Highlands football coach Bob Sphire said the Bluebirds “looked like they were supposed to look in pads.”
“Linemen looked like linemen, receivers looked like receivers,” Sphire said before Friday’s home opener against Lexington Catholic.
And the Bluebirds won like winners do – a 17-7 triumph at David Cecil Memorial Stadium.
“I really think that the team came together towards the end,” junior quarterback Rio Litmer said.
It would’ve been easy to conclude Highlands won because Litmer threw for 131 yards in his first varsity start, and it would’ve been logical to attribute the victory to rushing touchdowns by Isaac Niemann and Adam Surrey and Jack White’s 83 yards on the ground – all factors in the Bluebirds’ 313 yards of total offense.
“My offensive line, they really didn’t do anything wrong,” Litmer said. “Those are dogs, and they were just up there eatin’.”
Sphire, however, talked about the Bluebirds’ “hit and miss” offense.
“I don’t think we were a well-oiled machine by any stretch of the imagination,” Sphire said. “I do think we ran the ball obviously successfully and physically, and obviously the short passing gamer and quick screens, etc. We’re really a young football team; we basically graduated 17 starters from last year’s team.”
Highlighting the Bluebirds’ offense would also have been an incomplete assessment.
Highlands limited Catholic to 161 yards, intercepted two Matthew Kern passes and got three sacks from defensive end Tommy Ferring and one from Ethan Grimm.
“I just started playing d-line in the playoffs last year,” Ferring said.
Two plays by Litmer, a 32-yard toss to Jackson Arnold and an 11-yard run around right end, set up Highlands’ (1-0) opening score, Niemann’s two-yard plunge with 1:20 to go in the first quarter.
“A lot of the crosses and seam (passes) were open,” Litmer said. “I’d say that I got to a couple of them late, but the ones I hit, they were big hitters.”
Kern found receiver Jackson Kreutzer four times for 63 yards for the game, but backup Cam Sweeney was the reason Catholic (0-1) closed to within 8-7 at halftime. On third-and-11 on the Highlands 23, Sweeney hit Cole Space with a 12-yard pass and ran the final 11 yards for the touchdown.
After Grimm’s sack stopped the Knights’ first third-quarter drive, White’s five carries for 38 yards set up Surrey’s four-yard score a little less than three minutes later.
Ferring notched his first sack midway through the third quarter when he saw a Catholic lineman slide inside. “I knew I could speed-rush him, and I just wiped his hands off and made a good play,” he said.
Highlands kicker Ryder Brennenstuhl’s 28 field goal with 6:59 to go in the game ended the scoring.
Ferring said defensive end Torin Bryant contributed to his second sack by coming in from the opposite side. The third ended Catholic’s last drive.
“I think (Highlands) is a really good 5A football team,” Catholic coach Nick Baisch said. “We’re going to go compete in our class in 3A.”
The Bluebirds face a familiar foe – Covington Catholic next Friday in Park Hills.
“I’m super excited for that one,” Surrey said. “It’s going to be fun.”
BLUEBIRDS 17, KNIGHTS 7
LEXINGTON CATHOLIC — 0-7-0-0 — 7
HIGHLANDS — 8-0-6-3 — 17
Scoring Plays
First quarter
H-Isaac Niemann 2 run (Tayden Lorenzen pass from Cale Harris), 1:20
Second quarter
LC-Cam Sweeney 11 run (Finnegan Wedding kick), 2:38
Third quarter
H-Adam Surrey 4 run (run failed), 7:23
Fourth quarter
H-Ryder Brennenstuhl 28 field goal, 6:59
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Lex Catholic 119 (Kern 12-23-107-0 TD, 2 INT; Sweeney 1-2-12-0 TD); Highlands 143 (Litmer 17-21-121, 0 TD, 0 INT; Harris 1-4-12, 0 TD, 0 INT).
Rushing Yards: Lex. Catholic 43 (Rayyan 3-(minus-1, Blair 6-17, Kern 9-2, Sweeney 2-5, Wasik 6-20); Highlands 180 (James 3-7, Williams 2-11, Duncan 4-22, Litmer 6-22, White 14-83, Ferring 1-(minus-8, Surrey 4-28, Niemann 1-2, McCarter 2-16, Grimm 1-8)
Receiving: Lex. Catholic 119 (Kreutzer 4-63, Blair 2-17, Space 3-38, Nelson 2-(minus-2), Rayyan 1-0, Gaunce 1-5); Highlands 133 (Arnold 5-48, Surrey 6-44, McCarter 3-32, Nieman 1-(minus-1)).
First downs: Lex. Catholic 15, Highlands 17.
Turnovers: Lex. Catholic 2, Highlands 0.
Penalties: Lex Catholic 9-50, Highlands 6-65.
Records: Lexington Catholic 0-1, Highlands 1-0.