Ryle 28 Cooper 21

Cooper threatened to upset Ryle until Raiders senior quarterback Conner Hempel ran for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to break a 21-21 tie.

Hempel had 11 carries for 73 yards. He was 7-of-15 passing for 105 yards.

“Conner showed great poise and great character,” Ryle coach Bryson Warner said.

Junior running back Travis Elliott rushed 25 times for 100 yards and a touchdown as the Raiders, ranked No. 2 in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches’ poll, improved to 4-1.

“Travis is always going to give us that kind of effort,” said Warner, who added that the offensive line provide significant blocking.

Cooper senior running back Dvontae Bradley rushed 32 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Junior defensive back A.J. Branch had an interception. Senior middle linebacker Zac Gronfeld had two solo tackles and 11 assists. Cooper, ranked No. 10, fell to 2-3.
Cooper scored first but Ryle got it right back when senior Caleb Lonkard returned the kickoff 85 yards to the end zone.

“Caleb is fearless,” Warner said. “He just hits the hole. He is a great leader. He makes big plays for us. "

Ryle senior linebacker Court Mace had 12 tackles and had one sack to lead the Raiders’ defense. Warner said Mace did a great job of tackling and making good reads on the offense.