[OrangenowBlue]

Congratulations. I am surprised. I believe that the football gods has cursed us that if we win region, we have to play Highlands every year. I say lets move the town of Ft. Thomas to Ohio so the rest of us can have a chance every now and then. Just kidding. congrats again to the Bluebirds.

[Can you dig it?]

According to Bardo, the elbow is hyperextended. Dixie is next week, then an off week before CovCath. He'll be ready for that. :devilflam

[sstack]

Have you not seen Highlands play before tonight? Bardo did tonight what he has done all year. He has been running the ball like that all year. X took away the deep ball and keyed on Collinsworth, so he just ran the ball like he has all year. I will agree that I do not know where that D has been hiding. The D was outstanding tonight. I believe coach was hiding alot of the D earlier in the year.

Wrong my brother. The entire offensive strategy centered on Bardo and Collinsworth. Think of Austin as the decoy. Dale knew X was keying on AC. No brainer... You can bet that the talented Bardo did not factor in as an offensive running threat to St. X. That is one of the reasons why they lost. In no other game this year has Bardo shone like tonight. He was their entire offense! I said after the Withrow game that it was going to be keepers and AC rushes with an occasional middle screen to either AC or Fennell. Give me an example of another game where the Bluebird offense relied entirely on the Bardo running game.....not one my brother. Tonight, the Birds showed their entire hand. With Bardo, they are unstoppable. St. Xavier is an incredibly talented and athletic team. Those kids had no answers tonight. The game was a total blowout and I am proud to have witnessed a game for the ages! Tonight it was Bardo's Birds! Stop the pass, they beat you with the run. Stop the run, they screen and run keepers......Their offense is unstoppable.

Brother, I do not know what Highlands team you have been watching, but Bardo has been running the ball great all year and X's coaching staff is smart enough to know he was a threat. They choose to stop the deep pass, and Collingsworth, and hope Bardo would not be able to beat them. HHS did not depend on just Bardo in any other game this year because they did not need too. But, he clearly showed in the other games that he is a big running threat. There have been other threads on here talking about his running abilities. Also, this game can not be called a blow out. HHS did dominate most of the game, but failed to take advantage of scoring opportunities. This game was not decided until about the last 1:30. If X recovers the onside kick, they could have won with a TD pass.

[bac2369]

Any Stats on Collinsworth?

[sstack]

Any Stats on Collinsworth?

2 fumbles inside 5 yd line tonight, his first 2 of the year. X pretty much shut him down and it open up big holes for Bardo to run. X's D line is big as well as the LB's, not to mention fast. However, I think overall team speed has to go to Highlands. X's O line is even bigger than the D line and I was amazed at the way Highlands was able to move the ball agianst them.

[cuppett777]

way to go bluebirds

[More Cowbell]

2009 scores...

Cincy St.X - 24, Louisville St.X - 7
Cincy St.X - 43, Trinity - 13
Highlands - 12, Cincy St.X - 7

Ladies and gentlemen, your (unofficial) Kentucky overall state champion: Highlands

:1:

[15thRegionSlamaBamma]

Congrats Highlands great great win not only for you but this state...

Now one thing I was to take attention to IS in a previous thread many said this Highlands team wasnt all it was cracked up to be and in no way are they a TOP 25 team in the nation. Someone even made the bold statement that 25 teams in Ohio could beat them alone. Maybe some opinions and comments need to be reevaluated...Just saying

[ryandamaste5]

Some have Cin St. X rated at 16th in the nation, and another poll at 2nd in the nation according to MaxPreps.com. Great win.

http://www.maxpreps.com/polls/football/xcellent25.htm

[BlackcatAlum]

Great job Bluebirds!!!!

[MayfieldCardinal]

Great win 4 the Birds, was disappointed with Collinsworth, he fumbles constantly, not sure UK should be looking at this guy

[Cardinalfootballguy]

Ok i just watched this game and it was a good game. #3 the QB is a great player he carried his team tonight before the injury. I really think Highlands will win state.

[ROCKSOLID69]

I believe the bluebirds will jump alot of team in the National Rankings

[THEBIGDAWG]

Way to go birds way to take it to an ohio team. And i think you made some believers tonight. Everyone jump on the wagon.

[qryche11]

Great win 4 the Birds, was disappointed with Collinsworth, he fumbles constantly, not sure UK should be looking at this guy

You can't be serious. It was the only time he has fumbled all year and credit the fast,big and strong X defense for putting a hat on him most of the night. I'd love to see you take some of the shots AC took tonight. He had a tough night no question but he still is a Div 1 recruit and if you put him behind an offensive line like X had then he would have run for 200. That by no means is a knock on the Birds offensive line because they did a darn good job against a great d line and blitzn LBers last night. However, X was keying on AC and he still made some runs that looked like they may be a loss into positive yarda. I have a hard time blaming a kid for fumbling when he gets jolted or he is attempting to stretch the ball across the goal line. The only bad play call and poor play by AC was the HB option pass early in the game.

[rojas]

Huge win for KY high school football. Is Highlands now considered the top team in KY in any class?

[kywldcat01]

A few stats from the game:

Bardo- 16 rushes, 135 yards
Collinsworth- 22 rushes, 65 yards

Credit St X defense for stepping up in the red zone, but this game was physically dominated by Highlands. I said all week long that the Birds offense would be able to use ball control to keep X offense off the field. I don't think some of you realize the size HHS has on that side of the ball. (6'6 Welz TE, 6'6 Grubbs OT, 6'4 Bardo QB, 6'3 Hogue WR, 6'2 Drennen WR, 6'1 Buten WR, 6'1 Collinsworth RB) That's pretty solid. Bardo, IMO, proved last night that he is the best Qb in the state of KY. He had one **** of a game.

Defensively, the Birds came to play tonight. Makes me think that Dale and the defensive coordinator has been hiding some things because the schemes they were running confused X o line all night. X has a MASSIVE o-line. I believe they average 6'3 260. It was great to see Cam Dierig (5'11 165) go against 6'7 290 Matt James of X and beat him time after time. Kid plays with so much heart. Brandon Roller was also an animal last night. Heard Charlie Weiss, Jim Tressell, and the Louisville coaching staff were all in attendance...I'm sure they were both impressed with his play.

I know we all laughed at Dale for making his "we want to be national champions" comments, but after last night those comments actually seem like a reality now. I don't see the Birds losing to anyone on their remaining schedule and they'll walk through the 5A playoffs.

BTW, Cris Collinsworth was in attendane last night with Phil Simms and Merill Hodge...talk about having some big names in the house.

[Stardust]

Just simply awesome to watch this!! GREAT GREAT GREAT!

[Stardust]

St. Xavier 0 0 0 7– 7
Highlands 2 0 7 3– 12

H – safety
H – Bardo 4 run (Weinel kick)
H – Weinel 18 field goal
SX – Kraemer 16 pass from Massa

Records: SX 4-1,

[kywldcat01]

Huge win for KY high school football. Is Highlands now considered the top team in KY in any class?

I've said all year long that Highlands was the best team in the state this year and got laughed at by some. Considering the way X handled the two Louisville powers (X and T), and the way Highlands dominated X last night...I think it's clear who the best team in the state is.

Highlands team speed is what separates them from the rest of the state. They have some serious burners on both sides of the ball.

[Stardust]

Highlands stuns St. Xavier 12-7
By Ryan Ernst • [email]Rernst@enquirer.com[/email] • September 25, 2009

• • Print • ShareThis • Type: A A • Click-2-Listen


Dale Mueller is known nearly as much for his use of hyperbole as he is for his ability to coach football.


Both were effect Friday night at David Cecil Memorial Stadium. And both were undeniable.

“I can’t think of a bigger or better win,” said the Highlands football coach.

• Photos: Bluebirds 12, Bombers 7
• Notebook: St. X can't account for Bardo

The scenery around Mueller seemed to agree: his Gatorade-soaked shirt, the mass of students who had rushed the field, the flashbulbs, the blaring of air horns.

The Bluebirds on Friday night picked up the one thing still missing from their ever-expanding trophy case: a victory over a big-time Cincinnati opponent. They beat St. Xavier 12-7 in a nationally televised game between two nationally-ranked teams.

“We’re going to watch it, but not til later,” said senior offensive lineman Tyler Grubbs. “Because now we’re going to celebrate. This is just a huge win for our program.”

Highlands made the victory, one of the season’s biggest upsets, look relatively easy. The Bluebirds never trailed. They overcame three goal line disappointments and still held a 12-0 lead with 27 seconds left to play.

That’s when St. X quarterback Luke Massa hit Jeff Kraemer for a 16-yard touchdown. After the extra point, St. X kicker Robert Leonard’s on-side kick went out of bounds effectively ending the game.

The Bombers’ woes began and ended with special teams miscues.

Highlands took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter when a St. X snap went over the head of punter Chris Gradone. He fell on the ball in the end zone for a safety.

“The way we play, we’re going to try to play good defense and win the kicking game,” St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. “When you do that, you can’t afford to make mistakes like that.”

For the rest of the first half, the Bombers dodged bullets. Nick Weston picked off a halfback pass from Austin Collinsworth deep in St. X territory to thwart one drive. It stopped another by tackling Collinsworth on fourth-and-two from the 5-yard line. It dodged another by recovering a Collinsworth fumble at the goal line just before halftime.

While the Bombers did a good job of bottling up Collinsworth – the Bluebirds’ two-time all-stater finished with 65 yards on 22 carries – they could not contain quarterback Will Bardo. Despite missing most of the fourth quarter with an injury, Bardo finished with 135 yards rushing. He ran for a 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 9-0. After another Collinsworth goal line fumble, placeHighlands kicker Adam Weinel made an 18-yard field goal to give the Bluebirds a two-score lead.

St. Xavier sophomore running back Conor Hundley, the team’s leading rusher, did not play in the second half due to injury. He finished with 12 yards on four carries.
“He’s just been dinged up,” Specht said. “He couldn’t go.”

Tanner Vidal led St. X with 57 yards on 14 carries.

Highlands (6-0), the back-to-back defending Class 5A Kentucky state champion, is ranked No. 1 in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky poll. St. X (4-1) is ranked No. 2 in Cincinnati behind its next opponent – GCL rival Elder.

Both teams entered the game ranked nationally in various polls. The Bombers were ranked No. 1 nationally in the Massey Ratings, a computer-generated rating system.

The Bluebirds were 0-9 in their last nine tries against Cincinnati powers Elder, Moeller and Colerain.

“It’s a big win,” Mueller said. “We always say we want to be ranked nationally. I’d have to say we probably should be now.”

[charlie22]

Great win 4 the Birds, was disappointed with Collinsworth, he fumbles constantly, not sure UK should be looking at this guy

I understand your thinking if you based it on this game. But I'd ask that you keep a few things in mind: a very good defense, coached by an exceptional defensive mind, was keying on Collinsworth all night; Collinsworth has missed almost two weeks in a row of practice (he practiced a little this past week, but not much); and his hamstring is still bothering him a bit.

[Stardust]

I understand your thinking if you based it on this game. But I'd ask that you keep a few things in mind: a very good defense, coached by an exceptional defensive mind, was keying on Collinsworth all night; Collinsworth has missed almost two weeks in a row of practice (he practiced a little this past week, but not much); and his hamstring is still bothering him a bit.

You are dead on here charlie22! AC had an exceptional game in my opinion. Did exactly what he needed to do, take the pressure off of Bardo. Two great athletes, with AC not being selfish last night.

[Stardust]

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...309250105/

St. X can't account for Bluebirds' Bardo
By Ryan Ernst • [email]rernst@enquirer.com[/email] • September 25, 2009

• • Print • ShareThis • Type: A A • Click-2-Listen


Highlands senior quarterback Will Bardo received plenty of post-game backslaps after the Bluebirds’ stunning 12-7 upset of St. Xavier on Friday night – all on the right side.


His left side was encased in a sling, the result of an early-fourth quarter injury. As the team circled up to celebrate the win, Bardo stood on the outside looking in. But in the game, perhaps no player was as integral in the final outcome

[Mr.Kimball]

If Highlands wins out the rest of the season a Top 10 finish in the nation, and maybe even a Top 5 is defintaely in the realm of possibilities.

How did Collinsworth do and look? I know several UK fans who follow recruiting closely seem to think UK shouldn't be going after him. I disagree. John Cole, formerly of Somerset, is starting as a Soph for Vanderbilt and I think Collinsworth is a much more impressive player at the prep level.

I guess it depends on what position they are recruiting him for. I dont see his body being able to take the punishment as a RB in the SEC. Well I guess to be honest, I cant see him as being able to play the RB position in the SEC to begin with. Perhaps as a receiver. I do think he could help UK in a lot of ways, with his versatility. Would love to see him end up being a wildcat.

Great win for Highlands though. It sure does make it that much more satisfying that even in defeat that a team like JC was able to execute their run game against a team like Highlands as well as they did last year, when a team that is ranked as the #1 team in the country by some, cant move it against them. Even though we couldn't beat em, for a JC fan, you have to be proud of at least that one little thing.

Congatulations, Bluebirds!!!!

[qryche11]

Not sure if anyone noticed but some underclassman certainly stepped up for the Birds on Defense. All year we have been saying how Roller has been the only solid player on defense. Last night 2 sophomores Devin Bruns and Josh Quillen certainly played well. Bruns layed the wood time after time on the X recievers and made one receiver late in the game grow alligator arms instead of stretch out for a pass. Quillen played great contain defense from the OLB position and is a smart player. Austin Abner (JR) played the game of his life also with a great pick off a tipped ball and some very nice tackles coming up from his DB position. Execution was key and gang tackling as well. Congrats to these young men and the rest of the Bird Defense.

Other keys to the game IMO were the special teams. Hogue had a couple booming punts that put X back deep in their own territory and Weinel converted a crucial chip shot field goal from the left hash where an X kicker missed earlier in the game. That put the pressure on X to score two TD's.

Kind a cool sitting 2 rows behind Cris Collinsworth, Merrilll Hoge and Phill Simms. At one point Simms was clapping and rooting for the Birds late in the 4th when the game started getting interesting and X was driving.

[Mr.Kimball]

Not sure if anyone noticed but some underclassman certainly stepped up for the Birds on Defense. All year we have been saying how Roller has been the only solid player on defense. Last night 2 sophomores Devin Bruns and Josh Quillen certainly played well. Bruns layed the wood time after time on the X recievers and made one receiver late in the game grow alligator arms instead of stretch out for a pass. Quillen played great contain defense from the OLB position and is a smart player. Austin Abner (JR) played the game of his life also with a great pick off a tipped ball and some very nice tackles coming up from his DB position. Execution was key and gang tackling as well. Congrats to these young men and the rest of the Bird Defense.

Other keys to the game IMO were the special teams. Hogue had a couple booming punts that put X back deep in their own territory and Weinel converted a crucial chip shot field goal from the left hash where an X kicker missed earlier in the game. That put the pressure on X to score two TD's.

Kind a cool sitting 2 rows behind Cris Collinsworth, Merrilll Hoge and Phill Simms. At one point Simms was clapping and rooting for the Birds late in the 4th when the game started getting interesting and X was driving.

Hey, you were on national TV all night then. They kept showing shots of those guys the whole game..:Clap:

[OrangenowBlue]

Bell County is on most every thread challenging and demeaning other teams. Why are they not on this one wanting to play Highlands.

[birds3pete09]

Bell County is on most every thread challenging and demeaning other teams. Why are they not on this one wanting to play Highlands.

Because they know they would get spanked:redboxer:

[birds3pete09]

You can't be serious. It was the only time he has fumbled all year and credit the fast,big and strong X defense for putting a hat on him most of the night. I'd love to see you take some of the shots AC took tonight. He had a tough night no question but he still is a Div 1 recruit and if you put him behind an offensive line like X had then he would have run for 200. That by no means is a knock on the Birds offensive line because they did a darn good job against a great d line and blitzn LBers last night. However, X was keying on AC and he still made some runs that looked like they may be a loss into positive yarda. I have a hard time blaming a kid for fumbling when he gets jolted or he is attempting to stretch the ball across the goal line. The only bad play call and poor play by AC was the HB option pass early in the game.

Highlands O line was twice as good as X o line last night.X oline had a serious size advantage and couldnt stop highlands d line.Also,no way AC goes to UK.He is way to smart for that.