Ryle boys claim Region 6 archery title

All season long, the Ryle High School archery team has been posting impressive results.

The Raiders did so again on Wednesday, winning the KHSAA Region 6 boys title at Beechwood High School.

The Raiders pulled through by posting a team score of 2,006 and defeating the 12-team field by 64, Simon Kenton finished second with a 1,942. Cooper was third, also with a 1,942, Beechwood fourth with a 1,935 and Conner fifth with a 1,926.

Ryle had six archers place in the top 15 led by seventh grader Jack Albertson with a 295 and hitting 26 bullseye’s.

“An outstanding performance. Out of the 12 that shot, we had three personal best scores,” Raiders coach Mark Evans said. “The 295 for Jack, he’s been very consistent, he dug in a little deeper and rallied it. We always say we’re one team in two different buildings with our middle school team, this tournament allowed us to blend the middle schoolers with one team and we’re all behind each other.”

Jacob Klette placed seventh with a 288, Trenton Dietz ninth posting a 286 and Nathan Santimaw 10th, also with a 286. Kennan Caudill and Jared Evans rounded out the top 15 with 284’s, placing 14th and 15th, respectively.

“The kids really act like a team. We told them early on at the start of the year they were 30 individuals wearing the same jersey and now they’re one unit. They get along together, morale is very high amongst the teams with Gray (Middle School) and Ryle. They believe in what we say and we have their trust as coaches. If we change or critique them, they know it’s for their betterment,” Evans said.

It’s the fourth year in a row Ryle qualified for state, Simon Kenton advancing as well with the top two teams qualifying for the KHSAA state tournament in Bowling Green on April 18. The Pioneers won the tiebreaker over Cooper on a tiebreaker. If two teams are tied at the end, the first tiebreaker is the number of bullseye’s a team gets, if not settled by then, it goes to the amount of nine’s each team hits and goes down in number from there. Simon Kenton got the edge with more eight’s over Cooper to advance to state.

Cooper senior Thane Hudleson finished runner-up with a 292, Boone County’s Xander Moore and Beechwood’s Alex Graman placing third and fourth with 290’s.

Rounding out the top five was Cooper’s Kayson Stone with a 289.

Dixie Heights had two in the top 15, Spencer Meyers sixth with a 288, Zach Lawson 11th with a 285.

Simon Kenton also had two land in the top 15, Gavin Hammons eighth with a 287 and Logan Sizemore 13th with a 285.

Scott’s Max Groendyke was 12th with a 285.

The girls Region Six tournament is Thursday evening at Beechwood.

Ryle is coming off a NASP state tournament over the weekend in which they placed eighth, the first top 10 finish for the program. After the state tournament, they’ll head to the NASP national tournament on May 11 in Louisville. If they can duplicate their 2,000-plus score at the state tournament, they’ll be feeling pretty good about themselves, only five school’s in the state tournament history able to eclipse the 2,000-plus score plateau.

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Ryle – 2,006
2. Simon Kenton – 1,942
3. Cooper – 1,942
4. Beechwood – 1,935
5. Conner – 1,926
6. Dixie Heights – 1,897
7. Boone County – 1,892
8. Scott – 1,886
9. Highlands – 1,875
10. Villa Madonna – 1,819
11. Covington Latin – 1,784
12. Covington Catholic – 1,772

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS (TOP 15)

1. Jack Albertson, Ryle – 295
2. Thane Hudleson, Cooper – 292
3. Xander Moore, Boone Co. – 290
4. Alex Graman, Beechwood – 290
5. Kayson Stone, Cooper – 289
6. Spencer Meyers, Dixie Heights – 288
7. Jacob Klette, Ryle – 288
8. Gavin Hammons, Simon Kenton – 287
9. Trenton Dietz, Ryle – 286
10. Nathan Santimaw, Ryle – 286
11. Zach Lawson, Dixie Heights – 285
12. Max Groendyke, Scott – 285
13. Logan Sizemore, Simon Kenton – 285
14. Kennan Caudill, Ryle – 284
15. Jared Evans, Ryle – 284