Ryle 2 Cooper 1 (5-4 in PKs)

I chose to attend the CovCath vs Dixie game in Park Hills, and sounds like I chose wrong.  I was fortunate to get some updates from those in attendance, but if anyone has a first-hand account, please share.

Was 0-0 at the half, Cooper drew first (Adam Morris, I believe), although biased observers felt like Ryle had the better of it up until that point, with Cooper willingly sitting back and allowing Ryle possession looking for counter opportunities.  Ryle on even with a shot by a diving Mason Pemberton to even the score, and it stayed that way through regulation and both OT's.  I will add, even though I was getting updates for parents on both sides, it sounds like no one was happy with the center, there were a LOT of yellow's handed out (including one to Coach Collins of Ryle), although both sides the game wasn't dirty or over the line (for the most part).

The first 3 on both sides made their PKs, and then both 4 takers missed (one off frame, one blocked), and after both 5th takers made they were off to the 6th position and sudden death.  Ryle makes theirs, and Cooper's 6th taker is defeated by a diving Landon Barth and the game was over.  I would have LOVED to have been there, I'm a sucker for intra-district drama and PK's, I have to admit it.

Cooper suffers their first defeat, leaving Frederick Douglass as the only unbeaten in the Commonwealth, and falls to 9-1-3 on the season, with Grant County, Villa (?), and St. Henry next on the docket.  They do end the season with a solid Great Crossing team, but by and large, I guess Coach Flesch is trying to build momentum and confidence with his end of season scheduling.  Cooper will potentially have to beat Conner in the 33rd District Semis to advance to the 9th, and as I've said all year, this is absolutely Cooper's best chance at winning the 9th Region, so a test in the district semis wasn't what they were hoping for before the game last night.

Ryle have won 7 of their last 8 (only a loss to Dixie in the mix), and are now 8-3-2 on the year.  I said before the season that I thought Ryle was much the best in the back and in the pipes, so if they could figure out ways to consistently score, they'd be in the mix again.  Their schedule the rest of the way is as opposite Cooper's as it could possibly be, Coach Collins has back-loaded their schedule with a beast of a finish, so assuming they are healthy coming out of it, they will certainly be well tested and well conditioned to potentially make another post-season run.  They have Conner Thursday in the game that can solidify Ryle's #1 seed in the district with a win, then they have LexCath, semi-finalist from last year Daviess County, and then CovCath, before finishing out of state with East Central (IN).