Kentucky Football

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Preview: Ryle at Campbell County

By Greg Shoemaker | Featured Analyst

Wide receiver Jake Zabonick has four TD catches this year for Campbell County.

The winner of this week’s WCPO 9 On Your Sidelines and KISS 107FM Wildcard Game was a classic Class 6A matchup in Northern Kentucky as the Campbell County Camels welcome the Ryle Raiders to Alexandria.

The stakes are high as Campbell County is in the driver’s inside the district, but Ryle is looking to keep their title hopes alive by knocking off the home team.

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PLAYERS TO WATCH: Campbell County quarterback Tyler Durham appears to be headed towards being named the Class 6A, District 6 Player of the Year for the second straight season. The senior has 1,103 yards and 13 touchdowns this fall. When Durham throws the ball his favorite target has been Jake Zabonick, who has 18 receptions including four for scores. Alex Howard, Bobby Moore and Avery Wood should not be overlooked at the skills positions. Defensively, Mitch Kramer and Paul Griffis lead the secondary.

Ryle signal-caller Nathan Davis has yet to erupt in 2012 after a stellar junior campaign. He is due for a breakout game. Running back Tanner Pullice leads the Raiders with 703 yards on the ground. Big Lex Sowards and Brad Weber pave the way for Pullice up front. On defense, the top four tacklers on the squad are Nick Kennedy, Daniel Osborne, Dylan Plvan and Travis Pavy. Mitch Howes leads the Raiders with 3.0 sacks.

TEAM TRENDS: Last season Campbell County broke a seven-game losing streak to Ryle, The Camels haven’t won back-to-back games versus the Raiders in this century. Campbell County had gone 14 games without scoring more than 27 points until Week 2 of 2012. Since then they have topped 28 five times in their last six contests. Ryle hasn’t won consecutive games in their last 12 outings dating back to October 7th of last season. During that span their offense has scored seven points or fewer four times

RYLE’S KEYS TO VICTORY: The Raiders have to find a way to put points on the board. Ryle’s inability to score has taxed their defense. The offense has been shut out twice in their last five outings. The Raiders have been solid on defense giving up less than 12 points over the past four contests.

CAMPBELL COUNTY’S KEYS TO VICTORY: Getting to the end zone four times in all likelihood will be enough for the Camels to come out on top. Ryle has hit 28 points just one time this season. The defense will have to bring their “A” game which is something they haven’t done the past four weeks, allowing 30.5 pints during that span.

PREDICTION: Campbell County 31, Ryle 20

Greg is a co-founder of TSF and is now entering his ninth season as a Featured Analyst for the website. The Xavier University grad also serves as the Content Manager for the website and is widely considered one of the top high school football experts in the region. If you are interested in covering your team, please CONTACT US.