It’s not a stretch if you think Highlands is heavily favored to win its eighth straight 36th District girls soccer crown.
Considering the Bluebirds a logical choice seems solid for at least three reasons.
The Bluebirds (15-7-3 in 2022) are also the defending Ninth Region champions. Last year’s title – the program’s fourth since 2018 – included a 3-2 (4-3 in penalty kicks) win over 2021 state champion Notre Dame in the finals.
A second reason: neither Newport Central Catholic, Bellevue nor Dayton compiled a winning record last year. The Thoroughbreds, Tigers and Greendevils were a combined 11-37-2.
And the third: Highlands top three scorers – senior striker Laney Smith (31 goals and nine assists), center midfielder Kate Jamie (15 and six) and midfielder Claire Cavacini (14 and seven) – return from a squad that scored 85 goals.
To replace 2023 alumna Anna Melson, who scored 12 goals last year, Norris plans to move Cavacini to the midfield and have sophomore Reese Wilkens on the wing.
Third-year coach Chris Norris called Smith a “goal-poacher” who has an innate ability to find the smallest hole in a defense.
“When she’s going to goal, if she doesn’t score, we’ve got Kate Jamie right behind her for a follow-up and Claire Cavacini right behind her with another follow-up,” Norris said.
What Norris, a goalkeeper in his younger days, doesn’t know is how Smith does what she does. Smith comes into the season with 72 career goals, needing just three to tie the school record of 75 set in 2018 by Lindsey Meyer.
“I watch her, and I watch how she moves, and I watch how she creates her six-inch window of space to get a shot off,” Norris said. “She has that super-quick foot and knows where to put it and does it over and over again for us.”
All-region selection Kendall Graves anchors the defense along with sophomore Franny Smith (Laney’s younger sister), senior Ava Meyer and sophomore Kaylee Mills. Sophomore Natalie Hinegardner is the goaltender.
Highlands opens the season with three home games at Tower Park: Holy Cross Aug. 7, Bellevue Aug. 14 and St. Henry Aug. 16. There’s a lingering question: Do the Bluebirds feel any pressure to win a second straight regional title?
“Yes and no,” Norris said. “I don’t think, from a team perspective, we’re thinking about that type of pressure. I think it’s more we’re focusing on improving ourselves both technically and tactically.”
Newport Central Catholic (7-12-1 in 2022)
NewCath coach Ray Joshua said the Thoroughbreds are starting out fresh.
“It’s one of those things; you’ve got to try to adjust with what you have, the best way you know how,” he said.
Joshua knows adjusting in a hurry – he didn’t take over until a week before last season began.
“A lot of the kids I wasn’t familiar with,” Joshua said. “It went as it went.”
It could be a struggle this season, too.
NewCath graduated 10 seniors, including the top three scorers, Karly Enginger (37 goals), Kayla Ahlbrand (six tallies) and Natalie Haigis (four scores).
“Unfortunately this year, I don’t have that kind of talent,” Joshua said.
NewCath has nine seniors this year, but the status of one, defender Emma Boden, who added three goals last year, is uncertain; Joshua said she’s nursing an unspecified injury, and another player he did not name is out with a torn ACL.
Senior Ava Roeder scored two goals a season ago.
“It’s kind of me trying to groom the current group of kids I have,” Joshua said. “It’s a learning process for the kids and for me.”
Bellevue (2-11 in 2022)
The Tigers’ obvious challenge: score more than 10 goals this season and allow fewer than 74.
There’s a mixture of experience and youth – Felicia Sebastian is the lone senior to go with 10 juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. The better news: All four scorers, juniors Jaylah Dowell (who led the team with six goals), sophomore Hayleigh Wight (two goals), junior Myleigh Wight and junior Jayda Dowell (one goal each), return.
Dayton (2-14-1 in 2022)
Like Bellevue, the Greendevils need to find more scoring and stronger defense; they scored 19 goals and allowed 84.
Unlike the Tigers, Dayton has one double-figure scorer returning – senior forward/midfielder Zoe Sparks hit the back of the net 12 times last year. Junior midfielder Addison Clifton added three goals.
The Greendevils won’t see O.W. Davis Field for most of the season’s first two weeks. After the season-opener Aug. 7 against Calvary Christian come road trips to Bellevue (Aug. 9), Grant County (Aug. 12), Holmes (Aug. 14) and Covington Latin (Aug. 16) before hosting Henry County Aug. 19.