INDEPENDENCE, Ky. – Simon Kenton’s defense delivered the stops, Grant Webb supplied both touchdowns and the Pioneers finished Friday night as outright Class 6A, District 6 champions following a 14-7 victory over Ryle.
The Pioneers erased a seven-point deficit and shut out the Raiders after halftime. Campbell County’s 27-16 victory over Great Crossing completed the championship equation, giving Simon Kenton the district’s top playoff seed.
“Obviously, we struggled a bit tonight, but I kept telling my guys ‘it only takes one play. One play at a time’” said Simon Kenton junior quarterback Grant Webb. “All we needed was a good six seconds, over and over again.”
Early, Ryle had the upper hand offensively. Sophomore quarterback Brody Smith helped the Raiders move the ball on the ground, putting together a drive that reached the Simon Kenton 10 by the end of a scoreless first quarter.
Simon Kenton’s Jaxon Davis laid a hit so hard the ball wanted to see.
Pioneers take down Ryle for the 6A District 6 crown.
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— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 24, 2026
A 10-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the second quarter gave Ryle a 7-0 advantage.
Webb and the Pioneers answered with a lengthy possession, capped by a 32-yard touchdown pass to Sam Hughes with 4:43 remaining before halftime. The extra point was unsuccessful, leaving Ryle ahead 7-6.
Simon Kenton’s defense tightened as the game progressed. Led by senior safety Jack Giordano and junior Peyton Testerman, the Pioneers crowded the line of scrimmage and disrupted the Raiders’ running game.
The defensive pressure continued after halftime. Giordano dropped Ryle senior tailback Xavier Collins for a loss, helping force a punting situation.
What followed was a whirlwind exchange of possession.
A mishandled snap on Ryle’s punt gave Simon Kenton the ball. On the next play, Raiders sophomore Brantley Utz stripped Testerman to return possession to Ryle. Testerman immediately responded with an interception, making it three consecutive plays on which possession changed hands.
“I just wanted to get the ball back. I saw (Brody Smith) look right at me. I just knew if I did my job on defense, we’d get the ball,” said Testerman.
The Pioneers capitalized, using an up-tempo attack to move into scoring position. Webb finished with a 12-yard touchdown run with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter, and Testerman ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-7 lead.
Simon Kenton’s defense protected that advantage the rest of the way. Senior linebacker Kyle King delivered a key fourth-down stop, and the Pioneers recovered a Ryle fumble at their own 36 with 3:42 remaining.
Webb then picked up a late first down to set up victory formation.
“(Our defense) has been playing their butts off all season. It was amazing tonight,” said Webb. “You can’t ask for any more out of them.”
Both Webb and Testerman credited head coach Joe Wynn for preparing the Pioneers for the rivalry matchup.
“He’s been everything for us,” said Testerman.
“As soon as he showed up, it was always ‘beat Ryle’, and all season long, every rep, every practice, it allowed us to (win) tonight,” said Webb.
Simon Kenton improved to 5-4 overall and finished district play 2-1. Ryle dropped to 4-5 and 2-1, seeing its run of three consecutive district championships come to an end.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
SCORING BY QUARTERS
Ryle: 0-7-0-0 – 7
Simon Kenton: 0-6-8-0 – 14
SCORING PLAYS
R: 10-yard run (kick good)
S: Sam Hughes 32-yard pass from Grant Webb (kick failed)
S: Grant Webb 12-yard run (Peyton Testerman run)
RECORDS: Simon Kenton 5-4, 2-1 district; Ryle 4-5, 2-1 district.
UP NEXT: Simon Kenton at Cooper; Ryle at Dixie Heights.
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
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