Highlands QB accounts for five TDs in ‘killer classic’ win against Lexington Catholic
Highlands quarterback Brody Benke put his name in the hat for this year’s Mr. Football award during a 34-27 road victory over Lexington Catholic on Friday night.
The Bluebirds’ 6-4, 230-pound senior threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 111 yards and two scores and caught a TD pass against the Knights.
“I think he pretty well established himself as one of the premier players in Kentucky tonight, but this is about our football team and Brody knows that. He absolutely knows that,” said Highlands Coach Bob Sphire, who returned to Lexington Catholic’s Joseph K. Ford Stadium for the first time as an opposing coach against the program he helped build from scratch in the 1990s and early 2000s, leading the Knights to a state championship in 2005.
Benke acknowledged he liked throwing TD passes the most, and he completed both of his scoring tosses to Carson Class. The second TD pass proved most pivotal as it came on a fourth-and-10 from LexCath’s 29-yard line with the score tied 20-20 with 6:12 left to play in the game.
“Originally, we were looking for a post over the top and our slot receiver came wide-open down the seam,” Benke said. “I just gave it a chance.”
The play squarely shifted the momentum back in the Bluebirds’ favor after Lexington Catholic’s Jackson Wasik converted a similar play a few minutes earlier to tie the game. Wasik faced a fourth-and-8 play from Highlands’ 13-yard line and zipped a pass on a quick slant over the middle to Jackson Kreutzer in the end zone at the 10:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
“For an opening game, that was a really killer classic, hard fought game with a bunch of big plays that were made in crucial situations,” Sphire said of the matchup between the Herald-Leader’s preseason No. 5 team in Class 5A and Lexington Catholic, the No. 3 team in Class 3A. “Look, I know, I was here for 15 years. That program expects to win when they step on the field. You come in and get a win? That’s accomplishing something.”
After Highlands retook the lead at 27-20, LexCath failed to answer and was forced to punt. Benke then led the Bluebirds back down the field to go up 34-20 with his second rushing TD with 2:26 left in the game.
LexCath closed to within 34-27 with 1:26 to play on Wasik’s TD pass to Matthew Kern, but the Knights’ ensuing onside kick failed to go the required 10 yards.
Wasik completed 26 of 42 passes for 255 yards and three TDs with one interception. Kreutzer had 137 yards receiving.
LexCath trailed 13-7 at half and missed an opportunity to tie or cut into the lead in the second quarter’s final moments as its drive fizzled inside the 10-yard line with time winding down. A field goal attempt at the horn missed wide right.
However, the Knights struck quickly on the opening possession of the third quarter when Joaquin Pereira broke a 64-yard TD run on the second play from scrimmage to tie the game at 13-13. The extra point was missed.
First-year LexCath coach Nick Baisch said he was encouraged by his team’s fight throughout the game.
“I’m not a big fan of moral victories, but I like the team we have an awful lot. The guys showed a lot of heart tonight. I think we’re going to turn on that film tomorrow and see we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times,” Baisch said. “Highlands is a very good team. They’re going to compete in 5A, but our team is talented, too. And I liked what we have, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds with our guys.”
After coaching stints outside his native Kentucky, Sphire returned to the Bluegrass in 2021 to take over a Fort Thomas Highlands High School program that had fallen off in recent years after a long tradition of success and 23 state championships. He looks back fondly on his time at Lexington Catholic.
“The 15 years here were just such a big part of our lives as a family and my life, personally, in my career,” Sphire said before the game. “You know, I’ve just been so blessed my whole career. I don’t know what I’ve done to be this fortunate, but that 15 years was truly a blessing.”
With Friday’s season-opening win and last year’s district championship and 9-3 record, he appears to still have the secrets to success.
“It’s a great start,” Benke said. “Recognizing Coach Sphire coming back to where he’s been — it’s awesome to see the atmosphere (at LexCath). … Our energy as a team has gotten way better and we’re more of a family than we were last year. And it’s awesome.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2023 at 8:25 AM.
