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Royals open 2008 football season with home contest against Paris
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By MATT MONTAVON Sports Writer
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The Kentucky high school football season kicks off with three local games on the slate for tonight, and after a month of practices in the heat, local players and coaches are ready to finally play on a Friday night in a game that counts.
Mason County will play host to Paris, and according to Royals head coach David Buchanan, he and the team couldn't be happier to get the season under way.
"We're so excited about Friday night," said Buchanan. "We've had a lot better week of practice, and I know a lot of the kids are excited that Friday nights are finally here and we're excited to be able to open up at our place with our fans."
It will be the second straight year the Royals will open the season with the Greyhounds after defeating them 27-7 in the Joseph K. Ford Bluegrass Bowl at Lexington Catholic a year ago.
In that game, the Royals, with a much deeper roster, wore down Paris in the second half after taking a 13-7 lead to halftime. Those numbers would appear to be in the Royals' favor again this year after Paris lost seven seniors from a 29 man roster, but the Greyhounds do have their share of weapons on their small roster.
"We do have more players but one of the things Paris has, and we do as well, is the ability to score from anywhere on the field," Buchanan said. "That makes both teams very dangerous."
That was the case a year ago when the Royals were able to keep Paris bottled up most of the evening, but allowed a 45-yard touchdown to speedy running back Tiion Thomas.
According to Buchanan, stopping Thomas, now a senior, will be the key to stopping Paris.
"Tiion Thomas will be one of the best, if not the best, football players we'll see all season and we have to control him," said Buchanan. "I think if we do that we will win this football game."
However, Buchanan is quick to note that Paris is far from a one-man team. Part of what makes Thomas such a threat is his ability to open things up for the Greyhounds' other offensive weapons.
"Tiion is good enough that if he is not controlled and he gets loose, he can do a whole lot of damage," Buchanan added. "They've got other good players too, the quarterback (William Washington) throws a good ball and their big receiver (Jordan Stevens) we think is very good. We also like Jerome Stanley and Cody Dumphord in the backfield and defensively they've got good size and speed. There's a lot of good things about them, but Tiion is what makes them go. If Tiion is having success, he's going to make everyone else even more dangerous."
The game also holds special significance for Buchanan, who coached at Paris for eight years before coming to Mason County and expects many of his former players to be in the stands tonight.
"I had eight wonderful years there, four as head coach," Buchanan said. "It brought wonderful memories and I'm thankful for my time there, but I've had 12 wonderful years here too. I've just been fortunate over a long time to coach a lot of good players. Once you kick it off, it's just another opponent, but without a doubt, Paris is different." |
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cvg wrote on Aug 29, 2008 8:54 AM: " Good Luck Royals "
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