BOONE COUNTY 14, RYLE 7

By Dan Clasgens | Managing Editor

The Boone County Rebels picked up their second straight playoff road win by taking out the Ryle Raiders 14-7 on Friday night.

Boone County (8-4) lost to Ryle on the same field five weeks earlier, 27-14. They dug themselves into a 20-0 first-half hole in that game and couldn’t climb out. It would be a different story on this night.

They did it with defense, holding Ryle (7-5) to just 88 yards of total offense and allowing the Raiders to convert just three first downs in the entire game. The Rebels on the other hand converted on their first five third-down attempts and seven of their 16 third downs on the night.

“I think our kids took this as a challenge tonight they really I don’t feel like they think they came out in the first half in our first game earlier in the year,” head coach Rick Thompson said. “They didn’t they feel like they tackled well and that was a big part of our game tonight.”

Since losing to Ryle, Boone County has won three of its last four games and picked up some confidence along the way.

“That was a gut check to us to really settle us down and let us see how we compete with others,” quarterback Kameron Schwartz said of the loss earlier in the season. “We worked hard the past few weeks and it has paid off.”
Two of Ryle’s first downs came on the first drive as Nathan Davis churned out runs of 37 and 12 yards, but things fizzled in the red zone and the Raiders had to settle for a 29-yard field goal attempt. The Rebels blocked the kick though and set the tone for the remainder of the evening.
They made the most of the blocked kick by putting together 73-yard, six-minute scoring drive that resulted in a 1-yard TD run by Mikel Reynolds.
It appeared as if Boone County would go up by two scores after they drove the length of the field again before a Bryson Thomspon fumble in the red zone gave the ball back to the Raiders. From there the two teams would combine for six three-and-outs to keep it at 7-0 at the half.

Ryle (7-5) finally got on the board with the help of its defense as Ryan Smith took a Kameron Schwartz interception 61 yards to the house on the opening possession of the third quarter to knot the score at 7-7.

The Rebels responded quickly by stringing together a 58-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard Schwartz touchdown plunge to retake the lead at 14-7 with 2:18 to go in the third quarter.

“I think this team has more heart than any other team I’ve been a part of my whole life in any sport. Guys make plays in key situations.”

With the Raiders unable to get anything going on offense, Boone County continued to grind clock. They won the time of possession by a 33-to-15 minute advantage in the game.

Ryle would get one final shot after forcing the Rebels to turn it over on downs with five minutes left in the game. A pass interference call would give the Raiders a first down, something they had gone 37 minutes of football without. However, shortly thereafter Schwartz would pick off Davis to put the game in the bag.

“Since the last time we played them we kind back to some a bit more old fashioned Boone County kind of football,” Thompson claimed. “Every week somebody else has stepped up. Tonight was Cody Rodriguez’s turn.”

Boone County finished the night with 263 yards of total offense. Rodriguez was responsible for a large chunk of it as he finished with a game-high 153 yards on 28 carries. Reynolds added 72 additional yards rushing on 12 attempts. Schwartz completed 3-of-6 passes for 38 yards with Jake Mullins on the receiving end of all of them.

Davis finished with 97 yards on 19 carries, but failed to complete any of his seven passes in the loss.

Boone County now advances to take on Lafayette, who knocked off Campbell County 20-7. It will be the third straight road game of the postseason for the Rebels.



Dan Clasgens is the founder of TriStateFootball.com and serves as the President/Director of Media & Content for GetSports Enterprises. He has been a featured sports analyst on local radio and television for the past five years. He serves as the Managing Editor for TriStateFootball.com and our sister website, QueenCityHigh.com. If you are interested in covering your team, please CONTACT US.