[Blau Vogel]

BOWLING GREEN — Many of Highlands' players were inconsolable after the Bluebirds lost 37-34 to Collins in Saturday's Class 4A state championship game at Western Kentucky University.

Several were in tears. But coach Dale Mueller reminded his players of their accomplishments, most notably three state titles that stretched Highlands' streak to a state-record six, and told them to keep their heads held high.
"I just said to them in the locker room that people in their lives will be able to count on them," the coach said. "This isn't the worst thing that will happen to them in their lives. This is just a football game that they lost."
Not one Highlands player had experienced what they endured after the Bluebirds fell to Collins on the Titans' last play from scrimmage, a 12-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Browning Becherer, his lone snap of the game, to receiver Nathan Sames with seven seconds to play.
For the Titans, in their fourth year with a football program, it's their first state championship. Highlands has 22 state crowns to its credit. Bluebirds assistant coaches helped the dejected players sort out their emotions. Players' parents came onto the field to offer hugs. "This is awful," one player said to a parent.
It was Highlands' first postseason loss since dropping a 2006 second-round game to Covington Catholic. It was the Bluebirds' first loss to a Kentucky team since falling to Ryle during the 2010 regular season. Highlands had won its six previous state finals by an average score of 40-7.
STAT COUNT: Highlands and Collins combined for 938 total yards - 557 in the air and 381 on the ground - and 48 first downs. The Titans rushed for 268 yards on 44 carries for an average of 6.1. Highlands was held to 138 rushing yards on 3.1 per carry.
Collins was 6-for-6 on red-zone scoring chances, and called for just two penalties. Highlands, 4-for-6 in the red zone, totaled eight penalties for 73 yards, punted once and did not sack Titans quarterback Lawson Page after the Bluebirds' Seth Hope sacked Page five times in last season's final. Joey Cochran led Highlands with 11 tackles, all solo stops, with two for loss. Bluebirds quarterback Drew Houliston was sacked four times, all in the first half.
NO PASSING FANCY: Highlands finished with a school single-season record 62 touchdown passes, third-most in Kentucky history, with two more Saturday from Houliston, who became the 11th player in state history to throw 50 touchdowns in a season.

The senior finished his lone starting year with 4,027 passing yards, 50 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He completed 70 percent. He's the ninth QB in state history to throw for at least 4,000 yards in a season.
MAKING THEIR POINTS: The Bluebirds averaged more than 50 points per game for the third year in a row and for the fourth time in program history, with an average of 50.6.
ATTENDANCE: A crowd of 2,997 attended the closest Class 4A final since the KHSAA expanded the number of playing divisions to six.

Collins 7 3 13 14 37
Highlands 7 0 7 20 34

C-Watkins 1 run (Creque kick)
H-Harris 2 run (Dougherty kick)
C-Creque 27 FG
H-Harris 6 run (Dougherty kick)
C-Farris 4 run (Creque kick)
C-Sames 10 pass from Page (Creque kick)
H-Allen 34 pass from Houliston (Dougherty kick) C-Farris 1 run (Creque kick) H-Veneman 42 pass from Houliston (Dougherty kick) H-Harris 1 run (Dougherty kick) C-Sames 12 pass from Becherer (Creque kick)
Records: H 13-2, C 13-2.