By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
There were mostly first-year starters in both lineups for Covington Catholic and Ryle when they took the field for their season opening football game on Friday in Union.
When it was over, CovCath’s newcomers felt a lot better about their debut performance during a 50-6 running clock victory than their counterparts on the home team.
“I’m really proud of how some of the young guys played,” said CovCath coach Eddie Eviston. “A lot of guys came in with inexperience, and it showed. You could see that at times tonight, at the same time they made some good plays as well.”
Sophomores scored five of the seven touchdowns for the Colonels. The leader was running back Kiyan Miller on runs of 1 and 26 yards and a 24-yard screen pass from junior quarterback Dylan Courtney, another first-year starter.
The other two sophomore scorers were Brandon Smith, who opened the game with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Jamir Kirtley, whose 8-yard run into the end zone late in the third quarter gave the Colonels 50 points.
Sophomore place kicker Rocco Gillette provided another six points in the team’s first victory over Ryle since 2023.
“At CovCath, we’re expected to win,” said senior two-way lineman Jonny Lind. “Starting off last year and the year before that with a loss, it’s just not expected from us. Coming out, we’ve got to set the tone. And this season, we’re setting the tone right here.”
Lind was one of the defensive standouts in the victory. He had three quarterback sacks, including one for a safety. The Colonels were so dominant up front in the first half that Ryle turned the ball over on downs once and had negative yardage on three of its next four possessions.
The Raiders’ only touchdown came on a 67-yard pass play from first-year quarterback Brody Smith to senior wide receiver Cruze Sauley that made the score 21-6 with 6:13 left in the second quarter.
CovCath was forced to punt in its next possession, but a roughing the kicker penalty continued the drive. After back-to-back penalties, the Colonels picked up 44 yards on five plays and took a 28-6 halftime lead on a 12-yard TD pass from Courtney to junior Evan Link.
A left-handed thrower, Courtney completed a 37-yard pass to senior receiver Mac Cogswell early in the third quarter. On the next play, Miller scored his third touchdown on a 26-yard run and Gillette kicked the extra point to put the Colonels ahead, 35-6.
“It feels good,” Miller said of his breakout performance. “I’ve been waiting how many months for this, to let people know who I am, it feels really good.”
After the two-point safety, Cogswell returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards to make it 44-6 with 8:15 left in the third quarter and the rest of the game was played with a running clock.
In a post-game huddle with his players, Ryle coach Mike Engler told them to look at the final numbers on the scoreboard.
“Nice piece of humble pie,” Engler said of the 44-point loss. “The big question’s going to be how you going to react. Are you going to sulk or you going to show up tomorrow morning and become a better Raider football team?”
COVCATH 14 14 22 0 — 50
RYLE 0 6 0 0 — 6
CC — Brandon Smith 97 kickoff return (Rocco Gillette kick)
CC — Kiyan Miller 1 run (Gillette kick)
CC — Miller 24 pass from Dylan Courtney (Gillette kick)
R — Cruze Sauley 67 pass from Brody Smith (run failed)
CC — Evan Link 12 pass from Courtney (Gillette kick)
CC — Miller 26 run (Gillette kick)
CC — Safety: Jonny Lind tackled quarterback in end zone
CC — Mac Cogswell 75 kickoff return (Gillette kick)
CC — Jamir Kirtley 8 run (kick failed)
RECORDS: CovCath 1-0, Ryle 0-1.
High school football scoreboard
Bellevue 42, Trimble County 36
Boone County 36, Holmes 8
Brossart 30, Walton-Verona 22
Campbell County 32, Scott 7
Madison Central 56, Conner 6
Cooper 28, Christian County 21
Covington Catholic 50, Ryle 6
Dayton 48, Gallatin County 0
Simon Kenton 42, Dixie Heights 13
Lexington Frederick Douglass 41, Highlands 20
Holy Cross 33, St. Henry 7
Lloyd 21, Newport Central Catholic 3
Ludlow 21, Newport 12