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Editor's Note: This is a two-part series. A preview of the 2017 Highlands defense will run Friday. The Highlands Bluebirds football team came back home up Interstate 71 from Louisville on Nov. 4 last season facing cold, hard reality. The season that the returning players hope to make people forget about quickly came to an end that night. The Bluebirds ventured to the Commonwealth of Kentucky's largest city and lost 52-32 to the Doss Dragons in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs. For the first time since 1991, Highlands did not win a playoff game and the loss put the cap on its first losing season in 60 years at 3-8 overall and just the ninth losing season in school history in 102 seasons. The last time that happened came in 1955 when the Bluebirds finished 4-5-1. A number of things contributed to the rough season. But players like Trey Bowden, a senior linebacker last year, said the main reason for the rough season was not every player bought into the things that have made the Bluebirds successful to the tune of 23 state championships good for second in Kentucky and an overall record of 879-243-26 good for second in the country for most wins in program history behind the 913-223-34 mark of Valdosta High from southern Georgia. Highlands senior Nick Veneman among the other returning players said they hoped to get to know their teammates better in order to build trust and earn respect as leaders this year. Veneman returns as a dynamic force for the Bluebirds to build around offensively. Veneman caught 46 passes for 1,026 yards and 12 touchdowns last year hurting teams all years, especially on the deep routes. Highlands is as deep as it has been in recent years. The Bluebirds have 84 players in the top three grades on the roster. That has generally let players go one direction and wear opponents down. That is still the case even though Highlands has begun playing players on both sides in certain situations the last couple years. Highlands Head Coach Brian Weinrich moved back to the Defensive Coordinator role after spending the previous three as Offensive Coordinator and Zach Deaton took over as Offensive Coordinator. Weinrich served as Defensive Coordinator under former Head Coach Dale Mueller from 2002 to 2013. Weinrich challenged the guys to not only get better themselves, but make sure their teammates are doing the same thing. He said the team has made tremendous strides throughout the 7-on-7 Tournament on Saturday at Oldham County defeating Oldham County, Boyle County and Simon Kenton. "Top to bottom, I just feel there's so much improvement from this year to last year, from spring to now," Weinrich said. "It's something we truly believe in and you hear them saying it. 'We got to get better. Got to get better.' You hear every coach, every business say it. You either get better or you get worse." Veneman is one of several wide receivers returning with varsity experience. The others are seniors Griffin Huber (24 catches, 225 yards, one touchdown), Jared Wogan (19 catches, 243 yards, four touchdowns), Grant Summers (12 catches, 180 yards, one touchdown) and junior Nate Roberts (two catches for 25 yards). "There's a lot of pride in it because you want the opportunities to score, but you also want your teammates to have the same opportunities so you have to block for them every play and make sure they get the opportunities to score," Summers said of the team's depth. "It's pretty hard on them because every time we run a fake and run 40 or 50 yards, the defense has to run that too. Then we have a new guy in who's fresh and ready to go on the next play and they're winded running down the field and back to the line of scrimmage." Highlands graduated five wide receivers from last year. They are Trent Buchert (24 catches, 242 yards, three touchdowns), Evan Fickenscher, twins Chuckie and Dougie Buckler and Brent Angel. Also for Highlands, senior Braden Posey (38 catches, 391 yards, four touchdowns) and his younger brother Aubrey Posey, a junior, transferred to Newport Central Catholic. A number of other wide receivers could emerge to take the pressure off Veneman. They are senior Chas Sand, juniors Eddie Etter, Tyler Bracken, Austin King, Liam Ehram, Carter Crawford, Jack Schultz and Logan Guy along with sophomores Ryan Garvey, Adam Weyer, Conner Noon, Joey Deshler, Tyler Brune and Ethan Houze. Sophomore Brycen Huddleston could see action at both wide receiver and linebacker and sophomore Sam Ellsworth could play at tight end or the defensive line. "I think we got a lot of options," Deaton said. "We have a lot of gifted older guys that know what they're doing and are effective at whatever we're asking them to do whether it be blocking or catching or anything. Getting the ball in those guys' hands as quickly as possible is something we're really excited about." The key for Highlands offensively out of its multi-formation spread attack has been balance. The Bluebirds put together another nice year on that front last year scoring 367 points for an average of just more than 33 points per game. Highlands rushed for 1,717 yards and passed for 2,692 yards for averages of just more than 156 yards rushing and just under 245 yards passing last year. The defensive woes unfortunately overshadowed those stats in the tough season. Highlands did not convert key third and fourth downs to sustain drives and make up for the defensive woes last year. "We just have to make plays when we need to make plays all the time," Deaton said. "We have to keep the pedal down and stay focused on doing the right thing every single time and having a short memory when something doesn't go our way. When you play football, you learn about competing at every single thing you do. Everything is a job interview. You learn that even though you work hard and do things right, something may not go your way. How do you respond to it? Are you going to shy away from it or line back up again and try to fix it?" That balance starts with the offensive line that graduated Mitch Schry, Kyle Finfrock, Michael Davidson and Trey King. Seniors Sam Sparks, Josh Homer, Michael Dunn and Justin Merkle return along with junior Trent Johnson with varsity experience. Highlands also moved senior Keaton Huddleston from the defensive line to the offensive line. Dunn, Schry and Johnson also saw time on the defensive line last year and that could happen on the defensive side in certain situations again this year for Dunn and Johnson. Juniors Will Gastright and Will Salmon could join the rotation there along with sophomores Jackson Curry, Jackson Bibb, Brock Huber and Dylan Turner. "We have to have people holding each other accountable," Merkle said. "If you're not in (the game), you're supposed to be watching your position making sure (your teammates) are doing everything correct. You always want to continue the play until the whistle. We'll keep doing that every play until we get (the skill players) in the end zone." The biggest question mark is how fast the new starting quarterback will adjust to the varsity level. Last year's starting quarterback in Brady Gosney completed 200-of-339 passes for 2,681 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year. Gosney also made plays with his legs rushing for 212 yards on 52 attempts and seven touchdowns last year. Gosney took his talents to Hanover College. Back-up quarterback Cam'Ron Johnston also graduated. The two players battling for the starting quarterback job are senior Carl Schoellman and junior Grady Cramer with sophomore quarterback Collin Hollingsworth moving up the junior varsity level. Schoellman did not complete his lone pass on the varsity level. Schoellman and Cramer helped the Highlands Junior Varsity squad go 6-3 last year. Deaton said the staff is close to naming a varsity starter. "We got a couple guys that are good at a couple different things," Deaton said. "We're looking at boxes that they're completing being able to do that we want them to be able to do. As we put more pads on and as we see more things against other defenses, it's helping us check those things off." Two seniors handled most of the carries for the Bluebirds last year. Grant Murray led the team rushing last year going for 989 yards on 163 carries and nine touchdowns for an average of just more than six yards per carry. Murray also caught 16 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. The other senior in Jared Pulsfort rushed for 432 yards and nine touchdowns on 84 carries for an average of just more than five yards per carry and caught seven passes for 84 yards before going out for the season with an injury against Covington Catholic. Three seniors in Larry Wilson, Logan Aubrey along with junior Cooper Schwalbach and sophomores Sawyer Depp and Wes Bowling hope to fill in those shoes and give Highlands the offensive balance that has made it tough over the years. Wilson, Aubrey and Schwalbach had some carries last year. Schwalbach scored a touchdown on one of his four carries and saw time at the end of the year at linebacker defensively. Senior Crosley New and sophomore Mason Schwalbach could also see some carries along with his linebacker duties. "You want to have awarness," Aubrey said of running smart. "You want to know what you're doing on the field. Whenever you're carrying the ball, you want to fall forward to get some extra yards. It's about being smart about everything." Highlands plays host to Cincinnati St. Xavier on Aug. 11 for a scrimmage before opening the season at Cooper on Aug. 18. The schedule is the same as the last two years with only two new opponents in Lexington Catholic and Greenwood. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: 2

I could maybe see Michael Dunn, Brycen Huddleston and Trent Johnson going both directions on more than spot plays if anyone. But you never know until they take the field.

I have known him for years. Wonderful man.

Sorry I am just now responding. But I do not know if the Posey family moved or not. I keep seeing people talk about players going on both sides of the ball. Here is what Brian Weinrich has said about that. "Health and safety is always the number one concern in what we're doing," Weinrich said. "As far as winning the games go, it's not always what is perceived as the 11 best on the field all the time because it is a four-quarter game. Teams are playing with much more tempo than they've played with in the past. We are as well. On offense and defense, there's going to be 140 to 160 plays not to mention the 30 to 40 special teams plays. It's a lot of plays. You need guys for the whole game and you need them healthy for the whole season. If you put a guy out there and he plays 115 plays, it might benefit you that game maybe help you a little bit here, a little bit there, but is that really going to benefit you with what the ultimate goal is and that's weeks 11, 12, 13, 14, 15? So you have to keep that in mind as well. That's an advantage to have (depth) at our level so we would be not doing ourselves, the team or the guys a service if we were limiting the amount of guys that play." Here is the article: FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands Football Trying Offense and Defense in Spring Ball

Yes. Braden and Aubrey Posey are at NewCath. I heard that straight from Braden.

This should answer some questions. The Highlands Bluebirds football coaching staff does not like to make decisions on starters in the spring for good reason unlike some other teams. That is especially the case for the starting quarterback role. Highlands returns three players that have played quarterback at some level for the Bluebirds. Senior-to-be Carl Schoellman and junior-to-be Grady Cramer led the Highlands Junior Varsity squad to a 6-3 mark last year and sophomore-to-be Collin Hollingsworth helped the Highlands Freshman team to a 7-3 mark. Hunter Ahlfeld also played quarterback on the freshman team last year, but he transferred to Ryle. Highlands Offensive Coordinator Zach Deaton listed two big reasons for not making decisions on starters until the summer. The big one is some returning players are playing baseball or track and field. Cramer and Hollingsworth are playing baseball while Schoellman joined the football team for off-season drills after basketball season. Spring practice began Tuesday. The second reason is spring practice lasts 10 days over a three-week period. But summer activities such as 7-on-7 tournaments last for a couple months. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association allows fall teams to begin practice on July 15. "You want to make sure (certain players) that they still have an opportunity to show what they have," Deaton said. "Spring is very important. It's great to get reps, develop timing and get chemistry with guys. But it's a small piece of a much bigger puzzle." In the past, parents have said their sons did not play other sports in the past so they can be there for spring ball and not lose their positions. But that's been proven wrong in the past many times. Last year's starting quarterback Brady Gosney still won the job after helping the Highlands baseball team to a second straight 9th Region championship last spring. "The best players are going to play," Deaton said. "We're going to evaluate guys from spring all the way to the summer until we play. If a guy is the better guy, then he's going to play. Certainly, the more you're around, the more opportunities you have to show what you're capable of doing. I'm not going to hold it against a guy who's a really good pitcher or basketball player because they might have a lot of opportunities in that sport too to be able to do things." Schoellman may enter the spring as the top candidate to win the starting quarterback job based on a recent trend, but that's not a given. A senior has started at quarterback for the Bluebirds every year since 2010 when Patrick Towles started as a junior. Schoellman would like to leave his own mark on the program the way recent Highlands quarterbacks such as Towles (a 2012 Highlands graduate) and Beau Hoge (2015) did. Schoellman is listed at 5-foot-11-inches and 175 pounds on last year's roster. "I just know this is my last shot with the group of guys we got," Schoellman said. "I just really want to play for them. I know they're counting on me and I'm counting on them. I really just want it to be a whole team effort. We'll have a lot of success if we're able to play for each other and make it a nice little brotherhood." Schoellman's lone pass on the varsity level last year fell incomplete. But he did hold for kicker Nick Bowman last year on field goal and point-after touchdown attempts. Schoellman said he's working on his footwork, drop-back steps and arm strength. Schoellman wants to be able to throw the ball deep and make defenses defend the entire field like past Bluebird teams have done. The Bluebirds return a lot of experience at wide receiver led by senior-to-be Nick Veneman who had 46 catches for 1,026 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. Seniors-to-be Braden Posey and Griffin Huber also return. Veneman and Schoellman among others have talked about the importance of developing solid team chemistry. Senior linebacker Trey Bowden said not every player bought in to what has made the Bluebirds successful in the past. That was a big reason for last year's 3-8 campaign - the first losing season for the Bluebirds since 1955. "It's all about trusting each other no matter where we are whether we're out to eat or just hanging out," Schoellman said. "Whether we like each other or not, we all have the same common goal. That's to win the state championship. We're all willing to do whatever it takes to do so." Cramer pitches and plays in both the infield and outfield for the Bluebirds baseball team. He said he wants to improve his footwork and decision-making in the off-season. Highlands running backs and quarterbacks coach Kevin Sipple said the 6-2 Cramer could find his way on the field even if it is not at quarterback. "It keeps you in shape. You're always doing something else working your arms and getting stronger," Cramer said of baseball helping develop his football skills. "You're building up your accuracy and speed. I've been working on that as much as I can." Hoge and 2013 Highlands graduate Donovan McCoy played wide receiver as juniors before starting at quarterback as seniors. Cramer and Schoellman did not list specific positions they'd play if they don't win the starting quarterback job. But they are willing to do what it takes to help the Bluebirds win. Deaton said he noticed some good things at the start of spring ball. Highlands rushed for 1,717 yards total last year and passed for 2,692 for averages of about 156 and 245 yards per game last year. "I think we have a fantastic group of guys on all grade levels," Deaton said. "It's very encouraging and exciting when on the first day of spring ball, you can run a whole set of offensive plays and defensive plays. That says a lot about our kids and our program in how efficient they are and they care about what they're doing." The first game is just more than four months away. The Bluebirds open Aug. 18 at Cooper. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Schoellman, Cramer, Hollingsworth Give Bluebirds Options at QB Spots

Hunter Ahlfield's name has been removed. I had no idea he transferred to Ryle. Thanks for the tip, gentlemen.

The possibility loomed when the Highlands Ladybirds basketball team saw who it could draw to open the 9th Region Tournament. The Ladybirds (22-8 overall) own a 15-2 record against region competition this year. Prior to Friday, the possibility of facing one of the two region teams Highlands lost to during the regular season in the region quarterfinals stood at 67 percent. But that changed to 33 percent after the district championships concluded as the 2015 state champion Covington Holy Cross Lady Indians (18-10) took down defending region champion Covington Holmes (24-5), 47-39 in the 35th District championship. The two region losses for Highlands came the same week at Holy Cross (58-56 on Jan. 17) and to Cooper (74-63 on Jan. 19). The Ladybirds had beaten the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (12-16), 69-41 on Thursday to win the 36th District Tournament. Around the same time in Florence, the Conner Lady Cougars (26-6) beat the Cooper Lady Jaguars (20-7), 61-57 to take home the 33rd District championship. By rule, district champions are paired with district runner-ups in the region quarterfinals and teams can't face district opponents until the region championship. That left Holmes and the Lloyd Memorial as other possible region quarterfinal opponents. The Dixie Heights Lady Colonels (14-18) beat the Lloyd Memorial Lady Juggernauts (16-13), 56-46 in the 34th District championship game on Friday. The Ladybirds beat the Lady Bulldogs (62-49 on Feb. 6 in Fort Thomas) during the regular season, but did not play Lloyd Memorial. When the draws finished, Highlands found itself with the task of having to beat those same Lady Jaguars on Monday at 6:30 p.m. to keep its season alive in the region quarterfinals at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. Highlands has advanced to the region semifinals four straight years including last year with a 52-44 win over Holy Cross avenging a regular season defeat to the Lady Indians. The Ladybirds then lost 54-51 to eventual region runner-up Ryle in the semifinals. "We just have to play as a team," said Lauren Epperson, Highlands senior forward. "We have to make sure we're there for each other at all times and pick each other up when we're down. I have confidence in every single one of my teammates so I think we'll be fine." Epperson is one of four Highlands players who saw action in the region tournament last year. The other three are senior guard Emma Little, sophomore guard Zoie Barth and sophomore forward Chloe Jansen. "It's another game," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "Both teams are going to have jitters. I hope the experience of Zoie playing in it a couple years will help her. It's 32 minutes. We have to be ready to go from the tip." That could benefit Highlands since Cooper is making its first-ever region tournament appearance in its ninth year as a high school. Head Coach Nicole Levandusky took over the young program in 2013. Levandusky, a former basketball player at Xavier University, guided Notre Dame to a state runner-up finish in 2013. "It's been a process," Levandusky said. "The biggest thing has been trying to keep the kids on course to buy in and trust in what we're doing. We've seen glimpses of it from day one. That first senior class, I always say I wish I had them two years, but unfortunately we didn't. We did what we could in the amount of time we had. From there, we've been growing. As every year has passed, we've done a little more. We finally got here." Cooper seemed poised to break through with that elusive 33rd District semifinal win from the beginning of the season. The Lady Jaguars took down the host Boone County Lady Rebels, 69-54 to earn that huge win Tuesday. Cooper started the season 1-3, but has since earned quality wins over Holy Cross, Simon Kenton and Trimble County. Both teams have shown balance all years. The Ladybirds have been led by senior guard Jenna Martin and Barth all season. Martin averages 17 points and 3.1 rebounds with Barth averaging 14.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. But Highlands has seen players such as Epperson, Jansen, seniors Taylor Baioni, Emma Little, Rachel Vinson, junior Brooke Dill in addition to sophomore Hannah Buecker have big scoring games. But they've also done little things such as playing defense and rebounding. Epperson averages a team-high 4.8 rebounds a contest. "They know it's one-and-done. For these seniors, this could be their last game," Richey said. "They're laying it on the line. Everybody else is. We have to continue to do it. Our next game is Monday. We have to be ready to go. Every game, we try to come up with a game plan that will help us win. We have a very high IQ team that can take that game plan, apply it in games and do what we ask them to do." Levandusky heaped a lot of praise on Martin. Martin has taken a team-high 380 shots and made 179 for 47 percent including 83-of-201 three-point tries for 41 percent and has also hit 67-of-88 free throws for 76 percent. "Jenna is a phenomenal player. The thing I love about Jenna is she doesn't stop," Levandusky said. "She's always working non-stop. You can put a player on her. She doesn't put her head down. She finds a way to get the ball and do what she can for her team. They have other people to help as well. It's going to be an interesting game." Highlands has outscored the opposition, 1,812-1,405. The Ladybirds have hit 628-of-1,461 shots for 43 percent including 209-of-571 three-point tries for 37 percent and 347-of-504 free throws for 69 percent. They've also nabbed 786 rebounds. Cooper saw three players average double-figures prior to the final regular season 68-59 loss to Holmes. Junior guard Lexi Held has led the way averaging 17.4 points per game through 24 games with senior guard Hailey Anderson averaging 13.2 and junior guard Asyah Mitchell at 11.3 a game. Anderson and Mitchell are also Cooper's leading rebounders. Held had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Highlands with Anderson scoring 13 and grabbing nine rebounds. Mitchell scored 12 in that game with senior forward Hailey Nicholas adding 11 and junior guard Emily Bleska nine. Cooper had a chance to go ahead late in the loss to Conner in the 33rd District championship game. But the three-point attempt did not down. "That's the game," Levandusky said. "Your shots aren't always going to go. We missed a lot of shots that we typically make. But that's why you play the game. We decided at the end that we had to make some changes. We made a game of it, which was nice to see from our behalf. I wish we would have done that from the beginning." Richey enters the game two wins shy of a milestone victory. Highlands stands two wins shy of 300 at 298-156 overall since Richey took over as head coach in 2002. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Tough Region Quarterfinal for Ladybirds

DAYTON - It became evident in early January the 36th District Girls Basketball Tournament would be the Blue and White's to lose. But instead of playing like that, the Highlands Ladybirds (22-8 overall) made it their tournament to dominate. They finished off the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (12-16), 69-41 to win their third straight district championship and fourth in the last five years Thursday at Dayton. Highlands used a 7-0 run to go up 10-4 in the first quarter and never looked back. The Ladybirds won the six district seed and tournament games by an average of about 34 points per game. Every Highlands player available picked up her game in the victory. Sophomore Zoie Barth and senior Jenna Martin put up their usually dominant numbers. Barth scored 23 points making 6-of-11 shots including 4-of-6 three-pointers and 7-of-9 free throws in addition to five assists, six steals and a blocked shot. Barth dazzled the crowd with a steal and behind-the-back pass in transition to Martin for a lay-up with 4:20 left in the game to put Highlands up 60-37. Martin scored 16 on 6-of-14 shooting including 3-of-8 three-point tries in addition to two assists and a steal. The duo also nabbed a team-high seven rebounds each. "I thought Zoie and Jenna came out and set the tone in both games," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "They shot the ball extremely well. But (Thursday), other teammates stepped up and made shots. It's a credit to Jenna and Zoie and it's a credit to their teammates." Fourteen different Highlands players again saw action in the game. Senior Lauren Epperson followed Barth and Martin with nine points to go with three assists, five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore Hannah Buecker and senior Emma Little made 3-of-4 shots including one triple on their way to seven points. Highlands won the rebounding battle, 36-21 and blocked five shots. Senior Taylor Baioni energized the crowd with three rejections. "We got everyone in the mix," Little said. "Zoie and Jenna made great passes and (the teammates) made great plays. Everyone just played together and made the extra pass so we were able to get the win. We bond together. When one person goes down, the other people just have to step up and we really did that (Thursday). We'll have to do that the rest of the season." The Ladybirds made 22-of-46 shots for 48 percent including 10-of-22 three-point tries for 46 percent and 15-of-25 free throws for 60 percent. On the other side, NewCath made 16-of-47 shots for 34 percent including 5-of-19 for 26 percent and 4-of-8 free throws for 50 percent. Highlands attacked the NewCath 2-3 Zone and Triangle-and-Two defenses with sound ball movement and successfully pressured the Thoroughbreds at various angles all over the court. The Ladybirds had 12 assists, 12 steals and 14 turnovers to three assists, eight steals and 19 turnovers for the Thoroughbreds. "Defensively, I felt like what we did what we needed to do," Richey said. "We made it a bit fast-paced in the first half to get some easy steals and lay-ups. We knew we had to push the ball, but make the easy pass. I thought we did that and got some easy looks and converted." Junior guard Lexy Breen kept the Thoroughbreds in striking distance with 13 points making 5-of-15 shots including 3-of-10 from three-point range. But Highlands closed out on her better after she made her third triple with 6:20 left in the third. Highlands led 17-11 after the first quarter. But with 1:21 left in the quarter, sophomore Chloe Jansen left the game with an injury. She put no pressure on her left leg receiving help to the training room before returning to the bench in the second quarter with an ice pack on her left leg. Jansen said she does not know the extent of the injury after the game. The Ladybirds led by four early in the second quarter before using an 11-2 run to go up 28-15. Barth and Martin hit three-pointers during that run. Barth hit two free throws to put Highlands up 38-23 at halftime. Breen's third three-pointer cut the Highlands lead to 42-28. But Little made a three-pointer and Barth hit two-of-three free throws to increase the lead to 47-28. The Ladybirds led 52-33 with 3:23 left in the third quarter. Highlands put the game away with a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to go up 67-37 with 2:01 left in the game. The teams let their reserves finish the game and receive some tournament experience. "(The main varsity players) really help during practice. They push us in practice a lot to make us go faster and work on our game," said Olivia Gessner, Highlands sophomore guard. "I do appreciate that. They get excited for us like we get excited for them. It makes it fun to play." Highlands did not take the traditional route with the all-tournament team. Jansen received a spot on the squad and senior Macy Gabbard took Most Valuable Player honors. Gabbard has been out for the season since the season-opening loss at Louisville Sacred Heart in addition to sophomore Morgan Coffey. Highlands will not know the 9th Region quarterfinal opponent until Saturday. The 34th and 35th District championship games take place Friday. Highlands finished 12-2 against the 9th Region during the regular season. But Highlands could see one of those teams in the quarterfinals in the Cooper Lady Jaguars. Conner beat Cooper, 61-57 in the 33rd District championship at Boone County on Thursday. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Fourth title in Five Years for Ladybirds

One wonderful stretch saw the Blue and White win six out of seven games. But unfortunately, the Highlands Bluebirds (12-17 overall) could not bring any magic from that stretch into the last couple games of the season and carry it into the postseason. The second-seeded Bluebirds lost their last four games as a result including a 73-50 defeat to the third-seeded Newport Wildcats (15-15) Wednesday in the 36th District semifinals. "We did a lot of good things throughout the year," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "The biggest thing we have to learn is how to finish stronger. Our young kids did a lot of good things. It's a process so we have to stick with the process and continue to take strides. It's a tough thing. We're trying to get better every day. Our kids put forward a good effort. We ran into a team that was just hungrier, out-executed, out-coached and out-played us." For the fourth time in five years, Newport and Newport Central Catholic will represent the district in the 9th Region Tournament at Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena. NewCath (19-12) has won the last eight district tournaments and won the 9th Region crown last year on its way to the Final Four of the state tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Highlands last made the region tournament in 2014 and won its last district crown in 2008. Highlands scored the first bucket of the game when Ryan Greene drove to the basket and hit a lay-up from the right side. But Newport reeled off 20 in a row to go up 20-2 after one and never looked back. "We had a couple good looks," Listerman said. "They didn't go. Newport got out in transition and finished. They just did a great job of bottling things up. To loosen up a zone, you have to hit some shots. We didn't hit any early and got behind. We had a nice run there before halftime and the third quarter and just didn't have enough in the tank to complete the comeback." The Bluebirds did not hit another field goal until senior Bryce Traylor hit a triple with 6:36 left in the second quarter. Highlands did answer with a 7-0 run in the second quarter before finishing with two buckets. Kyle Finfrock hit a jumper before feeding junior Griffin Huber for a score. Highlands trailed 28-17 at halftime. Newport extended the margin to 15 in the third quarter before Highlands brought it into single digits. Carl Schoellman made a three-pointer with 1:40 left in the quarter to trim the margin to 38-32. The Bluebirds trailed just 42-36 entering the fourth quarter. But the Wildcats started the fourth quarter strong with two buckets before Greene hit two free throws to make it 46-38 Newport with 6:51 left in the game. Newport then finished the game with a 10-0 run. Highlands made 21-of-54 shots for 39 percent compared to 28-of-45 for 62 percent for Newport. The Wildcats also hit all 14 free throws with the Bluebirds making just 4-of-10 for 40 percent. Newport won the rebounding battle, 34-20. Sophomore center Tahj Harding led the Wildcats with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds with junior MeKell Burries recording 18 points and eight rebounds. Junior Najae Williams added 13 with Donnie Miller scoring 10 and Najee Willams had eight. Traylor scored 13 in his final game for Highlands and sophomore Ben Sisson scored 10. Highlands graduates Finfrock, Traylor, Greene, Luke LaFrange, Brent Angel and Morgan Race. Listerman thanked them for their great effort on a daily basis. The Bluebirds won 12 games for the first time since the 2012-13 season. "Kyle has been our biggest weapon, our biggest asset all year," Listerman said. "We tried to establish him early. They did a good job of taking him away. In a game like this, if the first couple shots go down, you tend to relax and play better. That's what Newport did." Highlands will build around returning starters Braden Posey and Jacob Noe next season. Other key returning players include Sisson, Nate Roberts, Schoellman and Alex Starkey. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Tough Ending for Bluebird hoops

Highlands High School put together another great Senior Night on Friday. The school honored the senior basketball players, cheerleaders and dance team members as part of the doubleheader with Beechwood. The Ladybirds (20-8 overall) put an exclamation point on the night with a convincing 70-29 victory over the Lady Tigers (9-15). The Bluebirds (12-16) then tried to do the same thing but came up short in a 63-55 defeat to the Tigers (15-12). Following the first game, free throws doomed the Bluebirds. They made just 5-of-15 for 33 percent while the Tigers made 17-of-19 for about 90 percent. "It's really just a mental thing," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "You got to step up and knock those shots down. There's not really much you can do for the free throws other than practice them. We shoot them. There's lots of different ways to do that. The bottom line is it's hard to simulate game pressure in practice. It was just one of those nights where we shot it poorly from the free-throw line." The six Bluebird seniors are centers Kyle Finfrock, Brent Angel, forwards Luke LaFrange, Morgan Race and guards Brad Greene and Bryce Traylor. They combined for 41 points in the losing effort. Finfrock nearly had a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds with Greene and Traylor scoring nine each and Jacob Noe adding eight. LaFrange added seven rebounds and Greene had three assists. Highlands won the rebounding battle, 36-33 including 13-4 on the offensive glass allowing the Bluebirds to outscore the Tigers, 17-6 on second-chance points. The Bluebirds made 23-of-59 shots for 39 percent including 4-of-18 from three-point range with Beechwood making 21-of-46 shots for 46 percent including 4-of-13 from downtown for 31 percent. Highlands saw senior forward Owen Alcorn hit a number of jumpers in the first half on his way to 21 points and nine rebounds making 9-of-18 shots to go with two blocked shots. Junior guard Ben Toebbe came in averaging 19.1 points and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double to go with three assists and senior guard Cole Hicks had 10 points. "Owen Alcorn was the king (Friday)," Listerman said. "He's a different type of five (center) who can step out and shoot the three. We knew it going in. We did not do a good job of guarding him in the first half in particular from behind the arc. We did a nice job on the Toebbe kid, but then we let another guy Cole Hicks have a really good night getting in double figures. We talked to our guys about the importance of being able to defend, especially guys off the bounce in the postseason so we're going to make a real concerted effort over the next three days in practice to try to correct that as best as we can." Eighth-grade guard Scotty Draud came in and scored six points for Beechwood. He is the son of former Highlands standout Scott Draud. Beechwood built the lead to 31-18 in the first half before Highlands finished the half with a 9-0 run to cut it to 31-27 at halftime. Highlands trailed 45-37 after three. But after a Greene score, Finfrock hit two tough shots on Alcorn getting him in foul trouble to trim the lead to 45-43. But Beechwood responded with six straight. Traylor hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 53-50 with 2:50 left in the game. Following an exchange of scores, Beechwood milked some of the clock before scoring. The Tigers led 59-52 before Greene converted a three-point play with 27.3 seconds left to make it 59-55 Tigers. Beechwood then made four free throws to finish the game. Highlands earned the second seed in the 36th District Tournament at Dayton. The Bluebirds take on Newport (14-15) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a battle to go to the 9th Region Tournament. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Senior Night Split for Highlands

But Nick True did play Tight End as a junior in 2012. I remember him catching a TD pass against Mason County that year.

Highlands planned to use Jack Telek at tight end in 2014. But he got injured for the year in the first scrimmage against Trinity.

They may not have used a Tight End in recent years. The last one I can think of is Nick True. Granted, Cam'Ron Johnston said he would play that position if he did not become the starting QB. Of course, that didn't happen. Nick was 6-5 and very muscular so they took advantage of his abilities as a blocker and receiver. I do not see why new Offensive Coordinator Zach Deaton and staff would not use one if it would add to their offensive arsenal.

Highlands (12-14 overall) could not take down the Juggernauts (18-10) for the second time this season. The Bluebirds fell to 9-7 in 9th Region play as a result. The coaching staff elected not to play senior 6-foot-5-inch post Kyle Finfrock, who sprained his left hand in the win over Ludlow on Monday. Seven different Bluebirds scored led by 10 from Braden Posey and junior Carl Schoellman made 3-of-7 three-point tries for nine points. Lloyd Memorial saw nine different players score. Senior forward Sterling Hamilton finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Juggernauts. Junior forward Jordan Fann followed with nine points. Lloyd led just 35-30 entering the fourth quarter. But the Juggernauts pulled away with a 29-16 fourth quarter. "Sterling is a fantastic player," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "We didn't do a bad job on him. He was a force in other ways. We knew that coming in he was going to be a tough match-up for us. We did a good job on their other people. He was certainly the best player on the floor (Friday) and he played like it. We just had a tough time handling him. He got a lot of it in the second half, especially when they made their run and blew the game open there early in the fourth quarter." Lloyd Memorial made 26-of-51 shots for 51 percent including 5-of-17 three-point tries for 29 percent and 7-of-8 free throws for 88 percent. Highlands made 16-of-48 shots for 33 percent including 8-of-22 three-point tries for 36 percent and 6-of-10 free throws for 60 percent. The Juggernauts won the rebounding battle, 34-28. Senior Mogan Race led the Bluebirds with eight rebounds. "We got some pretty good looks. We just didn't stick them," Listerman said. "Our offensive rebounding was down a little bit. But the effort we got out of Morgan Race was fantastic. We got really good minutes out of (sophomore) Ben (Sisson), (freshman) Isaac (Salter) and our young guys there inside so they got an opportunity to play and they got a really good taste of what it's going to take for us to be tough down the stretch. Certainly, we missed Kyle. It's a chance to help us grow and hopefully make us better before we get to the district tournament." Highlands faces Covington Holy Cross (6-16) on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Friday Highlands Basketball, Bowling Results

The Bluebirds (12-13 overall) not only have double-digit victories in a season since the 2012-13 campaign, they have also equaled the win total from that team. Highlands moved to 9-6 in region play with its second straight win. "For the most part, when you only give up 35 points, you give yourself a heck of a chance to win," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "We stayed with the defensive game plan. I liked this group from day one. The kids have very much accepted their roles. This group has been very focused in practice. They really want to get to 14 and 15 wins. They realize what that means in the bigger picture and moving forward. This group still believes it has its best basketball ahead of them." Senior Kyle Finfrock had seven rebounds and four points before leaving with a sprained left hand. But after the game, Finfrock said he will be back for the next Bluebird contest Friday. A number of teammates picked up the slack in Finfrock's absence. Junior guard Braden Posey and sophomore post Ben Sisson led the way with 10 points each and senior guard Bryce Traylor had nine. Sisson scored eight in the fourth quarter to help Highlands pull away. Listerman also credited Morgan Race and Griffin Huber for picking things up defensively in Finfrock's absence. "We grew a lot (Monday) and came together," Sisson said. "We got some experience playing without him. Kyle is one of our biggest producers." Highlands hit 22-of-40 shots for 55 percent including 8-for-18 from three-point range for 44 percent and 9-of-14 free throws for 64 percent. The Panthers (9-14) made 11-of-34 shots for 32 percent including 0-for-6 from three-point range and 13-of-18 free throws for 72 percent. Ludlow tried to spread things out and patiently attacked because of its lack of size. Junior guards Justin Blackburn and Max Hathaway led the Panthers with nine points each. "They like to run around and keep you moving," Race said. "You have to just stay in yours spots and make sure you are paying attention to where your guy is." In between games. Highlands honored its four Hall of Fame basketball members. They are Richey, Coach Ken Shields, Scott Draud and Panny Sarakatsannis. Highlands travels to Lloyd Memorial (17-9) on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Doubleheader Victories for Highlands

If anyone doubted the Highlands Ladybirds basketball team as 9th Region contenders, this huge 62-49 victory may have changed their thoughts. Highlands (18-7 overall) welcomed in the team picked by many to repeat as region champs in the Covington Holmes Lady Bulldogs. Holmes entered the game 20-3 overall including a perfect 10-0 mark in 9th Region action. The Lady Bulldogs lost 59-55 to Mercer County in the Elite Eight of the state tournament last year and graduated three players from that team. The concern entering the game may have been how well Highlands could handle the Holmes athleticism. The Lady Bulldogs had four players averaging double-digit scoring coming into the game in junior guard Laila Johnson (14.6 points per game), sophomore guard Kamari Graham (14.1), senior guard Jaynice Stovall (13.9) and junior forward Tyrah McClendon-Englemon (11.2). "We really limited them to one shot," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "There in the second half, we really rebounded the ball well and that is one of the things we talked about. Make them take the hard shot then go get the rebound and I thought everyone did that." Holmes tried to take out senior guard Jenna Martin (17.0) shading its defense her way. But while the Ladybirds did turn it over some, they executed their offense well for the most part and limited the Holmes penetration defensively on their way the victory in Fort Thomas on Monday. Highlands moved to 11-2 in region play with the win. "I think after the St. Ursula game (a 47-41 Highlands loss on Jan. 3), we really realized that we needed to start (attacking) stronger in order to win games like that," said Lauren Epperson, Highlands senior forward. "So in practice, Jaime won't call any fouls. She'll just say to be physical with each other and it helps us in games like this." Both teams played three games in four days. But while Highlands did not leave Fort Thomas for all three of those 9th Region wins, Holmes beat Newport Central Catholic (66-31) on Friday then ventured about three and a half hours down to Albany, Kentucky to face Clinton County from the 4th Region and won convincingly, 61-25 for what was its seventh straight win. Martin still scored 11 points and recorded two steals. But sophomore Zoie Barth had a huge game scoring 19 points making 6-of-11 shots to go with three assists, a block and three steals. Sophomore Chloe Jansen followed with 12 points making 6-of-8 shots and recorded four assists and a steal. Senior Lauren Epperson followed with nine points and junior post Brooke Dill had eight with senior Emma Little making a three-pointer. "They were very athletic," Little said. "We just focused on passing the ball and making sure we got the shot we wanted. They were really keying on Jenna and Zoie so the rest of us had to step up and make plays. That was really crucial in helping us win." Stovall and Englemon finished above their averages with 19 and 15 points respectively. But Highlands held Johnson to five points and Graham scoreless. Englemon added eight rebounds, two blocked shots and four steals and Stovall had four steals and two assists. Englemon had 13 points in the first quarter. "I thought we did a better job of knowing where (Englemon) was the rest of the game," Richey said. "We did an unbelievable job. It's a credit to those girls." Highlands won the rebounding battle, 37-28. Epperson, Barth and Jansen recorded eight each for the Ladybirds. Highlands made 23-of-47 shots for 49 percent including 7-of-16 three-pointers for 44 percent. The Ladybirds also made 9-of-16 free throws for 56 percent. Holmes hit 19-of-55 shots for 35 percent including 4-of-19 three-point tries for 21 percent. The Lady Bulldogs also made 7-of-11 free throws for 64 percent. Highlands had 11 assists and seven steals off 10 Holmes turnovers. The Lady Bulldogs recorded four assists and 12 steals off 16 Ladybird turnovers. Both teams committed nearly the same amount of fouls with Holmes making 16 compared to 14 for Highlands. The game saw a number of tough calls go both ways. Holmes fourth-year Head Coach Tony Perkins received a bench warning in the first half for leaving the coach's box. The game stayed tight throughout the first three quarters. Holmes had its biggest lead at 11-7 in the first quarter after Englemon hit a three-pointer. The Lady Bulldogs led 15-13 after the first quarter before Highlands came back to take a 26-24 halftime advantage. The Ladybirds held a 40-39 lead entering the fourth quarter before using an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter to pull away. Barth recorded to steals and ensuring scores in addition to a three-pointer to lead Highlands during that run. Holmes cut the lead to eight twice before Highlands pulled away. Highlands takes on Boone County (7-16) on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Doubleheader Victory for Highlands

When the schedule came out, the Blue and White players knew this 18-hour stretch would test them mentally. But now that it is over and the Highlands Ladybirds basketball team (17-7 overall) has two more 9th Region victories in the books, the Ladybirds can move them into the conquered category. Highlands used its quickness in transition following great hustle on defense to pull away from the visiting 13-14 Ryle Lady Raiders, 70-55 after beating Dixie Heights, 62-55 on Friday night, also in Fort Thomas. Highlands improved to 10-2 in 9th Region action with the victory. Both teams try to spread out opponents in the half-court guard-oriented sets, attack the rims at various angles and create open shots all over the hardwood. The two leading scorers on both teams figured to neutralize each other. The Highlands guard duo of senior Jenna Martin (16.5 points per game average entering Friday) and sophomore Zoie Barth (14.8) outscored Ryle's young guard tandem of sophomore Lauren Schwartz (17.7 points per game average prior to Wednesday's loss at Conner) and freshman Maddie Scherr (14.9) by a 46-37 count. Martin made 10-of-17 shots including 4-of-9 three-point tries on her way to 27 points to go with five steals and five blocks and Barth made 10-of-12 free throws on her way to 19 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. But Highlands also saw junior post Brooke Dill hit the double-digit scoring mark hitting 4-of-6 shots on her way to 11 points. "It was huge because we really learned to play as a team," Martin said. "We trust each other and we know that no matter who it is, we know we can score. It's not just Zoie and me." Barth and Martin made sure Highlands had the much-better assist-to-turnover mark at 13-to-9 compared to 2-to-12 for the visitors. Highlands recorded seven steals and Ryle had five. Scherr finished with 19 points making 7-of-13 shots and all four free-throw attempts and Schwartz hit 6-of-14 shots on her way to 18 points. Both had six rebounds. But Highlands held Scherr to 10 points after the first quarter. Senior guard Cameron Miller tried to pick up some of the slack with nine points for Ryle. Highlands Head Coach Jaime Walz-Richey especially praised Dill, Lauren Epperson and Taylor Baioni for their efforts defensively. "It was a great win, especially after the first quarter we had giving up 23 points," Richey said. "I felt our bench was huge. (Schwartz and Scherr) are two Division I college prospects. If you let them take over a game, they can do it. The girls I had guard them did a great job. But it takes more than just those individuals. It takes a team behind them so I felt the other girls stepped up." Ryle controlled the boards building a 23-14 lead after the first quarter. But Highlands ended up winning that battle, 32-30. The Lady Raiders built a 29-18 lead in the first half before the Ladybirds made their run. Barth and Martin each hit three-pointers with Martin adding a steal-and-score and Barth a free throw to trim the margin to 29-27 with 1:09 left in the first half. Following a Juliet McGregor score for the Lady Raiders, Martin hit a jumper with 23 seconds left leaving the Ryle lead at 31-29 at halftime. Highlands came out strong to start the third quarter. Martin hit another three and Barth a free throw to put the Ladybirds up 33-31. The lead went back-and-forth until the Ladybirds finished the quarter with a 5-0 run to go up 45-44. Dill hit a jumper and free throw with Barth making two free throws with 2.2 seconds left in the quarter. Scherr scored twice to put Ryle up 48-45 to start the fourth quarter. But Highlands came back to go up 50-48 after two Epperson free throws and a three-pointer from sophomore Hannah Buecker from the right wing. Buecker also had a blocked shot later in the quarter. "We know that if we take a shot and we miss it, we just have to get back on defense and try harder to get a stop so we can score again," Buecker said. "I was pretty happy I got that shot. I was open and I had confidence I could make it." But after Schwartz hit two free throws to tie the game at 50, Highlands went on a 13-0 run to go up 63-50 with 2:09 left in the game. After a Buecker free throw and Barth jumper, sophomore Chloe Jansen made a key play near the basket recovering a loose ball following a turnover. Martin ultimately found Dill for a lay-up to put Highlands up 55-50. "We said to them in the fourth quarter, they made some unbelievable hustle plays," Richey said. "That's all up to the girls going after loose balls, going after rebounds." Ryle cut the lead to 63-54 with 1:11 left in the game. But Highlands finished the game off with a 7-1 run. Highlands plays host to region favorite Covington Holmes on Monday at 7:45 p.m. in the Coaching vs. Cancer game. Richey will be honored before the game in addition to Highlands basketball Hall of Famers Scott Draud and Coach Ken Shields. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Two Region Wins for Highlands in 18 Hours

The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team entered Friday with five games left in the regular season. The Bluebirds (11-13 overall) would not mind putting together some wins during that span and head into the postseason with momentum. Highlands started the stretch run strong with a convincing 75-45 victory over the host Villa Madonna Blue Lightning (10-12) in 9th Region action, Highlands improved to 8-6 in region play with the win. "It was very pleasing with the way we focused particularly in the second half," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "We're very simple with what we did and we followed our assignments both offensively and defensively and just took care of business. We took (the lead) from 13 points to 22 points in the second half and really set the tone for the rest of the game." Villa Madonna had no one to match up with Highland 6-foot-5-inch senior center Kyle Finfrock and the Bluebirds took advantage. The consistent Finfrock recorded a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Highland won the rebounding battle, 37-21. Highlands saw four players reach double figures. Senior Bryce Traylor and junior Jacob Noe followed with 12 each and junior Braden Posey scored 10 points to go with five rebounds, six assists and four steals. "The most encouraging thing was our guards went back and rebounded," Listerman said. "We got contributions up and down the line. It's important that we stay balanced." Highlands made 30-of-55 shots for 55 percent including 8-of-21 from three-point range for 38 percent and 7-of-13 free throws for 54 percent. Villa Madonna made 17-of-43 shots for 40 percent including 1-of-9 three-point tries for 11 percent and 8-of-16 free throws for 50 percent. The Bluebirds face Ludlow (9-13) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Coaching vs. Cancer game. Highlands Hall of Fame basketball inductees Jaime Walz-Richey, Scott Draud and former Highlands and Northern Kentucky University Head Coach Ken Shields will be honored before the game. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Home Stretch for Highlands Hoops

Keyboard error on my part. Correction was made on the web site.

The Ladybirds (15-6) put together a better defensive effort up in the second half to pull away from the Lady Crusaders (8-12) in a 9th Region road win. Highlands has won six straight against St. Henry. St. Henry led 31-29 at halftime. But Highlands pulled away with a 23-11 third quarter to go up 52-42 entering the fourth quarter. The Ladybirds saw Jenna Martin make 5-of-10 three-point tries on her way to 27 points and Zoie Barth make 6-of-13 shots on her way to 15 points. Barth had six steals, two assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot with Martin putting up three rebounds, three steals and two assists. "Once we got the girls that we talked about in foul trouble, we wanted to get to the paint and score," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "I felt in the second quarter, Zoie did a good job of that. Defensively, we struggled in the first half. That's why it was so close. In the second half, we started playing our defense. We were able to get some steals and convert them to points." Sophomore Hannah Buecker also had a nice game for Highlands. Buecker recorded nine points making all four free throws and four steals. Highlands made 21-of-49 shots for 43 percent including 7-of-22 three-point tries for 52 percent and 17-of-21 free throws for 81 percent. St. Henry hit 19-of-45 shots for 42 percent including 2-of-16 from three-point land for 13 percent and 10-of-13 free throws for 77 percent. The Ladybirds recorded 14 steals off 17 Lady Crusader turnovers and yielded just 11 turnovers on six St. Henry steals. Highlands also won the rebounding battle, 27-23. Senior Lauren Epperson led the way with six. St. Henry saw two players score in double figures. Sophomore Chisom Iloegbunam led the way with 15 and senior Paige Noble scored 10. Highlands travels to Madison Central (16-6) on Saturday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Victories for Highlands Basketball

They wanted nothing more than to lock up no less than their highest seed since the 36th District went to a seeded format for its annual postseason basketball tournament four years ago. The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team (10-12 overall) took care of that goal with a huge 79-61 victory over the Bellevue Tigers (6-14) on Friday in Fort Thomas. Bellevue had beaten Highlands in each of the past two seasons to push the Bluebirds down to the fourth seed. The Bluebirds finished 3-1 in district action and will be the second seed in the district tournament if Newport Central Catholic wins either of its final two district games against Bellevue and Dayton. The Bluebirds also moved to 7-5 in 9th Region action and Bellevue dropped to 0-3 in district play. "It feels really good to be 3-1 in the district," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "Obviously, if things pan out, we will play Newport in the (36th District semifinals). That's no easy task. They're really talented. But I'd rather be in the 2-3 game than the 4-5 game. Our kids have earned that seed and they're excited about that." The Bluebirds beat Dayton in the first round the last two years before losing to eight-time district champion Newport Central Catholic in the semifinals to end its season. Highlands took the third seed in 2013 beating Newport in the district semifinals the last year the Bluebirds made it to the 9th Region Tournament. This also marks the first time Highlands has recorded double-digit wins since going 12-16 during the 2012-13 season. Highlands displayed the scoring balance Listerman and staff hope to see more of on a nightly basis. Guards Bryce Traylor and and Jacob Noe made five three-pointers each combining to go 10-of-17 from beyond the arc on their way to 21 points each. The Bluebirds needed that because Bellevue drew up a major game plan to stop post Kyle Finfrock in the paint. The Tigers threw 1-3-1, 2-3 and Triangle-and-2 zones at Highlands. "Bryce and Jacob really got great looks," Listerman said. "The best thing is we were patient in finding those looks. They didn't force them. Carl Schoellman was the same way so we did a great job of understanding how to attack their zone. We found our shooters and they knocked them down. That was huge because it opens things up inside for Kyle." But the Bluebirds made 12-of-27 three-point shots for 44 percent and 28-of-59 shots for 47 percent overall. They also hit 11-of-13 free throws for 85 percent. Highlands saw nine different players score. Listerman credited senior Morgan Race for coming off the bench and recording six points and seven rebounds. Bellevue made 23-of-51 shots for 45 percent including 8-of-21 from three-point range for 38 percent. The Tigers also made 9-of-14 free throws for 64 percent. Highlands finishes the season with six region games. The Bluebirds take on Covington Catholic (19-4) on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Victories for Highlands Basketball

It's one thing to improve each and every workout. But success on the football field does not come unless everyone is on the same page. That's where Highlands Bluebirds Head Coach Brian Weinrich said he will hold the leaders accountable. After last year's tough 3-8 season, Highlands linebacker Trey Bowden said not everyone bought into what helped the Bluebirds to 60 straight winning seasons prior to last year as well as 23 state championships. In 102 years of football, Highlands has an overall record of 879-231-26 good for second all-time in the country behind the 913-221-34 of Valdosta (Georgia), which included its first state championship since 1998 this past fall. "We have a couple things as far as that goes trying to promote an environment where the guys are taking responsibility of what's going on and making a big deal if somebody's not (at an off-season workout) or making sure every single guy is doing what we're doing the right way," Weinrich said. "We need more guys to develop that edge - guys that are willing to put it on their shoulders. All that other stuff is great, but on Fridays, you need guys that want to make plays. You can't do that by just showing up against Cooper and saying, 'I'm the guy.' You have to do that today when we're running or lifting weights. They seem to really be responding. It's been a great couple weeks." The Bluebirds had 25 juniors on the roster last year. A number of them made significant contributions last year. "The seniors just have to take it up another notch in leadership," said Trent Johnson, Highlands offensive and defensive lineman. "(It's about) leading by example and making sure everyone does everything right. Everyone has to give 100 percent every time." Some of the returning players are playing basketball currently and some will play sports in the spring. But Highlands often sees a huge turnout for off-season workouts. Weinrich said it is important for the returning players to go above and beyond to help each other improve. "We tell them, 'Good is not good enough," Weinrich said. "It's good to show up every day and do what you're supposed to do and it's good to work hard, but that's not good enough anymore. Every team we play, their level is getting higher, higher and higher. We have to get there. We have to show up and get after it and it's not good enough just for you to do that. You have to make sure the guys next to you and behind you are also doing it. When you do that, you start to see even more development whether it's the edge or attitude." Weinrich said players are not going to gain 20 pounds in one week or bench an extra 50 pounds. But that last push could mean adding five pounds the next week. Highlands has diversified its off-season workouts in the pasKeaton Dut and Weinrich said the plan is to continue that trend this year. "As a general rule, we don't want to do the same thing over, over and over. We try to keep them fresh," Weinrich said. "It keeps (the coaches) fresh when you don't do the same thing all the time. It helps to develop you athletically. We're not trying to get better at this one lift or this one drill. We're trying to get better as an overall athlete then get better as football players. One of the things we believe in exercise is challenging the body in different ways." A huge area of focus is along the defensive line. The undersized Bluebird 3-4 defense struggled penetrating the backfield and disrupting opposing offenses last season. Opponents outscored Highlands, 463-367 for an average of about 42-33 last year. Teams rushed for 3,343 yards and passed for 1,938 for averages of about 304 and 176 against Highlands last year. Highlands returns several defensive linemen who saw action last year. The returning seniors there will be Michael Dunn, Keaton Huddleston, Nate Davis and Nick Biltz. Biltz said every player on defense doing his job every play will be key. Opponents often took advantage when one player does not do his job for big plays last year, especially running the ball. "You have to work on getting in your position and getting stronger, especially against those big offensive linemen," Biltz said. "You have to get your arm out and form that wall. You make (running backs) go outside then the defensive backs come in and make the tackle." Weinrich also said the coaching staff will remain intact with a few changing titles. Weinrich will retake the role of Defensive Coordinator in addition to his duties as head coach. Zach Deaton will take over as Offensive Coordinator. Assistant Shelby Jones will coach the linebackers after serving as Defensive Coordinator the past three years. Weinrich served as Defensive Coordinator from 2002 to 2013 under for Highlands Head Coach Dale Mueller. "It's anywhere whether it's at home or your job. Changing what you're doing is not that you're getting stale on purpose," Weinrich said. "You start to focus on things and it's nice to get a fresh set of ideas in. When Coach Mueller left, just with the way things fell, I felt like it was best for the team for me to go to offense. To be honest, it wasn't something I was super, super, super excited about. I enjoyed it. I had a blast. It's fun. I played offense my whole life. As soon as it went through my head and I had some conversations with coaches that that's what we were going to do, I felt my energy pick up. Watching film at home, I felt more comfortable. I feel I watch offenses better than I watch defenses when I'm watching film." Former Highlands quarterback and defensive back Kevin Siple is back at Highlands as an assistant coaching the quarterbacks and running backs. Siple spent last season as an assistant at Scott after stints as head coach at Grant County and Bracken County. Siple will also assist the Highlands softball team. "I've known him since I was born. He was the quarterback here when I was tiny," Siple said. "My grandma (Janet Hewling) ran the cafeteria here forever. I'd come up here on snow days when I was in elementary school. He helped in the cafeteria so I got to know him. When I was in middle school, he was helping coach freshman football here. I'd go out and we'd toss before summer practices. We kept in touch the whole time we were doing our thing. We had some conversations. One thing led to another. It just seemed like the perfect fit at the perfect time. He was away for a long time and he really wanted to get back here. I really wanted to get him back here. He's such a positive, upbeat guy. The guys are already gravitating toward him. They appreciate that. It's been a great fit so far." The workouts are again taking place three times a week during the school year until spring practice takes place. Highlands scrimmages Cincinnati St. Xavier before opening at Cooper on Aug. 18. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Brian Weinrich: "Good is Not Good Enough"

ALEXANDRIA - The visitors took the court totally aware of the gut check moment. The Highlands Ladybirds came into the game at Campbell County Middle School on its first two-game losing streak of the season and wanted to put an end to it. Behind a combination of challenging defense and nice offensive execution, Highlands finished the first half on a 10-0 run and held on for a 55-46 non-region victory over the Campbell County Lady Camels on Saturday. "It feels good," said Chloe Jansen, Highlands sophomore forward. "It was a team win so it was exciting for us. We worked together. We figured things out in practice and we just worked on what we needed to work on to get the win (Saturday)." Both teams are 14-6 on the season. Highlands has won four of the last five meetings dating back to the 2012-13 campaign against the Lady Camels dropping just a 32-25 decision in Fort Thomas to Campbell County on Dec. 21, 2015 last season at the Highlands Middle School. Highlands finishes the regular season 4-1 against 10th Region competition including three wins over 37th District opponents. "After our two losses, we went back to basics on Friday in practice on defense," said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. "I thought the girls did a great job on defense (Saturday). I thought we did what we had to do for the most part to win." Campbell County won the 10th Region Tournament last year then beat Trimble County (48-33) in the first round of the state tournament before losing a tight 41-38 decision to Franklin County in the Elite Eight. But Campbell County graduated five seniors off that team leaving third-year Head Coach Beau Menefee, a 1991 Highlands graduate and former Highlands boys assistant, and staff with a young team this season with no seniors. Campbell County started three freshmen and two juniors against Highlands. "We just weren't aggressive," Menefee said. "We knew what they had more or less. I think our girls match up with them very well. They just didn't have very good games. (The Ladybirds) were hungry and they were alley dogs (Saturday). They came in here and desperately needed a victory and we didn't respond the same way until it was too late." Highlands once again saw the guard tandem of senior Jenna Martin and sophomore Zoie Barth continue their consistent play scoring near their season averages. Barth made 6-of-13 shots on her way to 18 points to go with two assists and a steal with Martin making 7-of-11 shots on her way to 16 points in addition to a steal. The two made two three-pointers each. Three-point shooting turned out to be a big difference. Highlands made 20-of-39 shots for 51 percent including 7-of-14 from three-point land for 50 percent and 8-of-13 free throws for 62 percent. Campbell County made 18-of-37 shots for 49 percent including 4-of-10 from downtown for 40 percent and 6-of-9 free throws for 67 percent. Highlands seniors Emma Little and Lauren Epperson followed with eight and seven points respectively. Little made two three-pointers and Epperson hit one. Epperson scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter. "We told them after the game when we're moving on offense, we're really good," Richey said. "So many teams try to take away Zoie and Jenna. The other three saw they can take the ball to the basket and have the confidence to shoot too." Highlands won the rebounding battle, 24-15 limiting the hosts to just two offensive rebounds. Junior Brooke Dill came off the bench to lead the Ladybirds with six rebounds and three assists. Campbell County played without injured junior forward Alexis Keeton and 5-foot-10-inch sophomore center Tamara Wells. Menefee said their return soon should help the Lady Camels with the rebounding issues. Highlands mixed up its defenses trapping at various places and contesting numerous Lady Camel shots and passes. Highlands grabbed six steals on eight Campbell County turnovers and turned it over 11 times on four Lady Camel steals. Jansen and Little recorded two steals each to lead the Ladybirds. Campbell County junior guard Taylor Clos and junior MacKenzie Schwarber entered the game leading the Lady Camels in scoring. Clos scored three points below her season average with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and Schwarber scored just below her average with 12 points. Schwarber joined the Campbell County 1,000-point career scoring club with a jumper with 3:40 left in the game. Clos scored nine of those points in the fourth quarter. Campbell County led 10-5 in the fourth quarter after Mallory Holbrook hit a two and three-pointer. But Highlands came back to take an 11-10 lead after two Martin scores before Haley Turner put in an offensive rebound with 25 seconds left to put the Lady Camels up 12-11 after one. Martin hit a three-pointer from the right wing to put Highlands up for good at 14-12. Martin hit another one a little more than a minute later after Barth made two free throws to give Highlands a 19-12 advantage with 4:48 left in the half. Dill put the Ladybirds up 21-15 with an offensive rebound before Clos and Schwarber scored to trim the lead to 21-19 with 3:17 left in the second quarter. That's when Barth took over scoring eight points on two three-pointers and Martin put in an offensive rebound in transition to put Highlands up 31-19 at halftime. Barth's second triple came with two seconds left after she picked off a Campbell County outlet pass after a rebound and swished it from the left wing. Martin and Barth had 12 points each in the first half. "It was a huge, huge play," Menefee said of Barth's triple before halftime. "I had someone in there I usually don't have in there. That didn't work out for us." Highlands extended its lead to 15 at 36-21 with 5:45 left in the third quarter after Little made another three-pointer. Campbell County cut it to eight before Barth answered with a jumper in the middle of the paint. The Ladybirds led 42-31 after three after Jansen scored on an offensive rebound. The Ladybirds promptly built their largest lead at 17 points after an Epperson triple and two free throws at 49-32 with 5:14 left in the game. The three-pointer came when Dill grabbed an offensive rebound and found her at the right wing. "I think we were a little more aggressive on defense," Dill said. "We got back to the basics and we were able to go after rebounds. We have to be selfless, be willing to make the extra pass to get the open look. That's how we win games." Campbell County made things interesting while Highlands missed three free throws. Clos scored with 35.7 seconds left in the game to trim the margin to 51-43 before Epperson made two free throws. Following a Holbrook triple, Barth made two free throws with 13.6 seconds left in the game to make the final score. Highlands does not play again until Friday at St. Henry (8-9). Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Erlanger. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Gut Check Time

The Highlands Bluebirds basketball team started the big week Tuesday with a trip down US 27. Awaiting them in Alexandria stood the Campbell County Camels (17-1 overall) ranked eighth in the latest Associated Press poll. While the Bluebirds (9-10) have come a long way this season, the 83-60 loss to Campbell County showed them what needs to happen to battle the elite teams in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Camels moved to 9-0 against 9th Region competition. Their lone loss came by an 81-74 score at Bracken County on Dec. 9. The Camels made 34-of-58 shots for 59 percent including 5-of-9 from three-point range for 56 percent and 11-of-13 free throws for 85 percent. Seniors Garren Bertsch and Cole Hegyi led Campbell County scoring 22 and 19 points respectively. "They've got two very, very good scorers," said Kevin Listerman, Highlands Head Coach. "They've got size. They've got guys that handle the ball. They've got guys who will knock it down if you leave them open. (The Camels) are as good as anybody in the 9th Region. It's a legitimate ranking in the state." Highlands saw Braden Posey record 11 points and three assists with Kyle Finfrock scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds. Highlands hit 21-of-48 shots for 44 percent including 6-of-14 from three-point range for 43 percent and 11-of-21 free throws for 52 percent. Highlands plays host to Dixie Heights (15-3) on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Matters Sports: Tough Road Losses