Highlands ends skid to CovCath

James Weber Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK

PARK HILLS, Ky. – After committing its fifth turnover of the game midway through the fourth quarter, it was easy to think that the Highlands football team was going to miss out on its chance to beat archrival Covington Catholic for the first time in 10 meetings.

But the Bluebirds dug deep and came from behind Friday night at CovCath’s Griffin Stadium, beating the Colonels 32-21 in a KHSAA Class 5A, District 5 seeding game.

Senior Charlie Noon’s kickoff return for a touchdown following a Highlands’ safety with six minutes left in the fourth quarter gave the Bluebirds the lead for good and reversed seven years of misfortune.

“It’s pretty amazing, knowing we’re the first team in a couple of years to come out here and win,” Noon said. “We put ourselves into a couple of holes early on, but this team fought like hell to bring it back. It’s a great feeling.”

Highlands won its seventh-straight overall to improve to 7-2 this season, 3-0 in district play with a game against Cooper next week in Fort Thomas to finish the regular season. CovCath fell to 6-2, 2-1 with a home game against Conner next week.

Highlands beat CovCath for the first time since 2015, having lost nine consecutive games including three in the playoffs. It was head coach Bob Sphire’s first win over CovCath after losing twice last season.

“Adversity is no longer the master of this program,”Sphire said. “When I got here 16 months ago, adversity was the master of this program. They couldn’t handle it. They went into the tank. It was individualism and we are no longer that football program.” kick)

A- Alvarez 1 pass from Scalf (pass failed)

T-Machenheimer82kickoffreturn(Braun kick)

T- Machenheimer 44 pass from Nigam (Baun kick)

A- Scalf 15 rn (Goethe kick)

A- Smith 13 pass from Scalf (Goethe kick)

A- Piening 6 pass from Scalf (Goethe kick)

A- Berg 1 run (Goethe kick) Kings 37, Little Miami 7 Little Miami 0 0 0 7 - 7 Kings 14 23 0 0 - 37

K- Cameron 45 pass from Kocher (Wik kick)

K- Holubetz 8 run (Wik kick)

K- safety

K- Lyman 53 pass from Kocher (Wik kick)

K- Kelly 45 run (Wik kick)

K- Mussari 23 pass from Kocher LM- Cooper 13 pass from Maupin (Hoffman kick)

Records: K 8-1 (7-1 ECC), LM 2-7 (1-7 ECC). Milford 27, West Clermont 26 Milford

WC- Sanders 3 run (Cooper kick)

WC- Earley 3 run (Cooper kick)

WC- Henry Jr. 10 pass from Earley (kick failed) M- Davis 84 KO return (Cooper kick) M-Davis5passfromHardin(Cooperkick) M- Ray 26 pass from Hardin (pass failed)

WC- Henry Jr. 67 pass from Earley (pass failed)

M- Warther 26 pass from Hardin (Cooper kick)

Records: M 7-2 (6-2 ECC), WC 4-5 (4-4

ECC)

OTHER SCORES: Lebanon 35, Walnut Hills 20 Winton Woods

T- Bostic 12 pass from Ison (Cutts run) T- Richardson 3 run (Cotton pass from Ison)

Quarterfinals Boyle d. Errett 6-1, 6-2; Arington d. Harsman 6-0, 6-0; Thompson d.

Washington 6-1, 6-2; Brown d. Brumbaugh 6-1, 7-6(4).

OHSAA Division II district tournamentdoubles First round

Ananya-Cassidy (CHCA) d. Cate-Black (Milton Union) 6-0, 6-0; Soller-Kuwatch (Mariemont) d. Schnell-Riggs (Oakwood)

6-3, 6-2; Fraker-Yeager (Northwestern) d. Hajjar-Marburger (Summit Country Day)

6-3, 6-4; L. Larsen-C. Larsen (Indian Hill) d. Schope-Schaefer (Alter) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4; Mac. Hitchcock-Mal. Hitchcock (Eaton) d. Singh-Pollock (IH) 6-0, 6-0; Thompson-Scharfenberger (Seven Hills) d. Patel-Zweizig (Tippecanoe) 4-6, 6-1,

6-1; Glassmeyer-Malafa (Mar) d. Juniewicz-Parisi (Chaminade Julienne)

6-2, 6-1; Morris-Puryear (CHCA) d. O. Walrath-S. Walrath 6-3, 6-0. Quarterfinals

Annapantula-Cassody d. Soller-Kuwatch

6-1, 6-2; L. Larsen-C. Larsen d. Fraker-Yeager 6-4, 6-3; Mac. Hitchcock-Mal. Hitchcock d. Thompson-Scharfenberger 6-0, 6-1; Morris-Puryear d. Glassmeyer-Malafa 6-1, 6-3. BOYS’ SOCCER Badin 3, CHCA 0

B- Warner 2, Eldridge. Shutout: Marischen (two saves). Records: B 8-4-3, CHCA 5-9-1. Batavia 2, Clinton-Massie 1

B- Gipson, Kendrick. Records: B 11-4-1 (9-0-1 SBC), CM 8-2-6 (4-1-5 SBC). Harrison 6, Edgewood

W- Hester 9 run (Rummer kick)

W- Hester 8 run (Rummer kick)

Mitchell 86 Kickoff return (Rummer kick)

Hester 2 run (Rummer kick)

H- Koops 1 run (Anderson kick) N- Hill 4 run (Walker kick)

H- Rogers 55 run (Rogers kick)

H- Hering 16 run (Anderson kick)

(Oak Hills) d. Chappars (Bel) 6-1, 6-0; Clark (Turpin) d. Szwajkowski (Springboro) 6-0, 6-0; Chauduri (Mas) d. Braswell (N) 6-1, 6-1; Aggarwal (Mas) d. Mu (Milford) 6-0, 6-0; Jovanov (Miamisburg) d. Faulkner (But)

6-1, 6-1. Quarterfinals Brink d. Gandra 6-1, 6-0;

T-

T- Banks 70 punt return (Jackson pass from Ison)

T- Cotton 43 pass from Ison (Godrey pass from Ison)

(Chaminade Julienne) d. Bauer (Mariemont) 6-2, 6-3; Washington (Miami Valley) d. Sauser (Waynesville) 6-0, 6-0; Thompson (CHCA) d. Bauer (Tip) 6-0, 6-0; Brumbaugh (Milton Union) d. Rich (Oakwood) 6-0, 6-0; Brown (IH) d. Demmel (B)