Lions Paw

Tim Couch story. Met him during his college career at a UK fan day. During our brief chat I told him we were from Highlands. He smiled and said "man I remember that place and I'm glad I don't have to play there anymore". He was very polite and signed autographs were my kids.

Congratulations to Coach Weinrich. 

3 hours ago, theguru said:

Since Boone came up to start this thread here is what Coach Warner from Boone County posted yesterday on Facebook:

Welcome to REBEL COUNTY Sharod Williams Freshman 6'4 315 lbs! Thank you to our players and administration for helping to get this guy to join our program! Sharod has an extremely bright future like many of our young men!

 

WOW! 6'4" 315 lb young men don't walk the halls of high schools very often. Good luck to the Rebels.

On 4/26/2021 at 12:53 PM, theguru said:

Things may change this year and beyond but Highlands deserves consideration for this list.  The Bluebirds are no where near what they were under Coach Mueller. 

Good point. I don't expect to see immediate improvement like so many bluebird faithful are predicting. I guess time will tell. Maybe I'm right and maybe I'm wrong?

17 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Looks like Hayden Sphire is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 25 years old and he's the OC at Highlands. Impressive!

I'm not sure age is an issue here. I'm hopping it's not. He's been around his Dad's system for 25 years and played QB in the same system. From what I was told, he took control of the meeting the first time he stepped in front of the players this week.

Any word on the Highlands freshman program? Are they working out with the varsity team or separately? 

I can't seriously make a prediction at this point. However, from what I hear from the players  things are changing quickly. Coach Sphire's daily messages are loud and clear. One thing I will predict is, the HHS team that takes the field in August will be drastically different from what we've been seeing. 

12 minutes ago, THUNDERBIRDS said:

Johnson Elementary to be exact. I don't think he's leaving his position with the FTIS. He does a Excellent job with the Kids at Johnson and is admired by many throughout the City for his commitment to the Children.

I agree. I believe he plans on having his twin boys attend the FTIS in the future. Leaving wouldn't make much sense. It's also possible Nick has/could apply for a coaching position now that a new head coach has been hired.

Can anyone confirm that there was a Frosh Football meeting for current 8th graders yesterday at Highlands? 

If you never heard Red Dog's speech about how to pack your gear for away games you really missed something special. "Pack your gear in your bag from your toes to head. That way you'll never forget a thing". As he spoke he demonstrated packing gear.

13 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

Totally agree with this and it will benefit the program as a whole. I think the group that is in for the hardest "awakening" is a lot of the parents. The sense of entitlement from some of the parents in the program is mind boggling. 

I couldn't agree more with your comment regarding the parents. I hope the new Coach send a very clear and definitive message to the parents. The sooner the parents understand their roles the much faster their child will see success.

59 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

Currently, the players are being encouraged to work out on their own. There is currently no organized weight program for the high school or the middle school. There have been coaches from the previous staff who are in the building who have volunteered to organize weight sessions but the principal and AD have told them no. I know a lot of players are working out with Jordan Nevels for weights and Kevin Siple for skill development. 

I know your just the messenger. But what about the players that can't afford specialized training? If I was a parent this would not sit well with me. Especially when you have a facility on campus such as the field house. 

11 hours ago, Sweeperboy said:

Couple guys that haven’t received much or any attention in this thread that were Highlands guys that coached at other schools that I thought could someday come back to Ft Thomas to coach their alma matter

Kevin Siple - Like 10 time Coach of Year in Ohio, loves his Birds

Tom Spritzky - been outta of it for sometime now but could manage a game clock with the best of em

Anyone have confirmation on whether either applied? 

@franknicodemus @9068 @barrel has all been an interesting wealth of information that only very close to the situation room would know 

 

 

I have no clue if Kevin Siple applied or not. But, I agree with you about his success and love for the Birds. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he was on the Highlands staff a few years ago for a short time. He definitely bleeds blue!

3 hours ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Saw this today. Think you Birds Fans can relax. Even Lombardi didn’t get hired to coach the Packers until late January. Lol

Still believe you will get an awful good coach. Highlands is Highlands and it always will be. 

Hey ChiefSmoke do you know if he applied for the Highlands job?

11 hours ago, Sweeperboy said:

 

Weinrich to Beechwood

Behymer to Newport

Umberg to Newport

Dill to ??????

Turner still at Highlands

Deaton still at Highlands

Leopold to ???????

Hall to retirement?

 

Turner would be a solid hire for any school.

Dill certainly has experience 

Hall retiring hurts as he is a very good coach with experience on  both sides of the ball. 

Downing does a nice job at the Frosh level. Maybe Deaton could be a good  Frosh HC if Downing doesn’t return.
 

I would certainly try and retain the first  3 for sure out of those remaining.

No guarantees, but I suspect if Dowling was a part of the committee he must be in good standing with the principal and AD. My guess he stays part of the football at some level be it varsity, JV or freshman.

24 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

Just like Wolfe has done, I think Dale would show the administration the big finger.  A lot of bitterness I believe is there amongst a very good friend (Wolfe) and his right hand man (Dale) on how BW was treated.  Those bridges are burnt and will not be rebuilt.  We got to move on.....

I've heard very similar comments about how Wolfe and Mueller feel about the program now. It's disappointing, but like you said, move on.

9 hours ago, Jack of all Trades said:

Weinrich to Beechwood

Behymer to Newport

Umberg to Newport

Dill to ??????

Turner still at Highlands

Deaton still at Highlands

Leopold to ???????

Hall to retirement?

All frosh coaches were not renewed.

 

If thats true about the freshman coaches then thats a shame. I watched several of their games over the past 4 years and they appeared to do a really good job. 

I'm just waiting to hear who is the "candidate" of the week. We've had Wolfe, Lickert, James and Bathiany for those keeping score. Did I miss anyone?

You definitely know what you're doing. Keep going and keep being a positive influence on young men. High school football needs more coaches like you!!!!

I couldn't be happier for Coach Weinrich. Beechwood is a great program, but they just got better. Best of luck!

2 minutes ago, Jack of all Trades said:

Isn’t that the million dollar question?  

I believe that might be the asking price.....

4 hours ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Most people think the progression is OC or DC to head coach. The best progression is from freshman/JV coach to head coach. You already know how to run your own program. It depends on the setup, but at Paris, Mason County, & Mercer County, our freshman coach ran the program. Same offensive & defensive system, but handled logistics, personnel, practice schedules, accountability, communicating with parents, etc. 

In the 21st century, the freshman coach is bigger than the OC or DC. If you don't have a good one, the OC and DC won't have players to coach. Your frosh coach these days needs to be a rock star.... like Larry Harris (Mason County) or William Harris (Mercer County)! 

Excellent post. Like I've said, sometimes the answer is right in front of you.

Is there any actual movement of finding a new coach? Things seem a bit stagnant since Coach James withdrew. Are they still accepting applicants? Has the committee met to review previous interviewees. From my understanding the AD is now conducting zoom meetings with the returning players.

2 hours ago, Jack of all Trades said:

Would someone like Jason Lynch be a candidate for this position?  Worked under Dale and if I recall correctly called the offense the year Highlands won a state title when Dale was away for a death in the family.

Has Jeff Barth applied for the position?  Did he get an interview?

Jason Lynch is a fantastic coach. It's a shame he left the program.

As a youth coach I can 100% tell people Brian W was always accessible. On several occasions I would text or email him questions and within a reasonable amount of time he responded. All of his responses were very detailed and explainable to the level I coached. Every reply I received from him ended with "let me know if you need anything else".