[Blau Vogel]

Covington Catholic (10-2) has been on a roll since a regular season loss to their biggest in-region rival.

Highlands edged CovCath, 42-37, at CovCath on Sept. 24. Since then, the Colonels have reeled off six straight wins, by an average score of 50-6. The latest victory came on the road at Ashland Blazer.

The Colonels pulled away in the second half for a 35-8 win on Nov. 11.

Running back Gabe Gray keyed the second-half surge, finishing with 244 yards and three touchdowns. The game was scoreless after one quarter and tied at seven at halftime.

“We typically play better in the second half,” Colonels head coach Dave Wirth said. “Gabe is certainly a second-half runner. He gets stronger when defenses get tired.”

The Bluebirds present a much bigger challenge for the Colonels, but CovCath proved that it can play with the defending state champs. The offense showed that it can keep up with Highlands, but the defense will need to slow Patrick Towles and the Bluebirds’ attack.

“Our offense moved the ball well and we did some good things against their pass offense. I think we’ll be really aggressive and take a lot of shots,” Wirth said. “Defensively, we’ll probably do everything different this time. We gave up 42 points the first time.”

The Colonels defense did a decent job in the first matchup. Highlands has scored over 42 points in nine of its 12 games this season. It will take an even stronger showing from the Colonels’ defense to claim a regional championship.

“This is one of the best teams Kentucky’s ever seen, so we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Wirth.