The Kings Knights dropped their second straight game on Friday, Sept. 25, falling 35-24 to Lebanon at Kings Stadium in Kings Mills.

Lebanon quarterback Mason Reed threw three touchdown passes and running back Logan Schmenk carried 31 times for 103 yards and a touchdown as the No. 19 Warriors pulled away from the No. 18 Knights, WLWT reported.

Kings quarterback Jack Sills kept the Knights in the game with 347 passing yards and two touchdowns. The air attack wasn't enough to overcome Lebanon's balanced offense.

The loss drops Kings to 3-3 on the season and 2-3 in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC). Lebanon improved to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, staying one game behind ECC leader Anderson.

Second straight loss

The defeat marks a sharp turn for head coach Alex Garvin's squad. Kings opened the season with a win, lost 35-0 to Winton Woods in Week 2, then rattled off two more victories. The Knights scored 121 points across those three wins.

That momentum is gone. Kings lost 49-33 to Anderson on Friday, Sept. 18, a game in which running back Oliver Young rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. The Lebanon loss extends the skid to two games heading into the second half of the regular season.

Anderson extends ECC lead

A WLWT preview before the game billed it as a clash between the ECC's two best running backs in Young and Schmenk. Schmenk delivered, wearing down the Kings defense with 31 carries. Reed's three scoring strikes through the air gave Lebanon a dimension Kings couldn't contain.

Anderson remains the team to beat in the ECC. The Raptors routed Milford 58-14 on Friday, Sept. 25, to stay unbeaten in conference play.

Kings sits three games behind Anderson in the ECC standings with four regular-season games left before the OHSAA playoffs begin Oct. 30.