Highlands Concludes 2009 Spring Football

Highlands concluded spring football on Friday, March 27. Over the past few weeks, the Bluebirds held practices and intrasquad scrimmages, in preparation for the upcoming season. Offense was a main focus of the practices, and a surprise was unveiled, as Austin Collinsworth was moved from wide receiver to running back during spring football.

Guidugli Signs with GMC

Highlands senior quarterback Tony Guidugli officially signed to play football with Georgia Military College on March 17. Georgia Military College is one of the top junior college football programs in the nation, and several GMC alumni have gone on to play in the National Football League (NFL).

Highlands Players Showcased Online

Three current Highlands juniors, WR/DB Nick Buten, WR/DB Austin Collinsworth and TE/LB Brandon Roller have highlight videos showcasing their gridiron skills posted online. The videos, along with player information for these three athletes can be found at http://www.highlandsrecruits.com/.

Change Made to Highlands' 2009 Schedule

As a result of Covington Holmes moving down to Kentucky Class 4A for the 2009 season, an opening was created in Highlands' varsity schedule. The Covington Holmes game will be replaced with a game against Cincinnati Saint Xavier. The game will be played at Highlands on Friday, September 25. Cincinnati Saint Xavier won Ohio Division I state championships in 2005 and 2007, finishing the 2007 season ranked 1st nationally according to PrepNation.com. Last season, Saint Xavier struggled a bit, finishing with a record of 4-6 and missing the 2008 Ohio state playoffs.

Four Bluebirds Headed to the All-Star Game

Four Highlands seniors have been invited to the second annual "Best of the Bluegrass" East-West all-star football game, which will be played on June 12, 2009 at 7:30PM. The game will be held at Western Kentucky University. The four Highlands seniors will play for the East squad. They are:

RB/DB Josh Conner
OL/DL Adam Dempsey
QB Tony Guidugli
DL Kody Rosenhagen

Highlands Football Banquet Recently Held

On Sunday, January 25, 2009, the Fort Thomas Highlands football program held its annual football awards banquet. The 2008 Highlands football season DVD was showcased, and several student-athletes were honored at this ceremony. Below is a listing of the awards and award winners. Congratulations to all the players and coaches for a successful 2008 season!

Also, the 2008 Highlands football season DVD is now for sale. Anyone interested in purchasing this DVD should contact Ms. Carolyn Smith in the Highlands High School Athletics Department for details.

Highlands Football Banquet Award Recipients:
Mr. Highlands Football Award: Michael Laber
MVP Award: Tony Guidugli
MVP Award: Adam Dempsey
"Red Dog" Spirit Award: Nick Martin
Ron Welch Award: Kody Rosenhagen
Quinn Stapleton Award: Blake Newman
Mr. Determination Award: Jarred Frank
Coaches' Perseverance Award: Ted Abner
Blocking Excellence Award: Peter Bardgett
Career Excellence Award: Josh Conner
Mr. Everything Award: Oliver Head
110% Award: Alex Horner
Fourth Quarter Award: Jake Turner
Clint Crawford Award: Clint Crawford
Underclassman MVP Award: Austin Collinsworth
Underclassman MVP Award: Brandon Roller
Underclassman Mr. Highlands Football Award: Tyler Combs
Underclassman Mr. Highlands Football Award: Hunter Schlosser
JV Mr. Highlands Football Award: Brian Beck
JV MVP Award: Daniel Gold
JV Mr. Everything Award: Corey Compton
JV "Red Dog" Spirit Award: Ryan Hahn
Freshman Mr. Highlands Football Award: Ben Dupont
Freshman Mr. Highlands Football Award: Austin Sheehan
Freshman MVP Award: Jake True

Shake-Up in Highlands' District

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Board of Control recently approved a change that will impact Highlands' district (Kentucky Class 5A, District 5) in 2009. Covington Holmes will move down to Class 4A, District 5 in 2009, on account of the school's diminishing enrollment numbers. As a result, Holmes will no longer be in the district with Highlands, Covington Catholic, Dixie Heights and Scott. There are no plans for a team to be moved into Highlands' district. As a result, all four remaining teams in Class 5A, District 5 will be guaranteed playoff spots in 2009, since the top four teams from each district qualify for the state playoffs.

This change will also likely impact Highlands' 2009 schedule. Holmes will have to play the teams in its new district, and Holmes may have to drop the Class 5A, District 5 teams (including Highlands) from its schedule.

For details regarding Highlands' 2009 schedule (as it currently stands), please click on "Highlands' Current Schedule and Team Roster," located on the "Contents" page of: http://www.highlands-bluebirds.com/.