UNION, Ky. - At the start of the season, Ryle was expected to rule Northern Kentucky’s Class 6A district with a strong running game and tough defense. Despite losing star running back Travis Elliott to a season-ending knee injury nearly a month ago, the Raiders showed that formula hasn’t changed in defeating Boone County, 27-13, on homecoming Friday night at Clifford R. Borland Stadium.
In lieu of Elliott, the running game was anchored by junior quarterback Nathan Davis, a Grant County transfer who is still getting used to being the center of attention after performances like Friday.
“It’s just a completely different culture here. This is a football community,” said Davis. “The school I came from wasn’t, so that was a big transition, but I like it.”
Likewise, the Raiders have no complaints about Davis after he ran 27 times for 175 yards and all four Ryle touchdowns, also completing six-of-10 passes for 64 yards despite a stiff wind throughout the night. Still, Davis was just as in awe of the Raiders defensive effort that held the Rebels scoreless until the 4:28 mark of the fourth quarter, limiting Boone County to just 85 yards of offense and three first downs over the first three quarters.
“It’s amazing to have a defense that can do that week in and week out,” said Davis.
“When you see that goose egg on the opposing team’s scoreboard, it takes a lot of pressure off the offense. I don’t feel like I have to go out and make a big play.”
Boone County finished with 194 yards of offense, 120 below its season average coming in, with 133 rushing yards on 37 carries.
“For all four years we’ve known what Boone County football was all about, and that’s power football,” said Ryle senior linebacker Tony Burtraw, who was in on seven tackles — three for losses — and a sack. “We knew all day they were going to run with the big set, so all week at practice we worked on stopping that by getting the right personnel in.”
Ryle, meanwhile, picked up 273 yards, with Davis having a hand in all but 34 of those.
Junior running back Tanner Pulice added 50 yards on the ground on 12 carries, including a pair of runs that set up Davis’ first score, an 11-yard run in the first quarter, after a short punt.
Davis’ next two touchdowns, with Ryle heading straight into the wind, helped put the Raiders in control with a 20-0 lead by halftime.
Davis threw just one pass in the second quarter, a 15-yard completion to junior receiver Nick Salmon on Ryle’s first offensive play of the quarter, in leading consecutive scoring drives.
The first culminated in a 41-yard run in which Davis started along the right sideline, and worked his way across the field to score along the left sideline.
“I just kind of saw in my peripheral a lane to run through and took off and my receiver came back and made a nice block for me,” Davis said. “I was just able to get to the corner and run.”
Another 41-yard run by Davis on Ryle’s next drive set up his 9-yard score with 4:43 remaining in the second quarter.
That lead was pretty much insurmountable against the Ryle defense, even after a bad punt snap gave Boone County possession at the Ryle 13 on its second possession of the second half.
The Rebels moved just six yards before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, part of a run of four straight drives in which the Rebels did not pick up a first down.
“Our defense understands that they’ve got to buckle down and get a lot of three-and-outs and keep the ball out of the opponent’s hands, because it allows our offense to have a lot more success,” said Ryle head coach Bryson Warner.
When the Rebels were finally able to break through and pull within 13, 20-7, on senior quarterback Kameron Schwartz’s 13-yard pass to senior receiver Denzel Cain, it was with an 11-play drive that exhausted 4:41 off the fourth quarter clock. Ryle recovered the onside kick that followed, and after a punt and a turnover on downs by Boone at its own 1-yard line, Davis capped off his night with his fourth touchdown, a 6-yard run with 1:23 left in the game.
“It’s interesting. I can’t really describe the feeling,” Davis said of his four-touchdown performance. “I like it though.”
Boone County finished off the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown run by senior Bryson Thompson with 5.1 seconds left in the game, capping an 83-yard drive. Allowing that final touchdown did not diminish the resiliency Ryle has shown in bouncing back from consecutive losses following the loss of Elliott, tabbed by many as the best player in Northern Kentucky at the start of the season.
“It’s always hard losing a guy like that, a guy who for a while was the heart and soul of your team,” said Burtraw. “But when guys go down, that gives the opportunity for other guys to step up, and I felt tonight, especially on defense, we stepped up.”
BOONE COUNTY 0-0-0-13—13
at RYLE 6-14-0-7—27
R- Davis 7 run (kick failed)
R- Davis 41 run (Mead kick)
R- Davis 9 run (Mead kick)
B- Cain 13 pass from Schwartz (Black kick)
R- Davis
PRINT
