Ryle head football Mike Engler thinks people are starting to believe.
The Raiders take on defending Class 6A champion Louisville Trinity for the title at 4 p.m. Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington. And no, Engler doesn’t think his team should be called the U-word – underdog.
“I think that people have taken notice of some of the things that we’ve done this year, and I think people think that we have a chance on Saturday,” Engler said. “There’s, you know, your certain ones that see the name on the chest and they, you know, always think that, well, Trinity’s Trinity.”
Despite the name across the jersey and the dislike, the belief is there.
“But I think people actually believe – or at least they’re hoping to believe. Maybe people don’t like Trinity that much,” Engler added.
Engler said his players now notice little things they didn’t catch early in the season in film study.
“It could be as much as an offensive lineman stepping with the wrong foot or a defensive lineman being in the wrong gap,” Engler said.
The Raiders have done a lot.
Junior quarterback Nathan Verax threw for 2,105 yards and 27 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and ran for 627 yards and seven scores. Junior running back Jacob Savage ran for 1,006 yards and 22 touchdowns, and senior Landon Lorms has 49 catches for 811 yards and 11 TDs.
Defensively, Ryle has allowed a shade over 108 yards on the ground and a little more than 117 through the air. Savage is tops in tackles with 134, junior Kai Workman is next with 90, and Dillon Smith has 52 with 8.5 sacks.
‘What we did and didn’t do’
Ryle started with a two-game winning streak – a 30-14 home win over Covington Catholic and a 46-8 mercy-rule victory at Conner.
Verax threw for just 94 yards against CovCath with a touchdown toss to Lorms and a rushing score; he also had an interception. Junior Jacob Savage ran for 106 yards and a touchdown and led the Raider defense with 10 tackles.
Ryle’s pass defense was the story against Conner – the Raiders allowed just 11 yards and intercepted two passes, including Jaden Galicia’s 35-yard pick-6. For the game, Ryle surrendered 114 rushing yards.
Class 5A finalist Cooper handed Ryle (12-2) a 21-14 loss on Sept. 6 on the Jaguars’ field. Lorms’ muffed punt – one of five Raider turnovers – and Cooper quarterback Cam O’Hara’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Johnson with 38 seconds were the plays you might remember, but Engler saw some encouraging signs.
“What did Cooper do? Well, considering we held them to the lowest scoring total they’ve had all year, you know, I think it was more of what we did and didn’t do,” Engler said.
Here’s some of what the Raiders did: erasing a 14-0 halftime deficit when Savage ran for a 3-yard run in the third quarter and Verax found Dylan Lee for a game-tying 11-yard touchdown with 3:15 to go in the fourth, and allowing minus-11 rushing yards.
Verax said there wasn’t much tinkering with mechanics preparing for Highlands in the next game.
“It was mostly, ‘Just stay confident’,” Verax said. “Know that you’re out there for a reason and don’t let one bad game or one game define your career.”
Engler said Verax “hadn’t grown up yet.”
“People forget Nate Verax started at (cornerback) last year, and it took him four or five games for the speed of the game to slow down for him because he didn’t play quarterback outside of practice at all last year,” Engler said.
Verax agreed.
“I had to realize this is a varsity level, speed’s way faster,” Verax said. “I had to let the game come to me, not force it as much … I had to really sharpen up on my reads and make sure I’m going through every single one and taking the appropriate time for each one that needs to be read.”
Savage, a linebacker, had eight tackles and a sack against Cooper.
“I feel like I’m best on defense; I probably enjoy that a little bit more,” Savage said. “There’s nothing like playing offense, to scoring touchdowns. I mean, I really enjoy playing both, and I want to do it for as long as I can.”
After Cooper, Ryle beat Highlands, 34-28 in overtime (Savage ran for 121 yards and four touchdowns, and Verax threw for 151 yards and a score) and added a 28-24 win at Christian Academy-Louisville. (Verax threw for 239 yards and three TDs, and Lorms caught six for 106 and a score.) The mini-streak ended with a 31-24 loss at Louisville St. Xavier.
Ryle (10-2) rides an eight-game winning streak into Saturday, and there’s a lot to like – since the St. Xavier loss, the Raiders scored 312 points (an average of 39 per game) and gave up just 87 (10.8).
Friends, family and faith
A lot of the credit goes to defensive coordinator Adam Collinsworth. Perhaps he appreciates football more – he was paralyzed in a swimming accident on Aug. 9, 1998.
Collinsworth, who is no relation to former Cincinnati Bengal and NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth, was never depressed over his situation.
“I was surrounded by, you know, good friends, family and my faith – that’s what got me through,” Collinsworth said. “At the time my mom was battling cancer, so I wanted to try to show as much strength as I could for her.”
Collinsworth, a Scott and Thomas More alumnus, has been coaching since 1998, including stints at Amelia (which consolidated with Glen Este in 2017 and became West Clermont High School) and Ryle. He had a health scare before the Raiders’ 37-0 win on Oct. 25 at Simon Kenton – he was going into septic shock from a urinary infection.
“I didn’t even know it was happening, and so they had the squad come, and I was actually getting in the squad during the kickoff,” Collinsworth said.
Trinity (12-2) goes for its 29th state title since 1968. The Shamrocks beat Ryle, 41-7, for the Class 4A trophy in 2006.
To avenge that loss Saturday, the Raiders must contain quarterback Zane Johnson, who threw for 1,806 yards and 16 touchdowns, running back Christopher Wilson (762 yards, eight scores) and receiver Jeremiah Lynn (519 yards and five touchdowns).
“Their quarterback’s young, but he’s got a good arm,” Collinsworth said. “ They’ve got a couple really good receivers, so it’s going to have to be an all-around overall team defense and playing together – all 11 guys playing as one and flying around and hitting people as hard as they can.”
Beechwood meets Owensboro Catholic for the Class 2A title at 4 p.m. Friday, and Cooper takes on Bowling Green for the 5A crown at 8 p.m. Saturday. Savage would love three wins; he would even root for Cooper.
“All the Northern Kentucky teams, I think it would be really cool to win, represent Northern Kentucky,” Savage said. “And, especially Cooper, they’re in Union as well. So that’d be pretty sweet if both teams from Union won. Just Northern Kentucky teams, you’ve gotta root for them.”