QueenCityHigh.com - Preview: Ryle at Simon Kenton

October 7, 2009

Rick Broering
QueenCityHigh.com Analyst

Thursday night the No. 3 team in our QueenCityHigh.com NKY Rankings, Ryle, will travel to Independence to take on No. 2 ranked Simon Kenton.

Both teams come into the game 5-1 overall and 2-0 in district play. This game is not just the game of the week, but possibly the game of the year in Northern Kentucky.

Simon Kenton now ranks third in the newest state 6A AP poll and Ryle comes in at eleventh.

The game will start at 7:05 and be broadcast on Fox Sports Net Ohio.

Here's a preview of the matchup:

Ryle Raiders
NKY Class 6A, District 6
HEAD COACH: Bryson Warner
2009 RECORD: 5-1, 2-0

Simon Kenton Pioneers
NKY Class 6A, District 6
HEAD COACH: Jeff Marksberry
2009 RECORD: 5-1, 2-0

Ryle's Key to Victory: The Raiders' biggest key to winning is their defense has to step up and play well and play physical. They aren't going to be able to completely stop Simon Kenton running back Miles Simpson but they have to limit his big plays. The most important task though is to keep Simon Kenton quarterback Chad Lawrence from making big plays in the passing game. If they let the Pioneers' offense get rolling early then it could be a long night. Offensively they will have to continue to find the rhythm and mix that they've had the past few weeks. Travis Elliot and the run game have their place in the offense, but they can't be the whole offense if they want to beat Simon Kenton.

Simon Kenton's Key to Victory: The Pioneers will need to continue what they've been doing all year long offensively by opening up holes for Miles Simpson and when the defense stacks the box too much then let Lawrence burn them long in the passing game. The Pioneers have a few different playmakers that teams seem to forget about when focusing too much on Simpson. Expect coach Marksberry to test a questionable Ryle secondary early in the game. Defensively the key for the Pioneers will be for everyone to fly to the ball. They're going against one of the hardest runners in Northern Kentucky in the form of Elliot, so they can't afford to let him break tackles and turn them into big gains.

Players to Watch: There's no question that the two players everyone is waiting to see are Simpson and Elliot. Simpson has been touted as the top back in the area, while Elliot, just a sophomore, has been moving up the ranks and is still trying to prove himself as an elite running back. However, that is not the only interesting matchup going on in this game. In fact, the best matchup may be the two quarterbacks in this one. Both quarterbacks are just juniors and are proving to be two of the most talented signal-callers in the area. Definitely keep an eye on that matchup as well.

Team Trends: These two teams' offensive units have been impressive all season. Ryle is averaging 42.7 points per game through their first six contests, while Simon Kenton is averaging 47.2.

Against common opponents Simon Kenton has outscored those teams by 104, while Ryle has outscored them by 102.

Prediction: Simon Kenton 35 Ryle 24

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