BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Highlands football fans raced to buy copies of USA Today last Tuesday. Their team had been ranked No. 20 in the nation, but after the most lopsided title-game victory in state history - and with three teams ranked ahead of it losing - it seemed due for a big jump.
Right?
Nope. Still stalled at No. 20. It has moved up just two spots in 11 weeks.
The Bluebirds had also roosted in the paper's Super 25 the past two seasons, but hadn't ranked higher than 23rd either of those years. Is this No. 20 ranking - the best in school history - a glass ceiling?
For now, yes.
"I do (the ratings) on a power-state basis," USA Today's Dave Krider said. "Kentucky football is not rated real highly when you look at the whole country. It's hard for a Kentucky team to move up too high."
Krider has ranked football and basketball teams for USA Today since 1982. His is a tough job, always open to criticism, but Highlands coach Dale Mueller provides only a little of it.
"I'm biased. I want us to be No. 1," Mueller said. "But I'm honored he keeps picking us in the top 25 in the country."
That's not lip service. Mueller will design his team's state championship rings with Krider's final ranking of Highlands in the center.
But Mueller will still lobby a bit.
"I think football in Kentucky is excellent," he said. "That's obvious with some of the players - (Chris) Redman, (Tim) Couch and Dennis Johnson won national player of the year awards three of the past four years. What's the odds of any state doing that?
"Also, we scored the most points of anybody in a number of years - sixth all-time nationally - and did that with taking our No. 1s (starters) out early a number of times."
Krider has noticed.
"I know they have really good personnel," he said. "But all those records are hard to judge when the opposition is questionable. I'd rather have teams win 21-14 playing tough competition."
States like Ohio, Texas, Florida and California perennially dominate the Super 25.
"Even if you lose a game in Ohio, you still have a chance to be in the ratings," Krider said. "Last year, Cleveland St. Ignatius lost twice (both to eventual national champ Canton McKinley), and I still kept them in there."
Krider's suggestion: Schedule tough, out-of-state competition. "Evangel Christian (of Shreveport, La.) is only a 3A school (5A is the biggest in Louisiana), but they went down and starting beating teams in Texas," Krider said. "I've got them all the way up to No. 3 now."
Last year, Highlands was No. 23 in Krider's preseason poll when it lost to Moeller (then ranked 14th) by a point in the season opener. Krider kept Highlands 23rd "out of respect for the competition," he said.
With realignment next fall, Highlands will have five district games, two fewer than in the past. It is working on a date with Ohio Division I runner-up Cincinnati St. Xavier and hopes to add other Cincinnati powers.
"We've got greater flexibility to add games we want," Mueller said. "We'd like to play the best schedule we can."
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