Times Observer File photo by Steve Younger Eisenhower’s Benji Bauer rushed for 2,067 and scored 26 total touchdowns this past season.

There is no higher compliment a player can receive from a coach than being called “the consummate team player,” but that is exactly what Eisenhower head football coach Jim Penley had to say when asked about Benji Bauer.

The Big 30 selection committee, of which Penley is not a part, was also impressed with Bauer, as he became the fifth Knight selected to play in this summer’s charity game, pitting Pennsylvania against New York.

Bauer had quite the senior season, rushing for 2,067 yards and becoming Warren County’s first running back to crack 2,000 yards in a season. He scored 24 touchdowns rushing, one on a reception and one on an interception from his linebacker position. He had three picks in total last fall for the 11-1 Knights.

Penley was never surprised what Bauer did on the football field.

“Benji is an incredibly versatile football player,” Penley said. “Due to his explosiveness and strength he was capable of playing virtually anywhere on the football field.”

A quiet, humble young man, Bauer was quick to give credit to his line.

“It says an awful lot about how talented they are that three of them (Caleb Penley, Michael Vanatta and Conner Younger) are playing in this game,” Bauer said. “They deserve it,. They opened up some huge holes for me.”

Added Penley: “Obviously being a 2,000-yard running back puts him into a special territory that most players will never see. When you pass some of the names in our record books at Eisenhower and you are a tremendous leader on teams that had two undefeated seasons in region play, that says a lot.”

As great a running back as Bauer is, it was the little things he did and the team-first attitude that Bauer possessed that made him special.

“The thing that most people don’t realize about Benji, and what sets him apart, is that when we needed a first down or a touchdown and everyone knew who was getting the football, Benji was just as happy to make the block or be the decoy for a teammate to make the play,” Penley said. “He’s just a special player.”

Bauer said owning all the records “means a lot to me for sure, but not only for me, but for our team.”

He continued: “To be remembered as one of the best in the record books, I’m sure will mean more looking back on it someday, but to be the first Eisenhower team to go 10-0 in the regular season is pretty sweet to all of us on that team.”

Bauer will be attending Liberty University in the fall, and he didn’t rule out playing football again.