Ryle wide receiver Bryce Ashley, center, follows his blockers to gain yardage. (Photo by Lisa Smith)
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By Evan Merrill
NKy Tribune contributor
A clash between two undefeated teams lived up to the hype as Ryle defeated Simon Kenton, 32-25, staking its claim as the area’s top team while also nearing its first-ever perfect regular season.
The Raiders scored on a 7-play, 47-yard drive courtesy of senior quarterback Tanner Morgan’s 10-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Zach Cusick to open the game and never relinquished the lead.
Ryle quarterback Tanner Morgan
“It’s a great win because they have a great football program,” Ryle coach Mike Engler said of Simon Kenton. “Coach (Jeff) Marksberry does a great job. Even when they were down there, they just kept fighting and fighting. Hats off to our players for stepping up when they had to. We’re 9-0, so you couldn’t ask for a better feeling. We’re not done though, we still have more games to play. It’s not the end of the season.”
Offensively, the Raiders were led by Morgan, who threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns, and junior running back Jacob Chisholm, who carried the ball 32 times for 183 yards and a touchdown.
The Ryle defense managed to make several key stops against the high-powered Simon Kenton offense, which came in averaging over 40 points per game.
It wasn’t always pretty, however. The Raiders were called for nine penalties for 90 yards and threw an interception as well.
“We need to cut down on the mental errors,” Morgan said. “I think the more we do that, the better we’re going to be, the farther we’re going to go and reach our goal – winning state.”
Although the Pioneers aren’t in Ryle’s district, the game was still significant for the teams looking to establish dominance. Ryle also snapped a five-game losing streak to Simon Kenton.
“It’s huge, but in a way it’s not,” Morgan said. “In reality it didn’t mean anything for the playoffs, but just the momentum and getting out here and beating them after they beat us twice last year, it was just great.”
One bright spot for the Pioneers in the night came in the second quarter when the Pioneers stopped a Ryle 98-yard drive at the 1 yard-line. Three plays later, senior quarterback Cameron Racke and senior wide receiver Luke Vance hooked up on a 96-yard scoring pass..
Racke managed just 45 passing yards after that play and his replacement, junior quarterback Matt Shearer, had just 20 passing yards and threw an interception – a testament to the swarming Ryle defense.
The Pioneers kept trying to strike back, making it a one-possession game time after time But Morgan had an answer for every strike. The last answer came with 9:56 remaining in the fourth quarter on an 81 yard passing touchdown to junior wide receiver Easton Pilyer.
The Pioneers had opportunities after that, but they failed to convert a huge fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter, allowing the Raiders to run out the clock.
Ryle matched its team-record win total from last year and the Raiders are looking for more – a state championship. The players have confidence in their ability to compete with the best teams in the state.
“We’re a group of guys, we’re very close,” Morgan said. “We all love each other so much, we knew we could do this. We knew we can win a state championship. A lot of teams make it a goal, but don’t really go for it. We went for it and we’re on the right track to get there.”
SIMON KENTON 6 8 3 8 — 25
RYLE 15 3 7 7 — 32
R – Cusick 10 pass from Morgan (conversion good)
SK – Hampton 3 run (conversion failed)
R – Ashley 22 pass from Morgan (Molique kick)
SK – Vance 96 pass from Racke (conversion good)
R – Molique 37 field goal
R – Chisholm 1 run (Molique kick)
SK – Seger 28 field goal
R – Pilyer 81 pass from Morgan (Molique kick)
SK – Vance 6 pass from Racke (conversion good)
RECORDS: Ryle 9-0, Simon Kenton 8-1.
