Coached by his father, 11-year NFL veteran and 2008 NFL MVP runner-up Chad Pennington, Luke has thrown for 24 touchdowns without an interception for the 6-0 Spartans, ranked No. 6 in Kentucky's Class 1A.
Chad said he tries to be really cognizant of treating his sons like any other player. According to Luke, that plan has been executed extremely well.
"My center just recently told me that he never knew I was my dad's son for the first three years we played with each other in middle school because he treated me equally," Luke said.
As a freshman in 2021, Luke backed up his older brother Cole, now at Marshall. Luke said watching his sibling helped him be a better leader and a more efficient pocket passer.
After Cole graduated, Luke took over the starting quarterback reins as a sophomore in 2022. He tossed 25 touchdowns against six interceptions as Sayre finished with a 5-7 record.
With a year under his belt and a majority of the Spartans starters returning, the squad hit the weight room hard this summer, including the offensive line of
Tyler Francis,
Walt Cowles,
Ben Matheny,
Wyatt Moore and
Jack Bernard.
"I have not been sacked all year," Luke said. "Without them I could not succeed so all credit should be given to them."
The average margin of victory for Sayre this season is 32 points and Luke has a pair of six-touchdown games. His receiving unit consists of juniors
Charlie Slabaugh,
Chase Parker and
Brock Coffman, who recently hauled in an offer from Maryland and has 11 touchdown receptions this season.
"Other than about one year in youth football, Brock was new to the sport his freshman year," Chad said. "It's pretty amazing to see his development and growth."
Luke has completed 66 percent of his passes for 984 passing yards and has a confident demeanor on the field.
"Luke's greatest trait is he can handle volumes of information, he sees it like a coach," said Chad, who helps his son break down film. "When you give him a concept he can visualize that concept and then go execute it."
The classroom is equally, if not more important than the football field and Luke has a 4.11 grade point average. The majority of his teammates also have very high grades.
After retiring from the NFL, Chad and his wife Robin decided Sayre was the school for their children due to its high-level academics. The only problem, the school hadn't played a football game since 1977.
Chad wanted to stay behind the scenes but the school asked him to coach and jumpstart the program in 2018. The team made its varsity debut in 2020 and the former Jets and Dolphins signal caller has compiled a 27-12 record.
"I've enjoyed it," Chad said. "Time flies as a dad and this is a way that I can be involved in their lives and spend time with them."
Youngest son Gage Pennington brings a lot of energy and is waiting in the wings as a freshman quarterback and strong safety at Sayre. For about a half-century the Friday night games have been special for the family.
"I grew up on a Friday night bus," Chad said. "My dad was a high school football coach for 30 years so I saw the impact that a high school coach could have on his high school players."
His father Elwood could coach every position, winning state championships as a defensive coordinator in 1986, then as an offensive coordinator in 1996.
Chad never played for his father but when he went to
Webb (Knoxville, Tenn.), he did more than sling the football. He also played free safety for three seasons.
"I really liked it," Chad said. "If you made a mistake as a quarterback on offense you could try and go make up for it on defense with a couple of tackles or big plays."
Luke is the same way. When the junior doesn't have the ball in his hands, he is lined up in the secondary at safety, just like pops.
"I played on all three levels," Chad said. "Friday night football, Saturdays and Sundays and I think there is no better level than Fridays. When I look back upon my time as a football player, I'll never forget those Friday night lights with your buddies, wearing your jerseys to school, the bus rides, the locker room talks. That time in our lives is really important in our development as far as who we become as young men."
The Spartans look to continue their undefeated season against Berea tomorrow.
