The Mason County Royals football team has a new head coach and several new starters after graduating 26 seniors from last year’s 8-4 team that lost to Ashland in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
After four seasons as the Royals’ head coach, Joe Wynn resigned in January to become the coach of the Simon Kenton Pioneers. Mason County hired Tony Adams in February, but he resigned in April.
Bradley Boone, a 2015 Mason County graduate, was promoted to head coach in April after serving as an assistant coach for six seasons. The new coach is very excited. “It’s a great opportunity, you know, to continue to learn and lead this program and make it to what I see and what I would like it to be,” Boone said. “You know, following the footsteps of Coach [David] Buchanan and Coach [Jonathan] Thomas and Coach Wynn. Coach Buchanan was my head coach. Coach Thomas was my freshman head coach, and then when I first came back after college, starting with him, and then being with Coach Wynn the past four years, I’ve learned a tremendous amount from all three of those guys. And now to think that I’m the one in control and the head of the program is really cool.”
Boone said summer practice has gone very well.
“The kids are working very hard; learning a new system offensively,” Boone said. “…Just understanding the different run schemes and pass schemes we’ve implemented, and defensively, we’re doing the same thing we’ve done the past four years.” Junior Camden Gregory is the heir apparent at quarterback following the graduation of Teegin Routt, who passed for 27 touchdowns and 2,339 yards last season. Boone said Gregory “has progressed all summer,” and will be protected by an offensive line that Boone calls “the strength of the team.”
Four seniors will anchor the offensive line: Gavin Redmond at center, guards Maddox Spencer and Will Dotson, and tackle Cash Cooke. They will be joined by sophomore tackle Bentley Fox. The Royals return three experienced running backs who combined for 15 touchdowns and 961 yards. “It’s a three-headed monster,” Boone said. “Joey Staggs, Lennie Avery, and Hayden Horn, that we will rotate a ton and they’re going to play a lot of snaps.”
Mason County’s receiving corps is young. “I think we have a lot of talent there, it’s just kids that’s been at the JV level,” Boone said. “Micah Payne is the only one that returns that has any action at the wide receiver position.”
Boone mentioned several names on defense who have stood out, including Payne, who has moved from cornerback to safety, Staggs at linebacker, Avery at safety, and Dotson, Spencer, Fox, and Jivon Tennell upfront.
“We have a lot of guys I feel like at the D-line level that can play, probably eight to nine guys that we can rotate, which is very good for us,” Boone said.
Staggs led the team in tackles last season with 46. Payne had three interceptions. The Royals will travel to Scott High on Friday to scrimmage the Eagles, and will host the Conner Cougars for a scrimmage on August 18.
The season opener on August 22 vs. the Bracken County Polar Bears in Brooksville will be the first meeting between the two programs.
“I expect the atmosphere to be great; I expect a lot of people to be there,” Boone said. “I know they’re very excited for it, we’re very excited for it, and I think it will be a very good football game.”
Mason County’s home opener is August 29 vs. the Montgomery County Indians. The Royals will host state powerhouses Highlands and Covington Catholic on back-to-back weeks in October. Covington Catholic has been in the district for the past two seasons. Highlands joins the district this season.
“What I’ve told the kids, what I’ve told the coaches-it is what it is. There’s nothing we can do, it’s out of our control,” Boone said. “We have to play those district games, and we’re going to go into that week competing, trying to win just like we do every other game. We know that they’re very, very good, and we are going to have to play very well in those games to compete, but we’re not going to back down from anyone, and that’s just going to be our motto going into those weeks.”
Harrison County is the other district opponent. Holmes is not competing in the district, so Covington Catholic, Highlands, Harrison County, and Mason County are all guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.
Alumni Night, featuring former Royals playing a 7-on-7 game, was held on August 1. “Alumni Night, I thought, went very well,” Boone said. “When I first wanted to overtake the program, one of my biggest things was getting the alumni more involved, whether that be, you know, at games, on Thursday’s at the end of practice, going into the regular season I want to bring in alumni to talk to the kids, to kinda motive them, to kinda talk to them about their playing days, how they’re going to miss it, you know, when they’re done.”
Schedule:
