Thorobreds fall to Royals Friday in a disappointing outing

“I thought that we were farther along than this,” said a visibly disappointed Harrison County Football Coach Jim Carr. “They ran all over us.”
Carr’s remarks came after the 41-19 loss to Mason County Friday night in the Athletic Complex before a really good Homecoming crowd that saw Caylin Mattox and Jacob Markley crowned queen and king.  
“I am very disappointed in the fact that we are not mentally and physically tougher,” he went on to say. “We (the coaches) are going to have to find a way to improve on this.”
For the second straight week, the Thorobreds were unable to contain the opposition’s running game as the Royals ran for 338 yards and passed for 194 more for the ball game with a score in every quarter.  
Tee King scored on a 72-yard pass play from Jake O’Mara on the first play from scrimmage on the Royals third possession.  
The Royals missed a field goal attempt on their second time with the ball after a 10-play drive brought nothing on the first try.  
The Thorobreds struggled throughout the first half on offense as they picked up only two first downs in the first quarter and four in the second.  
The closest Harrison County came to scoring in the first half was a missed 27-yard field goal with 2:27 to play in the half.  
Mason County scored its second touchdown the series before on a 7-yard run by RaShon Nelson and the ensuing extra point by Jacob Tompkins to make the score 14-0 before the Thorobreds put together the drive that ended with the failed field goal attempt.  
The first half ended with the score 14-0 in favor of the Royals.
The third quarter was the Breds best although it started badly with an 11-play, 95-yard scoring drive by the Royals.  Ryan Johnson caught a 25-yard pass from O’Mara and with Tompkins’ point-after made the score 21-0 with seven minutes left in the quarter.  
The Thorobreds took the kickoff and put together a drive of their own, an eight-play, 80-yard drive, which ended with a touchdown pass of 11 yards to Jovon Williams from Robbie Stroub.  
Taylor Bolin’s kick was good and the Breds had reduced the lead to 21-7 with almost five minutes still to play in the third period.  
Harrison County’s defense stiffened and Mason County was forced to punt after three plays.  
Again the Thorobreds drove the ball down the field eight plays but Stroub’s pass to Justin Hunter did not connect from the Royal’s four-yard line and the Thorobreds had to give the ball up on downs.  
This seemed to dampen the Breds’ spirits as the Royals proceeded to march from the four all the way to their end zone on a nine-play drive which ended with Rice Hill carrying the pigskin into pay dirt on a 26-yard run.  
The point-after made the score 28-7 with nine minutes left in the game.  
If things weren’t bad enough, Stroub’s first pass in the next possession was intercepted on the Mason County 34 and three plays later Hill ran for a 52-yard touchdown gallop and the point-after placed the score at 35-7.
Zack Mastin scored twice in the fourth period for the Thorobreds, once on a 22-yard pass play from Stroub and once on a 50-yard pass play but it was too little too late for Harrison County.  
Will Griffith ran for a five-yard touchdown for Mason County for the final score of 41-19 as the game ended sending the Breds to a 2-2 record and leaving the Royals at 3-0 for the season.
Hill was the leading rusher for the day with 190 yards while Nelson was close behind with 154.  
Stroub was the Breds’ leading ground gainer with 51 yards. Mastin had 92 receiving yards while Hunter had 90 for the Breds who were 18 of 41 in the air for the game.  
Tee King was the leading receiver for the game as he grabbed three passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.  
The Thorobreds were again hampered by penalties as the yellow hanky hit the ground 12 times against Harrison County for a total of 110 yards.  
The Breds travel to Paris Friday night to take on the 3-0 Bourbon County Colonels.  John Hodge’s squad has beaten Montgomery County, 48-12, Lincoln County, 55-14, and Breathitt County, 55-14, so it is clear that Harrison County has a tall order in playing the Colonels.

Donald Richie

Brock Jenkins returns a kick off last Friday in the Thorobreds’ homecoming game against Mason County.

Donald Richie

Caylin Mattox was crowned Homecoming Queen last Friday during festivities at halftime of the Thorobreds football game.

Donald Richie

The 2013 HCHS Football Homecoming Court, crowned at last Friday’s football game is, front row, crown bearers Campbell McCann and Colton Jones; back row, runners up Jacklyn Fryman and Jordan Gasser; queen Caylin Mattox, king Jacob Markley; runners up Brooklin Wiggins and John King.

Donald Richie

Brady Slade kept rhythm for the Thorobred Marching band during the halftime show at a recent football game.