Over the past few weeks, many Highlands High School athletic programs have made big steps and accomplishments in their seasons.

     Boys Golf 

     After their recent Regionals win, the boys golf team went on to play in the state tournament on October 8 and 9 at Bowling Green Country Club. 

    After the first day, they finished 62 over as a team, putting them in 11th place out of 12 other teams. 

     Freshmen Hank Shick led the Birds shooting 81, nine over. 

     Shick started well but is not satisfied with his ending performance. 

     “I played good on the front, [and] shot 39. Then I didn’t finish good. I had 5 bogies to finish.”

     Junior Joel Craft and Senior Jack Schnieder followed both shooting 86, 14 over.

     Freshmen Nate Surrey finished with a 97, 25 over. 

     On the second day, the Birds learned from their mistakes and shot the fourth-best score of the day as a team. 

     Craft shot a 74, 2 over par on the second day. 

     “I pretty much went into the second day with nothing on the line since I played so badly on the first day so there was a little less pressure. I got off to a good start and kept on going the rest of the day.” 

     Craft was followed by Schneider with an 81, 9 over par; Shick with an 85, 13 over par; and Surrey with an 87, 15 over par. 

     The Bluebirds finished the tournament 101 over par to finish in 9th place, earning another top 10 finish this season. 

     Unfortunately, the team lost their two top players the previous year. Although despite this, the team continued to prove others wrong, performing at a high level, making Coach Bert Richey proud. 

     “This group didn’t use any excuses to stop them from getting back to the last day of the state tournament and finishing in the top 10. They worked so hard this year and improved individually which made our team so much better at the end of their year. I’m really proud of what they accomplished this year.” 

     Girls Golf

     Senior KJ Toole also went to the tournament and represented the girls golf team as an individual at state on October 5 and 6.

     On the first day, Toole teed off at 11:39 a.m on the first hole at Bowling Green Country Club. 

     Toole finished the day 12 over, shooting 84. She made it to the second day, escaping the cut of 89. 

     On the second day, Toole teed off at 9:27 a.m on number 10. She finished later that day with a score of 80, 8 over par. 

     Combining both days, KJ shot a 164, 20 over par, winning her 29th place out of 141 players.  

     “I was battling a back injury so just hanging in there was a mental goal during the round. I just wanted to play my last high school tournament mindfully. I was grateful for the experience above all else.”

    Boys Soccer

     The boys soccer team has had a very successful season. 

     On October 5, the boys soccer team played against Newport Central Catholic for the District Championship. 

     The Birds went on to crush the Thoroughbreds 7-0 for the District Title. 

     Since they won Districts, the Birds advanced to the Regional Tournament and played against Cooper High School on October 12, winning 4-1.

     Senior Sam Jones reflected on how they prepared by reflecting on their previous game against Newport Central Catholic.

     “We knew that we were going to play on grass so mentally we had to prepare for that. Also earlier in the season we had only beat them 4-2. We knew that we could win by more and we were out for revenge.” 

     On October 14, the boys played rivals Covington Catholic. Unfortunately, the outcome didn’t end up in favor of the bluebirds. The boys lost in penalty kicks 3-1.

     Girls Soccer

     Along with the boy’s soccer team, the girls soccer team is thriving.

     On October 6, the girls soccer team won the District Championship, dominating Newport Central Catholic 6-0. 

     Due to their recent District victory, the Ladybirds played the first round of the Regional  Tournament on October 11 against the Ryle Crusaders.

     Continuing with their winner’s mentality, Senior Faith Broering and the rest of the team prepared in many different ways.

     “We were extremely focused during practice because we knew it was going to be win or go home. So we got mentally and physically prepared. We also made sure all of us got eight hours of sleep, were well hydrated, and ate well. Then we just came together as a team.”

     The Ladybirds took the lead in the beginning and were winning 4-0 at the half. They kept the lead to finish the game-winning 6-0. 

      On October 13, the Ladybirds played against Dixie Heights due to their win against Ryle. They soon came out on top, winning 2-1.

     They will now advance to play Notre Dame Academy on October 16 at Boone County High School. 

     “I think we have a really good chance at winning state. Obviously, State is always the goal but right now it’s to beat Notre Dame in the region finals,” stated Broering. 

    Volleyball

     The girl’s volleyball team is having a great season this year. The team currently holds a record of 25-7.

     On October 12, the Ladybirds concluded their regular-season loss against the Cooper Cougars in the third set. 

     Senior Cecelia Shick shared what she thought was the key difference between the play in the first set and the last set against Cooper. 

     “I think from the first set to the end of the game we picked up our intensity and that helped change our rhythm.”

     Although the loss was unfortunate, it was Senior Night which added a happy spirit to the players. Senior Night is a major night for the graduating class when it comes to athletics. 

     “I was really excited for senior night, but it was also sad because I knew that my volleyball career would be coming to an end soon,” said Senior Madison Clore.

     Even with the loss, the girls will play at districts on October 17-23 here at HHS. 

      Playing on the home court has a big advantage when it comes to districts. This is because you are familiar with the court.  

     With fall sports wrapping up their season, Athletic Director Wes Caldwell is very happy and proud of everyone’s performances.

     ”I’ve been to practices, I’ve been to games, and the amount of effort they’ve put in this year and it’s truly paying off and it’s great seeing the young women and young men we have blossoming into tremendous athletes and doing well in the classroom as well.”