Ryle's bid for the Class 6A District 6 title ended Friday, Oct. 23, in a 14-7 loss to Simon Kenton in Independence.
The defeat drops the Raiders to 4-5 overall and seeds them second in the district heading into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) playoffs. Ryle will host Fern Creek in the Class 6A Region Three first round, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
Simon Kenton's defense controlled the game after Ryle struck first. Raiders running back Cruze Sauley scored on a 10-yard run to open the second quarter, giving Ryle a 7-0 lead. Sauley had rushed for 463 yards over his previous three games, LINK nky reported. But the Pioneers held him to 16 yards on 12 carries for the game.
Simon Kenton answered when Grant Webb hit Sam Hughes for a 32-yard touchdown pass later in the second quarter. A missed extra point left Ryle ahead 7-6 at halftime.
The game turned in the third quarter. A botched Ryle punt snap gave Simon Kenton the ball at the Raiders' 25-yard line. Peyton Testerman fumbled on the next play, giving it right back. But Testerman intercepted a Ryle pass on the very next snap, returning possession to the Pioneers.
Four plays later, Webb ran 12 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:54 left in the third quarter. Testerman added the two-point conversion. It proved to be the final score.
"You gotta have short memory in this game," Testerman told LINK nky. "You can't focus on the hard things that happen. You gotta keep playing."
Ryle had chances to answer. The Raiders missed a 39-yard field goal and moved into Simon Kenton territory on several drives without scoring. Quarterback Brody Smith fumbled at the Pioneers' 36-yard line with 3:42 remaining, ending Ryle's last real threat.
Webb sealed it with a six-yard run on third-and-5 with 1:40 to play. Simon Kenton took a knee to close it out.
The loss ended Ryle’s three-year run as district champion. Head coach Mike Engler's Raiders went 10-4 last season and reached the Class 6A state semifinals, according to a preseason preview by the Northern Kentucky Tribune. This year's squad lost most of its starters from that team.
Simon Kenton (5-4, 2-1) claimed the outright district championship, its first since 2022, and the No. 1 seed. The Pioneers will host Southern in the first round. Campbell County earned the No. 3 seed and will play at Male, while Great Crossing travels to Bullitt East.
Ryle closes the regular season at Dixie Heights at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, before returning home to face Fern Creek in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs. MaxPreps lists the playoff opener for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6.
