[Blau Vogel]

Fort Thomas Junior Football League.

4-6 teams in each of three age groups:
3rd & 4th, 5th & 6th, 7th & 8th

Most teams are coached by former Bluebird players, teaching Bluebird football.

By the time these kids hit their freshman year, the have the basic knowledge of what it expected of them on the high school level and can hit the ground running (pardon the pun).

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

In Northern Kentucky, the many youth leagues include the Fort Thomas Junior Football League, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. The league has helped produce Highlands' multiple Kentucky varsity state titles.

Hunter Schlosser, a Highlands senior offensive lineman, is a product of the league formed by men including his grandfather, Clem Fennell Jr., legendary former Highlands varsity coach Homer Rice, and former St. Xavier/Notre Dame/Cleveland Browns quarterback George Ratterman.

"I'd see my older brother getting ready for his games, and I couldn't wait for the day I put all that stuff on," Schlosser said. "I really liked watching people hit each other. Now, my fifth-grade nephew loves coming to the games and seeing me play."

Highlands coach Dale Mueller was a guard/linebacker in his Fort Thomas Junior Football League playing days in the 1960s. Mueller idolized Highlands stars of that era, including Tim Racke and Hank Pogue.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Mueller said. "I used to go on the field after games and try to bump into them, just to have any contact between me and them. Just to get a chin strap from them, it was bigger than you can even describe. I remember seeing Homer Rice coaching on the field, wanting to be part of that in the worst way."

Rice later was head coach at the University of Cincinnati and head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091...round-here

Any state championship team gets 5 extra weeks of games and practice. This year's Highlands seniors have been involved in 30 regular season games/practices and 13 post season games/practices.( not including their frosh year) IMHO, this doesn't hurt either.

Lastly, tradition is sometimes an over used word, but in this case it is not. Next Thursday when Fort Thomas families get together to give thanks, there will be a good bit of "talk" aimed at this year's players from brothers, cousins, uncles, fathers and perhaps a grandfather or two that have rings. Current players want theirs too.