The Sycamore Aviators' 2026 football season started the way 2025 ended: with a lopsided loss.
It wasn't close.
No. 20 Kings rolled past Sycamore 34-6 on Friday, Aug. 21, extending the Aviators' losing streak to at least 11 games including last season's 0-10 campaign. The WLWT/TriStateFootball.com Blitz Recap listed the final score in its Week 1 scoreboard snapshot without additional game detail.
What Sycamore brought into the year
Head coach Darryn Chenault's squad entered the season with reasons for optimism despite the winless 2025 record. Senior quarterback Ty Thomas returned after throwing for 939 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions last fall. Senior receiver Zach Branam, who caught 29 passes for 360 yards and a score, was back as Thomas's top target. On defense, linebacker Aidan Perdue anchored the unit after leading the team with 53 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2025, according to Sports Illustrated's GMC preview.
Against a ranked Kings program, those returning pieces weren't enough to keep the game competitive.
What's next
Sycamore hosts Mason on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Aviators' home opener, per the MaxPreps schedule. Mason entered the season ranked No. 16 in the TriStateFootball.com preseason poll but was shut out 33-0 by Springboro in its own Week 1 game, per the Blitz Recap.
The rest of Sycamore's Greater Miami Conference schedule: at Hamilton (Sept. 4), at Princeton (Sept. 11), vs. Fairfield (Sept. 18), at Middletown (Sept. 25), vs. Colerain (Oct. 2) and at Oak Hills (Oct. 9).
