Sunday, March 05, 2000
NORTHERN KY. INSIDER
Favorite job is unpaid one for Highlands' Mueller
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Dale Mueller's official Highlands job titles end at teacher, football coach and athletic director. The part he doesn't get paid for — recruiting coordinator — is nonetheless richest in rewards.
It's a labor of love. And one he's happy will soon grow more laborious.
“I'll bet I spend an hour a day on college recruiting,” he said. “But it's a good hour. I don't think of that as work at all.”
Mueller has overseen what could only be called a boom time, even by the standards of the state's most successful program. Highlands football has gone 55-3 the past four years — only one loss was to a Kentucky team — with a national ranking in each of those seasons.
The Class AAA state champs will return 16 starters, all but one of whom will be a senior this fall. The star cluster, headed by quarterback Gino Guidugli, linebacker/tight end Brent Grover, defensive back/receiver Brett Hamblen and defensive lineman Ben Scott, is of a near-record variety.
“I really feel confident in those four getting Division I scholarships,” Mueller said. “I think we've got a few more who will be in the running for those, too: our center, Mike Raleigh, offensive tackle Marc Mueller (no relation) and defensive lineman Brian Barre.
“And there will be another seven or eight guys out of that class that will get scholarships at other levels.”
The offseason has offered no time off. Mueller spends his free time fielding calls from recruiters, filling out forms for players, and dubbing tapes for colleges.
He has help. Highlands makes its players splice together their own highlight tapes to have ready when colleges come calling.
“My mom and dad help with that,” Guidugli said. “My mom went and got clips from some TV stations, if I was on their Friday Night Blitz. And she got our game films and put them all on tape.”
Recruiting has its rewards. University of Kentucky coaches invite Bluebirds they covet to as many UK football and basketball games as they please.
“They give us real good seats,” Guidugli said.
UK coaches can't call or visit high school juniors. But once on campus — attending games are unofficial visits — they're fair game.
“The coaches know where you'll be sitting, so they come talk to us and the kids,” Mueller said.
Claude Bassett, UK's recruiting coordinator, calls Mueller at least once a week. Mueller says UK does the most thorough and consistent recruiting of his players.
UK has already offered scholarships to Guidugli and Grover. Ohio State has offered one to Grover, and Penn State assistant coach Jay Paterno told Mueller he plans to offer a scholarship to Grover soon.
Rarely do schools make such offers to juniors. Hamblen, The Enquirer's 1999 player of the year, and Scott should get most of their offers this fall.
“The recruiting process is fun,” Guidugli said. “It's going to decide my future, so I'm going to look at it carefully.”
Mueller will never complain about the time it takes to help his players land scholarships.
“I'm like most coaches: Their profession is being a high school football coach, but also their passion and hobby and what they want to do in their free time is be a high school football coach,” he said.
HALL OF FAME: Mueller will be the guest speaker when the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame inducts two members at 1 p.m. March 15 at the American Legion Hall in Latonia:
• Jim Mersfelder, who starred in baseball at Holmes and played 30 years of competitive softball.
• Doug Schlarman, who starred in basketball at Holy Cross and earned All-Northern Kentucky honors in competitive softball.
BROCK INDUCTED: James “Jack” Brock, who coached boys basketball at now-defunct William Grant High School in Covington, will be inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame on March 14 at the Marriott Griffin Gate resort in Lexington.
Under Brock, Grant became the first black team to win a district tournament as a KHSAA member (in 1957), then the first to win a regional (1958). Brock went 185-69 in 23 seasons, leading Grant to four Ninth Region titles.
Brock is one of 14 inductees. Banquet tickets ($35) may be ordered by calling Ken Tippett at the KHSAA at (606) 299-5472.
PIONEERS COACH: Simon Kenton has named Jeff Marksberry, 30, its football coach. He was an assistant coach there the past three seasons for Roy Lucas Jr., who left to take over at Lloyd.
COLLEGE NEWS: Midway (Ky.) College volleyball player Kim Decker (Campbell County) earned NAIA Academic All-American honors. The junior setter has a 3.8 GPA, and averaged 9.5 assists per game with a .337 assist percentage for the 20-15 Eagles.
• UK senior center Katie Vieth (St. Henry) has been named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll for the second consecutive season. She has a 3.5 GPA in art studio and plans to pursue a master's degree in sports administration at UK. Vieth averages 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.
• Scott senior fullback/linebacker Craig Collinsworth has signed with Georgetown (Ky.) College. He plans to play linebacker.
POHLGEERS HITS 1,000: Beechwood junior Katie Pohlgeers scored her 1,000th career point Wednesday in a 34th District loss to Scott.
Pohlgeers is sixth in Northern Kentucky in scoring (18.0 avg.), first in free-throw shooting (82.6 percent) and eighth in 3-point percentage (35.0 percent).
Her older brother, Greg, just completed his career at Tri-State University in Angola, Ind. He totaled 61 points and 30 rebounds in two varsity seasons.
Neil Schmidt can be reached at (606) 578-5582 or nschmidt@enquirer.com.
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