On Friday, the Highlands football team defeated Anderson County with a final score of 14 to 10. The game, hosted by Anderson, was the second round of the playoffs, making this win the first time the team has advanced past the second round of playoffs since 2015. 

Kickoff was set for 7:30, and by 7:45, the ozone was full of students, teachers, and community members screaming their support for the Bluebirds. 

The two schools played against each other only one other time: during the 2002 playoffs, where the Bluebirds crushed the Bearcats with a final score of 56-0. 

The first touchdown was scored by junior Ethan Houze from the 30-yard line with 9 minutes, 6 seconds left in the first quarter. Anderson County scored with 5 minutes, 55 second left in the first quarter, bringing the score to a tie of 7-7. 

In the second quarter, Anderson scored a 25 yard field goal, making the score 10-7. This score remained until the second play at halftime; Highlands recovered a fumble, leading senior Ben Sisson to score with 3 minutes, 14 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.

Junior Mason Schwalbach recovered a fumble at the 33 yard line, resulting in a score of 14-10 at the end of the third quarter. Sisson recovered another fumble on the 25 yard line with 22 seconds left, securing the Bluebirds advancement to the next round of playoffs.