Some Ryle football players and coaches might have headed out of town on vacation this week.
Raiders head coach Mike Engler skedaddled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a few days, but senior receiver Dylan Lee went to Nevels Fitness in Newport to work out or to a nearby field to catch passes.
Lee chose Colgate University, a Patriot League school, over the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania because he liked Hamilton, New York’s vibe (“trees all around, farms, stuff like that,” he said) over Philadelphia’s big city charms.
“(Colgate) is a lot more homey, and that’s kind of what I’m more comfortable with rather than with a big city,” Lee said. “I’m not a big city guy.”
Before Lee heads for upstate New York, however, there’s one last thing to do for Ryle – atone for last December’s 42-23 loss to Louisville Trinity in the Class 6A championship game.
From now until July 9, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s “dead period” prohibits players from using school facilities and bars coaches from contacting athletes.
What Lee does during dead period is obviously different from a linemen’s routine.
“I’m going to focus a lot on speed and power and explosiveness than obviously a lineman,” Lee said. “And then I also like to combine field work, like catching balls.”
Engler also repaired a bumper on oldest son Isaac’s car. He’s not shocked about Lee’s dead period preparation.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Engler said. “… I always tell them, ‘hey, take time off, because it’s a long season, you need that time away.
“But you know what, you know, your dedicated guys are going to do work, and they’re going to be in shape when they come back.”
Lee said the hardest part about the 2024 season – besides having to talk about Trinity – was wishing people would just shut up about the game.
“It was tough for sure,” Lee said. “For probably a couple months straight, I just constantly get reminded from other people talking about the game and stuff because it was a big moment.”
Lee is rightly Ryle’s featured receiver this year. As a junior, he caught 46 passes for 608 yards and seven touchdowns; he also ran for 77 yards and another score.
What Lee’s done on offense shouldn’t overshadow his defense; he had 28 tackles and six interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
Lee said 2024’s favorite memory was the 38-17 second-round playoff win over St. Xavier – the Raiders’ first win over the Tigers in program history. He caught just one pass for 14 yards, but had four tackles and a 40-yard interception return.
“I mean, it was scary for us, like, dang, this great season could end,” Lee said. “But we went out there and just killed them … That was a legendary moment for me and my teammates, not just because we won because we dominated that game.”
Trinity gained 338 yards against the Raiders, but Lee doesn’t think any one play led to the loss.
“I would say it was slow fall,” Lee said. “ I mean, we started hot. We were playing well, but I would say … It was just a collapse.
“We weren’t very good against the run, we gave up some deep throws down the field, we had some coverage breaks. I wouldn’t say it was a single moment that really beat us, but it was a collective of bad plays and mistakes that ultimately led to us losing the game.”
Ryle opens the season Aug. 22 at Covington Catholic. Lee almost sounds serene about the season.
“It’s not really any pressure,” he said. “I’ve been catching balls for a long time … I’m gonna just do my thing. I know I can play football; it’s not really something I’m scared about.”
