Poll: Who Wins ?
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St. Xavier (OH)
Highlands
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09-24-2009, 11:59 PM
qryche11 Wrote:Im getting pumped about the game already. Skipping out of work early and looking for some tailgaters. I would expect that getting their early is imerative.
Covering the Boone-Campbell game or I'd be there to tailgate with ya bro. I'm sure the Ft. T faithful will be getting started early.
hh::Clap:
09-25-2009, 07:43 AM
40% chance of rain, scattered t-storms tonight at gametime. Bring the Goretex. Gates open at 5 which gives you 1.5hrs of a good soaking before gametime. I just saw a pic of X's offensive line.....ouch!
09-25-2009, 09:59 AM
kywldcat01 Wrote:Covering the Boone-Campbell game or I'd be there to tailgate with ya bro. I'm sure the Ft. T faithful will be getting started early.
I'll be on the sidelines at Boone taking pictures for the Website
09-25-2009, 10:12 AM
TheBrahmaBull Wrote:Game can be seen on Dish Network, Channel 152at 8pm delayed
09-25-2009, 10:51 AM
Cincy powers have dominated Bluebirds lately
By Ryan Ernst ⢠[email]rernst@enquirer.com[/email] ⢠September 24, 2009
Read Comments(7) ⢠Recommend ⢠Print ⢠ShareThis ⢠Type: A A ⢠Click-2-Listen
For all the success the Highlands football program has achieved in nearly a century of existence - 18 state titles, the most in Greater Cincinnati history; 777 victories, fourth in national history; numerous state records and national rankings - there is one thing the Bluebirds don't have: a program-defining victory over a Cincinnati team.
To the informed, it's a numbers thing. Cincinnati's top teams - including Friday night's opponent St. Xavier (4-0) - have roughly three times the male enrollment. To the Bluebirds, it doesn't matter.
"I don't think of us as underdogs," said Highlands senior offensive lineman Hunter Schlosser. "I'll be really upset if we don't win. We're going out there expecting to win."
Expect as they might, the Bluebirds have mostly come up short against teams from across the river. In the last 20 years they're 0-9 against Elder, Moeller and Colerain. (They're 2-5 all-time against St. Xavier, but the victories came in 1916 and 1943.)
The most recent meetings against Cincinnati's top programs have produced a similar plot. Highlands hangs around for the first half then loses a war of attrition, mostly in the trenches.
Want an example? Elder, Moeller and Colerain have combined to outscore the Bluebirds 103-19 in the third quarter.
"Normally when we play teams in Kentucky, our depth is such an advantage to us," said Highlands coach Dale Mueller. "We're so much fresher. Sometimes we'll play guys just one way and only part-time. That gives us such a tremendous advantage. But we've been worn down a couple times playing some of those (Cincinnati) teams because we had more guys playing both ways."
That's part of the reason why Mueller developed more of a two-platoon system at Highlands. The Bluebirds (5-0) start just one player both ways: running back/defensive back Austin Collinsworth. Even most of the Bluebirds' key backups are one-way players.
"It definitely makes a difference," Schlosser said. "When you're just playing one position, you can just worry about that one thing. It's a lot easier to stay focused and keep your energy level up."
That will be key for Highlands up front, where St. Xavier coach Steve Specht noted the Bluebirds' improved depth.
"They're a smaller school, but you're looking at 80 kids on their sideline," Specht said. "And now you're seeing more quality players in the two-platoon. That is an issue. Last year, with injuries, we had three guys going both ways. They were great defensive players. But when they had to go both ways, they became almost marginal defensive players."
The Bombers haven't had that problem this year.
St. X's defense has allowed just 196 yards and eight points a game in victories over regional powers Colerain, Indianapolis Cathedral, Louisville St. Xavier and Louisville Trinity. Specht called his offensive line, "the difference for us this season." That unit, led by U.S. Army All-American tackle Matt James (6-7, 290), has paved the way for 352 yards and 26 points per game.
"I felt going into this season that our offensive line could be pretty special if they worked hard," Specht said. "All but one of them started last year - some due to injury. We're a big offensive line. But they're big and they can move. They're athletic. They've been key to everything we do. It all starts up front."
Wearing down as games progress
A quarter-by-quarter look at Highlands' performance against Cincinnati's top programs in the last two decades:
Year Team 1 2 3 4 Final
1993 Moeller 3 21 6 14 44
Highlands 0 6 8 8 22
1994 Moeller 0 26 21 7 54
Highlands 0 0 0 15 15
1997 Moeller 7 0 14 0 21
Highlands 6 14 0 0 20
1999 Elder 0 7 14 14 35
Highlands 7 7 0 0 14
2000 Elder 0 7 6 8 21
Highlands 7 7 0 0 14
2004 Elder 0 18 0 7 25
Highlands 7 0 8 0 15
2005 Colerain 7 17 21 0 45
Highlands 0 14 0 0 14
2006 Elder 0 7 7 7 21
Highlands 7 0 3 8 18
2008 Colerain 7 6 13 7 33
Highlands 6 0 0 12 18
Totals Opponent 24 108 103 64 299
Highlands 40 48 19 43 150
By Ryan Ernst ⢠[email]rernst@enquirer.com[/email] ⢠September 24, 2009
Read Comments(7) ⢠Recommend ⢠Print ⢠ShareThis ⢠Type: A A ⢠Click-2-Listen
For all the success the Highlands football program has achieved in nearly a century of existence - 18 state titles, the most in Greater Cincinnati history; 777 victories, fourth in national history; numerous state records and national rankings - there is one thing the Bluebirds don't have: a program-defining victory over a Cincinnati team.
To the informed, it's a numbers thing. Cincinnati's top teams - including Friday night's opponent St. Xavier (4-0) - have roughly three times the male enrollment. To the Bluebirds, it doesn't matter.
"I don't think of us as underdogs," said Highlands senior offensive lineman Hunter Schlosser. "I'll be really upset if we don't win. We're going out there expecting to win."
Expect as they might, the Bluebirds have mostly come up short against teams from across the river. In the last 20 years they're 0-9 against Elder, Moeller and Colerain. (They're 2-5 all-time against St. Xavier, but the victories came in 1916 and 1943.)
The most recent meetings against Cincinnati's top programs have produced a similar plot. Highlands hangs around for the first half then loses a war of attrition, mostly in the trenches.
Want an example? Elder, Moeller and Colerain have combined to outscore the Bluebirds 103-19 in the third quarter.
"Normally when we play teams in Kentucky, our depth is such an advantage to us," said Highlands coach Dale Mueller. "We're so much fresher. Sometimes we'll play guys just one way and only part-time. That gives us such a tremendous advantage. But we've been worn down a couple times playing some of those (Cincinnati) teams because we had more guys playing both ways."
That's part of the reason why Mueller developed more of a two-platoon system at Highlands. The Bluebirds (5-0) start just one player both ways: running back/defensive back Austin Collinsworth. Even most of the Bluebirds' key backups are one-way players.
"It definitely makes a difference," Schlosser said. "When you're just playing one position, you can just worry about that one thing. It's a lot easier to stay focused and keep your energy level up."
That will be key for Highlands up front, where St. Xavier coach Steve Specht noted the Bluebirds' improved depth.
"They're a smaller school, but you're looking at 80 kids on their sideline," Specht said. "And now you're seeing more quality players in the two-platoon. That is an issue. Last year, with injuries, we had three guys going both ways. They were great defensive players. But when they had to go both ways, they became almost marginal defensive players."
The Bombers haven't had that problem this year.
St. X's defense has allowed just 196 yards and eight points a game in victories over regional powers Colerain, Indianapolis Cathedral, Louisville St. Xavier and Louisville Trinity. Specht called his offensive line, "the difference for us this season." That unit, led by U.S. Army All-American tackle Matt James (6-7, 290), has paved the way for 352 yards and 26 points per game.
"I felt going into this season that our offensive line could be pretty special if they worked hard," Specht said. "All but one of them started last year - some due to injury. We're a big offensive line. But they're big and they can move. They're athletic. They've been key to everything we do. It all starts up front."
Wearing down as games progress
A quarter-by-quarter look at Highlands' performance against Cincinnati's top programs in the last two decades:
Year Team 1 2 3 4 Final
1993 Moeller 3 21 6 14 44
Highlands 0 6 8 8 22
1994 Moeller 0 26 21 7 54
Highlands 0 0 0 15 15
1997 Moeller 7 0 14 0 21
Highlands 6 14 0 0 20
1999 Elder 0 7 14 14 35
Highlands 7 7 0 0 14
2000 Elder 0 7 6 8 21
Highlands 7 7 0 0 14
2004 Elder 0 18 0 7 25
Highlands 7 0 8 0 15
2005 Colerain 7 17 21 0 45
Highlands 0 14 0 0 14
2006 Elder 0 7 7 7 21
Highlands 7 0 3 8 18
2008 Colerain 7 6 13 7 33
Highlands 6 0 0 12 18
Totals Opponent 24 108 103 64 299
Highlands 40 48 19 43 150
09-25-2009, 10:52 AM
By Ryan Ernst ⢠[email]rernst@enquirer.com[/email] ⢠September 24, 2009
Read Comments(9) ⢠Recommend ⢠Print ⢠ShareThis ⢠Type: A A ⢠Click-2-Listen
St. Xavier and Highlands enter tonight's nationally televised football game with similar rankings in national polls. Their coaches' opinions about those polls couldn't be more different.
Highlands coach Dale Mueller: "Our goal is to win the national championship. ... We're kind of considering it a national championship game."
St. Xavier coach Steve Specht: "I wish we could just throw away all the national polls. They're fun for the fans, but they really have nothing to do with what we're trying to accomplish."
Tonight's game - starting at 6:30 p.m. at David Cecil Memorial Stadium and being broadcast on CBS College Sports Network at 8 p.m. - won't affect any league or district standings. It will have only a marginal effect on playoff positioning. But when it comes to regional bragging rights and national exposure, there isn't a bigger matchup on the local schedule.
Most national polls favor St. X - some more than others.
Prepnation.com has St. X ranked 13th and Highlands unranked. The Maxpreps Xcellent 25 lists the Bombers 16th and Highlands 18th. The Maxpreps Freeman Rankings have St. X No. 2 and Highlands unranked. ESPN.com has Highlands ranked 27th and St. X 30th. Rivals.com puts St. X 24th and Highlands 25th. USA Today's Super 25, the most established national poll, has St. X 17th and Highlands unranked.
One set of computer rankings, the Massey Ratings, even has the Bombers ranked No. 1 in the country.
For the football-crazy community of Fort Thomas, the game will be its first crack at such a high-profile opponent and first time on national TV.
"It's a very important game for us," said Highlands senior offensive lineman Tyler Grubbs. "This is what we've been working for since we started winter weights on Jan. 5. This is our game."
Read Comments(9) ⢠Recommend ⢠Print ⢠ShareThis ⢠Type: A A ⢠Click-2-Listen
St. Xavier and Highlands enter tonight's nationally televised football game with similar rankings in national polls. Their coaches' opinions about those polls couldn't be more different.
Highlands coach Dale Mueller: "Our goal is to win the national championship. ... We're kind of considering it a national championship game."
St. Xavier coach Steve Specht: "I wish we could just throw away all the national polls. They're fun for the fans, but they really have nothing to do with what we're trying to accomplish."
Tonight's game - starting at 6:30 p.m. at David Cecil Memorial Stadium and being broadcast on CBS College Sports Network at 8 p.m. - won't affect any league or district standings. It will have only a marginal effect on playoff positioning. But when it comes to regional bragging rights and national exposure, there isn't a bigger matchup on the local schedule.
Most national polls favor St. X - some more than others.
Prepnation.com has St. X ranked 13th and Highlands unranked. The Maxpreps Xcellent 25 lists the Bombers 16th and Highlands 18th. The Maxpreps Freeman Rankings have St. X No. 2 and Highlands unranked. ESPN.com has Highlands ranked 27th and St. X 30th. Rivals.com puts St. X 24th and Highlands 25th. USA Today's Super 25, the most established national poll, has St. X 17th and Highlands unranked.
One set of computer rankings, the Massey Ratings, even has the Bombers ranked No. 1 in the country.
For the football-crazy community of Fort Thomas, the game will be its first crack at such a high-profile opponent and first time on national TV.
"It's a very important game for us," said Highlands senior offensive lineman Tyler Grubbs. "This is what we've been working for since we started winter weights on Jan. 5. This is our game."
09-25-2009, 11:16 AM
Highlands coach Dale Mueller: "Our goal is to win the national championship. ... We're kind of considering it a national championship game."
Please tell me that Dale Mueller didn't really say that. :lmao:
This game could get real ugly, real quick.
Please tell me that Dale Mueller didn't really say that. :lmao:
This game could get real ugly, real quick.
09-25-2009, 03:09 PM
Just checked out Cincy St. X's schedule! Wow talk about brutal. Unreal :worthy:
09-25-2009, 04:46 PM
Stardust Wrote:I'll be on the sidelines at Boone taking pictures for the Website
I'll be in the pressbox during the game but I'll keep a look out for you.
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