Congrats to Benke!  What is forgotten is the work he has done to get to this level.  I see the improvement from year to year!  Whatever that translates to at the next level depends on what the young man decides.  I am in his camp give me the player that works hard and improves and leads his team!  Enjoy the ride!

Has he committed to any school for any sport yet? He has to have some good options.

40 minutes ago, Bird Bath said:

Congrats to Benke!  What is forgotten is the work he has done to get to this level.  I see the improvement from year to year!  Whatever that translates to at the next level depends on what the young man decides.  I am in his camp give me the player that works hard and improves and leads his team!  Enjoy the ride!

Does he have any offers yet?

1 hour ago, Bigg Ike said:

What about Austin Alexander of Cooper or his teammate Cam O'Hara

What about? Start a new thread to talk about them. Those two are great player and deserve their own thread.

He's a pretty impressive player. I was shocked how fast he was when he got out into the open field vs cov cath. 

2 hours ago, AgainstTheGrain said:

What about? Start a new thread to talk about them. Those two are great player and deserve their own thread.

Don’t have a dog in the fight, but the title kinda invites some others to refute that if they have a difference of opinion.  They mentioned Austin Alexander & Cam O’Hara. In a normal discussion, you then state why you believe Benke is the better player.  The floor is yours….

"Best" is such a difficult definition in HS football these days because College "projection" does not always line up with just how good the kid is.  Plus, its really hard to compare across position groups.  Is Benke playing great?  Absolutely.  Could he be the Travis Egan of this year?  Looks like it.  Is he the "best" player in NKY?  I think he's in the conversation, but there are a handful of kids who can lay claim to that.  

Didn’t he get an offer from Mount Union? 

Guess it just depends on what your definition of “Best” is. Benke is extremely good at what he does and is an exceptional player on a very good team. 
However, IMO Austin Alexander is the best player in NKY. What he does on BOTH sides of the ball speaks for itself and judging by the high level FBS offers he has and continues to receive, college coaches agree. 
Again, absolutely no disrespect to Benke as he is a serious problem for every team and as I’ve stated earlier in the year, he certainly deserves even more attention than he’s getting but Alexander is #1 in NKY and probably in the top 3-4 in the State. 
Everyone has their opinion and that is certainly ok…..

By production and value…..yes.  Projecting future college performance, maybe not. He doesn’t have the stars that others have by their name.  But, if you are talking Most Valuable to his team…..absolutely the best in NKY.

2 minutes ago, TheConch said:

I’m simply stating what birds fans state all the time, it appears they can’t make up their mind. Hayden stinks, Hayden is the greatest OC ever, Hayden this, Hayden that. 
 

 

The Blue Colonels just need to worry about getting in some meaningful reps somehow over the next five weeks. Their schedule does them no favors in the effort to continue to get better. 

Rule 2 reads in part:

2. No disparaging, taunting, or boastful comments--especially between opponents trying to intimidate each other. This includes, name calling or personal attacks toward any member, username, team, or school. Additionally this includes a pattern of posts that inflames or incites other posters (i.e. trolling or gaslighting). 

Just now, Weasbird91 said:

The Blue Colonels just need to worry about getting in some meaningful reps somehow over the next five weeks. Their schedule does them no favors in the effort to continue to get better. 

I’m sure the Colonels are very happy where they are at. 

Again, Birds win a 5A state championship this year and Benke is ball player. 

Just enjoying the ups and downs and the hot and cold comments and attitude of Fort Thomas lately. 

2 hours ago, James Graham said:

"Best" is such a difficult definition in HS football these days because College "projection" does not always line up with just how good the kid is.  Plus, its really hard to compare across position groups.  Is Benke playing great?  Absolutely.  Could he be the Travis Egan of this year?  Looks like it.  Is he the "best" player in NKY?  I think he's in the conversation, but there are a handful of kids who can lay claim to that.  

Absolutely agree with ? of this!

It’s too hard to determine the best unless it’s blatantly obvious. I personally don’t think anyone in NKY has accomplished that. Alexander is a stud. But I’m not sure I see a huge difference in his skill set and some other guys who have come through NKY without his last name or famous uncle, that didn’t get those kinds of offers. The fact that he’s a Power 5 lock and Benke can’t get a single D1 offer is absolutely baffling to me. If Benke was strictly a TE, H-Back or WR, he’d be putting up similar receiving numbers, and probably be a killer DE in the process. But he’s the guy they need at QB and can’t play both sides of the ball. He’s proven to be an absolute monster at a position he’s probably not even going to play at the next level and that is impressive. Whether he’s the best or not, he needs more looks and I believe he’ll get them. I’d want him on my team.