The Kings Knights opened the 2026 football season with a convincing 34-6 victory over Sycamore on Friday, Aug. 21, rolling to a 28-point win on opening night in Kings Mills.
It wasn't close.
Kings, ranked No. 20 in the Blitz 5 Top 25 preseason poll powered by TriStateFootball.com, backed up that billing against a Sycamore squad held to just six points. The preseason rankings, published Aug. 4, slotted Kings among the top programs in Greater Cincinnati heading into the year.
The final score was confirmed on the Southwest Ohio scoreboard published Saturday, Aug. 22, listing the result as Kings Mills Kings 34, Cincinnati Sycamore 6.
The lopsided result stood out on a Week 1 scoreboard that delivered mixed results for area teams. While Kings dominated, the Mason Comets were shut out 33-0 by Springboro in their own opener. Mason had entered the season ranked No. 16 in the same preseason poll.
Across the Tri-State, lightning delays pushed a handful of Friday night games to Saturday, Aug. 22, though the Kings-Sycamore contest was completed as scheduled.
Other notable Week 1 results included No. 9 Lakota East rolling Centerville 41-14, Lakota West topping St. Xavier 20-7, No. 24 Badin handling No. 17 Hamilton 33-7, No. 15 Covington Catholic blowing out No. 21 Ryle 50-6 and No. 25 Indian Hill beating Roger Bacon 35-14.
A former Knight made his mark elsewhere on opening night. Andrew Lyman, who transferred from Kings to Elder, hauled in seven catches for 145 yards and four touchdowns from Miami (Ohio) commit Kaden Estep in Elder's 35-3 rout of Middletown during the Blitz 5 Game of the Week.
