Topic: Football
2023FBHIGHCOOP
Highlands vs. Cooper
Cooper High School
Union, KY
September 22, 2023
© 2023 by Ron Harrison
Highlands defeated Cooper by the score of 58-51 tonight in a game of contrasting styles. Highland had the big edge in experience on both the offensive and defensive lines and it definitely showed tonight Highlands was able to run the ball at will recording over 400 yards on the ground and adding five touchdown passes by Brody Benke. Cooper abandoned the ground game early depending on the aerial wizardy of Cam O’Hara who passed for 555 yards and six touchdowns. It was also a game of “what ifs” as Highlands made a key defensive stop inside their own territory early in the final quarter and also Cooper attempted three onside kicks in the final quarter and was unable to recover even one. Highlands led 58-37 in the final quarter but Cooper scored on a 94 yard interception return by Austin Perriman and a 20 yard touchdown pass from Cam O’Hara to Austin Alexander to make the final score. Highlands rolled up 659 yards of total offense and Cooper recorded 541 yards but was limited to a -14 yards on the ground.
Cameron Giesler led Highland’s ground game with 204 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Brody Benke carried the ball 28 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Brody Benke completed 12 of 18 passes for 235 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. Carson Class caught six passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Adam Surrey caught one pass for 29 yards. Tommy Ferring caught a 20 yard touchdown pass and Jackson Arnold added a four yard scoring reception. Nate Welch led the defense with five solo and five assisted tackles. Tyus McCarter added three solo and three assisted tackles. Christian Stojikovic and Dominic Gregory each recorded two solo and two assisted tackles. Ethan Grimm recorded three solo and one assisted tackles and Carson Shelton recovered a fumble.
Cooper had net negative yardage in their ground game but Cam O’Hara completed 31 of 50 passes for 555 yards and six touchdowns. Isaiah Johnson caught eight passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Austin Alexander added 13 receptions for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Ryker Campbell caught one pass for 49 yards. Jack Lonaker led the defense with 14 solo and nine assisted tackles. Ryker Campbell added nine solo and three assisted tackles. Austin Alexander recorded seven solo and two assisted tackles and Austin Perriman scored on a 95 yard interception return.
Scoring Summary
School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
Highlands | 14 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 58 |
Cooper | 3 | 14 | 13 | 21 | 51 |
HIGHLAN | - | Jackson Arnold 4 yard pass from Brody Benke (Run fails) |
COOPER | - | Carson Taylor kicks a 28 yard field goal |
HIGHLAN | - | Carson Class 43 yard pass from Brody Benke (Jackson Arnold pass from Brody Benke) |
COOPER | - | Austin Alexander 18 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Carson Taylor kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Brody Benke 1 yard run (Logan Nickelman kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Brody Benke 60 yard run (Pass fails) |
COOPER | - | Isaiah Johnson 2 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Carson Taylor kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Carson Class 9 yard pass from Brody Benke (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COOPER | - | Isaiah Johnson 94 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Carson Taylor kick fails) |
HIGHLAN | - | Cameron Giesler 6 yard run (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COOPER | - | Isaiah Johnson 67 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Carson Taylor kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Logan Nickelman kicks a 33 yard field goal |
HIGHLAN | - | Carson Class 61 yard pass from Brody Benke (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COOPER | - | Austin Alexander 16 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Carson Taylor kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Tommy Ferring 20 yard pass from Brody Benke (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COOPER | - | Austin Perriman 95 yard interception return (Carson Taylor kick) |
COOPER | - | Austin Alexander 20 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Carson Taylor kick) |
Selected Statistics
Highlands | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Cameron Giesler | 27 | 204 | 7.6 | **** |
Brody Benke | 28 | 190 | 6.8 | **** |
Deven James | 8 | 27 | 3.4 | **** |
Davis Hinegardner | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | **** |
Adam Surrey | 2 | -4 | -2.0 | **** |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Brody Benke | 18-12-1 | 235 | 5 | **** |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Carson Class | 6 | 146 | 3 | **** |
Adam Surrey | 1 | 29 | 0 | **** |
Tommy Ferring | 1 | 20 | 1 | **** |
Matteo Matteoli | 1 | 18 | 0 | **** |
Cameron Giesler | 1 | 13 | 0 | **** |
Davis Hingardner | 1 | 5 | 0 | **** |
Jackson Arnold | 1 | 4 | 1 | **** |
| ||||
Cooper | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Keagan Maher | 3 | -6 | -2.0 | **** |
Cam O’Hara | 4 | -8 | -2.0 | **** |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Cam O’Hara | 50-31-0 | 555 | 6 | **** |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Isaiah Johnson | 8 | 280 | 3 | **** |
Austin Alexander | 13 | 169 | 3 | **** |
Ryker Campbell | 1 | 49 | 0 | **** |
Malachi Ewell | 5 | 38 | 0 | **** |
Mason Stanton | 3 | 14 | 0 | **** |
Keagan Maher | 1 | 5 | 0 | **** |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the Highlands and Cooper Stats Crews for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.