DADvocate

Going into this week, my son's football team, the Mason County Royals (KY), held the number one spot in the AP Kentucky Class 3A rankings for the sixth week in a row. Last night they played the Russell Red Devils who have dominated Mason County overall.

Last year, in the first game my son started on varsity (defensive tackle in that game), Mason County beat Russell for the first time ever on Russell's field. An accomplishment my son and his teammates can be proud of. Last night they set another milestone. They beat Russell 34-21 to become the first Mason County team to beat Russell in back to back meetings.

Mason County jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half and then held on the rest of the way. The victory brings them to 7-0 for the season. Three games to go.

It's funny how this team has lived up to their expectations. My son's class, juniors now, has been labeled one of the most talented football classes ever for his school since the 6th or 7th grade. The class ahead of them is also quite talented. The starting running back, who may be the best ever before it's all over, comes from class behind them.

Seeing this talent in middle school, people were saying this year would be the year for them to shine because of the sum of the talent in those three classes. It's still to be seen how far they can go, but the assessment was right and it sure is fun to watch.

BTW - In my completely biased opinion, my son is playing quite well at offensive left tackle. Opposing teams have yet to produce someone he can't block. When the team needs a few yards for a first down, they almost always run behind him because he goes where he wants. In one game, the opposing defensive end tried to speed rush the quarterback on a passing play. My son blocked him as he should have by running the guy back and out of the play. The opposing player complimented my son with, "You're fast!"