By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
It’s not often that a high school football team invites an opposing coach to a reception prior to their season-opening game, but that’s where Highlands coach Bob Sphire planned to be on Thursday night.
Highlands will play Lexington Catholic in the second game of the Bluegrass Bowl at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Sphire was the first head coach at Lexington Catholic from 1991 to 2005 and this will be his first game against the Knights.
That’s why Sphire was invited to a reception Thursday to meet with former Lexington Catholic players, including members of the 2005 team that won the Class 3A state title. He spent the next 15 years coaching high school football in Georgia and took charge of the Highlands program in 2021.
The Bluebirds have a 14-9 record in two seasons under Sphire. He enters Friday’s game with a 293-112 record in 34 seasons as a head coach. In statewide preseason coaches polls, Highlands was No. 5 in Class 5A and Lexington Catholic was No. 3 in Class 3A.
Four local teams will open the season with new head coaches on the sidelines. One of them is Jay Volker, who is taking charge of the Beechwood program that won the last three Class 2A state championships. The Tigers will visit McNicholas in Cincinnati at 7 p.m. Friday.
The other new head coaches are Steve Hensley at Scott, Woody McMillen at Ludlow and Chad Montgomery at Bellevue. Scott’s first opponent is Campbell County, where Hensley spent 12 years as athletic director before retiring in 2022.
Ludlow will be playing on its new synthetic turf field in Friday’s 7:30 p.m. home game against Lockland of Ohio. Instead of installing traditional green turf, Ludlow’s field is red with black in both end zones to match the school colors.
The Dixie Heights at Simon Kenton game on Friday will continue a long-standing public school rivalry. Over the last 12 years, they’ve played each other 16 times with Simon Kenton holding a 9-7 edge in games won.
Ryle will open the season at Covington Catholic at 7 p.m. Friday. CovCath has won the last five meetings in the series. To continue that success, the Colonels will have to contain Ryle’s dual-threat senior quarterback Logan Verax.
Verax has passed for 4,690 yards and 39 touchdowns in 33 games over three seasons. The Ryle career records in those categories are 5,421 yards and 48 touchdowns set by 2017 graduate Tanner Morgan, who went on to play quarterback at the University of Minnesota.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Ryle at Covington Catholic, 7 p.m.
Beechwood at McNicholas (Ohio), 7 p.m.
Cooper at Bardstown, 7:30 p.m.
Walton-Verona at Brossart, 7 p.m.
Holmes at Boone County, 7 p.m.
Scott at Campbell County, 7 p.m.
Lexington Dunbar at Conner, 7:30 p.m.
Dayton at Gallatin County, 7:30 p.m.
Lexington Sayre vs. Holy Cross at Thomas More, 7 p.m.
Highlands at Lexington Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Lockland (Ohio) at Ludlow, 7:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights at Simon Kenton, 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Bellevue at Eminence, 8 p.m.
Newport at Henry County, 7:30 p.m.