[Stardust]

Early in the second quarter of Highlands' 63-14 home victory over Ryle in the regular-season finale for both teams, Bluebirds assistant coach Cris Collinsworth encouraged quarterback Patrick Towles to take some shorter options as the offense accentuated game management Friday in the run-up to the playoffs.

Towles looked long for targets Austin Sheehan, who caught a 40-yard touchdown pass, and Ian McGurn, who caught scoring passes of 36 and 54 yards, while the Bluebirds bolted to a 21-0 first-quarter lead

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"We had a hard time matching their speed," Ryle coach Bryson Warner said. "They've got tremendous speed."

Towles was throwing warm-up tosses on the sideline as the Bluebirds' offense was getting ready to take the field moments after Josh Quillen's 95-yard interception return for a touchdown helped put them ahead 28-0, when Collinsworth said to the senior QB, "We want to see how fast we can do it, but we don't have to get it all in one play."

Towles nodded in agreement and said, "Yessir."

To which Collinsworth replied: "But take (the long play) if it's there."

"Oh, you know I will," said Towles, who is heading to the University of Kentucky on a football scholarship."

On the ensuing possession, Towles methodically worked an eight-play 68-yard scoring drive that began with a 28-yard completion to Sheehan and ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by Zach Harris for a 35-0 Highlands lead. Towles trotted off the field following Harris' burst and Collinsworth gave the QB a pat on the backside.

"You want to get as much work in as possible going into the playoffs - with the long, intermediate and short stuff," said Towles, who hit David Christian with a five-yard TD pass to help make it 42-0 two plays after Colin Seidl turned a short screen pass from Towles into a 50-yard gain to the Ryle 11.

Towles said he had game management in mind when he threw to Seidl, but he can't help it if the junior tailback has the speed to avoid tacklers and take it to the house.

"You want to work on everything. But you can't hold back, either, if it's there, and Colin is a fast little guy," said Towles, who capped the half with a five-play, 58-yard scoring drive that included a 37-yard pass to Seidl. Jake True scored on a two-yard plunge for a 49-0 lead and a running second-half clock for the shellshocked Raiders.

Towles completed 14 of 35 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, as Highlands ran up a total yards advantage of 354-127. The Bluebirds avenged last season's 28-26 loss to Ryle and won their 15th straight.

"Cris has a great influence on Patrick and he likes him to be patient and find the right guy, not the deepest guy," said Highlands coach Dale Mueller, who guided the Bluebirds (10-0), ranked No. 1 in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, to a third unbeaten regular season in five years. "You can find the right guy on a shorter route and he can make it a longer play."

McGurn's 54-yard TD catch was Exhibit A against the fifth-ranked Raiders (6-4). The tight end caught Towles' pass at Ryle's 30, spun away from the first defender, juked the next one, broke two tackles and bowled over a safety while carrying a pair of defenders on his back into the end zone. "McGurn's like a running back after catching a pass," Towles said. "We've got a lot of guys who can extend the play."

The Raiders, missing starting quarterback Nathan Davis due to injury, rotated normal halfback Tanner Pulice and backup QB Ryan Hill under center in an attempt to keep the Bluebirds off-balance. But Highlands was unfazed, even as Pulice dashed for 187 yards on 22 carries. The Raiders were 4-for-9 passing for 73 yards while being outgained 498-274 in the contest.

"We're pleased, because we played a lot of good football teams," Mueller said of the unbeaten season. "But now is when the season starts for us; we gear everything toward winning in the playoffs. Our goal is to win the last five games."