Another chapter in the Highlands–Covington Catholic rivalry is in the books. But this one needs to be bookmarked.
In a game for the ages, Highlands found a way in the final seconds Friday night at David Cecil Memorial Stadium, stunning the Colonels 31-28 as quarterback Rio Litmer hit Tayden Lorenzen for an 18-yard touchdown with three seconds to play. The strike set off a frenzy as the Highlands student section poured onto the field, while CovCath, clad in all white, stormed off stunned.
“Just means the world,” Lorenzen said. “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing on Friday night than playing football and having game-winning touchdowns and just spending the entire night with my friends, that’s all I want to do.”
For most of the night, Highlands played from ahead, but in the final minute it looked like CovCath might be the ones writing the defining story of the rivalry. Cash Harney capped a brilliant 13-play, 80-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to give the Colonels their first lead of the game, 28-24, with just 41 seconds left. The drive chewed nearly five minutes off the clock and appeared to be a season-shaping moment for CovCath.
But Highlands still had time — and one more answer.
Taking over at their own 25 with 38 seconds to play, Litmer calmly guided the Bluebirds down the field.
“I just looked at all of them in the eye and told them straight up this is everything that we’ve worked for,” Litmer said. “I just think everybody’s talent and all our hard work all just came out in that 38 seconds. And I’m very proud of our guys for that.”
He connected with Gabe Williams for 18 yards, then found John Feldbrugge for 19 and 15 more, with a crucial penalty tacked on to push Highlands deep into CovCath territory. After a setback penalty backed them up to the 18 with seven seconds remaining, Highlands put the game in the hands of its playmakers.
“Playmakers,” Bluebirds coach Bob Sphire said. “Playmakers make plays.”
Litmer looked to No. 22 — the same Tayden Lorenzen who had already powered the Bluebirds all night with three rushing touchdowns. Splitting the seam and streaking into the front of the end zone, Lorenzen hauled in Litmer’s perfect ball for his fourth touchdown of the night, sealing one of the greatest games this rivalry has ever produced.
“Before the play, we knew what we were going to do,” Lorenzen said. “I talked to Rio before the play, we were walking out there, and I said, ‘Right when I get past that linebacker, I want you to fire the football. I’ll make a play. We’re gonna score and we’re gonna win.’ And kind of just played out from there, and we won the game.”
Highlands, now 6-1, controlled much of the game by pounding the ball behind Lorenzen, who finished with 79 yards on 21 carries and three rushing scores. Those yards didn’t come easy, numerous times needing multiple tacklers to take him down.
“They (coaching staff) put me in the position to be great in the weight room,” Lorenzen said. “They push us just as hard in the weight room as on the field. There’s no difference. He loves the weight room, coach Sphire does. So as long as we’re going to work hard, we’re going to keep winning games, and if that’s what I have to do, I’m going to do it.”
The Bluebirds churned out 206 yards on the ground on 45 attempts, while Litmer added 175 yards through the air — none bigger than his final toss.
CovCath (4-2) didn’t go quietly. Harney threw for 227 yards, including a 91-yard strike to Owen Pitzer in the third quarter to immediately erase a 10-point Highlands lead. Running back Dylan Gaiser also played a big role, rushing for 88 yards and scoring the Colonels’ first touchdown from 27 yards out. Harney added a five-yard touchdown pass to Logan Sanning late in the second quarter to keep CovCath within striking distance at halftime at 17-14.
“That quarterback (Harney) has gotten so much better over there,” Sphire said. “He’s played with great confidence, makes plays. He’s really hard to get off the field.”
For all the fireworks, though, the ending will be remembered most.
Friday’s finish gave Highlands wins in consecutive seasons over CovCath for the first time since 2014–15 — another milestone in a rivalry defined by wild turns, big moments, and unforgettable endings.
“I like the way the history is trending,” Sphire said. “We weren’t very good when I first got here, and they kind of owned us that very first year. I got to take that because it was my team that first year, but I like the way it’s trended since then pretty well. It’s a great rivalry and that game obviously could have gone either way, and we’re very fortunate to win that game.”
Highlands will travel to Cincinnati next week to face powerhouse Elder, while Covington Catholic looks to regroup at home against Cathedral (Indiana).
But for now, the Bluebirds will savor this one — a night where history, rivalry, and drama all collided, and Highlands came out on top.
BLUEBIRDS 31, COLONELS 28
COVINGTON CATHOLIC — 0-14-7-7 — 28
HIGHLANDS — 10-7-7-7 — 31
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(H) Lorenzen 1-yard run (6:42) Anderson Kick
(H) Anderson 23-yard FG (2:07)
2nd Quarter
(CC) Gaiser 27-yard run (7:33) Zembrodt kick
(H) Lorenzen 2-yard run (3:29) Anderson kick
(CC) Harney 5-yard pass to Sanning (:43) Zembrodt kick
3rd Quarter
(H) Lorenzen 7-yard run (2:33) Anderson kick
(CC) Harney 91-yard pass to Pitzer (2:11) Zembrodt kick
4th Quarter
(CC) Harney 8-yard run (:41) Zembrodt kick
(H) Litmer 18-yard pass to Lorenzen (:03) Anderson kick
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Covington Catholic 271 (Harney 9/17 2 TD, Gaiser 1/1), Highlands 200 (Litmer 14/19, TD, Lorenzen 1/2)
Rushing Yards: Covington Catholic 91 (Gaiser 8-88, Harney 12-3), Highlands 206 (Lorenzen 21-79, Litmer 5-36, Williams 5-30, Kremer 7-30, Duncan 6-28, Niemann 1-3)
Receiving: Covington Catholic (Pitzer 1-91, Brooks 4-83, Gaiser 2-55, Sanning 2-26, Weis 3-16), Highlands (Williams 3-63, Harris 4-48, Garrahan 4-48, Feldbrugge 3-23, Lorenzen 1-18)
Turnovers: Covington Catholic 0, Highlands 1
Penalties: Covington Catholic 4-20, Highlands 4-20
First Downs: Covington Catholic 14, Highlands 21
Records: Covington Catholic (4-3, 0-1), Highlands (6-1, 2-0)