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Instead of the adjective clear-cut that has pretty much described the race for the role of starting quarterback for the Highlands Bluebirds football team, it will be competitive this off-season. A senior has been the starting quarterback on the depth chart entering the season every year dating back to 2010 when Patrick Towles earned the role as a junior. Towles was the last quarterback to enter the season as the starter for more than one season. Towles took over as starting quarterback as a sophomore midway through the 2009 undefeated Class 5A state championship run after Will Bardo went down with an injury in the huge 12-7 victory over Cincinnati St. Xavier. That victory propelled the Bluebirds to a program-best third ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll. Four players will battle for that role this off-season after senior Austin Hergott takes his talents to Central Michigan University in seniors-to-be Brady Gosney, Cam'Ron Johnston, junior-to-be Carl Schoellman and sophomore-to-be Grady Cramer. All four have specific areas they aim to improve at in the offseason. The four are basically lined up at the starting line. Head Coach Brian Weinrich indicated things will stay that way until at least the summer. Gosney and Cramer are playing baseball while Johnston and Schoellman are participating in the team's offseason conditioning program. "We're not going to waste our time thinking about that right now," Weinrich said. "Right now, we're not playing a whole lot of football. It's just overall athletic development. Spring football is going to be focused on a lot of little things. Those guys will get the football reps in. Hopefully, they'll take advantage of that situation. We're just going to take advantage of that time and get better." Gosney has the most varsity experience of the four after backing up Hergott last season. Gosney completed 11-of-34 passes for 101 yards and three interceptions last year and rushed for 32 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns last year. Gosney started the game at Scott County for the injured Hergott. Gosney hopes to improve his footwork and throwing mechanics. Gosney realizes the importance of earning the trust of the coaches. Quarterbacks need to be counted on to make the right reads and accurate throws to gain crucial first downs and touchdowns in crunch time. Beau Hoge displayed that on the game-winning drive against Owensboro in the Class 4A state championship game in 2014. He scored the game-winning touchdown with 2:30 left on a quarterback sweep to the left. "We're basically talking to (the coaches) a lot," Gosney said. "We're going over film with them every other day trying to make sure what he's seeing, we're seeing and thinking the same things." Johnston and Schoellman also saw limited varsity action. Johnston rushed one time for eight yards against Grant County and Schoellman did not complete his lone pass attempt. But Gosney, Schoellman and Johnston helped the Highlands junior varsity team to a 7-2 record. The Bluebirds lost to just Simon Kenton and Cincinnati (Ohio) La Salle. Johnston will be working on his reads and decision-making. Johnston's run came off a read-option play. Hoge and Hergott made plays off that play in previous years. Hergott scored a touchdown on one in the state semifinal loss to Pulaski County. "That's really vital because the longer you hold onto the ball, the better the read you can make and the better the read you make (leads to) better plays," Johnston said. "I want to make my decisions quicker and more accurate." Schoellman just came back to football conditioning from basketball season. He wants to improve his arm strength and decision-making. The players know it is vital to support each other no matter who wins the job. "We all just push each other to become the best we can be because someone's going to have to do it," Schoellman said. "Whoever that is, hopefully they're the best equipped and ready to go." Cramer helped the Highlands freshman team go 7-3 throwing 25 touchdown passes. The Bluebird freshmen lost to just Campbell County, Covington Catholic and Louisville Trinity. Cramer has grown to 6-1. Kramer wants to improve his poise in the pocket and his footwork. He said he'll be attending caps at the University of Cincinnati and Indiana University to do that. Looking at his freshman film, one play that stands out came in the 19-18 win at Conner. Highlands had the ball at its own 3-yard-line. But Cramer hit eighth-grader Brycen Huddleston around the Bluebird 45 in one-on-one coverage. Huddleston then outraced the Cougar defender for the long touchdown. The Bluebirds have several wide receivers coming back such as senior-to-be Trent Buchert and juniors-to-be Braden Posey, Griffin Huber and Nick Veneman. Huber is the leading returning receiver with 14 catches for 203 yards and a touchdown. Kramer understands the importance of reading routes and hitting wide receivers at the right locations against various defenses. "It comes with practice," Cramer said. "You just have to be poised in the pocket and know where the receivers are going, know the routes and be smart." All four players have plans if they do not win the job. Gosney said he'd look for a spot on the defensive side of the ball and Johnston said he'd look at a tight end spot. Schoellman and Kramer would probably go to the junior varsity squad and try to win the job in future years with one and two seasons left after this year respectively. The hope for next season no matter who wins the job is to improve the passing game to where opponents can't load the box against the run. Highlands averaged 130.2 yards per game passing the ball last year. Spring football begins April 11 and goes to April 26. The Bluebirds will practice nine of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association-allowed 10 days during that time. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Four in mix for Highlands starting quarterback role

By G. Michael Graham Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Just the sight or mention of the Highlands Bluebirds football team strikes fear into many opponents. That is what happens when you have the mystique the Blue and White do. The great history comes in the form of an overall record of 842-225-26 good for an average of about 8.6 wins a year good for the second-most wins in school history in the country only behind 876 wins of Valdosta (Ga.). It also includes a Kentucky record 22 state championships tied with Louisville Trinity, including six in a row good for sole possession of another state record. The Bluebirds have also recorded 57 straight winning seasons dating back to a 4-5-1 mark in 1955 and have won at least three state championships in every decade since the 1960s. But the coaching staff and returning players know that tradition alone will not win the 99th edition of the Bluebirds another championship. They have to put in their time in the offseason to continuously improve to add to the legacy among other things. That’s what the returning players started doing in January about a month after knocking off Collins, 47-0 on Nov. 30 in the Class 4A state championship at Western Kentucky University. That concluded a 14-1 campaign good for an overall record of 87-3 during their 30-0 playoff mark. The leadership starts at the top with Bluebird Co-Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Dale Mueller, Weinrich and the assistant coaches. Former players praise Mueller for his positive approach to the game. “I think coaches have a big impact on the guys on the team,” Mueller said. “My coaches in my life had a big impact on me. I think all coaches try to have a good, positive impact on the lives of the guys they coach. I try to do the same.” The Bluebirds have been beating opponents with depth. Once they’re sophomores, the coaching staff puts them on either offense or defense. That enables players to concentrate on one position as opposed to spending half the practice on offense then another half on defense. That’s also a reason so many experienced players return each year. Many see the playing field when the Bluebirds are up huge in the second half. “Each year, our numbers have been growing by about 10-12 per season, which means more guys can play. It adds more competition in practice,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Co-Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “Highlands If you want to get on the field, you’d better show that you deserve it. When there are 11 guys on the field, there’s 20 more that are anxious to get out there so it’s a good problem as a coach. As a player, it can get frustrating. But they’re buying into the team-first mentality.” Recently graduated linebacker Reid Schroeder said the upperclassmen constantly talk to the younger players about how things are done at Highlands. That also helps make sure any potential problems are dealt with quickly and efficiently. “I think the guys on the team are a fraternity of guys that are out to help the team win,” Mueller said. “It’s a dynamic group who the team means a lot to them. So they’re going to do their role to help the team win.” Tough Schedule: Highlands often schedules tough games to prepare for tough games. The Bluebirds open the season against University Christian of Jacksonville (Fla.) in a battle of defending state champions on ESPNU. That Aug. 24 game starts at 3:30 p.m. That’s the first of three Saturday games to prepare for the huge game on Sept. 28 at Covington Catholic. The Bluebirds travel to John Hardin and Paducah Tilghman the previous two Saturday after home battles against Campbell County and Lexington Bryan Station. “It’s the most difficult schedule that we’ve ever had since I’ve been at Highlands,” Mueller said. “It is just a lot of really good football teams that we really have to get ready to play. We really gear our schedule around CovCath because that’s a big game that determines whether we’re the one seed in the playoffs and that determines so much as to whether we win the state championship or not.” After district play concludes, Highlands travels to Cincinnati Elder and plays host to Warren Central to finish the regular season. Elder handed the Bluebirds their only loss last year. “It’s going to be hard,” said Joey Kruse, Highlands Senior linebacker. “It’s going to drive us harder because people are going to be coming to the bigger games. We want to show the nation what we’re about.” Nine of the 10 teams on the schedule had winning seasons last year. They finished a combined 82-41 last year. It may be difficult for Highlands to add to its state-record 13 undefeated seasons. But the Bluebirds have risen to the occasion in the past on many occasions. Highlands travels to Louisville to take on the defending 6A champion Trinity Shamrocks in the annual scrimmage on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands aims for seventh straight crown

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It is not a forgone conclusion because it still has to be proven on the field. But generally once the Highlands Bluebirds football team takes care of the Covington Catholic Colonels, it cruises to a district crown. The undefeated 6-0 Bluebirds hope to take another step toward their 17th one in the last 18 years on against the Harrison County Thorobreds (2-4) on Friday. The Class 4A, District 7 contest takes place at David Cecil Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. Highlands owns an overall record of 93-3 since the start of 2007. That includes an astounding record of 87-1 against Kentucky opponents and 19-0 against district opponents that are not CovCath including the playoffs. The average margin of victory for Highlands against non-CovCath district opponents during that time is about 48 points. Points have especially come in bunches against the Thorobreds. The Bluebirds beat Harrison County, 68-0 two years ago in Fort Thomas and 69-10 last year in Cynthiana. Those totals are the most an opponent has scored on the Thorobreds in school history. Harrison County had a new head coach last year in Jim Carr. Carr and staff challenged the Thorobreds last year and many seniors quit as a result leaving Harrison County with just 37 players on the roster, including 21 freshmen. That is a huge reason the Thorobreds finished 1-10 last year. They were the lone team with a losing record last year on the Bluebird schedule. But the Thorobreds have nearly doubled that number this year with 65 players on the roster listed on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association web site. But they are still young with just 17 juniors and seniors. More depth has led to already doubling last year’s win total. Harrison County beat Class 3A winless Fleming County (35-7) and Class 2A Gallatin County (34-24) to open the season. But the Thorobreds have dropped four straight and have been outscored 214-148 on the season. “We are bigger, faster and stronger than last year through our weightlifting program,” Carr said. “We stress that this is a great opportunity to get noticed by college scouts. We stress being focused on doing your job and playing hard.” The Bluebirds will once again display their vaunted Spread offense. Highlands is averaging 46 points per game and just less than 437 yards per contest. That offense tends to get scarier as the season progresses. “Offensively, the focus (in practice this week) will be improving our physical skills – getting quicker feet and improving our strength so we can block better at all positions,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “We will spend a lot of time hitting sleds, running over bags, doing reaction drills, running routes and throwing and cathing footballs.” Highlands senior quarterback Drew Houliston leads the way completing 108-of-153 passes for 1,854 yards, 24 touchdowns and just one interception. Houliston completed 10-of-13 for 160 yards against Harrison County in the second half of last year’s game after starting quarterback Donovan McCoy completed 18-of-22 for 385 yards and six touchdowns in the first half. Harrison County plays a lot of even and odd defensive fronts. The Thorobreds brought seven guys after McCoy and Houliston last year. That’s why the wide receivers found a lot of grass on screens. Jensen Feggins and Brandon Hergott caught four passes and two touchdowns each for 129 and 81 yards respectively for the Bluebirds. “It’s important (the Highlands quarterbacks) have protection and time to get the ball to the wide receivers,” said Brian Condon, senior Highlands wide receiver. “It’s up to us to be able to run our routes fast and sharp and come down with the ball. Speed is everything.” Carr said the Thorobreds need to do a better job making sure their outside linebackers and secondary get in better position to make tackles in the open field. Opponents have rushed for 1,061 yards and passed for 1,085 against them this year. Junior linebacker Zack Mastin leads Harrison County with 26 tackles. Zach Harris leads Highlands with 463 yards rushing on 63 attempts for an average of 7.3 a carry and 11 touchdowns. Fellow senior running back Jaylen Hayes has 232 yards rushing on 37 attempts for an average of 6.3 a carry and three touchdowns. Thirteen different Bluebird receivers have catches. Feggins leads the way with 22 for 364 yards and six touchdowns. The Highlands 3-4 defense faces a Harrison County offense that has rushed for 997 yards and passed for 1,199. The Thorobreds run I-formation and split backfield sets. Senior linebacker Joey Cochran leads Highlands with five tackles for a loss and senior defensive lineman Seth Hope has four. Hope, Bo Hebel and Braden Hicks have one sack each. Griffin Urlage leads Highlands with two interceptions with Hicks and Rocco Pangallo making one each. Six different Bluebirds have one fumble recovery each. “We have to continue to get better at the little things – alignment, technique, base recognition and finishing plays,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. “We still had moments of allowing (CovCath) to get yards they didn’t earn. We have to get faster and stronger each day. I know this might sound very much ‘coach talk,’ but this is what we believe in defensively. We don’t really game plan for teams until late in the year. We worry about ourselves.” Harrison County has players going both directions. Mastin leads the Thorobreds with 411 yards rushing on 64 carries and five touchdowns. Senior Justin Hunter follows with 249 yards on 49 carries with a touchdown and junior quarterback Robbie Stroub has 200 yards rushing on 49 carries with three touchdowns. “The big key to slowing them down is stopping the run the way (the coaches) teach you,” said Austin Greene, Highlands senior defensive lineman. “It’s a matter of being quick on your feet and using your hands to try to smash the ball carrier.” Stroub has completed 77-of-142 passes for 1,072 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Hunter is his leading target with 372 yards on 22 catches and three touchdowns with sophomore Jovon Williams hauling in 19 catches for 267 yards and two scores. This marks the eight meeting in school history against Harrison County. The Bluebirds have never lost to the Thorobreds. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands seeks another district victory

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The anticipation will come to a climax Monday. Peggy Hughes, spokesperson for the Fort Thomas Independent School District, sent out an e-mail announcing Highlands High School will have a press conference announcing the successor to Dale Mueller as Head Coach of the vaunted Highlands Bluebirds. It will take place at 3 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Everyone is invited to attend. Mueller announced his retirement from the position on Dec. 9 of this past year after 20 years on the job. Mueller guided the Bluebirds to a record of 250-36, 11 state championships and three state runner-up finishes making him the winningest and longest-tenured coach in the 99 years of the program. Mueller finished with an overall record of 309-67 in 29 years as a Head Coach. He coached at Cincinnati Withrow and Cincinnati Sycamore before succeeding Tom Duffy as Head Coach of the Bluebirds in 1994. Highlands Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Brian Weinrich has long been the leading candidate to succeed Mueller. Weinrich came on staff in 1995 as a volunteer assistant and worked his way up to Defensive Coordinator in 2002. Weinrich helped the Bluebirds to the 1989 Class AAA state championship in a 27-3 win over Paducah Tilghman. Highlands owns the second-most wins in the country with an overall record of 855-227-26 since the program began in 1915. Valdosta (Georgia) has the most wins in the country with an overall record of 882-214-34. The selection culminates with the start of winter conditioning. That first day was Monday. The new head coach will have a lot of talent to work with. Beau Hoge is the leading candidate to take over at quarterback and the offense returns wide receivers Jensen Feggins and Alex Veneman. The defense returns players like Griffin Urlage, Andrew Abner, Rocco Pangallo, Bo Hebel and D.J. Mills. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Mueller's Successor to be named Monday