Brady Sanders and the Mason County Royals host Greenup County Friday night for a Class 3A Region championship. The Royals last regional title came in 2003, the Musketeers 1977. (Evan Dennison, The Ledger Independent)
GREENUP COUNTY (8-4) AT MASON COUNTY (12-0), 7:30 P.M.
For not only what’s at stake, two programs with a shot at doing something they haven’t in a while makes Friday night’s football game in Maysville between Mason County and Greenup County extra special.
The Royals are looking for their first state semifinal appearance since 2003, Greenup County 1977. A Royals win would mean the first 13-0 start in program history, Greenup’s eight wins are their most since 1998.
A state semifinal berth is on the line come Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
Greenup is here with playoff wins over Pike County Central (47-0) and defeated Lawrence County for the second time this season with a 28-7 victory. They sit at 8-4 and finished runner-up in the Class 3A, 7th District.
“Offensively they have a good line, the quarterback is a dynamic athlete. They do a good job of loading the box and can expand it a little bit. Quarterback is the main key and stopping the run,” Royals coach Joe Wynn said. “Defensively they give great effort and energy and limit teams’ running ability.”
Mason County has yet to allow a point in the postseason with wins over Rockcastle County (33-0) and Estill County (25-0).
“Starting on the offensive side, on the perimeter they have three to four guys that can make a lot of things happen. You’re still seeing guys make plays this late in the season that maybe you haven’t throughout the year and it just adds more weapons that they have. Quarterback play is key and Keshaun (Thomas) has done a great job, his dad as a football coach you wouldn’t expect anything different. The running game has really come through for them. There’s not a glaring weakness on offense. The defense has been strong the last two years, they have a different alignment that makes them hard to account for and the way they attack downfield like they do is impressive,” Greenup County coach Zack Moore said. “The athleticism they have with their defensive backs, you see something on tape and then it’s not there come gameday due to their athleticism. If you gamble and throw between the hashes, those odds are not in your favor.”
These two met in the last week of the regular season, a 34-29 Royals victory in Maysville. Much to take away from that game?
“We’ve watched it,” Moore said. “This time of year people have different ways and what they focus on. We’ve focused on that game and the playoff games. That’s when you are your true self. Earlier games in the year and mid-year teams evolve. Mason is as good as it gets, they’re 12-0 and even they won’t look like they did from game one to now. Who you are now is who you are.”
The Royals built a 34-14 lead in the fourth in the first contest, Greenup mounting a late charge, but Terrell Henry’s second interception of the game near midfield as time ran out ended the game. It’s hard to gauge how much stock to put into that one, even with how recent it was three weeks ago. The Musketeers threw it a season-high 25 times, maybe resting the legs of quarterback Tyson Sammons with just nine rushes for 50 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. The nine carries were his second lowest total of the season.
“You take a little away from it. You look at what they did personnel-wise, but at the end of the day you are who you are. By this time of the season you know what your bread and butter is and what you do. We looked at how they blocked us with their schemes and they’ve added a few wrinkles the last few weeks. We know the quarterback will get more than nine carries,” Wynn said.
Special teams also played a key part. The Royals recovered the opening kickoff on a fumble and scored on their first play from scrimmage off a trick play. Greenup converted on a fake punt in the first half and recovered the opening kickoff of the second half off an onsides kick to gain an extra possession, but were unable to do anything with it.
The Royals when they execute the snap and hold have been successful on point after touchdowns, making 23-of-28 attempts this season, but getting to the actual kick has been the issue, the last two weeks alone resulting in six missed opportunities on extra points due to a miscue. Greenup is 37-for-45 on extra point attempts this season. Games this late in the season could come down to that whether it be a point here or there or a play on special teams to make a difference. Keep an eye on that come Friday night.
“Big momentum has to be on your side in the playoffs. A special teams play whether it be an extra point, punt block, punt return, kickoff return, recovering an onside are parts of that. I tell the kids all the time a special teams play like that goes against you and your chances of winning decrease by 35 percent,” Wynn said. “The extra point has to be an automatic one. The last two weeks we haven’t been great with that and if we don’t fix it, it will eventually cost us.”
As far as keys to coming out on top. Both coaches weighed in and had a very similar answer.
“Feel like I’m a broken record, but this time of the year comes down to who makes the mistake and who makes it sting the most. Who can turn points off a turnover, who can stop someone after a turnover,” Moore said.
Wynn followed in a phone conversation a few hours later.
“Got to win turnover battle. No short fields, limit their rushing ability and limit the big play. They are going to get their yards, we have to bend, but don’t break. But in the end whoever wins the turnover battle will most likely come out on top,” Wynn said.
Bundle up, it’s going to be a cold one with temperatures around freezing at kickoff.
