Preview: Dixie Heights Colonels vs. Highlands Bluebirds
The Dixie Heights Colonels will head out on the road to face off against the Highlands Bluebirds at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Dixie Heights had no problem doing just that on Friday. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 60-14 victory over Woodford County. The victory was just what Dixie Heights needed coming off of a 53-21 loss in their prior game.
Meanwhile, Highlands came tearing into Friday's game with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36.1 points) and they left with even more momentum. They didn't even let South Oldham onto the board and left with a 43-0 win. Given Highlands' advantage in MaxPreps' Kentucky football rankings (they are ranked sixth, while South Oldham is ranked 45th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Brody Benke was his usual excellent self, throwing for 136 yards and three touchdowns on only six passes, while also catching a touchdown. Highlands also got a significant boost from Cam Giesler, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 83 yards.
Their wins bumped Dixie Heights to 5-6 and Highlands to 10-1.
Dixie Heights was dealt a bruising 51-21 loss at the hands of Highlands when the teams last played back in September. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Highlands' Benke, who rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry, and also threw for 115 yards and a touchdown. Now that Dixie Heights knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
