It’s a Friday night where the lights are reflecting off the field, the OZONE is already cheering, and the game that’s about to start is more than just an event, but now a tradition for the entire community. During this game, nothing else matters to these players; this is the night they have focused on for weeks. After they come together and break down their huddle, 57 years of tension are about to lead to the best game of the season. Covington Catholic comes to Highlands for another high-energy game in the longtime rivalry. There is excitement from both sides, with the bleachers overflowing with students eager to see the small-town schools battle it out again year after year.
On Friday, Highlands and Covington Catholic will once again meet for this annual battle. This matchup is one of the most well-known rivalries in the entire state, and especially in the Northern Kentucky Region, with it all starting in 1968, when Covington Catholic first appeared on the schedule. These two schools are both prized for their power on the field, high state rankings, many state championship wins, and large crowd sizes. This rivalry has seen and brought out excellent football from both sides, and it brings moments that students and alumni still speak of years later.
The atmosphere of a Covington Catholic and Highlands football game day is different from any other, as Covington Catholic athletic director Tony Bacigalupo describes.
“There’s nothing like a Highlands game day at school. You can hear and feel the energy in the hallways and in the cafeteria at lunchtime….I think both teams and staff would agree that there is an elevated sense of focus and pressure. It is that pressure that brings out the best from both sides and what makes it such a great game,” Bacigalupo said.
The pressure before a Covington Catholic game especially affects the players, and forces them to play their best. For running back Gabe Williams (11), his first mark on the rivalry’s history is one of these amazing moments. He scored a dagger touchdown that sealed the win for the Bluebirds.
“…because it was my first varsity touchdown, and it really put the game in our reach. Put us up 10 with about four minutes left, and it really just put the game away. And it also made it on the news, so seeing the news clip when I got home was really fun,” Williams said.
The legacy that these players leave means a lot to them and the school. They want their games to be known years later for how well they played. This year’s game is especially important to Jack Price (12), as in his final season, he wants to accomplish something that has not been done for years.
“I want to win, I want to win for the second time, I think this will be the first time in a while that we beat them at their place and then at our place back to back.”
With so much talent on both sides, this rivalry often shapes seasons and has a heavy impact on both schools’ athletic departments. This rivalry is more than just a game, but now more of a point of pride, tradition, and pressure for everyone involved.
“It plays such a large role in the overall state champion. There have been so many legendary athletes and coaches on both sides,” Baciagalupo said.
For the players, the rivalry is not only about tradition, but also a personal challenge that comes from years of competition between the two schools. This intensity and drive create a feeling that only those on the field can truly understand.
“It’s really tense because I mean, we’ve played these guys for four years and we’ve wanted to beat them for four years and we have. We want to just keep dominating them…come Friday night, and when you’re there, it’s just so fun, it’s awesome,” Price said.
The OZONE plays a huge role in hyping up the football team every Friday night with their wild cheers and relationships with the players.
“Definitely just being around the other students is fun, just because talking about it is like how big of a game it is…, knowing that it’s going to be a good game no matter what,” OZONE leader Hayden Gessner (12) said.
Both the students and players know the Covington Catholic Colonels and the Highlands Bluebirds both have schools that always show out each year with their amazing student section themes, crazy loud cheers, and intense attitudes ready for their team to win the game.
“It’s always the best game of the year in terms of atmosphere…I feel like David Cecil is going to be packed on October 7th, and just looking up in the stands and knowing all of our student section and all of our home side hates Cov Cath as much as Cov Cath hates us. It’s the best feeling,” Williams said.
This rivalry is still strong and only supposed to get bigger with a strong future for both teams.
“I still think it’s the same, you know, this rivalry’s been going on for quite some time. I don’t think it will ever change. I think it just gets more exciting every single play, and it’s always great when we have two good teams that are at the top of their games whenever they do play,” Highlands Athletic Director Wes Caldwell said.
The matchup Friday will begin at 7:00p.m. at David Cecil Memorial Stadium.
