The Mason County Royals will venture to northern Kentucky for the second time this season to face a Class 6A foe this evening when they visit Alexandria in a matchup against Campbell County.
Both teams are coming off impressive wins last week with the Camels defeating Conner 38-14, and the Royals routing West Carter, 55-8. The Royals now stand at 4-1 and have clinched a home playoff game while the Camels are 2-2. Both teams lost to Boone County, with the Royals falling 28-18 on Sept. 5 and the Camels dropping a 26-7 decision the following week.
Junior quarterback Andrew Eschman leads Campbell County's air attack, going 37-of-77 for 664 yards and six touchdowns. His favorite target is senior wideout Tony Bishop, who has caught 26 balls for 504 yards and three touchdowns.
Mason County coach David Buchanan realizes the challenging task his defense will face in trying to neutralize Bishop, who is one of the top receivers in northern Kentucky.
"Bishop is the best receiver we have seen and we're going to have to be aware of where is on every single play," Buchanan said. "Their offense is going to stretch us out, and their depth will push us as well."
Junior Austin Johnson, a player Buchanan said "can really fly" is the leading rusher with 201 yards, though senior Grant Rose ran for 57 yards and two scores last week in the win over Conner.
Jimmy Brickler is the Camels' leading tackler with 43, while Jake Rebholz has 29 stops along with two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. After reviewing film of the Camels, Buchanan was also impressed with senior linebackers Ross Risner and Cody Owens.
For the Royals, senior Jeremy Thompson continues to be the main weapon on the ground, adding 60 yards and three touchdowns last week. He has rushed for 528 yards on the season and his 13 touchdowns put him 13th in the state and fifth in Class 3A in scoring.
Sophomore quarterback Neal Pawsat is 59-of-96 on the season for 837 yards and six touchdowns, and ranks sixth in Class 3A in passing average. Senior receiver Terrence Breckenridge has caught 18 balls for 339 yards and a touchdown while sophomore Jordan Gilbert has caught 13 for 226 yards and found the end zone three times.
"I am very pleased with how our skill players have performed, but the offensive line also deserves a lot of the credit, and they have made our running game better than I thought it would be," said Buchanan.
Buchanan also said that playing Class 6A opponents will help to improve the Royals program.
"This is another game that will help us to get better and force us to play more guys," said Buchanan. "But don't get me wrong, we are going up there to win."
Mason County ranks fifth in Class 3A in scoring (40.8), third in scoring defense (11.0) and third in scoring margin (29.8).
In last year's meeting at Mason County, Campbell County opened an early 21-0 lead and rolled up 403 yards of offense in a 27-7 win, but the Camels were helped by six Royals turnovers.
Reader Comments
Comments are limited to 200 words or less.
Royal Fan wrote on Oct 3, 2008 8:20 PM:
" It would be nice if the ball coach played deep ball threat Malcolm Jones a little more. Fastest kid on the team standing at 6'3. "
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