wcpo
There are times when Highlands football coach Bob Sphire has difficulty telling the Benke identical twins apart.They do me a favor every now and then because one wears black shoes and the other tries to wear white shoes, but they mix me up sometimes, Sphire said with a smile.Griffin Benke is a Highlands senior tight end who wears No.
11.
Cooper Benke is a senior defensive lineman who wears No.
63.
Both were born in March 2009.We live with each other, Griffin said.
We spend 24 hours a day together.
We have the same friend group.
We have different jobs now.
But, we literally spend all day together.Griffin, an Ohio University verbal commit, works at a fitness club.
Cooper, a Ball State verbal commit, works at a car wash.Each player has a good deal of potential at his respective position, according to Sphire.They are a lot of fun to coach, Sphire said.
Great personalities.
They love football.
They love the weight room.
Those kinds of things obviously make it easier to coach them.
And theyve got some special talents.
Obviously theyre long and lanky but they run great.
And theyre very athletic.
And they feed off each other.
Theyre kind of challenging each other to make plays.
But, theyre also excited when the other one makes a play.
They bring a great vibe.Its David Cecil Memorial Stadium where the twins will be the most often in the summer.We spend our entire life here, Cooper said.
This is our home.
And we just go to our actual house to just sleep, really.
We dont really leave here that much.While the brothers have had their fair share of sibling conflict, football is their common bond.
Their competitiveness is always there for better or worse.Its just a lot of bickering, Griffin said.
Our parents call us an old married couple a lot.
We just love to play football together.
And we get to play against each other in college.Griffin and Cooper have already looked ahead toward the Mid-American Conference schedules for 2027 and 2028 to see when Ball State and Ohio University would match up.It was definitely a difficult decision to split up for college, Griffin said.
But, it will be better situations for the both of us at different schools.This senior season at Highlands is the focus at this moment.
The Benke brothers want to help lead the Bluebirds to Lexington in December.
They understand the Highlands football tradition.Griffin and Cooper were freshmen when their older brother, former Highlands quarterback Brody Benke, was a senior in 2023.
Brody is a tight end at Middle Tennessee State University.There's no telling if a reunion could be in the works someday with the same college football program."In today's world, who knows two years down the road - all three won't be at the same place," Sphire said.
"Who knows in this world.
I think they're really excited about where they're going."This August is the chance for the Benke twins to start a special journey of their own for the Bluebirds.Football is a culture in Fort Thomas, Griffin said.
And its really special to play high school football here just because of the history we have here.
And we just want to get that first state championship in the last 10 years.SIGN UP: Subscribe to our high school sports newsletter.