Covington Catholic and the Ryle have faced off 19 times on the gridiron since Ryle first opened its doors in 1992, with 12 wins going to the Colonels and 7 going to the Raiders. Ryle's Coach Engler is 3-5 against Cov Cath, while Cov Cath's Coach Eviston has gone 5-2 against Ryle during his tenure as the Colonels' skipper, and he has an additional loss to the Raiders while he was head coach at New Cath. Friday will be the eighth time the two teams have faced off in their season opener.

Ryle comes into this season after finishing things last year with a 6-6 record and a loss in the second round of the 6A playoffs to semifinalist Ballard. They had a not-so fantastic scrimmage performance on Aug 4, losing to Beechwood 3 touchdowns to 2 touchdowns in three quarters of varsity play in a 7-on-7 style scrimmage, but they will be looking for a much better offensive performance in the opener with 3-year starter Logan Verax getting the chance to show off his wheels from behind center. Verax led the Raiders in rushing last year with over 600 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Ryle's defense will be led by sophomore linebacker Jacob Savage, who paced the team in both tackles and interceptions last year as a freshman, and junior linebacker Beau Faul who was the team's #3 in tackles last year.

Cov Cath starts off the season after posting a 9-3 record last year, including a 47-21 victory over Ryle in October. Their season also ended in the second round of the playoffs, with a 33-6 loss to eventual 5A champion Frederick Douglass. Covington Catholic had a solid scrimmage performance on Aug 11, traveling down to North Laurel and pitching a 28-0 shutout in three quarters of game-style scrimmage. The Colonels' offense is captained by 2-year starter Evan Pitzer at quarterback. Pitzer was hampered by injuries both in his sophomore and junior seasons, and will be looking to improve on last years 1,082 yards passing this year. Owen Leen will be their leading ball carrier, and UK commit Willie Rodriguez will be one of Pitzer's primary passing targets at TE. The Colonel offense also returns a talented receiving corps. On defense, Rodriguez will be a major player at linebacker, joined by last year's leading tackler, junior Tate Kruer at linebacker. Josh Flood and Ben Reeves both were among the top tacklers last year and will be on the defensive line for Cov Cath.

So who wins this lid-lifter in Park Hills on Friday?

Covington Catholic in a good one. 35-21

I think Cov Cath wins, but I expect Ryle to be competitive. A few things I'm looking for (at least for CCH):

1. The size and physicality on the line of scrimmage. This is, by far, the biggest question I have this year.

2. Early down play calling and run game design. Both of these have to get better from the last few seasons if we want to be serious about competing to win 4A. The good news is it sounds like some changes have been made over the offseason. 

3. How much of a difference maker is Willie Rodriguez? I think he's going to need to be a true dominant player to beat some of the better teams on the schedule and in the playoffs. Looking forward to watching him after his huge offseason.  

Cov 35-14.

I just purchased by CovCath season ticket football pass, it is $40 this year and the broadcasts are excellent.

https://www.covcath.org/athletics/can

CovCath 31 - Ryle 14

Ryle is a quiet sneak up on you team this year, I wouldn’t count them out. I’ll take them against Cov Cath in a close game. 21-14 Ryle. 

If CovCath doesn’t do a ton of designed QB draws (which has made the Mafia invest heavily in Pepto-Bismol) I say they win by 14 or more. They always hang in Defense. 

39 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

A rare look at the real power brokers behind CovCath football, enjoying a fine meal of kielbasa and deep fried cheese curds. The conversation ranges from second guessing every play call to "who's got more heart stents".

 

Incredible display of athleticism. I know Willie was recruited as a TE but I still argue that he may be an even better LB when it is all said and done. 

 

I will go with CCH 42 -14.  Let’s see all these experienced skilled position players for CovCath go to work on offense and score lots of points.  Also,  give me a 300 yard passing game for the CovCath QB. Why not. 

Will Brooks get playing time on varsity for CovCath? 

1 minute ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

Will Brooks get playing time on varsity for CovCath? 

I don't think so.   I heard he is not eligible to play varsity..   

Give me a 1-point Raider upset. Why not start the season with the ship sailing in the right direction?