Kentucky high school football: Newport falls to Mason County in head coach's debut
Newport was hoping to take the air out of the ball against Mason County and keep Mason’s explosive playmakers off the field.
The Wildcats were able to achieve that for a while before the Royals took over in the second quarter during their Kentucky High School Athletic Association football opener Thursday night.
Mason County, a 3A school, beat the Class 2A Wildcats 48-6 at Thomas More University’s Griffin Plaza. The kickoff was the first in all of Kentucky for the opening weekend, beating Russellville and Butler County by half an hour Thursday night.
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Ryan Hahn experienced his first game as Newport head coach. The former standout offensive lineman at Highlands High School faced off against former Wildcats head coach Joe Wynn, who is beginning his second season at Mason County.
“We have a lot to learn,” Hahn said. “We’re young; we’re a very young team. We have to build. We have to get better. With youth going up against experience, it’s not always going to be a perfect situation. With us coaching these guys, we hope to see a lot of progress.”
Newport and Newport Central Catholic will play some home games at TMU this year because their normal home, historic Newport Stadium, has been condemned and is not available this fall. Holy Cross also plays some home games at Thomas More.
This contest counted as a home game for Mason County, and the Royals players wore their dark blue jerseys that were similar colors to the normal host: The Thomas More Saints. And the Royals played like they owned the place.
Newport held the ball for more than 11 minutes in the first quarter, but could only gain 19 total yards on its two drives in the quarter.
Newport’s first drive ended in a punt. Senior Isaac Marshall returned the punt 30 yards to the Newport 23 but fumbled.
Newport punted the ball back to Mason County. The Royals scored quickly within 47 seconds. On the Royals’ first play from scrimmage, Keshaun Thomas found Terrell Henry for a 33-yard pass. Henry beat the defender to make a leaping grab.
Thomas found Chad Clark-Roberts for a 24-yard score with 4:42 to go in the first quarter. Clark-Roberts caught a short pass and weaved upfield to find the endzone. It was 6-0.
Newport took up the rest of the first quarter on a 30-yard drive. Mason got the ball back but Kayveion Sharp forced Newport’s second turnover of the first half, intercepting Thomas at the Wildcats’ own 8-yard line.
Newport couldn’t get anything going on offense. Mason County blocked a punt and took over at the Newport 8. The Royals cashed in two plays later, and a two-point run gave Mason a 14-0 lead.
Henry then intercepted a pass from Newport 12 and returned it 20 yards to Newport's 19. Mason scored with 4:32 to go in the second quarter, and a two-point run made it 22-0.
After a quick Newport drive, Thomas found the speedy Marshall for a 55-yard touchdown and it was 28-0.
“Mason County came out and they were ready to go,” Hahn said. “From the first whistle, we need to take it to the other team. For a lot of the first half, it was 6-0, so that’s something to build on.”
Newport had 55 yards offense in the half, nine on the ground and 46 in the air. Kyle Lee had 10 completions for 46 yards, 17 to Mykell Martin on three connections.
Mason County compiled 219 yards of offense as the Royals’ defense shut down the Wildcats.
“They respected our speed, and it showed, and their inside guys were able to come up and make big plays,” Hahn said. “Their running backs wanted to play hard and score every time they touched the football.”
On Mason’s first drive of the second half, Newport forced its third turnover of the night when senior Quincy Barber caught a Thomas pass on a full sprint at the Newport 30 and ran untouched for a 70-yard TD with 10:23 to go in the third quarter.
Newport forced a three-and-out. Newport got the ball back and had a 26-yard pass from Kyle Lee to Landon Starks called back by a penalty. On the next play, Newport turned it over, with sophomore Colton Kinney pouncing on a loose ball and returning the fumble to the Newport 3-yard line. Mason scored with 8:07 to play in the third quarter.
Newport has a tough non-district schedule, continuing at Bishop Brossart next week.
“Hopefully by the end of this year, when we get to district play, this was a good test,” Hahn said. “I want to test our guys against better teams and older teams so we can get that experience.”
Newport 0 0 6 0-6
Mason County 6 28 14 0-48
M – Chad Clark-Roberts 24 pass from Thomas (kick blocked)
M – Sanders 2 run (Caden Clark-Roberts run)
M – Caden Clark-Roberts 4 run (Pugh run)
M – Marshall 55 pass from Thomas (kick blocked)
M – Sanders 3 run (run failed)
N – Barber 70 interception return (run failed)
M – Chad Clark-Roberts 3 run (Chad Clark-Roberts run)
M – Routt 10 run (run failed)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Newport Wildcats football opens season against Mason County
