By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
It seems
like just a bad nightmare in many ways.
But it did
happen.
The Collins
Titans shocked the six-time state champion Highlands Bluebirds, 37-34 on
Saturday at Western Kentucky University. Collins (13-2) snapped the longest
playoff winning streak in state history at 34 in a row with a touchdown with
seven seconds left.
Collins
quarterback Lawson Page had to come out of the game after Braden Hicks cut him
down for a five-yard loss because his helmet came off so Browning Bercherer had
to come in for a play and made the most of it. He found Nathan Sames over the
middle for a 12-yard touchdown on fourth down for the game-winner.
“They coach their guy that if one guy is out, the next
guy has to come in,” said Dale
Mueller, Highlands Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator. “You have to give a lot of credit to their whole football team. Their
second guy was ready to make a play.”
Highlands (13-2)
fell to 855-227-26 since the program began in 1915. That’s good for second in
the country behind 882-214-34 mark of a Valdosta (Ga.) program that started two
years earlier. The Bluebirds are 100-5 since the start of 2007 and had lost two
or more games for the first time since 2006.
Collins
tore apart the Highlands defense with its spread offense for 458 yards. Page
completed 15-of-23 passes for 178 yards. Sames hauled in six catches for 73
yards and a touchdown with DeAndre Farris hauling in six for 69 yards.
But the
Titans ran the ball well. Ryan Watkins rushed for 121 yards on 17 carries and a
touchdown and Page rushed for 108 on 15 carries.
Highlands
gained 480 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Drew Houliston completed
19-of-35 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns to finishes with more than
4,000 yards passing and 50 touchdowns on the season.
Zach Harris
also had another great game rushing for 103 yards on 25 carries and three
touchdowns. He also had two catches for 22 yards.
Evan Allen
and Alex Veneman led Highlands with four catches each. Allen had 78 yards and a
touchdown with Veneman recording 73 yards and a score.
The yellow
flags went mostly against Highlands. The officials called the Bluebirds for
eight penalties for 73 yards and just two against the Titans for 21 yards.
A slow
start in the first half also did not help the Highlands cause. The Bluebirds
moved the ball into Collins territory three times after the first series but
lost two fumbles and did not convert a fourth down.
“We had some opportunities where we should have scored
more in the first half,” Mueller
said. “It was a whole team thing.
Offensively, we picked it up in the second half. But in the first half, we
struggled. You have to take advantage of opportunities.”
Collins led
10-7 at halftime. Ryan Watkins scored from a yard out with 6:16 left in the first
quarter. But Highlands came back and Harris scored from two yards out with 4:15
remaining in the quarter.
The Titans
took the lead with 1:25 left in the half. Blanton Creque made a 27-yard field
goal.
Highlands
scored on its first possession of the second hald when Harris scored from six
yards out. But the Titans responded with two scored to go up 23-14 entering the
final stanza. Farris scored on a 4-yard run and Sames hauled in a 10-yard pass
from Page as time expired.
The
Bluebirds scored a quick touchdown in the fourth when Allen hauled in a
34-yarder from Houliston with 10:36 to go in the game. But Collins responded
when Farris scored from a yard out to make it 30-21 Titans.
Highlands
fought back to take a 34-30 lead with 2:33 left in the game. Alex Veneman hauled
in a 42-yard pass from Houliston before Harris scored from a yard out.
Joey
Cochran finished with a team-high 11 tackles for Highlands. Two came for a loss
of 15 yards.
The
Bluebirds will take the rest of the month off before working toward another
title in what will be the 100th season of football next fall. Highlands often
takes the rest of the month off before beginning winter weights in January.
