It was halftime of Friday’s Class 5A quarterfinal game when Highlands football coach Bob Sphire told a video cameraman to “expect a 48-minute game.”
The Bluebirds delivered. They spotted Pulaski County a 10-0 lead and then ran away to a 42-18 win in the Class 5A quarterfinals at David Cecil Memorial Stadium.
The win sets up a semifinal rematch with Cooper, a 56-15 winner over Southwestern, next Friday in Union.
“I said, once again we took a couple gut punches early and never flinched,” Sphire said. “I wish we wouldn’t do that early, but these teams are coached and play hard. They’re in the final eight for a reason.”
You could’ve chosen from at least three reasons Highlands (11-2) has at least one more game.
There was passing – Bluebirds quarterback Rio Litmer threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns. He said the third, a 27-yarder to Ian Garrahan late in the third quarter, was his favorite.
“It was his first one all year,” Litmer said. “I really love that kid, really proud of him.”
Receiving was second. Adam Surrey had six catches for 134 yards with a 45-yard score, Tayden Lorenzen had four for 54 and a 20-yard touchdown, Gabe Williams caught four for 50 and a 20-yard touchdown.
And finally, there was pass defense. The Bluebirds intercepted four Zak Anderson passes, including Ethan Grimm’s 41-yard pick-6.
Williams added two interceptions.
“I think the second interception was nicer,” he said. “It just felt really good, being out here with my team, being able to fight like we did, down 10 and making those big plays like that.”
The one thing Highlands largely did not accomplish was containing Pulaski County’s Kasen Brock. He ran for 219 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown on the Maroons’ third snap.
“Our offensive line, I think, did a pretty good job overall, and (Brock’s) a tough, hard runner,” Pulaski County coach Travis Burns said. “He’s big and strong, and he finishes runs.”
After Highlands’ first drive stalled, Pulaski County (8-5) made it 10-0 on Bryson Mounce’s 27-yard field goal with 4:03 left in the first quarter.
It took Highlands just eight plays to shrink the Maroons’ lead to 10-7. The biggest gainers came via Litmer’s right arm – a 23-yarder to Williams, a 19-yarder to Surrey, and the 20-yarder to Lorenzen for the score.
Highlands took the lead for good on a substantially Surrey show – he caught two Litmer passes for 50 yards and ran for the final two yards.
Pulaski County’s last drive before halftime fizzled – the Bluebirds’ Diego Race sacked Anderson for a 9-yard loss, and Williams intercepted the first of his two.
Surrey’s one-handed grab was perhaps the flashiest of Highlands’ next touchdown – a 61-yard, six-play sojourn that ended with Litmer-to-Williams for the final 20 yards.
Pulaski County had moved the ball to Highlands’ 48 when Grimm saw Anderson looking for a screen pass.
“It lined up perfectly,” Grimm said. “I was sitting on an outside stunt … (Sphire) called right to the screen.”
Sphire reminded Grimm to follow the running back on a swing pass.
“It just happened to be one of those stunts where, when you see that, you’re supposed to peel with the back … when he runs a swing route, instead of you going to get the quarterback, you go to the swing route,” Sphire said. “(Grimm) saw it, read it. It was just a lucky call at the time, but he executed it perfectly.”
To Burns, the interception was the beginning of the end.
“That puts us down three scores, and then now we’re trying to fight out of the hole,” Burns said. “We don’t have a team that can do that.”
Three plays after Tyus McCarter’s interception, Garrahan out-rebounded a Maroon defender in the end zone with 3:17 left in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, a 29-yard touchdown toss from Anderson to Harris Denmyer and Litmer-to-Surrey for 45 ended the scoring.
Next Friday is also a chance for Highlands to avenge a 17-15 loss to the Jaguars in last year’s semifinals.
“I’m excited,” Grimm said.
BLUEBIRDS 42, MAROONS 18
PULASKI CO.— 10-0-0-8 — 18
HIGHLANDS — 0-14-21-7 — 0
Scoring Plays
First quarter
PC-Kasen Brock 51 run (Bryson Mounce kick), 11:03
PC-Mounce 23 field goal, 4:03
Second quarter
H-Tayden Lorenzen 20 pass from Rio Litmer (Logan Nickelman kick), 9:13
H-Adam Surrey 2 run (Nickelman kick), 0:54
Third quarter
H-Gabe Williams 20 pass from Litmer (Nickelman kick), 9:31
H-Ethan Grimm 41 interception return (Nickelman kick), 6:30
H-Ian Garrahan 27 pass from Litmer (Nickelman kick), 3:17
Fourth quarter
PC-Harris Denmyer 29 pass from Zak Anderson (Brock run), 11:44
H-Surrey 45 pass from Litmer (Nickelman kick), 10:21
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Pulaski Co. 117 (Anderson 7-18-117-0 TD-4 INT); Highlands (Litmer 19-26-334-4 TD-0 INT).
Rushing Yards: Pulaski Co. 233 (Brock 28-219, Idlewine 4-19, Anderson 2-(minus-12, Godby 1-7); Highlands 38 (White 7-27, James 5-8, Surrey 2-4, Williams 1-3, Litmer 5-(minus-21), Lorenzen 6-20).
Receiving: Pulaski Co. (Denmyer 3-70, Brock 2-22, Godby 1-10, Wright 1-15); Highlands (White 1-10, Surrey 6-134, James 1-16, Arnold 4-50, Lorenzen 4-54, Williams 2-43, Garrahan 1-27).
First downs: Pulaski Co. 18, Highlands 18.
Turnovers: Pulaski Co. 4, Highlands 1.
Penalties: Pulaski Co. 5-53, Highlands 5-35.
Records: Pulaski County 8-5, Highlands 11-2.