Highlands showed Friday night why it sits atop the Class 4A rankings.
The Bluebirds set the tone from the opening drive, controlled the line of scrimmage throughout and leaned on a punishing rushing attack to pull away from Covington Catholic, 38-14.
Highlands rushed for more than 250 yards and scored five touchdowns on the ground, overwhelming a Covington Catholic defense that struggled to slow the Bluebirds’ physical attack.
“Defensively our kids played really well early and I thought we got after the quarterback early and made him uncomfortable,” Bluebirds coach Bob Sphire said.
It was another fast start for Highlands, which has made a habit of putting opponents behind early this season. The Bluebirds led 17-0 in the second quarter before Covington Catholic could find much of an answer.
The tone was established on both sides of the ball.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
Gabe Williams intercepted a pass on Covington Catholic’s first play from scrimmage and continued making plays throughout the night. Williams, who was the Bluebirds’ primary running back a year ago, has transitioned primarily to defense this season and has helped solidify the back end of the Highlands defense.
He also showed he can still make an impact with the ball in his hands, breaking loose for a 41-yard touchdown run.
“At halftime, I told I told our our offensive coordinator Hayden Sphire, ‘I need the ball.’ This was the first week I practiced with the offense, and good things happen, man,” Williams said.
Quarterback Bryce Armstrong continued his strong season, contributing both through the air and on the ground. Armstrong threw for 125 yards and added two touchdown runs, the first one a touchdown on a four-yard run on fourth-and-goal during Highlands’ opening drive.
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That fourth-down touchdown was indicative of the Bluebirds’ performance throughout the night. Highlands repeatedly came through in critical down-and-distance situations on both sides of the ball, displaying the kind of championship-level grit that has separated the Bluebirds from much of the competition this season.
Colt Kremer was another major factor in the rushing attack. He scored twice, including a 36-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that pushed Highlands’ advantage to 38-7 and effectively put the game out of reach.
“That’s our goal almost every week, we love doing it,” Kremer said. “Just make somebody stop the run, so we gotta do something else. But that’s our always our plan, just run the ball as much as we can and put it down their throat.”
Highlands has been a consistently strong program under head coach Bob Sphire in recent seasons, but this year’s team has a different feel, particularly because of what it has been able to accomplish defensively.
“We’ve had some really good players in the past, but I think our defensive front is pretty special,” Sphire said. “When you’re good up front, you got a chance to be pretty good on that side of the ball. Tayden’s (Lorenzen) been helping us tremendously on the defensive side. The Benke (Cooper and Griffin) brothers, our seasoned veterans over there, we’re rolling a lot of those other guys in. All of our linebackers are underclassmen, but they’re all good football players. And then you got Gabe on the back end, and he’s such a leader, and so understands the defensive system so well, and all the checks and all the adjustments to formations. So it probably it’s it’s the most complete unit that I’ve had here.”
The Bluebirds’ offense has been physical and efficient, but the defense has given them another dimension. Against Covington Catholic, Highlands consistently disrupted the Colonels’ attack and made enough plays in key moments to prevent any sustained comeback.
Covington Catholic eventually found some success in the fourth quarter. Kiyan Miller scored twice on the ground, while the Colonels’ other touchdown came on a pass from Courtney to Owen Pitzer late in the first half.
The Colonels have faced one of the more unforgiving schedules in the region. Covington Catholic has already played Beechwood, the No. 1 team in Class 2A, and Highlands, the No. 1 team in Class 4A, along with highly ranked Elder out of Ohio.
Another difficult test awaits next week against Cathedral out of Indiana.
Those challenges could pay dividends when November arrives. By the time the playoffs begin, Covington Catholic will have gone through a schedule designed to test the Colonels against some of the region’s best teams.
For Highlands, Friday’s performance was another statement from a team that continues to look like a championship contender.
The Bluebirds are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A for a reason, and their combination of physicality, defensive playmaking and clutch execution showed exactly why.
BLUEBIRDS 38, COLONELS 20
HIGHLANDS — 14-3-21-0 — 38
COVCATH — 0-7-0-13 — 20
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(H) Armstrong 4-yard run (7:45) Anderson kick
(H) Kremer 21-yard run (4:56) Anderson kick
2nd Quarter
(H) Anderson 37-yard FG (6:00)
(CC) Courtney 17-yard pass to Pitzer (1:44) Gillette kick
3rd Quarter
(H) Williams 41-yard run (10:04) Anderson kick
(H) Armstrong 6-yard run (7:00) Anderson kick
(H) Kremer 36-yard run (:10) Anderson kick
4th Quarter
(CC) Miller 33-yard run (11:45) Gillette kick
(CC) Miller 23-yard run (:43) kick blocked
Records: Highlands 6-1, Covington Catholic 4-3
