Ryle will travel to Simon Kenton on Friday, Oct. 23, with the Class 6A, 6th District championship on the line.

The Raiders (4-4, 2-0 district) locked up their side of the equation with a 27-6 win over Great Crossing on Friday, Oct. 16, their third straight victory. Simon Kenton (4-4, 1-1) earned its shot the same night with a 13-12 comeback at Campbell County, according to the NKY Tribune.

A Ryle win clinches the district title outright and could mean at least two home playoff games, according to Link NKY. A Simon Kenton win would give the Pioneers a share of the district crown.

Simon Kenton trailed 12-7 in the fourth quarter at Campbell County when starter Grant Webb left with an injury. Freshman quarterback Ethan Hopkins stepped in and connected with junior Forest Hughes on a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Pioneers ahead 13-12. Sophomore Jackson Ober then sealed the win with two interceptions in the final minutes.

"Jackson is just a sophomore kind of finding his way through there and made two big plays," Simon Kenton coach Joe Wynn told the NKY Tribune. "He is a guy that just works his tail off … and he was a big piece for us to win tonight."

Webb told the NKY Tribune after the Campbell County win that the Raiders are the Pioneers' biggest rival. He said it has been a while since Simon Kenton won a district championship and that the team needs to go all out against Ryle.

Ryle's defense has been suffocating during its three-game streak, allowing just 12 points over that span. In the Oct. 9 win over Campbell County, Cruze Sauley rushed for 154 yards on 18 carries. Charlie Park recorded 15 tackles, Rahn Keyser had 14 tackles and a sack, Jesse Nunn added two sacks and three tackles for loss, and Ryan Savicki contributed eight tackles and an interception.

The Raiders hold a three-game winning streak in the series against Simon Kenton. Head coach Mike Engler's squad reached the Class 6A state championship game two seasons ago and the state semifinals last year.

Both teams sit at 4-4 overall. An Oct. 12 LINK nky report listed Ryle 14th and Simon Kenton 20th in Class 6A RPI. The RPI freezes after the final week of the regular season on Oct. 30, with the first round of the KHSAA postseason set for Nov. 6.

Kickoff is at Simon Kenton in Independence.