Dried off and in a fresh set of clothes after his sideline victory dousing last Friday, Highlands High School football coach Bob Sphire walked into the Fort Thomas home of a hosting Touchdown Club member. He was there for a postgame team get-together.
Highlands had just beaten Boone County, 53-7, at home for its sixth straight win. It was Sphire’s 300th career victory and his 21st in nearly three full seasons at Highlands. Sphire made his way through the home and there it was sitting on a table.
“A huge cookie cake with ‘300 WINS’ written on it,” Sphire said. “I thought that was real nice.”
With his phone taking text messages and voice mails by the minute two days later, Sphire received more congratulatory sweets at the high school.
“Sunday, I got a second cake and that was pretty nice, too,” Sphire said. “I didn’t think that many people knew I was getting close to 300. But some people knew, and it got out. As a coach, I didn’t want the week to be about me, but I am very appreciative.”
Now that Sphire has reached the milestone, he’s happy to shift the focus back to his players and his coaching staff, which is a mix of longtime Highlands coaches and the Sphire family. Bob Sphire’s son, Hayden Sphire, is the offensive coordinator. When Bob Sphire was hired at Highlands, he moved back to Kentucky after a 15-year stay in Georgia.
The head coach, a Kentucky native from Meade County, was previously head of the football programs at Knott County Central, Lexington Catholic and the indoor football Lexington Horsemen before heading to Georgia where he coached at two schools. Bob Sphire started the football program at LexCath and led the team to a state championship in 2005. He guided North Gwinnett to Georgia state championship game appearances in 2007 and 2013.
“Even though we’re blood-related, I brought Hayden up here because he’s the right guy for the job who’ll run the offense the way I want it done,” Bob Sphire said of the multiple formation spread attack. “He’s played in it and coached in it. He played for me in this spread system his senior year at quarterback in 2013 and took us to the title game. The coaches that were here are very good coaches. Some of them have been around Highlands for a long time. They accepted our system. To integrate us with the guys that were here has been a beautiful thing.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. The Bluebirds, ranked second in the Class 5A Kentucky media poll, are averaging 47 points and 499 offensive yards per game while racing to a 7-1 start. They rank fourth in Kentucky in team scoring. They rank ninth in passing offense and 30th in rushing. Last season, Highlands averaged 40 points and 353 yards per game and finished 9-3 with a Class 5A playoff second-round ouster, an excruciating six-point loss to Scott County at home.
The big differences this year? A stronger offensive line anchored by center Gabe Fassler, a massively improved ground game led by quarterback Brody Benke and running back Cam Giesler, more versatile tight ends led by Luke Schneider and an extremely deep receiver group paced by Adam Surrey, Carson Class, Matteo Matteoli and Jackson Arnold. The player who brings it all together is the versatile 6-foot-4, 225-pound Benke, who has lined up at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end while also playing on special teams.
“We have a plethora of guys who deserve to be on the football field,” Hayden Sphire said. “Any night, we feel like we can throw for 400 yards or run for 400. From a schematic point, I can call 50 different plays, but they have the ability to check out of any of them. To be able to do that, you have to have an offensive line that can do what you want and a quarterback who’s prepared. Our offensive line got to work in the offseason. Brody got ready to carry it as many as 25 times a game. He has mentally flipped the switch this year. He and Cam Giesler are our thunder and lightning in the backfield.”
When the Sphires got to Highlands, there was one offensive lineman who weighed more than 240 pounds.
“Now we’ve got seven or eight,” Bob Sphire said. “Fassler was at 195 pounds and now he’s 230 but plays bigger. That’s a real testament to our weight room. Fassler is super intelligent and helps us make the calls. But we have a lot of guys in the rotation on the line. That’s one of the neatest things I’ve seen. In two offseasons, we now have nine linemen to roll in there.”
Benke, a bruising, multi-skilled athlete, has completed 63% of his passes for 1,253 yards with 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has rushed for a team-high 799 yards on 7.4 yards per carry and 13 TDs.
“He’s just lighting it up,” Bob Sphire said. “He’s helping us in multiple ways. He has a calming effect on the team and his play has gone through the roof.”
Giesler, a 5-8, 195-pound runner, has rushed for 726 yards on 7.3 yards per carry with six TDs. He’s already exceeded his rushing total from last year. He has 14 catches for 116 yards and two TDs.
Surrey has 27 receptions for 460 yards (17.0 average) with three TDs. Class has 23 catches for 422 yards (18.3) with five TDs. Matteoli has 17 grabs for 296 yards (17.4) and two scores. Arnold has hauled in 14 catches for 234 yards (16.7) and five scores. Benke has nine catches for 112 yards and three TDs. Twelve different players have caught a touchdown pass this season.
“It’s really hard for teams to gameplan against a bunch of guys running all over the field,” Benke said. “The line makes things a lot easier for me. Trusting them and knowing I won’t be touched makes me feel more comfortable. I haven’t been sacked all year. “
The scoring numbers underscore how well the offense has succeeded. Highlands has put up at least 50 points in five games this season with a high of 67 against Campbell County.
“Our ability to run the offense more efficiently than when we first got here has really improved,” Bob Sphire said. “Our collection of wide receivers is like a posse. Anyone can have a big catch. We have no idea who’s going to have a big game. We don’t have to feed one receiver to succeed. It happens within the system so we don’t have to force anything. The evolution of our tight end group, especially with Schneider and (Tommy) Ferring, has been the straw that stirs the drink. They allow us to be as multiple as we are because we can set them wide as legitimate receivers. That creates confusion without substitution.”
Not just limited to offensive snaps, the Bluebirds extend their multiple formation spread to special teams, where Benke is the snapper on extra-point kicks and backup quarterback Rio Litmer is the holder for primary placekicker Logan Nickelman. Litmer has thrown 14 TD passes among his 51 completions on the season. Benke has caught a pair of 2-point conversion passes after snapping the ball to Litmer.
“I really like the offense and I love every one of the guys on the offensive line,” Benke said. “Our head coach brings great energy. It’s been a lot of fun this year.”