Who do the Bluebirds bring back after a Class 5A State Championship?
I'm not sure who but I know that they lost 27, and most were starters.
They are losing most of their starters, but there are many players coming back who saw significant playing time last year (Coach Mueller loves to rotate in a lot of guys).
In addition, the best player from last year's team (RB Josh Conner) will be returning.
Look for the 'Birds to enter the 2008 postseason with a 9-1 record (the loss coming to Cincinnati Colerain) and poised to repeat.
jbwill2 Wrote:They are losing most of their starters, but there are many players coming back who saw significant playing time last year (Coach Mueller loves to rotate in a lot of guys).
In addition, the best player from last year's team (RB Josh Conner) will be returning.
Look for the 'Birds to enter the 2008 postseason with a 9-1 record (the loss coming to Cincinnati Colerain) and poised to repeat.
Yeah I look for them to reload also and probably make it to Louisville again, considering the fact that just about everyone in Class 5A lost alot.
All I know is the backup qb is supposed to be better than the starter. I think he is Guiduglia's? brother.
launchpad4 Wrote:All I know is the backup qb is supposed to be better than the starter. I think he is Guiduglia's? brother.
I will say that there will be a lot of competition for starting QB this offseason between last year's back-up QB Tony Guidugli (younger brother of former HHS and University of Cincinnati QB Gino Guidugli) and Will Bardo. Probably, Guidugli is the frontrunner at this point.
Also, last year's starting QB Clay Cecil was one of Highlands' best QBs ever. He was a two-year starter and was MVP of the 2007 Class 5A state title game. Replacing him will not be easy, but it's my understanding that Guidugli had a very good spring practice as QB.
jbwill2 Wrote:They are losing most of their starters, but there are many players coming back who saw significant playing time last year (Coach Mueller loves to rotate in a lot of guys).
In addition, the best player from last year's team (RB Josh Conner) will be returning.
Look for the 'Birds to enter the 2008 postseason with a 9-1 record (the loss coming to Cincinnati Colerain) and poised to repeat.
They have a decent number of starters returning except for the o line. On Defense, Collinsworth, Roller, Frank, Rosenhagen and Laber return. On O, Guidugli will end up starting and he started a couple of games last year and got a decent amount of PT. Conner of course returns (and by the way, Conner was NOT the best player on last year's team in my opinion). Dempsey returns as starter on the o line.
You are definitely right about Mueller rotating a bunch of people in getting them experience even when they don't start. One of the reasons why Highlands doesn't have the peak and valley syndrome.
If I have an area of concern at this point, it is the kicking game. We lost an awesome kicker in Baithiany. Returning will be Etian (jr.) played mostly JV and maybe some at the end of in the bag games and Wienel (soph) who had a decent freshman year. Spring ball there was zero kicking so I'll have to wait til summer to see the verdict on kicking.
All in all I think Highlands has talent all over the field. A few that I feel will be big contributors this year are; Head, Roller, Rosenhagen, Laber, Collinsworth, Bardo, Guidugli, Frank, Newman, Martin, Hogue, and Crawford. Plenty more and don't mean to leave anyone out but I haven't had my coffee yet and my mind has decided to shut down.
tradition Wrote:If I have an area of concern at this point, it is the kicking game. We lost an awesome kicker in Baithiany. Returning will be Etian (jr.) played mostly JV and maybe some at the end of in the bag games and Wienel (soph) who had a decent freshman year. Spring ball there was zero kicking so I'll have to wait til summer to see the verdict on kicking.
All in all I think Highlands has talent all over the field. A few that I feel will be big contributors this year are; Head, Roller, Rosenhagen, Laber, Collinsworth, Bardo, Guidugli, Frank, Newman, Martin, Hogue, and Crawford. Plenty more and don't mean to leave anyone out but I haven't had my coffee yet and my mind has decided to shut down.
Highlands will always be at the top of their class.
ballcrazy Wrote:Highlands will always be at the top of their class.
Well, Highlands will definitely have its hands full with Covington Catholic in 2008. CCH returns several starters (including an athletic, talented QB) and will have a huge, experienced offensive line. Add in the fact that the team now has a full year of the new coaching staff/philosophy in place, and this should make for a heckuva district showdown with HHS.
I'll say this... the winner of this district (Class 5A, District 5) will be the heavy favorite to take state in 2008. Right now I'd say it's about a 50-50 proposition between HHS and CCH.
It doesn't matter who Highlands brings back and who they lose because they will always be one of the elite teams in the state. As the post before mine said they will have the stiffest competition from inside their own district in Cov. Cath. The winner of that district will more than likley win state. No team from Eastern Kentucky will be capable of beating one of the two teams. The best chance of them losing outside of district in the playoffs would be Bowling Green, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Super-Card Wrote:It doesn't matter who Highlands brings back and who they lose because they will always be one of the elite teams in the state. As the post before mine said they will have the stiffest competition from inside their own district in Cov. Cath. The winner of that district will more than likley win state. No team from Eastern Kentucky will be capable of beating one of the two teams. The best chance of them losing outside of district in the playoffs would be Bowling Green, but I wouldn't bet on it.
I don't know if its true, but I was told by a BG located friend that BG lost a whole lot also and while they will be good, not near as good as the last several years. He expects one of the other W. Ky teams to make it to the finals this year (he didn't say who, but I'd expect John Hardin to be one of those teams).
About the E. Ky schools, shouldn't Letcher Central and Lincoln be able to really challenge Highlands/CovCath this year? I know that Letcher has Banks, its big running back and I thought a couple receivers coming back on O. If nothing else they should be able to score a lot of points. What's Lincoln got coming back (not their head coach, I know). And I think they would host the semi's so they'll have that advantage.
Highlands and CovCath should both be very good this year, but I'm not giving the winner of their district a pass to make it to Louisville.
charlie22 Wrote:I don't know if its true, but I was told by a BG located friend that BG lost a whole lot also and while they will be good, not near as good as the last several years. He expects one of the other W. Ky teams to make it to the finals this year (he didn't say who, but I'd expect John Hardin to be one of those teams).
About the E. Ky schools, shouldn't Letcher Central and Lincoln be able to really challenge Highlands/CovCath this year? I know that Letcher has Banks, its big running back and I thought a couple receivers coming back on O. If nothing else they should be able to score a lot of points. What's Lincoln got coming back (not their head coach, I know). And I think they would host the semi's so they'll have that advantage.
Highlands and CovCath should both be very good this year, but I'm not giving the winner of their district a pass to make it to Louisville.
No team in Eastern KY can beat Highlands/Covington Cath. winner. For starters the field position game will definatley be in favor of the Northern teams since their punting and field goal kicking is light years ahead of anything Eastern KY has. Seciondly at Highlands not many kids play both ways, so they will be more fresh and will not tire as much as teams that have several kids that play both ways. Finally, SPEED. There is a MAJOR diffrence in East KY fast and North KY fast. The overall team speed is remarkable in Highlands & Cov. Cath. and no East KY team will be able to keep up. With a little luck (and a muddy field) an Eastern KY team could be in the game and have a shot, but don't expect them to be representing the East any time soon.
Super-Card Wrote:No team in Eastern KY can beat Highlands/Covington Cath. winner. For starters the field position game will definatley be in favor of the Northern teams since their punting and field goal kicking is light years ahead of anything Eastern KY has. Seciondly at Highlands not many kids play both ways, so they will be more fresh and will not tire as much as teams that have several kids that play both ways. Finally, SPEED. There is a MAJOR diffrence in East KY fast and North KY fast. The overall team speed is remarkable in Highlands & Cov. Cath. and no East KY team will be able to keep up. With a little luck (and a muddy field) an Eastern KY team could be in the game and have a shot, but don't expect them to be representing the East any time soon.
We'll just respectfully disagree and leave it at that. Fair enough?
charlie22 Wrote:We'll just respectfully disagree and leave it at that. Fair enough?
The QB from Letcher County Central (who is returning next season) is very talented. I was impressed with him when I watched LCC play Highlands last postseason. However, I will have to agree with the previous poster's comment regarding speed. Highlands' offensive and defensive linemen are typically VERY fast and routinely beat their counterparts on the other side of the line of scrimmage. It will be difficult for LCC to seriously contend with HHS (or CCH) until they find a way to improve their speed and quickness on the lines.
When you watch HHS play, you will notice something... every kid on that team looks physically fit (i.e. there aren't any "big fellas"). Often HHS is criticized for being too "small," but the players (especially the linemen and linebackers) aren't so much small as they are very trim. When you see most other teams around the state play, very few of them have this... and it translates into speed and quickness in every position on the field.
Teams that want to improve their level of play should focus first and foremost on improving the quality of the offensive and defensive lines. A star QB or RB will have a hard time shining if he is getting knocked into the ground 3 seconds after receiving the ball on every play. Similarly, a decent RB will look great if his line is beating the defenders off the line and blowing holes open on a consistent basis. Highlands had OUTSTANDING line play this past year, and mark my words... their chances of repeating in 2008 will hinge on how good the line plays this upcoming year (only one starter is returning on the offensive line). Luckily for HHS, they have a great offensive line coach and are good at getting underclassmen a lot of experience as back-ups.
jbwill2 Wrote:The QB from Letcher County Central (who is returning next season) is very talented. I was impressed with him when I watched LCC play Highlands last postseason. However, I will have to agree with the previous poster's comment regarding speed. Highlands' offensive and defensive linemen are typically VERY fast and routinely beat their counterparts on the other side of the line of scrimmage. It will be difficult for LCC to seriously contend with HHS (or CCH) until they find a way to improve their speed and quickness on the lines.
When you watch HHS play, you will notice something... every kid on that team looks physically fit (i.e. there aren't any "big fellas"). Often HHS is criticized for being too "small," but the players (especially the linemen and linebackers) aren't so much small as they are very trim. When you see most other teams around the state play, very few of them have this... and it translates into speed and quickness in every position on the field.
Teams that want to improve their level of play should focus first and foremost on improving the quality of the offensive and defensive lines. A star QB or RB will have a hard time shining if he is getting knocked into the ground 3 seconds after receiving the ball on every play. Similarly, a decent RB will look great if his line is beating the defenders off the line and blowing holes open on a consistent basis. Highlands had OUTSTANDING line play this past year, and mark my words... their chances of repeating in 2008 will hinge on how good the line plays this upcoming year (only one starter is returning on the offensive line). Luckily for HHS, they have a great offensive line coach and are good at getting underclassmen a lot of experience as back-ups.
While I generally agree with you, LexCath beat Highlands in 05 with some not exactly what you'd call, slim and trim O and D linemen. They did have an exceptional qb (Burke); I'm not willing quite yet to say that Banks is the next Burke, but he's pretty dang good. Last year when LCC lost to Highlands, Banks look really impressive and that was with a messed up hamstring. CovCath beat Highlands in 06 (twice) with O linemen that were no where near as athletic or as trim as Highlands line that year.
And I don't think your words need to be marked as they pretty much follow conventional wisdom. A good O needs a good O line. I'm just not sure that every good line is filled with only slim and trim O linemen. To run Highlands O (with all the pulling and trapping) you do. But not every good O requires such out of their O linemen. Actually a spread offense can be very successful with big hoggies taking tight splits to cut off the rushing lanes as can a power run offense.
charlie22 Wrote:While I generally agree with you, LexCath beat Highlands in 05 with some not exactly what you'd call, slim and trim O and D linemen. They did have an exceptional qb (Burke); I'm not willing quite yet to say that Banks is the next Burke, but he's pretty dang good. Last year when LCC lost to Highlands, Banks look really impressive and that was with a messed up hamstring. CovCath beat Highlands in 06 (twice) with O linemen that were no where near as athletic or as trim as Highlands line that year.
And I don't think your words need to be marked as they pretty much follow conventional wisdom. A good O needs a good O line. I'm just not sure that every good line is filled with only slim and trim O linemen. To run Highlands O (with all the pulling and trapping) you do. But not every good O requires such out of their O linemen. Actually a spread offense can be very successful with big hoggies taking tight splits to cut off the rushing lanes as can a power run offense.
Good points! If you recall in the LexCath game, LC's offense didn't win that game for LexCath, their defense did. Burke and the Knights only scored 17 points against HHS, so it wasn't exactly like they blew up the Bluebirds' defense. The problem was that HHS' offense (which was relatively weak that year) got shut out.
Last year, CovCath scored 25 points against the 'Birds in the postseason game, so again this wasn't an issue of the Colonels' offense tearing up HHS.
The point with all this is that HHS' defense, while often not "big," is always very quick, and a defense full of very quick and athletic linemen and linebackers will keep you in about every game in Class 5A/old Class 3A, as it has for HHS, even when playing LexCath and CCH in 05 and 06, respectively. If an opposing team doesn't possess good offensive linemen, then it's going to be a disadvantage against the speedy front 7-8 for HHS. I thought this was definitely the case against LCC last year.
jbwill2 Wrote:Good points! If you recall in the LexCath game, LC's offense didn't win that game for LexCath, their defense did. Burke and the Knights only scored 17 points against HHS, so it wasn't exactly like they blew up the Bluebirds' defense. The problem was that HHS' offense (which was relatively weak that year) got shut out.
Last year, CovCath scored 25 points against the 'Birds in the postseason game, so again this wasn't an issue of the Colonels' offense tearing up HHS.
The point with all this is that HHS' defense, while often not "big," is always very quick, and a defense full of very quick and athletic linemen and linebackers will keep you in about every game in Class 5A/old Class 3A, as it has for HHS, even when playing LexCath and CCH in 05 and 06, respectively. If an opposing team doesn't possess good offensive linemen, then it's going to be a disadvantage against the speedy front 7-8 for HHS. I thought this was definitely the case against LCC last year.
And you have good points also. But bottom line is that 17 and 25 points were scored against HHS, and often times that is enough to win games. Sometimes other teams are going to have very good defenses. My point is that while I like what Highlands does with its O and D lines, they can be beat by teams that have a differing philosophy with their O and D lines. Sometimes bigger and slower can work. And with Banks at the qb at LCC again this year, I'm not willing to write off E. Ky teams having a chance to beat Highlands.
Any info on Colerain, OH? heard that they could keep the Bluebirds away from another perfect season, BTW Highlands schedule looks tougher than last years with the addition of a very athletic Lou. Central team.
BlackcatAlum Wrote:Any info on Colerain, OH? heard that they could keep the Bluebirds away from another perfect season, BTW Highlands schedule looks tougher than last years with the addition of a very athletic Lou. Central team.
Other than they are one of the top programs in the nation? Haha, They are a powerhouse. Skill at every position, speed, strength, etc..
Panther Thunder Wrote:Other than they are one of the top programs in the nation? Haha, They are a powerhouse. Skill at every position, speed, strength, etc..
... I have never heard of them until today, I knew of St. Xavier, OH but never had heard them.
BlackcatAlum Wrote:... I have never heard of them until today, I knew of St. Xavier, OH but never had heard them.
I'll put it in EKY terms:
Offensively take Belfry and their wish bone. Then make all three RB's David Jones, the QB is also in the 4.5 range but he is as accurate as the Banks kid from LCC. On the O-line put every guy as a D-1 recruit.
Defensively, make the entire secondary sub 4.5 guys with D-1 offers. Run the same blitzing scheme as Pburg but with D-linemen as good as Jeremy Caudill was in HS.
:eek:
Year ina dn year out Colerain is one of the top 25 teams in the nation.
BlackcatAlum Wrote:Any info on Colerain, OH? heard that they could keep the Bluebirds away from another perfect season, BTW Highlands schedule looks tougher than last years with the addition of a very athletic Lou. Central team.
Highlands played Louisville Central last year. I think Highlands beat them something like 21-14, with Central leading 14-0 going into the 4th quarter. I was told by a coach that scouted the game that when the 4th quarter began, it was like a switch was thrown. Highlands players seemed to all of a sudden start to play and they just dominated Central. Not sure if the Highlands kids hadn't been focused before then or whether the Central kids were out of shape, but Highlands looked like at different team supposedly. Concerning Louisville Central, I'm told that Mr. Cobble kid is an absolute stud and is considered to the the best defensive player in the state. I'm sure the Trinity LBer might not agree with that.
