With the spotlight shining brightly on him and the ‘Mr. Football’ title being thrown his way from every direction in Western Kentucky, senior quarterback Joe Humphreys has kept his eye on the prize and led Daviess County to newfangled success on the gridiron.
Humphreys started playing football at the young age of five with his love for the game over time. He played all the way up to sixth grade before taking a two-year break and then returned to his favorite sport when he got to high school.
“It always has been [my favorite sport],” Humphreys said. “I played basketball for a little while and played last year, but football to me is a little bit more of a competitive sport. I’m very competitive, so football season was always my favorite time of the year.”
Success didn’t come right away for Humphreys, as the Panthers finished 5-6 in his sophomore year and 3-5 last year after he became the man under center.
The young quarterback used this as a fuel coming into this season, determined to flip the script for Daviess County.
“We obviously had not a terrible season my sophomore year, but like we only won five games and then last year we were obviously 3-5,” Humphreys said. “So it was kind of a gut-wrenching feeling to have a record like that and it didn’t sit with me right. So I was just trying to not let that happen again this year.”
With a winning season and the goal of a district championship in mind, Humphreys and company got straight to work in the offseason.
That work has paid off in spades, as Daviess County now sits at 8-1 overall. They’re riding a four-game winning streak and remain undefeated in district play at 4-0.
They recently defeated Apollo on the road 43-21 to win the Panthers’ first District Championship since 2008, something Humphreys is proud to be a part of.
“It means everything,” Humphreys said. “We’ve got an incredible coaching staff that provides excellent gameplans every week in and week out and we’ve got players with plenty of talent. A lot of us have been playing together since we were sophomores so we’ve got plenty of experience and everyone just comes ready to work everyday. Just glad to see that our work is finally starting to pay off.”
Humphreys has been more than instrumental in their success, leading the state in total passing yards (2,807), passing yards per game (311.9) and passing touchdowns (35), while sitting at second in completion percentage (67.7%).
Humphreys said that a lot of this success through the air is due to the bond he shares with the wide receiving core on and off the field.
“A lot of us are best friends outside of football,” Humphreys said. “So we’ve been good friends for four-plus years now [for] most of us. Not only does that bond help, but going out and spending time on the field together only grows that relationship and chemistry on the field.”
With his receivers making plays and helping him reach new heights passing after working on his pocket presence during the summer, Humphreys has also solidified himself as a dual threat with a solid ground game.
Humphreys averages a rushing touchdown and about 45 rushing yards per game. He’s earned 11 rushing touchdowns to go along with 422 total rushing yards on 44 carries.
He credits that to extra work in running drills practicing cuts and things of that nature with senior Bryson Parm, their leading rusher in 2020 and who was working his way back from a broken collarbone.
Humphreys said that a major part of his improvement over the last few years has come with the help of QB Coach and former Kentucky Wesleyan and AFL quarterback Dalton Oliver.
“I have to give a lot of credit to coach O honestly,” Humphreys said. “He’s done a great job helping me throughout these past couple of years. He’s spent an unbelievable amount of time going out of his way to help [because] he can see through me what I could do… He’s done a tremendous job helping me out these past couple of years.”
Relationships like this are what Humphreys said separates the Daviess County coaching staff from others.
“I think what makes our coaching staff so special is the relationship that we have with our coaches,” Humphreys said. “A lot of them we’re basically like best friends with. We spend time outside of practice with each other and what not. It’s kind of like with our receivers, but it just makes our bond tighter and our relationship so much better.”
While Humphreys has taken major strides in all facets of his game and physically with the help of his teammates and coaches, Head Coach Matt Brannon said that his leadership is what has really improved over the last few years.
“Although Joe has grown physically and skill wise, his biggest jump is in his leadership and maturity in the huddle,” Humphreys said. “He has always been a calm and steadfast player and the other guys feed off that. No moment is too big and no obstacle is insurmountable.”
This leap in his game has opened the door for Humphreys to jump to the collegiate level, something he didn’t realize was a legitimate opportunity until he got his first offer from Eastern Kentucky last year.
“It had always been a dream to play college football and this past December whenever I got my first offer it really opened up my eyes,” Humphreys said. “I didn’t really expect to get an offer honestly. So that was really the first moment where I was like ‘ok let me start trying to get more.’ I’m trying to go somewhere big and play somewhere really cool.”
Humphreys, much like other seniors in high school football, haven’t gotten a true recruiting experience thanks to COVID-19.
“This year since everything is kind of starting to get more relaxed and I was able to go on a couple,” Humphresy said. “Hopefully I’ll go on some more this fall.”
Despite the limited visits Humphreys has racked up the offers from schools all over the country and even made a visit recently to No. 2 ranked University of Cincinnati.
Along with college calling, Humphreys has gained even more attention as one of the better quarterbacks not only in Western Kentucky, but in the Commonwealth as a whole.
The statistics back it up and people have consistently thrown Humphreys’ name into the mix for Mr. Football, something that Brannon thinks he is more than worthy of.
“If ever Daviess County, or western KY, for that matter, had a legitimate Mr Football candidate, it would be Joe,” Brannon said. “I am confident that you ask any of the opposing coaches we have faced this year, that they would not disagree. The award is to showcase the most talented football player in the state. Watching Joe on the field, looking at his stats, and seeing the contribution he has made in terms of the success of his team, I think he would be worthy and deserving of that honor.
While he hears the mentions and sees the praise he’s received on social media and in the area in general, Humphreys tries to tune it all out and focus on helping his team find success.
“I try not to pay a whole lot of attention to it,” Humphreys said. “I just take it week by week and focus on whoever we’re playing next and then just try to do what I can do to help us win games. Then whatever the results are from that, whatever happens happens.”
That focus has Daviess County laser sharp as the regular season is coming to an end and has home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Humphreys believes they can go far and said that it’s the countless of hours he and his teammates have put in on and off the field that helps them continue to win games.
“I think that everyone on our team knows what we can do,” Humphreys said. “I think that plays a huge part [in our success]. Just being very confident in ourselves… Any time I would text my receivers if they wanted to go put in work with me, every single time I would have four or five of them show up with me. So it’s good to see that there’s more than just me that’s wanting to work and get better for the team.”
While Brannon said he wasn’t quite sure what kind of player Humphreys would be when he first met him and couldn’t have imagined all of this playing out the way it has for Panthers football, it’s the competitive edge and work ethic that has helped Humphreys and the program excel.
“Joe is an amazing young man that is a joy to be around,” Brannon said. ‘He has a competitive spirit that does not like to be outdone in anything he does, whether it’s on the field, in the weight room, playing basketball or even on the golf course. It’s always hard to predict what type of development a player will go through, but it’s not a surprise the level of success Joe and our team are having based on their chemistry with each other and their love of the process.”
All in all, Humphreys is keeping his eye on the prize and looking to achieve the goal his team set out for in the beginning of the year—a District Championship and a lengthy playoff run.
“Our goal as a team is to first get that district championship, region championship and then state championship,” Humphreys said. We’re just taking it game-by-game as of right now.”
