When did Highlands hit running clock against Boyd County?

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

This one
always has to come first in the playoffs every year.

But also
like those years, the Highlands Bluebirds football team took nothing for
granted and handled the overmatched Boyd County Lions, 44-7 on Friday at Cecil
Memorial Stadium. District champion and top-seeded Highlands typically
demolishes the fourth-seeded team from the other district in this round on its
way to long runs in the playoffs.

“You have to come out and bring the same intensity no
matter what,” said Shelby Jones,
Highlands Defensive Coordinator. “We can’t
have ups and downs. It has to be consistent regardless of who you play. If you
stay the same, you’re actually taking a step back.”

Highlands
(9-2) hit the running clock in the first quarter and let the reserves see a lot
of playing time. The Bluebirds have hit the running clock seven times this
season. They have outscored the Lions, 233-34 in the last four first-round
meetings. The average margin of victory is just less than 50 points.

“It was not so much getting them ready for next year,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “It was about rewarding them for practicing
hard. All our guys practice come out and practice hard every day and it’s
always a good thing to get them in the game.”

Highlands
moved the ball up and down the field at will against an overmatched defense.
The Bluebirds outgained the Lions, 365-154 in total offense led again by senior
quarterback Beau Hoge. Hoge completed 10-of-16 passes for 192 yards and three
touchdowns and ran for 43 yards on two carries.

Like many
opponents, the Lions could not contain senior wide receiver Alex Veneman. Veneman
had eight catches for 167 yards and three touchdowns.

The
balanced Bluebirds added 153 yards rushing. Junior Nick Kendall had two rushes
for 49 yards.

Defensively,
Highlands had to make some adjustments as junior running back Tanner Edmonds
stepped in at quarterback for injured senior Cade Isaacs. Edmonds rushed the
ball 11 times for 102 yards and completed just 1-of-10 passes for 51 yards to
Tyler Blevins.

“(Edmonds) is a good player,” Jones said. “They
had several players out. He had to step in and did a good job running the
offense there. It changed what they did a little bit. They hadn’t really run
their quarterback quite as much as they did (Friday). We took some
opportunities to try some different things. Overall, I’m happy with the
performance.”

The Bluebird
defense did not have to worry about the pass much. Players like Taylor Perez
and Bradley Greene have stepped in as defensive backs for injured players like
Andrew “The Cowboy” Abner and James Hinkel.

“The young guys are real quick learners,” Perez said. “We’re
just going to continue to do our jobs and keep winning. You can’t focus on
everyone else’s job and try to make someone else’s play. That’s the biggest
thing.”

Boyd County
lost two fumbles and Highlands lost one. Greene and Ben Ziegler had fumble
recoveries for the Bluebirds.

The
Bluebirds hit that running clock with 1:43 left in the first quarter. Hoge hit
Veneman for a 32-yard touchdown pass after a few short passes.

After a
number of passes, Highlands then threw in a read option. Hoge faked to Kendall
going right then ran left for a 28-yard score to put the Bluebirds up 14-0 with
7:55 left in the quarter.

Hoge hit
Veneman for another long 47-yard touchdown, but it was called back because of
an illegal man downfield. But it did not matter as the Bluebirds ran the
flea-flicker from Hoge to Veneman from 52 yards out with six minutes remaining.

Following a
fumble recovery, Highlands took a 28-0 lead when Hoge hit Veneman again. This
one came in the middle of the end zone on a 64-yard touchdown pass with 3:32
left in the quarter.

The
Bluebirds struck again with 1:43 left in the quarter. Kendall took a handoff
and found green pastures for a 44-yard touchdown run.

“Our guys executed,” Weinrich said. “We tried to
take what they were giving us. When they came up, we tried to go over top. When
they spread out, we tried to hit them inside with the run.”

The Lions
scored their lone touchdown with 8:02 left in the second quarter. Edmonds ran
it in behind center for a three-yard score. The Bluebirds led 36-7 at halftime.

Highlands
scored its last touchdown with 1:27 left in the third quarter. Sophomore
quarterback Brady Gosney punched it in from a yard out. Sophomore running back
Jared Pulsfort picked up some big yards on the drive.

“When you get older, you’ll play better teams,” Pulsfort said. “I’m
just getting ready to be on the varsity level. It’s a good experience for a
sophomore running back. It’s fun.”

The Bluebirds
welcome Ashland Blazer (6-4) back to Fort Thomas on Friday for a third straight
second-round playoff game. It starts at 7:30 p.m.