KSR Game of the Week: Ryle and Frederick Douglass set to clash in top 10 playoff battle

A top 10 playoff matchup headlines this week’s Kentucky high school football playoff action.

The KSR Game of the Week will feature the No. 9 Ryle Raiders (9-3) and the No. 10 Frederick Douglass Broncos (8-4) in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Class 6A 2025 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals. The Broncos will serve as the host team with kickoff this Friday set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Lexington. The winner advances to the 6A semifinals on Friday, Nov. 28.

According to Riherds, this will mark the first-ever meeting (regular season or postseason) between these two schools. They had a chance to play each other in the playoffs last season, but Frederick Douglass lost in the semifinals to Trinity, which beat Ryle the following game in the 6A championship. The On3 Massey Ratings believe the Broncos will come out on top this week, projecting a 27-21 Frederick Douglass victory.

Here’s what you need to know about both schools ahead of Friday’s showdown.

No. 9 Ryle Raiders (9-3)

Ryle ran into one of the toughest three-game stretches any team faced all season early on. After a 2-0 start that included a win over Covington Catholic, the Raiders took on Cooper, Christian Academy-Louisville, and Highlands — three schools ranked among KSR’s top 15 at the time. Ryle lost them all, but hasn’t dropped a game since, rattling off seven straight victories (three coming as shutouts) to reach the 6A quarterfinals.

Lining up under center is senior quarterback Nathan Verax, who has thrown for 1,415 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions through a dozen games. He’s also tacked on an additional 424 yards and seven more touchdowns with his legs. Senior Jacob Savage (committed to Indiana) is the bell cow in the backfield, having racked up 1,201 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. Six different Ryle receivers have at least nine catches on the season, led by 27 receptions, 399 yards, and six touchdowns from senior Dylan Lee. Ryle puts up 38.7 points per outing, which ranks fourth-best in the class.

Savage also fuels the Raiders’ defense, leading the team with 107 tackles (33 more than Ryle’s second-leading tackler) while also recording 15 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Junior Evan Kincaid has hauled in seven picks by himself this season (tied for the most in 6A), running one of them back for a touchdown. Senior Bo Gay leads the team in sacks with six despite appearing in just seven games, while Senior Kai Workman has added 74 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Ryle’s defense gives up just 14.6 points per contest, the fifth-fewest in the class.

No. 10 Frederick Douglass Broncos (8-4)

Frederick Douglass took a similar route to Ryle to reach this point in the season, but the Broncos’ three-game early-season stretch might have been even tougher compared to the Raiders. Douglass opened the season 0-3 with losses to Highlands (2OT), Trinity, and DuPont Manual — all top 10 teams in the state at the time. But head coach Nate McPeek led his team to an 8-1 finish the rest of the way, the lone loss coming to a highly-ranked Boyle County squad.

Douglass rolls out a freshman quarterback in Jayden Guzman, who hasn’t played like a rookie most of the season. He’s thrown for 1,094 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. Guzman usually looks for senior Terry Cayson, who leads all Bronco receivers with 413 yards and six touchdowns. Junior Dakari Talbert is the focal point of the offense, having accumulated 1,204 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Junior Jeremiah Turner (463 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns) will also receive a handful of snaps in the backfield. Frederick Douglass ranks 14th in Class 6A with 25.9 points per game.

Defensively, junior Tacori Fields paces the group with a team-high 92 tackles, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Juniors LaMonte Brown, Demond Green, and Thurman Wade have combined to post 20.5 tackles for loss. Junior Cionne Conn has pulled down three interceptions. Douglass is among the top defensive units in the class, giving up 15.2 points per game, fifth-best in all 6A.

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