UNION – It was all smiles in Union on Friday night as Ryle’s district championship drought came to an end.
Propelled by a dominant second-half surge, the Raiders avenged last year’s District Championship loss to Dixie with a resounding statement – defeating the Colonels 36-7 on a dreary Friday night in Union to achieve the program’s first Class 6A District Title in five years.
“It’s a great overall team effort,” Ryle head football coach Mike Engler said. “We had a great week of practice and were very confident going into it. They played like they practiced all week and it was very exciting.”
When the two teams faced off on Oct. 15, the Raiders narrowly escaped with a 13-12 win in similar conditions. Early in the night, it felt as if another barn-burner was in store amid a torrential downpour.
Junior Lukas Colemire started the night off strong for Ryle, concluding the Raiders’ first drive of the night with a 1-yard rushing score on the heels of a 15-play, 79-yard drive.
Despite a couple of trips into Raiders territory, the Colonels proved unable to convert and score, with a few net loss plays serving as the culprit.
Though the Raiders’ drive faltered in the waning minutes of the second quarter, a 27-yard field goal by Summer Denigan expanded the Raider lead to 9-0 with just over three minutes remaining in the half.
Dixie gained some much-needed momentum just before intermission, a 36-yard connection from Dixie senior quarterback Logan Landers to sophomore Brach Rice pushed the Colonels at the goal-line with under a minute to play – and set up a 2-yard rushing score by Landers.
Trailing just 9-7 at halftime, Dixie put themselves in a serviceable position for the second half. As it turned out, however, the ensuing 24 minutes would be all Raiders.
