G. Michael Graham photo. Highlands junior defensive back Kyle Martin (left) takes down Paducah Tilghman's Mikey Davis in Saturday's game. Highlands won 42-25.
By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
It takes
about five and a half hours to get from Fort Thomas to Paducah.
But the
Highlands Bluebirds football team made sure they used their time on the bus
really well. Road trips often build team chemistry.
That proved
to be the case in Saturday’s 42-25 win over the Blue Tornado. Highlands
improved to 92-3 since the start of 2007 with the win.
Some teams
struggle on the road for various reasons such as not playing in front of
friends and family. The Highlands student section is known as the OZone. But
the Bluebirds bring their own intensity no matter where they play.
“I like the trip because for me, it is just one big
offensive coaches meeting,” said Dale
Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “I think the players like the rides too. Of course, I wouldn’t mind it
if more local teams would schedule us.”
This will
mark the longest trip of the regular season. The final road games are Saturday
at Covington Catholic at 1 p.m. and Oct. 25 at Cincinnati Elder. Game time is
7:30 p.m.
Highlands
and Paducah Tilghman met five times between 1989 and 1994. But none of the
games took place in either Fort Thomas or Paducah. Highlands extended its
series lead to 5-1 all-time against the Blue Tornado. Highlands beat Tilghman
for the Class 3A state championships in 1989 (27-3) and 1992 (15-6).
Highlands
does not travel to western Kentucky much. But the Bluebirds had success on
their last trip there in 2008. They beat Hopkinsville, 48-21 in October of that
year.
If
Highlands wins another district championship, it will not have to hit the road
until the state semifinals. It takes about 3.5 hours to make it to Bowling
Green for the state championships. Class 4A plays on Saturday, November 30 this
year unlike the Friday night game last year.
Cheerleaders, fans also use road trip wisely:
The
Highlands supporters continued to travel well as many made the trip west.
The
cheerleaders also came on the trip. They had some previous adventures on road
trips. They came to Louisville Western last year on a bus without air
conditioning.
“The parents that travel are kind of the tried and
true fans,” said Carly Leopold,
Highlands Head Cheerleading Coach. “They
cheer along with us and it’s nice to have the support of a high school that
allows us to travel with the team. A lot of high school cheerleaders don’t get
to travel with the team.”
The
cheerleaders play a big role in helping the team build some intensity. They
also traveled to John Hardin last week. The Highlands band and dance team
generally do not go to road games.
“We just try to keep our voiced up and try to involve
the crowd in cheers,” said Taylor
Mitchell, Highlands cheerleading captain. “We
have them repeat what we say.”
The road
trip consisted of coming down Interstate 71 to Louisville then taking I-65 to
exit 91 to the Western Kentucky Parkway. The Western Kentucky Parkway ended at
Interstate-24. Highlands then took it west to Paducah.
“We really like to support the football team,” said Ashley Bergmann, Highlands cheerleading captain.
“We go to all the games. It does not
matter if it is close or far away. We’re always there for them. We think that
when we’re cheering, they do play better because they like our support.”
The trip
did not come without issues. Three buses came to the game and one malfunctioned
so the team traveled back on two buses.
Record vs. Jackson Purchase teams:
Tilghman is
the lone team the Bluebirds have faced from the Jackson Purchase.
The Jackson
Purchase part of Kentucky borders Tennessee and is surrounded by the Ohio River
to the north, the Mississippi River to the west and the Tennessee River to the
east. It is comprised of Fulton, Hickman, McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Graves,
Calloway and Marshall Counties.
The main
power in western Kentucky is 1A power and Tilghman rival Mayfield. The
Cardinals and Bluebirds entered the season as one of just six programs in the
country with 805 or more wins in school history. But the two have never met on
the gridiron.
Highlands
ranks first in Kentucky with 847 wins in school history only behind 880 wins by
Valdosta (Ga.). Mayfield ranks third in Kentucky with 810 wins and Louisville
Male is second with 825. All three teams are a combined 14-0.
Let the #BeatColonels tweets begin:
Highlands
can now focus on the team that is constantly a threat to its dominance.
The
undefeated Bluebirds travel to Park Hills for the annual district showdown with
3-1 Covington Catholic. The Twitter accounts exploded on both sides of the week
leading up to the game last year. But Mueller wants the players to be smart when posting
things on the Internet.
"I don't get involved in all the online stuff, but (being smart about posting on the Internet) is a good reminder," Mueller said. "It really isn't personal. The CovCath players are great guys. We just try to beat them in a football game."
"I don't get involved in all the online stuff, but (being smart about posting on the Internet) is a good reminder," Mueller said. "It really isn't personal. The CovCath players are great guys. We just try to beat them in a football game."
CovCath had
its bye week this week. The Colonels beat Boone County and Dixie Heights to
open the season before losing 45-7 to defending Ohio largest-class Division I
champion Cincinnati Moeller. Moeller is the alma mater of Colonel Head Coach
Dave Wirth.
CovCath
also played in western Kentucky on Sept. 13. The Colonels knocked off Henderson
County, 18-0.
Highlands
leads the all-time series with Covington Catholic, 43-17. This includes nine
straight wins dating back to 2006 during its run of six straight state
championships.
Class 4A, District 7 notes:
Covington
Holmes also had the weekend off. The Bulldogs are 3-1 under first-year head
coach Ben Nevels.
But
Harrison County did play Friday. The Thoroghbreds (2-3) lost 64-21 at Bourbon
County. Class 3A Bourbon County was undefeated last year before losing 35-10 at
Belfry in the state semifinals.
Class 4A Notes:
Highlands
is one of just three teams in Class 4A that are still undefeated. The other two
are familiar opponents.
The Boyle
County Rebels are 5-0 and the Johnson Central Golden Eagles 4-0. Boyle County
beat George Rogers Clark, 34-17 on Friday. The Rebels recently escaped a close
call, 30-27 against Anderson County on Sept. 13.
Johnson
Central opened the season against two non-Kentucky opponents. The Golden Eagles
demolished Holy Trinity (67-7) of the Canadian province of Ontario and
Noblesville (Ind.), 72-28. Noblesville is located just north of Indianapolis.
The Golden
Eagles then beat Perry County Central (53-7) and Harlan County (36-14). They
have not left Paintsville and won’t until an Oct. 4 trip to Ironton (Ohio).
Both teams
could finish the season undefeated. Boyle County’s biggest test left is Oct. 4
at home against Lexington Catholic (3-2). The Knights’ two losses came to
Bowling Green (48-21) and Louisville St. Xavier (49-28).
The Golden
Eagles often battle Ashland Blazer for the District 8 championship. The two
meet Oct. 25. Johnson Central then meets Belfry on Nov. 1 to end the season.
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