Highlands puts up 50, could have easily hit for 100, in first-round shutout romp over Boyd County

Here come the Bluebirds. (Photo by Dale Dawn photo)

By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter

Only a fumble on the final play of the first half kept Highlands’ top-ranked Bluebirds from a 50-lead at halftime Friday against an outmanned Boyd County team in the opening night of the Class 4A KHSAA playoffs.

Highlands’ Tayden Lorenzen tiptoes into the endzone to get the scoring started Friday. (Photo by Dale Dawn)

Not that it mattered. After getting a running clock with a first-quarter 36-0 lead, this one was over. Actually, it was over before that as Highlands scored three TDs in less than two minutes midway through the first quarter – for a 22-0 lead and they could have started the buses back to Catlettsburg for a Lions’ team that would finish 6-5.

The first came on a seven-yard Tayden Lorenzen run, the next on a 51-yard Armstrong pass to Chase Jacob, one of his two TD catches, and the third on a 41-yard Gabe Williams’ punt return.

With the win, the 9-2 Bluebirds will now host a 9-2 Greenup County, a first-round 41-21 playoff winner over Mason County, next Friday. That’s a Mason County team that Highlands beat, 61-0.

With this Highlands team No. 1 in the Kentucky media poll, inexplicably ranked No. 4 by the KHSAA’s RPI computer, the following Week 3 — as the playoffs rematch the remaining teams according to RPI — meaning that although the Bluebirds have clearly staked their claim as the state’s No. 1 Class 4A team, they’ll most likely have to travel for a semifinal game save a major upset.

“I’m just focusing on Greenup County,” Sphire says. Let the following weeks – and the Bluebirds – take care of themselves – when that time comes.

But on this night, when the time came, which for the Highlands’ starters was pretty much just the first quarter, they had jumped out by 36 points and instituted a running clock the rest of the way, shortening the game to 66 plays.

Highlands’ Chase Jacob with one of his two receiving TDs. (Photo by Dale Dawn)

“We ran just 32,” said Sphire, one of the top coaches in Georgia before returning to Kentucky and Highlands. “I’ve never been anywhere you could start a running clock like that.”

Until Friday in Ft. Thomas.

As you might expect, the unofficial stats were as lopsided as the scoreboard. For example, Highlands’ big-time sophomore prospect quarterback Armstrong, completed just four passes in his first quarter stint, but three of them went for TDs. He then gave way to a pair of successors – senior Cale Harris and freshman Jaxston Moeves –who each threw for a touchdown.

Compare that to a Boyd County team that was limited to just seven-of-28 passing for a mere nine yards. “I’m not sure how you complete seven passes for just nine yards,” Sphire said, “although they threw a lot of screens and we came up and tackled them.”