St. X with a healthy Mattingly @ QB would be a tough win for Ryle. Otherwise I think I'd pick Ryle.

Wasn't it 7-7 at halftime of their last game against St. X?

 

Yes.

The question posed “Who was the better team this year, Ryle or St. Xavier?” is legitimate on one hand, but not in other ways. First of all, this is not one of the better St. X teams in recent history. A person can make a general observation and assessment about who is better, but there are a few points to consider.

 

The point in another post about a neutral site is important to consider. In college and pro games, it can be considered up to a 7 point difference. In their last game, St. X and Trinity were tied at 7-7 at half-time. The margin of difference at the end of the game were similar between Ryle and St. X given the fact that Ryle played at home

 

Too, what about the officiating. How much of a difference did that make? Didn’t Trinity have 12 penalties and 100 yards versus three penalties and 20 yards to Ryle?

 

What about match ups. Does St. X match up better to Ryle than to Trinity?

 

But will this same question be asked next year when Trinity, Male, and St. X are in the same district? Will it be asked of the two of the three that don’t get out of the district if they are better than the teams that the other might face?

Who in N. Ky. has a "running attack" style besides Boone and Ryle? The vast majority of the good N. Ky. schools throw the ball around quite a bit.

 

As to the topic, I think I would go with Ryle. As others have siad above - one of Ryle's best teams, St. X. is down and Ryle's defense has been up to the task in the tough games. How many games this year did Trinity have only 7 points at halftime?

 

Your right, and that is why I said Ryle's running attack style works in NKY. However as we seen it doesn't get it done against a great team like a Trinity. To beat a team like that, you have to be more than one dimensional. I believe the year Dixie beat Trinity, they could do both. Then last year when SK played a great game, and had a chance to beat the state champs. They also were a team that did both. Ryle's rushing attack is awesome, however it can't beat a great team like Trinity.

Ryle passed early and often, not just when they fell behind. Passing the ball early helped keep some drives alive, it also helped kill a few...but thats what throwing ball gives you. I'm not sure how down St. X was this year, i just think other people got better. Sure they werent as good as last season but last season they were special. As for comparing the two, most seem to think Ryle would be able to beat St. X but it is all about matchups. Could Ryle run the football against St. X? They ran it all over everyone this season, including Highlands. If St. X were able to stop Ryle's rushing game, they would beat them.

The question posed “Who was the better team this year, Ryle or St. Xavier?” is legitimate on one hand, but not in other ways. First of all, this is not one of the better St. X teams in recent history. A person can make a general observation and assessment about who is better, but there are a few points to consider.

 

The point in another post about a neutral site is important to consider. In college and pro games, it can be considered up to a 7 point difference. In their last game, St. X and Trinity were tied at 7-7 at half-time. The margin of difference at the end of the game were similar between Ryle and St. X given the fact that Ryle played at home

 

Too, what about the officiating. How much of a difference did that make? Didn’t Trinity have 12 penalties and 100 yards versus three penalties and 20 yards to Ryle?

 

What about match ups. Does St. X match up better to Ryle than to Trinity?

 

But will this same question be asked next year when Trinity, Male, and St. X are in the same district? Will it be asked of the two of the three that don’t get out of the district if they are better than the teams that the other might face?

 

People are making WAY too big a deal about the officiating. Most of the calls I saw looked legitimate. They're part of the game and sometimes they go in your favor and sometimes they don't. But it's disingenuous for anyone to imply (not saying you have, BTW) that Ryle was only in this game because of the penalty yardage disparity. Not true. At all.

I think the biggest question concerning a Ryle-St. X matchup is the speed. Trinity was faster than Ryle. No one else has been this year (Highlands and Ryle are very similar). If St. X has similar speed to Trinity or even in the same general ballpark, then there's going to be issues running the ball to the outside and in the passing game. Frankly, there's a difference between "NKY speed" and "Louisville speed."

I saw the games and if X and Ryle played 10 times they might each win 5. And yes, each contest would be played in 1:30.