pass to Bowling Green, especially on its home field. The Bluebirds head south to face the 10-3 Lexington Catholic Knights of District 5 on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Class 4A state semifinals. The Bluebirds have beaten the Knights, 61-28 in Fort Thomas last year and 42-21 in Lexington two years ago both in the same round. Highlands is 5-1 all-time against Lexington Catholic. The only loss to the Knights came 17-0 in the 2005 regional title game. That marked the last time Highlands has been shut out. Both teams played tough schedules. The Bluebirds played three straight Saturday road games in September and won all three in addition to losing 30-27 at Cincinnati Elder in late October. They won 33-26 at John Hardin and 42-25 at Paducah Tilghman before smashing CovCath, 42-6. John Hardin is taking on Bowling Green again in the 5A semifinals on Friday and Tilghman is playing host to undefeated Wayne County in the 3A semifinals. LexCath lost to Bowling Green (48-21) and Louisville St. Xavier (49-28) to open the season. Bowling Green carries the state’s longest winning streak at 43 in a row. The Knights then lost 22-13 at Boyle County on Oct. 4 in the District 5 championship game. The Knights have won six straight since then. LexCath beat Mercer County, 49-14 in the region championship last week after Mercer County upset previously undefeated Boyle County, 31-30 the week before that. Lexington Catholic Head Coach Bill Letton pointed to a big reason for the struggles in those earlier games. “All of those teams had much more experience than we did, especially along the lines of scrimmage,” Letton said. “Playing them forced our younger kids to compete at a higher level and jump on a fast learning curve.” That could favor the experienced Bluebirds in the trenches. Highlands has experience all over the field. The offensive line has blocked well allowing the Bluebirds to put up averages of 52 points and 440.1 yards per game in their spread offense. “Every play starts with the offensive line,” Mueller said. “If the offensive line plays well, the play goes well. If the line doesn’t play well, the play doesn’t go well. The whole game revolves around the offensive line. You see a quarterback completing a pass from the stands. But almost every time a quarterback completes a pass, the line is giving him so much protection and he has time to find the open receiver.” Highlands quarterback Drew Houliston has completed 198-of-286 passes for 3,302 yards, 44 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Junior Jensen Feggins has been his favorite target with 44 receptions for 913 yards and 13 touchdowns. But 10 different Bluebirds have at least 11 catches. Highlands senior running back Zach Harris gives teams fits running and catching the ball. He leads the team with 906 yards on 130 carries and 18 touchdowns and is tied with Ryan Greene with 29 catches for 463 yards and nine touchdowns. Greene has 413 yards receiving with four scores and junior Alex Veneman has 28 catches for 667 yards and nine touchdowns. “All of our defenders realize that they will be isolated (and) tested at some point during the night so we try to keep each one focused on every play and hope that we can win our share of battles,” Letton said. “This team has been a really hard-working, dedicated group. They have looked at themselves critically and tried to correct all of their mistakes.” Lexington Catholic could be without its top playmaker in its 4-2-5 defense in senior linebacker Josh Messmer. He leads the team with 120 tackles, but missed the Mercer County game because of injury so players like junior linebackers Chase Boling and Braxton Couch may need to step forward. Couch has 89 tackles with Boiling and Messer leading the team with three fumble recoveries each. Sophomore defensive back Davis Rowady leads LexCath with five interceptions. Lexington Catholic has allowed 277 points, 1,647 yards rushing and 1,997 passing this season. Highlands will also face a spread offense out of its 3-4 defense. The Bluebirds allow averages of 20.3 points and 303.8 yards per contest. The Knights have garnered 525 points, 2,294 yards rushing and 3,184 yards passing this year. Lexington Catholic is led by junior quarterback Reese Ryan. Ryan has completed 194-of-304 passes for 2,984 yards, 33 touchdowns and eight interceptions. “(Ryan) has a cannon for an arm. I remember preparing for him last year,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “We actually used a Junior League football for practice last year just so the (defensive backs) could get used to seeing the ball in the air that long and that far because we hadn’t played a quarterback that had the arm strength of him. He really is a challenge. He’s a frustrating quarterback to prepare for. You have to be careful with him because you’ll see a play on film where a team will get some pressure on him. But on the next play, you see the same type of play happen but he gets away and it is a 50-yard gain after a 10-yard loss. You have to pick what you want to do and when you want to do it.” Senior David Bouvier and sophomore Sam Letton have been his top targets. Bouvier has 70 catches for 988 yards and eight touchdowns. Sam Letton has 41 for 850 yards and 13 scores. But the Highlands defenders face similarly talented players in practice all the time. “I think it prepares us well because we know what we’re going up against,” said Bo Hebel, Highlands sophomore defensive lineman. “(Ryan) is good at moving around in the pocket. We have to keep him in front of us. You can’t rush too far upfield.” Lexington Catholic’s running game has improved from last year. Senior Marcelis Logan has rushed for 769 yards and 15 touchdowns on 104 carries and senior Noah Mitchell has 602 yards on 103 carries with five scores. The winner takes on either Collins (11-2) or Owensboro (10-3) in the state championship on Dec. 7 at Western Kentucky University at 3 p.m. Central Standard Time. Highlands beat Collins, 41-0 in last year’s 4A title game. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands hopes for more Knights out

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It had been a while since they made it to the successful postseason level of last year’s team. The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team finished 26-8 last year. That included its first 36th District championship since 2008 and a spot in the 9th Region title game at the Bank of Kentucky Center at Northern Kentucky University. Highlands beat opponents by an average of about 56-46. Highlands won the most games in a season since veteran Head Coach Jaime Walz-Richey took over in 2002. The Bluebirds are 202-125 entering her 12th season as head coach. The season ended with a 63-44 defeat to the eventual state runner-up and rival Notre Dame Pandas. But that marked the first time Highlands had been to the region championship game since 2002. But Highlands graduated six seniors from that team. They are Leah Schaefer, Jesse “Dirt” Daley, Ava Abner, Vanessa Fisse, Emilie Parton and Kelsey Clark. Three are playing college sports at the next level. Schaefer (11 points, 6.5 rebounds) took her talents to nearby Xavier University and Daley (9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds) was to be playing at Thomas More, but may not because of a car accident over the summer. Abner is playing soccer at Arkansas State University. “The returning girls want more (success),” Richey said. “Now it’s about getting them to understand the hard work needed to put into it. We lost a lot of seniors last year who provided a lot of leadership on and off the court. We’re still trying to find the person that will be the vocal leader on the court and who we can count on when we need points.” The process starts with two returning sophomore starters in shooting guard Brianna Adler and point guard Haley Coffey. Adler averaged 9.3 points per game last year leading the team in three-pointers made making 55-of-141 for 39 percent. Highlands shot well as a team last year. The Bluebirds made 657-of-1,580 shots for 41.6 percent, including 170-of-518 three-point attempts for 32.8 percent. They also made 433-of-635 free-throw tries for 68.2 percent and grabbed a total of 1,012 rebounds. “We all have to step it up,” Adler said. “I think Haley and I have a lot of pressure just because we are returning varsity players and with us being sophomores, I think people expect a lot from us. We have to show them what to do in practice and show them if they’re doing something wrong.” Highlands expects to pressure the ball all over the court this year. One player the team is counting on to pick things up this year is versatile junior guard/forward Lydia Graves. “We’re going to have to play fast the whole time so we’re doing a lot of running to stay in shape,” Graves said. “That way we don’t take a play off.” Junior Alex Combs could play inside or outside. She saw a lot of action in the paint last year along with sophomore McKenzie Leigh. Combs is the leading returning rebounder nabbing 116 last year for an average of 3.4 a game. Junior Kristyn Lukjan could also contribute in the post this year. The key there is staying out of foul trouble. “I hear they’re going to call a lot of hand checks this year so I have to keep them in front of me and rely on help defense,” Combs said. “The main thing is talking. I’m also not going to get three fouls in the first half.” Highlands also has a few other guards expected to contribute more on the varsity this year. They are senior Tomi Blanton and junior Whitney Quillen. “It’s about getting better each day,” Richey said. “They have to push themselves to be in the best shape and know where they need to be at all times.” Highlands opens the season on Dec. 3 at home against Louisville Sacred Heart. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: HHS Girls Hoops Preview: Bluebirds working for success similar to last year

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter One can have an opinion either way as to whether it is still a rivalry or not. Many say it is not because the Highlands Bluebirds have won 11 in a row over the Covington Catholic Colonels dating back to a 25-15 Colonel victory in Park Hills on Nov. 11, 2006 when current Cincinnati Moeller Head Coach John Rodenberg roamed the sidelines. Among those that say it is not is former Highlands and current University of Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles. Towles tweeted “No” to former Highlands teammates Blake Newman tweeted, “If you win 11 straight, is it really still a rivalry?” Highlands and CovCath have won a combined 29 state championships. While that may be a valid argument, the numbers inside the streak show that CovCath is still just as much a threat to dethrone the Bluebirds from their throne as anyone. Highlands has beaten CovCath by an average of 24.6 points to move to 45-17 all-time during the run. “You have to give CovCath a lot of credit,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “They played a tough game slowing us down.” But since Dave Wirth became Colonel Head Coach in 2009, only three of the eight meetings have been separated by more than 15 points. In fact, Highlands edged CovCath, 27-20 in 2010 and the closest call came in Park Hills by a 42-37 count in 2011 when Towles was a senior. Current Dixie Heights Head Coach Dave Brossart had three rough meetings against Highlands including two shutouts. The Bluebirds beat the Colonels by an average of 38.3 points during Brossart’s two years in Park Hills. Highlands improved to 26-6 against CovCath since Mueller took over in 1994. CovCath beat Highlands twice in 1994 and 2006. But the other two losses occurred in the playoffs in 1997 in the regional championship and 2001 in the second round. The year’s senior class of 31 became the third consecutive class not to lose to CovCath on Friday nights in their four years of high school. They finished 7-0 against the Colonels and last year’s class finished 6-0 with Towles’ class going 5-0. “It definitely adds pressure with every class,” said Seth Hope, Highlands senior defensive lineman. “I’m just glad we weren’t the one to break the streak. It feels great to keep the tradition alive. I never lost to the Colonels and that’s a great thing I’ll be able to say for the rest of my life.” Another rematch: Highlands will play the fourth straight rematch from last year’s state championship run. The Bluebirds also beat Boyd County and Ashland at home to open the playoffs. The Bluebirds will take on the Lexington Catholic Knights (10-3) for the third straight year in the Class 4A semifinals. Highlands smashed LexCath, 61-28 in Fort Thomas last year after doubling the Knights, 42-21 in Lexington in 2011. Lexington Catholic beat Mercer County, 49-14 for the Region 3 title on Friday. Highlands could also play the same opponent in the state title game. Collins (11-2) beat North Oldham (42-14) for the Region 2 championship, but travels to Owensboro on Friday. Owensboro knocked off Franklin-Simpson, 21-13 for the Region 1 championship. Seeking record to themselves: If Highlands wins the next two games to claim its 23rd state championship, the Bluebirds will have the state record for the most championships in Kentucky to themselves. They are still tied with Louisville Trinity for 22. But Louisville Male and Head Coach Chris Wolfe knocked off Louisville St. Xavier (23-21) and Trinity (31-7) in consecutive weeks. This will mark the first time since Male’s last title in 2000 that neither Trinity or St. Xavier will win the largest class in Kentucky. No one outside Louisville has won the largest class since Nelson County beat Lexington Paul Dunbar (35-34) in overtime in 1996. New champ also to be crowned in 3A: Undefeated Wayne County (13-0) ventured to Louisville Central and took down the Yellowjackets, 17-7 in the regional championship on Friday. Central had won five of the past six 3A crowns. The only year Central had not won it was 2009 when Paducah Tilghman beat the Yellowjackets, 24-21 in the state semifinals. That marked the earliest exit for Central since 2005. Wayne County has to head to Paducah Tilghman on Friday in the state semifinals. The Blue Tornado (8-5) have won seven straight since starting the year 1-5 including a 42-25 defeat to Highlands on Sept. 21. Major opportunity to catch Valdosta: Highlands has a huge opportunity to gain some ground against Valdosta for the title of most wins in school history. The Wildcats of South Georgia lost in the first round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs to finish the year at 6-5. They are 882-214-34 since starting their program in 1913. Highlands improved to 854-226-26 with Friday’s win. The Bluebirds still have 21 more wins than the second-winningest program in Kentucky. Louisville Male is second with 833 all-time wins. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebird Notebook: CovCath games closer than many think

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Another Blue and White victory gave those who say it is not a rivalry anymore another piece of evidence. But the Highlands Bluebirds football team left their home field for the final time in 2013 knowing it was one of the toughest victories this season. In a similar battle to last year’s Class 4A, Region 4 title game, the Bluebirds knocked off the Covington Catholic Colonels (10-3) by a similar 28-13 score. Highlands improved to 12-1 overall and 99-4 since the start of 2007. Only two teams have come closer to beating the Bluebirds during their 33-game playoff winning streak. Those two victories came in 2008 in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs in a 28-22 home win over the Lexington Bryan Station Defenders when Tony Guidugli threw a late touchdown pass to Austin Collinsworth and in the 2010 Class 5A Regional title game when Patrick Towles and company edged J.J. Jude and the Johnson Central Golden Eagles, 21-14 in Paintsville. Highlands has outscored the opposition by 1130 points during the winning streak. That’s an average of just more than 34 points per game. But unlike the first two playoff games, the Highlands starters played the entire game. The Bluebirds did not hit the running clock for just the first time in the playoffs. Highlands played a lot more conservative than normal consistently feeding the ball to running backs Zach Harris and Nicholas Kendall on the windy day at David Cecil Memorial Field. Harris finished with 33 carries for 194 yards and two touchdowns. The Bluebirds still managed offensive balance rushing for 205 yards and passing for 191. They did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season. Highlands quarterback Drew Houliston completed 17-of-26 passes for 191 yards. But he also ran for two more scores. “Our coaches did a heck of a job preparing us for everything they were going to do,” said Tyler Schweitzer, Highlands senior offensive lineman. “They stunted a lot. But we knew exactly how to block it.” Houliston’s first touchdown came on the first Highlands possession. On 4th-and-goal from the CovCath 4, Houliston rolled to the right and made it in to give Highlands a 7-0 lead. “That was big,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “That was the first time all year we called runs for Drew. He’s scrambled for first downs. Drew did a good job to get it in (the end zone).” The Bluebirds threw a lot of short passes over the middle and to the sidelines because Covington Catholic played back defensively to make sure Highlands did have success over throwing the ball deep. Ryan Greene and Brandon Hergott had four catches each for 56 and 45 yards respectively with Beau Hoge recording three for 47 yards. “They were saying they weren’t going to get beat deep,” Greene said. “That really opened up the running game. Drew did a really good job checking down on the shorter routes. We don’t want to end the season with any regrets so we’re going to go all-out the rest of the season.” The Colonels managed just 217 yards of total offense. They rotated sophomore Ben Dressman and junior Adam Wagner in at quarterback. Wagner and running back Luke Bir did not play in the Sept. 28 meeting that Highlands won 42-6. Dressman gave Highlands some problems on CovCath’s first drive. He responded to Houliston’s first score with a 51-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper following a fake to Bir on a read-option with 7:11 left in the quarter. But the Colonels missed the extra-point attempt and trailed 7-6 entering the second quarter. “(CovCath) executed in the beginning,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “We just settled down and got into a feel for the game. We were caught up in the moment (early). We played pretty well defensively.” But Highlands contained the read-option after that. Dressman finished with 12 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. His second one came with 3:57 left in the fourth. CovCath rushed for 172 yards and passed for 45. Wagner completed 7-of-10 passes for all the Colonel passing yards. After missing on a few opportunities in CovCath territory, Highlands put together two drives to finish the first half and extend the lead. Houliston rolled to his left and scored from nine yards out with 4:55 left and Harris scored from two yards out in the full-house backfield with 51 seconds to go. “They punted out of the end zone and we took it 80 yards in about a minute (on the first Harris score),” Mueller said. “That was a huge drive for us. Once we got up 21-6 on them, we really felt confident in our defense and we were really looking to take some clock so we got more conservative. We felt that was the way to do it.” The Bluebirds managed to add some distance with another long drive in the second half. Harris finished it with 11:32 left in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard run. The game had plenty of hard hits. But the officials did a good job separating players as only one personal foul on either team occurred. It came against Highlands in the second quarter. “Our teammates have our backs,” said Thomas Wrobleski, Highlands senior linebacker. “If they see us getting into it, they’re going to come up and break us apart. We all care about each other. We don’t want to get kicked out of the game.” Highlands will have another round of playoff rewind in the state semifinals this Friday. The only difference is the Bluebirds have to travel to Lexington Catholic (10-3). The Knights knocked off the Mercer County Titans, 49-14. The Bluebirds have beaten LexCath in the previous two 4A semifinal games en route to state championships. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands goes conservative in region championship win

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter For the second straight year, it came down to the experience against a first appearance with experience winning out. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds had to use a 21-0 run in the third quarter to do it. But they managed to pull away from the hungry 10-3 Gallatin County Wildcats on Friday in Warsaw by a 34-12 count. NewCath has appeared in 14 consecutive regional championship games and won it for the ninth time dating back to 2000 to go with four region championships in the 1980s. But it definitely did not come easy playing on a grass field for the District 6 champions. The Thoroughbreds have also won 21 district championships including 10 in a row. They are 9-4 following their eighth straight win. “We started off rough as everyone could tell,” said Wyatt Boberg, NewCath senior wide receiver. “At halftime, our coaches told us to get it together and we did exactly that.” NewCath advances to the state semifinals for the third time in four years against a familiar opponent in the Somerset Briar Jumpers (8-4). Somerset rallied at Prestonsburg, 28-21 on Friday. The Thoroughbreds have beaten the Briar Jumpers in the state semifinals in 2005, 2006 and last year on the way three of their five state championships. “I think they got the (anything can happen message) loud and clear,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “We came out and did what we wanted to do. Give (Gallatin County) credit. They played with a lot of emotion. We knew we were going to get that. We battled and battled and finally got it back.” The Thoroughbreds avoided the same fate suffered by the team they beat 30-26 to win the state championship last year. Undefeated and top-ranked Class 2A defending runner-up Caldwell County (12-1) lost 27-14 to the District 1 foe Murray Tigers – a team Caldwell County had beaten 42-13 on Oct. 18. Murray (9-4) plays host to District Louisville DeSales (12-1) in the other 2A semifinal Friday. NewCath used more offensive balance to stave off the upset bid. The Thoroughbreds gained 348 yards on 59 plays to 281 on 66 for the Wildcats. NewCath used Jack Sutkamp more out of the backfield than usual. He finished with a team-high 103 yards on 15 carries. Sophomore Jacob Smith followed with 12 carries for 73 yards. Senior quarterback Mac Franzen had another good night passing the ball. He completed 9-of-11 passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns and added another rushing touchdown. The offensive line protected well for NewCath. “I think (solid protection) begins in practice,” said Matt Lenz, NewCath senior offensive lineman. “Each and every day, we just work as hard as we can. The (younger linemen) work just as hard as us. Each and every game, their confidence is getting better. We need that because they’re a valuable part of this team. Without them, I don’t think we’d be where we are.” Smith and Wyatt Boberg led the Thoroughbreds with two catches each for 44 and 29 yards respectively. Smith had two touchdowns and Boberg added one. “There weren’t any major (offensive) adjustments,” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “We just did a better job with what we were doing. We had our opportunities in the first half. We had the ball inside the (Gallatin County) five twice where we should have scored. It’s been a long time since we played in the mud. It probably had some effect. But it seemed like we had good footing.” Gallatin County quarterback Austin Champan completed 14-of-31 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Most of that came on the 88-yard drive to end the game that resulted in a Nate McCoy 34-yard touchdown as time expired. McCoy finished with five catches for 108 yards and Eversole had four for 72. The Thoroughbreds keyed on Gallatin County fullback Chris Brown. He had just 35 yards on 12 carries. “We did okay,” Wagner said. “They scored on their first and last drives. In between, we shut them down. We shut the run down.” NewCath scored first when Sutkamp scored from 20 yards out. But Gallatin County responded when Chapman hit Jeff Eversole on a 29-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 6-6. The score remained the same entering halftime as neither team converted on point after touchdown attempts. But the Thoroughbreds came out on fire in the third quarter holding the Wildcats to zero net yards of offense. Franzen hit Smith for a 29-yard score and John Caudill made the kick to put Newcath up for good at 13-6. Franzen then hit Smith for a 15-yarder at 20-6. Junior Brandon Gray set up the play with a 23-yard interception return to the Gallatin County 22-yard line. Franzen then hit Boberg for a 13-yard score in the third quarter before he scored his touchdown from a yard out in the fourth quarter. The Thoroughbreds led 34-6 at that point. NewCath finished with 14 first downs and held Gallatin County to just nine. Some of the Wildcat first downs came on Thoroughbred penalties. The Thoroughbreds have eliminated the Wildcats from the playoffs for the third straight year. But this marked the deepest playoff run for District 5 champion Gallatin County (10-3) since it started playing varsity football in 2006. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: NewCath downs GCHS for another region crown

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Imagine being the fastest dog on the planet. You train like crazy all year to stay at the top. Now imagine many other dogs also wanting to take your title away from you. No matter what they do, they can’t beat you. That happens to be the position of the Highlands Bluebirds football team and the other 31 teams in Class 4A. Highlands has won six consecutive state championships, including the last two in 4A. The only difference between the last two years and this year is there were 33 teams chasing Highlands the previous two years. Former District 1 team Lone Oak near Paducah merged with Heath and Reidland to form Class 6A, District 1 McCracken County and former Highlands District 7 rival Pendleton County dropped out of district play for this year and next year. Entering the regional finals, only seven teams have a chance to knock off the Bluebirds. They are Covington Catholic, Lexington Catholic, Mercer County, North Oldham, Collins, Owensboro and Franklin-Simpson. Highlands has played every team at some point in history except Mercer County and North Oldham. Highlands happens to be playing host to the most familiar of all of them in the Covington Catholic Colonels on Friday at 7 p.m. in yet another rematch. The Bluebirds have beaten their arch-rivals from Park Hills more than anyone during their 98-4 run since 2007. They’ve won 10 straight in the series to move to 44-17 in the all-time series, including 25-6 since Dale Mueller became the Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator in 1994. Some people say it is not a rivalry because of the recent Bluebird domination. “I’m not sure who ‘some people’ are, but I have never met them,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “This is THE RIVALRY. Those ‘some people’ have never been to our youth camp in the summer when we have a couple hundred campers chanting, ‘Beat Colonels.’ It is what makes high school football so great. I am really excited to be a part of this game.” But none of that will again matter in this game that will be the final home game for 31 Highlands seniors. They are looking to do what the previous two senior classes and the senior classes in 2007, 2004, 2000, 1998 and 1995 did. That’s beat the Colonels twice on their way to a state championship. Highlands handled the banged-up Colonels, 42-6 on Sept. 28 in Park Hills. Despite the recent history, Highlands always marks this game on the calendar CovCath has been the team most likely to prevent the Bluebirds from a state championship over the years. CovCath eliminated Highlands in the second round of the playoffs in 1994, 2001 and 2006 and in the regional championship game in 1997. The Bluebirds won the regular-season meetings against the Colonels in 1997 and 2001. Both teams run Spread offenses. Highlands averages 54 points and 443.8 yards per contest behind solid line play. That’s something the Bluebirds want to continue against a CovCath defense that has allowed an average of about 15 points and 275 yards per contest. In their two losses, Moeller and Highlands scored in the 40s against them. “They are a good defense that can play both the run and the pass,” Mueller said. “To be able to compete with a defense like that, you have to be able to do a lot of things on offense. That’s really our focus all year long.” Adam Fischer leads CovCath with 63 tackles and Matthew Way has picked off seven passes. The Colonels recently saw linebacker Sam Burchell return to the lineup where he has 43 tackles. Senior quarterback Drew Houliston has competed 181-of-260 passes for 3,111 yards, 44 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Gino Guidugli holds the team record with 53 touchdown passes set in 2000. The team has thrown 56 touchdowns and needs four more to surpass the school record of 59 set by Highlands in 2000. The state record for the most touchdowns in a season is 92 set by Lone Oak in 2007. Eighteen different receivers have caught passes for the Bluebirds. Junior Jensen Feggins leads the way with 42 receptions for 896 yards and 13 touchdowns and Zach Harris is second with 28 catches for 462 yards and nine scores. Harris also leads the team rushing with 100 attempts for 712 yards and 16 touchdowns despite resting the first two playoff games. The Highlands defense hopes to continue to pick things up after allowing just 12 points in the playoff wins against Boyd County and Ashland. The Bluebirds have allowed averages of 20.9 points and 311 yards per game. “We have continued to improve each day at everything we do, whether it is in the weight room, film room, getting faster and getting quicker,” Weinrich said. “We have worked really hard since our last meeting with the Colonels to improve on our performance. We have had to battle through many injuries this season so far, but we haven’t complained about it and tried to make the most of the situation. Other guys have gained invaluable experience, but we hope we will be close to full strength this time around.” The Colonels average 31 points and 383 yards per contest. CovCath’s spread offense is led by sophomore Ben Dressman. He has completed 123-of-206 passes for 1,730 yards and 19 touchdowns and run for 807 yards and eight touchdowns on 138 attempts for a total of 2,537 yards and 27 scores. “We’re much more confident,” said Dave Wirth, CovCath Head Coach. “We’re still beat up, but much better than we were in week five. Ben is a great athlete and fierce competitor who just needed varsity reps – lots of them. Now he has them and he is one of the most explosive players in the state of Kentucky.” Senior Sam Dressman leads CovCath with 31 catches for 374 yards, but Wirth listed him as questionable for Friday’s game. Sam Hatter follows with 25 catches for 285 yards and five touchdowns. “The important thing is watching your position,” said Andrew Abner, Highlands junior defensive back. “Whatever move they make, you have to follow right behind them. We have a couple calls we make to adjust, but you have to stay over top (of opposing wide receivers).” The Colonels have benefitted from the return of several injured players including senior running back Luke Bir and junior quarterback Adam Wagner. Bir rushed for 191 yards and Ben Dressman 181 in CovCath’s 42-14 second-round win at Johnson Central. The Colonels only passed the ball nine times in the victory. The Highlands 4-3 defense has even scored more points than it has allowed returning two fumbles and an interception for touchdowns for 18 points. The Bluebirds have five defensive touchdowns on the season. Senior linebacker Joey Kruse leads the way with three. He has a team-high three fumbles for 44 in return yards and fellow junior linebacker Rocco Pangallo is second with two fumble recoveries. The Bluebirds have 60 tackles for a loss for 155 yards, 11 sacks, 12 interceptions and 17 fumble recoveries defensively. Senior defensive lineman Seth Hope leads Highlands with 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks. Defensive backs Jackson Bardo and Griffin Urlage lead Highlands with two interceptions each. The Bluebirds held the Colonels in check during the regular-season meeting. But CovCath played without starting quarterback Adam Wagner and wide receiver Evan Braun. Senior Sam Dressman had six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in the regular season meeting, but Wirth listed him as questionable for the game. “Our offense is radically different than it was the last time we played,” Wirth said. “I doubt we will break the state record and get 600 rushing yards or 900-plus total yards like Warren Central, but we should be fine.” The winner travels south for the state semifinals the day after Thanksgiving. That will be to either Lexington Catholic or Mercer County. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands prepares for another important battle against CovCath

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It may have been rough traveling some. But the tough schedule for Highlands is paying off. The Bluebirds are 11-1 and headed to the third round of the playoffs for the seventh straight year. The regular season schedule saw Highlands play nine teams with winning records in 2012. Some of those teams will be playing for regional championships next weekend. The two out-of-state opponents are still playing. University Christian (Fla.) sits at 9-2 and plays in the second round of the playoffs on Friday and 9-2 Cincinnati Elder takes on rival Moeller in the second round of the Ohio playoffs tonight. The Bluebirds hit the road for three straight Saturdays in September and all three will play for region championships. That included a 42-6 win over Covington Catholic on Sept. 28. The Colonels have won seven straight to move to 10-2 since then. John Hardin (10-2) has won eight in a row since losing 33-26 to Highlands on Sept. 14. The Bulldogs take on Bullitt East for the region crown in Class 5A. Paducah Tilghman (7-5) lost to Henderson County (27-14) six days after playing host to Highlands. But the Blue Tornado have rebounded to win six in a row and will take on South Warren for a Class 3A region championship. “That’s why we schedule as tough of games as we can,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “We try to play (Cincinnati) Elder at The Pit. That’s why we played (University Christian) of Florida to get ready for this game. It’s all geared for this game.” Campbell County finished the season 8-4 in its third season under Head Coach Stephen Lickert, a 1997 Highlands graduate. The Camels fell 14-7 at Louisville Butler in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs on Friday. Warren Central (6-6) and Lexington Bryan Station (5-6) also advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Graves County edged the Dragons, 28-27 in double overtime in Class 5A and undefeated Scott County drilled the Defenders, 55-7 in the second round of the 6A playoffs. Krusing to Touchdowns: Highlands senior linebacker Joey Kruse recorded his second fumble recovery for a touchdowns in the playoffs on a 22-yarder in the third quarter. He leads the Bluebirds with three defensive touchdowns this year. Highlands has five defensive touchdowns this year after recording just one last year. Alex Shadle returned an interception for a score in the first round of the playoffs against Boyd County and Grayson Heck returned a fumble against Harrison County. Approaching the record for touchdown passes: Highlands has 56 touchdown passes on the season good for second in school history. The Bluebirds are averaging about five per game and could surpass the school record Friday. The 2000 team quarterbacked by Gino Guidugli had 59 touchdown passes. “It’s great being able to play so many different receivers,” Mueller said. “We played Nick Kendall. He’s been our (main running) back those first two playoff games. Guys just get in and execute so well.” Highlands needs 12 more passing yards to hit 4,000 on the season. Drew Houliston has completed 181-of-260 passes for 3,111 yards, 44 touchdowns and just two touchdowns. Eighteen different Bluebirds have catches this year. Junior Jensen Feggins still leads the way with 42 grabs for 896 yards and 13 touchdowns. Better on Kickoffs this year: Highlands has given up just one kickoff or punt return for a touchdown this year after allowing several last year. Good coverage downfield has been the key. “I go down and force (kickoff returners) back inside so we can make the tackle,” said Hank Johnson, Highlands sophomore defensive back. “You sprint down as fast as you can then break down once you get 10 yards from the ball.” On the other side, Highland has returned one punt and three kickoffs for a touchdown. Feggins returned a punt against Harrison County. Nick Kendall, Jaylen Hayes and Brandon Hergott have returned punts for scores. Last two Class 4A unbeatens fall: Boyle County and Johnson Central came into the second round of the playoffs unbeaten at 11-0. Both district champions lost at home Friday. Covington Catholic ventured to Paintsville and won 42-14. Then over in Danville, Mercer County shocked the Rebels, 31-30. The Titans (8-4) battle Lexington Catholic (9-3) for the Region 3 crown on Friday. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebird Notebook: Tough schedule pays off

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It may be a case of playoff rewind from last year in its third year playing in Class 4A. But the Highlands Bluebirds football team is once again dominating those same opponents. Top-ranked 11-1 Highlands did basically what it wanted the entire game in a 56-6 second-round victory over the Ashland Tomcats on Friday at David Cecil Memorial Field. “You really can see that it is the playoffs. The guys were so ready to play,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “They just executed the offense and defense so well pretty much every play. It was great play by basically everybody that got out on the field.” After smashing Boyd County and Ashland in the first two rounds at the same location as last year, Highlands earned another 2012 playoff rematch in the same round against the arch-rival Covington Catholic Colonels (10-2) on Friday. The Bluebirds beat the Colonels, 28-13 for the regional title last year and have won 10 straight in the series including a 42-6 win in Park Hills on Sept. 28. Highlands could easily play the same five playoff opponents as last year. The Bluebirds beat Lexington Catholic in the state semifinals and Collins in the title game last year. Lexington Catholic faces Mercer County for the Region 3 title next week and Collins takes on North Oldham for the Region 2 crown. Highlands improved to 98-4 since the start of 2007 and won its state-record 32nd straight playoff game. The Bluebirds have outscored those opponents by 1,115 points for an average of about 35 a game. Highlands outgained Ashland, 413-38 in total offense and gained 16 first downs to six for the visitors. Drew Houliston once again led Highlands offensively completing 13-of-16 passes for 243 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore Austin Hergott completed both his passes for 28 yards. The Highlands offensive line once again showed how effective the offseason conditioning program pays off. The Bluebirds allowed no quarterback sacks. “We just run and lift (a lot) to get in shape,” said John Abner, Highlands junior offensive lineman. “That’s what makes us good.” Jensen Feggins and Alex Veneman had three catches each for Highlands. Feggins had 60 yards and a touchdown and Veneman had 39 yards and two scores. Evan Allen followed with two catches for 64 yards and Mitchell Cain had 25 yards and a touchdown to go with his first two catches of the year. “(Wide receiver) is a hard spot to play,” Cain said. “There are so many people that are great players. You just have to wait your turn and you’ll get your chance eventually. They you have to show what you got.” Defensively, Highlands faced a Pistol-formation option offense. The Tomcats like to fake or hand off up the middle before quarterback Hunter Prince goes outside and either keeps it or pitches to the running back. Ashland played without sophomore running back Quentin Baker. He was out sick and the Tomcats missed his 1,604 yards of rushing on 185 carries and 17 touchdowns. The only Ashland touchdown of the game came by sophomore Jake Long. Long scored on a 7-yard run with 8:33 left in the game on a run around the right side. Long appeared in just his second game after transferring over the Ohio River from Ironton (Ohio). “We planned for the option,” said Kyle Martin, Highlands junior defensive back. “We just have a game plan where one person has the quarterback and one person has the running back. We read our keys and contain them. We found out before the game that (Baker) wasn’t playing. But we still played the same way.” Highlands had 9.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and recovered three Ashland fumbles while turning it over just once. Joey Kruse, Jacob Noe and Rocco Pangallo had fumble recoveries with Matt Gall, Braden Hicks and Brady Murray all recording two tackles for a loss each. Seth Hope and Kruse also combined to sack Prince. The Bluebirds hit the running clock with 7:12 left in the second quarter. That’s when Cain had a 12-yard pass from Houliston. They jumped out to a 29-0 lead after the first quarter. Veneman had 18 and 23-yard scores with Weyer and Feggins scoring from 12 and 25 yards out respectively. Brandon Hergott recorded the two-point conversion after Veneman’s second score. Highlands led 42-0 at halftime scoring on all six possessions. Nick Kendall scored on a 12-yard run. He finished with 70 yards rushing as the Bluebirds rested senior running backs Zach Harris and Jaylen Hayes. The Bluebirds scored once in each of the final two quarters. Joey Kruse returned a fumble 22 yards for a score with 5:01 remaining in the third and James Grau scored from nine yards out with 3:34 left in the game. Highlands only found itself in third-and-long twice and converted on one of them. Ashland converted 2-of-8 on third down and once on fourth. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands tames Tomcats, 56-6

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team can easily add this clause to the old saying, “Winning is contagious.” Shutting out second-round Class 2A playoff opponents is also contagious. The Thoroughbreds did that for the third straight year and fifth time since 2004 with a 36-0 blanking of the Walton-Verona Bearcats on Friday at Newport Stadium. The 8-4 Thoroughbreds advanced to their 14th consecutive regional title game as a result. “This was the best game we’ve had so far other than that one drive where we had some penalties,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “All you want to do is try to keep getting better. I said from the beginning that it’s amazing that you don’t have to tell these kids to work hard. We go out and off they go. It’s all a credit to the seniors.” NewCath blanked Covington Holy Cross (52-0) last year in the second round and Lloyd Memorial (49-0) the year before. The other two second-round shutouts came in 2007, also against Holy Cross (28-0) and in 2004 against Fairview (42-0). NewCath has not lost in the second round of the playoffs since 1999. That came in the form of a 28-6 loss to Bellevue. The Thoroughbreds also recorded their third shutout of the season. They blanked Bishop Brossart (41-0) and Covington Holy Cross (48-0) in district action during the regular season. The Thoroughbreds dominated the line of scrimmage against the Bearcats (9-3). NewCath gained 492 yards of total offense and 16 first downs on 50 plays to 168 yards and eight first downs on 55 plays for Walton-Verona. Defensively, NewCath focused on Walton-Verona junior running back Mason Compton. He finished with 100 yards rushing on 26 carries. “I can live with that,” Wagner said. “We stuck them pretty hard. In the first quarter, we roughed the kicker and gave them a few more downs but after that, we stopped them and they really didn’t get close (to scoring). I’m happy with the way they performed (defensively).” NewCath did most of its damage on the ground rushing the ball 40 times for 372 yards. Senior quarterback Mac Franzen led the way gaining 179 yards on 12 carries to go with two touchdowns and sophomore Jacob Smith had 16 carries for 145 yards and a score. “The offensive line played really well,” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “They had a really nice week of practice and they’re starting to gel. We ran a trap several times and they did a nice job executing the trap. It will be interesting to see how we progress as teams start to get better.” Franzen also completed 6-of-10 passes for 120 yards. He completed a 12-yard score to Brandon Gray to give NewCath the only touchdown it needed in the second quarter. But Franzen broke loose for a 94-yard touchdown run later in the quarter. That gave the Thoroughbreds a 14-0 lead after John Caudill made the second of four extra-point attempts. The Thoroughbreds added to their lead in the third quarter. Jack Sutkamp scored from a yard out and Franzen scored on a 20-yard scamper to put NewCath up 29-0. “They definitely trust (Franzen),” Schneider said. “He is our leader. He’s done a nice job maturing into that position. It took a while. But he’s done a nice job.” NewCath scored one more time in the fourth quarter. Smith scored on a 9-yard run. Off to Warsaw: NewCath hopes to capture its 9th Region crown since 2000 on Friday at Gallatin County. The Wildcats downed Carroll County, 49-26 to make it to the regional title game for the first time in school history with a school-record 10-2 record. They are in their eighth season of varsity football and had just one playoff win prior to this year. They moved into Class 2A in 2011. “They run a Tony Franklin (Spread) system,” Wagner said. “It similar to what Bellevue runs so we have to get prepared. It’s the first team that we’ve seen throw the ball (a lot) in a while.” The Thoroughbreds have only faced the Wildcats twice in school history and they happened to be in the first round of the playoffs the previous two years. NewCath won last year’s game 49-13 after beating the Wildcats, 56-0 two years ago. Gallatin County does like to throw the ball. Quarterback Austin Chapman had completed 92-of-176 passes for 1,930 yards in 11 games for the District 5 champions, who only beat one-win Holy Cross, 26-19 in the first round of the playoffs. His leading target has been Nate McCoy. McCoy has 47 catches for 1,062 yards and 13 touchdowns in the first 11 games. The Wildcats have had three players rush for more than 355 yards. Chris Brown leads the way with 869 yards and 11 touchdowns. NewCath is a perfect 12-0 all-time against teams from District 5. The Thoroughbreds have never played Trimble County. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath records fifth second-round shutout since 2004

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The fact may not be too relevant to the current players and coaches. But it still remains. The Highlands Bluebirds football team has not lost to the Ashland Blazer Tomcats since 1954. That happens to be the year that Highlands Head Coach Dale Mueller was born. While that may not be a mental advantage, the recent Blue and White domination of Kentucky teams may be. Highlands leads the overall series 19-5-1 including a 52-13 decision in Fort Thomas in the second round of last year’s playoffs. The Bluebirds have beaten the Tomcats twice during their state record run of 31 consecutive playoff wins and have gone 97-4 since the start of 2007. They also beat Ashland, 53-6 in the second round of the playoffs in the same location in 2008 and have outscored those 31 opponents by 1,065 points for an average of just more than 34 points. But the Bluebirds have to prove they are the better team again Friday. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. at David Cecil Memorial Stadium. “They prepare so hard,” Mueller said. “The games mean a lot to them. They’re doing everything they can to help the team win. I’m really proud of how hard they try and prepare for games then play on game day.” Like last year, 10-1 Highlands fields the deeper team with nearly 100 players and no one going both directions. The 8-3 Tomcats have 77 players listed on their roster on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association web site with players going both directions. The Tomcats enter the contest off a 49-20 win over Covington Holmes to open the playoffs. They won six in a row after starting the year at 1-2 including a 37-26 season-opening defeat to defending 2A champion Newport Central Catholic. Undefeated Johnson Central ended the Ashland winning streak with a 42-7 win in Ashland on Oct. 25. “I am most impressed by the way our players have overcome the injury adversity throughout the season,” said Tony Love, Ashland Head Coach. “At one point, we had 12 starters or projected starters out – some for the rest of the season.” Sophomore Quentin Baker leads the Ashland Diamond-formation offense. He ran for 111 yards on 14 carries against Holmes before leaving with a sprained ankle. Baker has 1,604 yards rushing on 185 carries and 17 touchdowns. But the Tomcats saw other players step in. James Queen, Josh Vaughn and Tyler Sutton ran for scores in addition to sophomore Jake Long. That marked Long’s first score as a Tomcat. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association recently declared Long eligible after transferring across the Ohio River from Ironton (Ohio). “They run the option,” said Michael Ayers, Highlands senior linebacker. “It’s a tricky offense. But through the hard work we’ve been putting in all summer, we should be fine.” The Highlands 4-3 defense has been shaky at times this year giving up an average of 22.3 points and 335.8 yards a game. But the Bluebirds have still recorded 50 tackles for a loss, nine sacks, 12 interceptions and recovered 14 fumbles. That equates to a plus-15 takeaway/giveaway ratio. “We just have to do the techniques we’ve been doing all year,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “We have keys when we get certain blocks. We’re not going to do anything different necessarily. If you start getting too crazy, they start thinking too much.” Senior Seth Hope leads Highlands with nine tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks. Griffin Urlage and Jackson Bardo lead the Bluebirds with two interceptions each and Joey Kruse owns a team-high two fumble recoveries. Defensively, Ashland plays a 4-4 defense. The Tomcats have outscored the opposition, 327-238. But in their three losses, opponents have outscored them 114-47. Highlands lights up scoreboards like crazy on a yearly basis. But the Bluebirds led by their vaunted Spread offense has really been in high gear lately having scored 70-plus points against its last four Kentucky opponents. They’ve scored 592 points on the year and gained 4,912 yards of total offense for averages of 53.8 points and 446.5 yards a contest. Love said the Tomcats do not see many offenses like that in eastern Kentucky. Highlands senior quarterback Drew Houliston has completed 168-of-244 passes for 2,868 yards, 39 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Ten different Highlands receivers have at least 10 catches and 155 yards receiving on the year led by junior Jensen Feggins with 39 catches for 836 yards and 12 scores. “We take the most pride out of anything on our team in being the team that goes over the top more so than any team in northern Kentucky,” said Brandon Hergott, Highlands senior wide receiver. “That’s a big part of why our running game is so successful.” Highlands senior running back Zach Harris leads the team in rushing and is second in receiving. Harris has 712 yards rushing on 100 attempts and 16 touchdowns in addition to 28 catches for 462 yards and nine touchdowns. He rested in Friday’s 70-6 win over Boyd County. Kruse has returned an interception and fumble recovery for a touchdown. The Bluebirds have four defensive touchdowns after only recording one last year. A win would put the Bluebirds in the region title game for the 12th time in 13 years. The winner takes on either undefeated 11-0 Johnson Central or 9-2 Covington Catholic. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands hopes to keep marching on in playoffs